Pigeon River Country: A Michigan Forest

20. Wildlife

20 Wildlife FORD KELLUM In order to see or hear wild animals or birds, drive or walk slowly and pay attention to any unusual sound or movement in the woods. Wildlife know Pigeon River Country much better than you or I do. These wild animals have much better sight, smelling, and hearing ability than we have. Be cautious , and you may glimpse elk, deer, black bear, or any other of several species of wildlife here. One of the ‹rst things is to know where and when to look for the animal you wish to see and possibly photograph, which is dif‹cult without a telephoto lens. All animals have their own preferences for food and cover. Yet they all seem to stray from their normal food and cover habits during the mating season, when the young are being born, and again in winter when snows are deep and temperatures low. Some animals hibernate. The more common ones, like deer and elk, will concentrate in protective cover where food is available close by. In order to spot wildlife, you should know what food and cover they like and where and when to make your observation. Keep a keen lookout for tracks on the roadside or in the snow. This will at least tell you that elk, deer, or black bear have been around. Know your tracks and who belongs to them. There are other signs, like fresh browsing on limbs, barking of trees, or where a buck deer has barked a small tree or bush while trying to rub his velvet off his antlers in September and October. Elk will ‹nd a larger tree, and usually their rubbing will be higher from the ground since they are taller than deer. Most wild animals can best be seen at sunrise or sunset, that transi224 tion time when they are on the move. A good pair of binoculars and a map are almost essential. Have a compass along, and be sure you know which needle points north. I didn’t one time and had to walk six miles through woods and water to get out. But I suppose most folks will be driving a car on the trail roads. If you do, go slow, stop every once in a while for 15 minutes, be quiet, and have your window open. In the spring, summer, or early fall you will be surprised what you will see and hear if you just sit there for at least 15 minutes to one hour. Surely there will be birds to see and hear while waiting for an elk or deer. Near a river bottom is a good place to spend some time. In the winter near or in a swamp or on the edge of a timber cutting operation; in September and October, early in the morning near an open area for elk bugling. It’s their mating season. The old bull elk may have a herd of females that he is protecting for himself. Younger bulls may be nearby in the woods that would like to steal some of his cows, and the master bull elk isn’t about to let that happen. Deer, moose, and elk have antlers. Cows and antelopes have horns. The difference is simple: antlers drop off yearly while horns are a permanent ‹xture. Horns develop from blood ›owing through the center while the antler, as it develops during the spring and summer, is fed by blood passing through the velvet, which completely covers the antlers. The chemical composition of a deer antler is the same as that of body hair. The antler’s size and shape are a direct re›ection of his health during the past year. A good, healthy buck can support a six- or eight-point rack at one and one-half years of age, but if food conditions are poor he will not be in the best of shape and will have spikes from one to ‹ve inches long or a very small rack regardless of age. Deer have their best set of antlers at age ‹ve to eight. However, as the buck gets older the bur or base of the antler each year gets larger and the points get shorter, maybe even deformed. He may wind up with just rugged spikes in his old age from 12 to 15 years. In lower Michigan, bucks seldom live that long because of hunting. A buck in poor health or wounded may retain his antlers longer than a healthy...