The Norwich Report (Part 5 of 5)

[Bill In Indiana]

Last I saw in quantity in the UP was 3 years ago along the trail very narrow trail from the Log Slide in Grand Mare to Aus Sable light house (East of Munising on Lake Superior shore line)....both sides of the path were pure Pioson Ivy for 100+ yards. Did see a small amount near the Cliff Cemetary area last fall. I am not bothered by it much, but my traveling buddy Cedric is hyper sensative to it. If he touches a door knob a week after somebody else who has touched the stuff does...He's got it.

[Corvus]

It is amazing how un-straightforward it is to get the whole story on poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac on the Internet. I am guessing the U.P. poison ivy looks about like the central Minnesota variety except for maybe the size of the leaves and plant. I am going to really keep and eye out for it next time I am up there. I don’t particularly worry about it, but it is just that I thought that there were no poisonous plants in God’s Country. Actually, I did not think it was in northern Minnesota either, but apparently it is all over up north and completely all around Lake Superior.

Another plant that I only recently found out to be poisonous to touch is cow parsnip, which is currently taking over Wisconsin.

[nailhed]

ive never ad a problem with poinson ivy, but then ive always had a sharp eye for it ever since boy scouts.

[ROC]

I get poison ivy but the worse thing I caught was when I was ice fishing and decided to build a fire out of some brush along side the lake.It was poison sumac.Bad bad stuff.

[mangulator]

Hello Nailhead,

I wrote you a PM, but I have been reading the post on your Norwich Report and I would like to add a few comments.

First, You are a great story teller, and I loved reading about your trip. I just started to look at the CCE Forums lately and ran across your thread and like a good book I just could not stop reading. Great Work.

As for Trenary Toast, I love it! You are right its a great food for hiking, although if you do not dip it, you best have a good set of Choppers! I like it dry, but I have a mouth full of dental implants, I can bite through steel! LOL!

I seen a photo of a revolver I asume you carry with you on your hikes. Im wondering if you carry a Shotgun or Rifle along also? I see that it is a 5 shot 38 special.

I have carried for many years, and since I was 14 never walked into any area up there or any forest without a Rifle/Shotgun or as I do now a 44 mag. I know you want to stay as light as possible when hiking, but for the last 10 or so years I carry a S&W Model 29 44 with a 8- 3/8'' Barrel along with Full Size Colt 1911A-1 in a "Lock and Loaded with a full mag one in the pipe" its an 7 shot pistol 8 with one in the pipe, along with 2 (7 Shot) clips and 2 speedloader for the revolver. I also carry pepper spray. I know that it sounds like alot of extra weight, but now you can purchase full size 45acp 1911 clones that are light weight and revolvers also.

I guess Im just concerned that if you did run across a bear or wolf, I think that a 38 might not be enough.

I was down hiking near Pelkie (Near Silver Mountain) and had sat down against a tree and had two Fawns walk to within 30 feet of me. I just froze and was watching them play, I didnt even move to take a picture because I didnt want to scare them off. Well I was lucky to be down wind and for about a minute I got to just watch them playing in amasement, when their mother came around the same burm they had. Well about a minute after she showed up, she caught my sent, and let me tell you, I got quite a suprise.
After she had my sent, she hadnt seen me, but knew I was close. She was balling and stomping, I think to get me to move, to see where I was. Well she started to advance in my direction and was still grunting, balling and stomping the ground, as a Bull does just before charging. She had finnally seen me as I slowly pulled my pistol out. I started to calmly talk to her. She became even more agressive, but I kept calm and kept telling her to stop, that I didnt want to harm her or her children. She was about 20 feet from me, now Im leaning against a tree sitting on my butt with my Pack still on and if she had charged me, she would have probably killed me, by crushing me between her and the tree, I would not have been able to get out of the way in time. (I Found out later that Doe Hunting in that area had been suspended for I believe 12 years, she was at least 250lbs..) If I had not had my 44 sighted right at her head, and been calm, I do not think I would be here to write this, but after a good 5 min. with her slowly getting to within 15 feet of me, balling and stomping the ground the whole time, she turned around, still balling and gathered her children and disappeared from where she came from. If she had come a few more feet closer I would have had to defend myself with lethal force, something that I would not have liked at all.

Now If it were a Bear or Wolf, who knows, things would have been very different. But a DOE!, who would have thought. I truly think if I would have had anything less than 44 and she charged me and I had to take the shot, I would have taken the shot at 25 feet or 20, and it would have all ended badly for both of us. I Thank God everytime I think of that day and all of the possiblities of what could have happened, I had hunted with a 44 magnum revolver for years and have taken several large deer with the handmade loads I carry in the field, so I know of "The Real World" physical effects of a 44 magnum to a animal of that size. This is the only reason I allowed her to get so close to me without firing. I Thank God that he gave me a love for wildlife and that I walked away along with Mom and her Kids without a scratch, based on the fact that I stayed calm and knew I had the ability to protect myself.

To make this Long Story short LOL! I think you shoud at least have a 12 Gauge Pump with at least a few 00 buck loads behind a few lighter loads or at a minimum a .357 mag with a solid Semi-Wadcutter Load when you are hiking alone in Northern Michigan or for that matter anywhere there are large animals.

Again this is my Opinion

[nailhed]

lol, Mr. Observant
yeah that was a .38, which is what i have carried daily for years. i have no holster for my .44 (working on that)
and i guess i never knew how bad the area was for bears & wolves until the comments here. i dunno, i guess years and years of wandering/"looking for trouble" in inner Detroit while completely unarmed have somewhat dulled my sense of personal danger, hahaha.

again thanks for reading, wow, i never realized i would get so much love & respect for that Norwich series i wrote. at the time i never imagined i was doing such a "great thing," lol.

like i said, i love michigan with all my heart. from the grimiest alley of Detroit to the most sublime mountaintop of the Keweenaw.

[ROC]

I've had a bear come within a few feet of me to check me out but never threatened.Most of them just take off running.I've had a few wolfs come within 50 feet and stop and give me the look."I'm the king of the forest and your on my turf" but then would just walk away.The most fearless animal I've run into is one of those half pound white weasels with the black tip on thier tail.One time made the mistake of seeing how close I could get.Ended up fighting him off with a stick, fearless little guy wanted a piece of me.Wouldn't want to run across his cousin the wolverine,something 100 times bigger with the same attitude.A close second is those little shrews that come out in numbers every so many years.Seems like every time you find a good place to sit one of those little rascals will make an attempt to run up your pant leg and you can't scare them off.
nailhed's 38 should be fine for these guys
A 38 in the eye is a lot more deadly than a miss with a 44 mag.

[mangulator]

ROC, are you talking about a "Pine Martin" or a "Chipmunk" that went after you?

I just love watching "Pine Martins" play. I didnt know that was the name of them, until my friends Uncle and I were talking after a hunt and I mentioned a couple weasels were at my bait pile and taking the few apples I had thrown down and started to play with them. They would each grab one and climb up this snow drift and let them roll down and chase after them. It was so funny.

I have had a few birds land on me and have had a field mouse take a one kernal of corn trip from my blind to his hole in a tree for about 3 hours. It was a good 15 foot trek for the little guy, but he had a path and set of tunnels through the snow and was very persistant. Im not sure if he knew I was right there or he just didnt care. I had the bag down by my feet and he had chewed a hole in it and I guess he felt I could spare some.
Its so amazing to sit and watch and listen to Mother Nature and the creatures of the woods. I am even amazed to see what look like Moths to me, flying around in the middle of winter. I though that most insects were gone in 10 degree weather.

The "Juice" for me now is just being out in the middle of nowhere. I quit Hunting back in 2000, for reasons to long to list here, but I still go every year with my Father and Hunting Buddy's to the "Copper Country". I still sit in my Blind or Hike the area, I have just traded bullets for digital movies and pictures. I recently tried my hand at Gold Panning at Gratiot River on the Westside of the Keweenaw, and have always been a rock hound.

As for being in the woods ( or any area off the beaten path ) though, its still my opinion that a 44 caliber pistol is the min. Like I mentioned I carry a 44 S&W in addition to a 1911-A1 45ACP, sometimes even a .380 ACP in my back pocket too. To some it maybe "Overkill" but to each his own. One of my Favorite Quotes is from some John Wayne Movie, which movie I forget, but anyhow it goes like this," Its better to Have a Gun and not need it, then to Need a Gun and Not Have One"

Also I want to add, "Nailhead" you must have a Gardian Angel with you, to have explored Detroit without someone taking a shot at you or robbing you.

[mangulator]

Nailhead, I forgot, your From DETROIT! Thats why you havn't had any trouble, its the same with me too, whenever I venture North, Its like the animals just know not to mess with us, they must be able to sense were from Detroit! LOL!

[jb88]

Am I the only one that had a run in with the killer grouse you have up there ? I sadly have to admit I got whooped by a grouse while poking around a mine, have the scar to prove it. When I was up at Norwich one of them little buggers run across the trail in front of me, yep I high tailed it back to where everyone else was.