Plentiful birds, 10 million-plus acres of public land available for hunting, and spring turkey season just days away – don’t miss your chance to gobble up some prime hunting April 23-May 31. The state’s strategic season structure – with multiple “openers” – gives hunters options that provide the opportunity to have a great hunting experience this spring. That’s a giant leap from just decades ago. There was a time in Michigan when wild turkey was difficult to come by. “I’ve heard stories from my grandpa about some of the wildlife we have today being hard to find when he was a kid,” said Katie Keen, communications coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division. “It’s hard to imagine it was so different just a few generations back.” Unregulated hunting and dramatic habitat changes had made some wildlife, including turkeys, scarce. “This once-common bird was eliminated from Michigan by 1900. In 1977, Michigan’s turkey population was estimated at 6,000 birds, and only 17 counties were open to turkey hunting,” said Al Stewart, DNR upland game bird specialist. “Through reintroduction efforts by the DNR and other conservation partners, more than 200,000 turkeys now roam the wilds in nearly every corner of the state.” Keen said that in 1977, hunters had a 1-in-4 chance of getting a spring turkey license, and only 400 turkeys were taken. Today, she said, hunters just need to determine where they’d like to hunt, watch the DNR’s frequently-asked-questions video, get a license and go. Last year, hunters bagged about 33,000 wild turkeys during the fall and spring seasons combined. “This spring, hunters should find good numbers of turkeys distributed throughout the state,” said Stewart. “Based on production last year, hunters can expect success similar to last spring … and last spring was pretty good.” Interested in watching the woods come alive at sunrise, hearing the turkey’s call, and possibly putting some wild game on your dinner table? Learn more and buy a license at michigan.gov/turkey, or contact Katie Keen at 989-385-0336.
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While weather has certainly dampened the Spring schedule a few games slipped through the flakes and cold.
Softball: Huge first inning propels Cloud to victory White Cloud erupted for 11 runs in the first inning and went on to defeat Grant 17-1 in four innings. Hallie Schulz picked up the win giving up just two hits, striking out one, and walking none. Carlie Stray picked up 2 hits, Allie Dubbink added a hit, and Alissa Diltz had the lone RBI for Grant. The second game was cancelled due to cold temperatures. Baseball: Grant Comeback Fuels Win Over Cloud The Tigers escaped with a win against the visiting Indians from White Cloud with a final score of 14-13. The first inning saw the Tigers first five batters coming around to score. Freshman Elliott Butchart got the scoring started by way of an RBI single that brought home Casey Deater. A couple Indian errors and walked batters later the score was 5-0 after one. Eventually the Indians would take the lead and they were able to enter the bottom of the 7th inning up 13-8. "Our youth showed in innings 3-6," said Coach Rider. "One thing we did not do was think a pitch ahead. We have been telling them how important it is to talk and think a pitch ahead. During those innings it just seemed they were overwhelmed and we started making a ton of mental mistakes because they were not doing this." However, the Tigers would not go down without a fight. Freshman Ryan Hether led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single and made it to second on an error by the left fielder. Tristen Chesebro doubled to score Hether making the score 13-9. A couple batters later Jake Miller singled home Chesebro, Dalton Wagner reached on an error that plated two more making the score 13-12 with runners on second and third. Ryan Hether stepped to the plate for the second time that inning and delivered the knockout punch lacing a single up the middle that scored that game winning runs. For the Tigers, Casey Deater ended up getting the win pitching 2 innings. Offensively Ryan Hether collected 3 hits, Elliott Butchart had 2 and Deater, Chesebro, Miller, Vander Weide, and Wagner all had one. "This was an interesting game. I thought we came out of the gates high energy and then when White Cloud scored 4 in the third we backed right off. I give the boys credit for fighting there way back in the bottom of the seventh," said Coach Rider Left To Right:
Carter Chase, So. Grant- Can shoot with the best and handle the ball efficiently and effectively. Good basketball instincts and if left alone he will burn the nets with regularity. Tyler Naffziger, Sr. Grant- Naffziger is one of those players who can put a team on his back and will them to a win. Against Fremont in the District Finals he kept breathing life into the Tiger hopes and single-handedly took a 10 point lead down to 3 in the space of 30 seconds.Great skills and a true battler. Steven Holt So. White Cloud- He makes his team better. Holt can score and defend and plays smart basketball. He got better as the season progressed and so did the Indians. Ben Schmidt, Sr. Fremont- The proverbial straw stirring the drink, Schmidt was all go all the time. His passing ability is a thing of beauty and he is unafraid to knock down a three when needed. Logan Karnemaat, Jr. Fremont- Can dominate a game from the inside like no other in the area. His improvement from last year to this has been huge, primarily in his ability to thwart the efforts by opponents to get him in foul trouble. He turned shot blocking into an art form this season. Calvin Miller, Jr. Fremont- A banger with a nice scoring touch. Teaming with Karnemaat they held opponents off the boards and Miller seemed to smell an opening when he had the ball in his hands. Connor Swinehart Jr. Newaygo- An absolute force on the court he can score and defend against taller foes and his athleticism allows him to clean up a lot of glass on both ends. Deceptive quickness gets him a lot of points. Mitch Karrip, Sr. Newaygo- When he’s hot from outside forget about it. He can burn it from another zip code if needed and draws out the defense to allow the Lion inside game to flourish. Cooper Heinzman, Sr Newaygo - Plays with absolute passion and leaves it all on the court. Heinzman is one of those players whose accomplishments aren’t reflected in the stats. He bothers opponents with his in-your-shirt defense, sets a mean pick and knows how to win A fearless competitor. Not pictured: Bryce Hallman, Sr. Tri County- The Vikings didn’t win a game but you would not know that by watching Hallman and his teammates competing. He was the leader who kept his team grinding through a struggling season and his points came despite being the focus of every team’s defense every game. Left To Right:
Alexis Strait, Fr. White Cloud- How valuable was this addition to the Indian squad? Her ability to score freed up teammate Hannah Brown who was often double and triple teamed before Strait’s arrival. This freshman gets it done on both ends and plays like a varsity veteran. Hannah Brown, Jr. White Cloud- With the graduation of Bre Harris, Brown assumes the mantle of the best player in the area. She can play cover defense, dish it out like a lunch lady on goulash day, and man, oh man, can she score. Brown ripped the nets to achieve the 1000 career point mark sometime in February and has continued to pile up the points since. The catalyst for the teams success this season when the Cloud posted a 16-7 record, tied for second in the Silver and made it to the District Finals. Cecelia Male, Jr. Grant-Part of a group of scrappers in Grant. While the Tigers didn’t post many W’s, teams that played them came away knowing they were in a game from tip-off to buzzer. Male has the ability to light it up when she gets hot as evidenced by her performance against Morley when she poured in 22 of her team’s 40 points in the win. Riley Sweet, Sr. Fremont- Her dogged determination on the court and leadership by example helped pull together a team beset by a pair of key injuries. Sweet defers to her higher scoring teammates with seeing eye passes and seems to always be in the mix whenever there’s a scrum for a loose ball. Bre Harris, Sr. Fremont- A year that began with such promise took a hit when she crashed to the floor in the final seconds of a heartbreaking loss to Reed City with a broken wrist. Her addition to the team is based partly on her body of work over 4 seasons of premier play and the difference she made this season when able to play.. Harris gave Packer Backers a lot of thrills since she took the court as a freshman and she will be missed. Calla Miller, Fr. Fremont- One of three freshman to grace this squad, she stepped up big time after the injury to Harris. Pressed into duty Miller did not miss a beat and displayed some defensive wizardry to go with her superior ball handling ability. Jaylee Long, Fr. Newaygo- Another freshman phenom who will only get better as she learns (ala Brown and Harris) to manage the double teaming that was tossed at her once teams got a look at her scoring ability. Long plays the game with the kind of reckless abandon that is fun to watch and will be a force on the court in the coming years as well. Alexis Brocker, Sr Newaygo- A grinder who will do whatever it takes to succeed. Brocker leaves it all on the court and plays a fearless brand of basketball that is fun to watch. A fiery competitor who goes after it as if she is oblivious to the scoreboard. Not Pictured: Emma Overbeek, Sr. Tri County- A spark plug for a team that truly came together, winning 12 of their last 14 including 8 in a row and grabbing a District title at season’s end. Overbeek never stopped believing in her team and never stopped playing like it was the final seconds of overtime. She scored when needed, played in your face defense and had an innate ability to find open teammates. Tricia Slavens, Sr. Tri County - A player’s player Slavens does so many things well on the floor. She can score, defend, pass and rebound with the best of them and fills whatever role is needed. Her play in the Districts helped propel her team to the title. A true gamer. |
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