It is hard to believe that someone would want to hunt these little cuties. I'm pretty sure it is not for their meat ! It's a lovely picture to start the day with, Thanks

Great picture! Yes Karen, I wonder what kind of "macho man" would want to hunt these little cuties. They are my favorite bird at my feeder. They are so friendly, they would be just poor little sitting ducks. Thanks for all the great pictures. I really enjoy my morning visits to the UP. A great day to all!

another outstanding photo of living creatures who inhabit our world with us and struggle for warmth and food. It is truly hard to understand the mind-set of anyone who would gun these harmless, defenseless creatures down. Simply put, I suppose, they have lost, or never possessed, a respect for all of life, whatever its form.
But bless you again for this splendid photo!

It's leagal to hunt doves in IN. Believe me they are the F16 of the migratory bird world. If you think quail are fast, try getting a bead on a dove. Lot's of fun, not much meat.

Roger in MN,
We who do take up a gun have a great respect for the creator who put all of us creatures on the earth. I find it hard to understand how one will go to the store and purchase their food but take a holier than thou attitude towards one who takes his food as man was intended.

Right, Hunter, but shooting animals just for fun? A censory beep takes care of my opinion about that.
And if you get too much of heikki-lunta effects, would you please be so kind to consider sending it over? got myself new cross-country-skies four years ago, and everytime I had the time - no white stuff! Keep my fingers crossed - might get a chance this year - kinda like a real winter might happen within the next four weeks! Though by no means UPish, so enjoy what you got! (Or move out and make room for me ;-)

Why must we always take up sides on hunting we do you dont let it lie.

P.s. I know of no hunter who shoots animals for fun.

Let me be... Read up a ways..... Hoosier says it's FUN!! Hunter Mi.... Some of us don't eat meat at all. However, I can't see what a trip to the store, has to do with the killing for sport,and FUN. All the hunters I know, think it is FUN, or they wouldn't waste their time with it. Yup, just make the deer a nice lunch, and then blow thier brains out, while they are enjoying it. Great FUN. How very, very sad.
Since everyone is feeling like having thier say, I just noticed the "political comentary" is still running, on Wednesdays picture.

I have to say that I agree with Hunter in that I have a great respect for the outdoors and wild animals through my experiences hunting and my time in the field that I doubt I would have ever acquired if I wasn't a hunter. I'm very fortunate to have a father that made the time to take me hunting and teach me to appreciate it and to respect the animals we hunted. I'm able to spend time at my hunting camp in the U.P. with two of my uncles and dad every year. And now that I have my own kids, I'm able to share these experiences with them. To decry hunting as very sad based on the killing of animals is ignoring the very essence of hunting that the vast majority of hunters enjoy the most.

to those of you that don't like hunting think about it this way your ancestors didn't have a corner market to go to to buy food so they had to hunt for it. So it has carried over to our times.
to those of you that like to hunt I say go for it. That is the way that they keep the herds and flocks in check so they don't eat themselves out of house and home. I myself gave up hunting years ago and only do it with a camera now. My motto is "Too each their own" No argument that way.

Dan... How about enjoying that essence of hunting, with a camera? I own two camps up north. I don't have to kill anything, to enjoy my family up there. I have no problem with hunting, if one really needs to, for food, but I still find it very sad as a sport. As far as managing the flocks and herds, I think nature would do a better job, with survival of the fittest. That is not an excuse, anyway, for example... there were NO wild turkeys in Clare County, untill Michigan put them there, for the hunters. Just a thought about the camera. My family has great memories of our camps, the north woods, nature, and wild animals, and being together, and nothing had to die.

Life is a battle of the survival of the fittest. If the deer don't have enough to eat go where the food is. Or are they too dumb to do that?
Even the people who can't survive the winter go south.Are the "Sportsmen" who feed the deer deoing it for the good of the deer or is it to keep them alive and fatten them up for there own benifet to shoot them 9 months later for braggging rights as to who shot the biggest and best? And they do it over a bait pile. Bait and wait?

One of the saddest things I have ever seen was a winter deer yard in late March. So many dead deer, laying all over, almost as far as I could see. All the suffering that must have gone on.
All the good meat rotting away to nothing. Hunting is not cruel. A blessing in disguise. Mother nature can be VERY cruel.

I think Gods plan of nature, does a better job at preserving a speices. If the fittest were allowed to survive, they would be the strongest, and their offspring would be the stronger for it. Then the deer herds would not be plagued with all of the disease, that it is today. Not to mention, the bait and wait policy that hunters are so fond of, encourage the spread of disease. Believe it or not, sometimes God has a better plan, than man can come up with.

Ron Michigan tink your right some people you can not talk to with out getting your butt chewed off we hunters do have fun outdoors But its not the killing we enjoy its something that some people will never understand and will not try to. If you look at the postings it all ways seems to be a non hunter who has some remark first. But if you enjoy the out doors with a gun or camera,snowsled,or 4 wheeling thur. please respect the other and do not bad mouth your fellow man.

Dont you dare bring my God in to your petty arguments

Sorry!! Wasn't trying to bad mouth hunters. Just thought I could express an opinion. I guess those who don't hunt, are not allowed to express thier views. No more talk...... from me.

I figure that if a man needs to fullfill some primitve urge to hunt then he better be prepared to EAT all he kills. This includes coyote, otter, or any of the so-called "vermin" that people think is their right to dispose of. What arrogance! I recall several years ago when a state legislator from SW Michigan was attempting to get a Mourning Dove bill passed. Her argument for killing these lovely birds was that family values would be solidified. A family that kills together stays together sort of mentality. Instead of figuring out if affordable health care is feasible for Michigan's WORKING poor this idiot is focused on killing Mourning Doves.

Sorry Toivo, looks like I opened up a can of worms the other day!!! Now we're arguing about "everything"!!! My apologies. This is a great site. I'll just keep my "mout" shut from now on!!

Hunting is a proud tradition of the UP. Most hunters enjoy the "perks"ie: time at camp with buddies & male bonding with traditional food. clothes and stories. Many camps are family-camps with generations of hunters and the good-time shared with family and friends is often more important than the hunt itself. I know both my father and husband eventually stopped wanting to shoot prey ....but they never admitted it to their buddies because they enjoyed the time together..they maintaind a life-long respect and love of firearms.

Ever been to a race?
Brings out the old hunting spirit of mankind.
It's in our blood.
And who says an exchange of opinions is a can of worms, even if it does run of course?
Don't keep your mouth shut.
We've got the ability to communicate to use it, not to let it lay barren (sorry, couldn't find a proper expression).
Just, as long as it's like on these pages, keep your humour.

I also liked the second page, for an exchange of opinions. Seems it is not welcome thou by some. Ron mentioned "free speech" but then gave apologies, because a few people had opinions that were different. Let it be.... and No more talk.... Well... I guess with those names, that just says it all. Maybe they could just avoid the comentary page, and leave it to others.

My dad was a hunter. He took a train out of Calumet, and it droped him off in the woods for a couple of days, then picked him up. If he got a big buck, it was because he hunted for it. Not because it came to his place for dinner. He passed away several years ago, but he would be appauled at the bait and wait, that so called "hunters" do today. How can that be called hunting? Sounds more like a snipper than a hunter.

comentary page yes but to call hunters macho men or men who have no respect for life. And not all hunters are baiters most that I know do not. Were not snippers or idiots or heartless s.o.b.s. We are Men women and kids that enjoy the hunt and the friendship with others in this age old tradition called hunting. And my name is Pat not let it be or No more talk thou you can let me be and talk no more

Oh boy.... comentary page and all. Still no freedom of speech welcomed here.

Hey U S A, you obviously don't understand what's happening here. This is not a government sponsored forum. Private individuals may limit your speech on their property. I may insist that you leave my house if you start calling my wife ugly.

The fact that the moderators of this private website allow your negative comment to remain on THIS page, shows their tolerance. The fact that your note isn't on the daily picture page, shows their thoughtfulness.

Ouch!! Sorry! Didn't know it had to be government sponsered to give opinions. Thought that was what this page was for. It said it was a public posting area. I wouldn't expect a sign in your house to say that, and I certianly don't go around just being mean to people. Again... sorry. Thought this was a public posting area.

What is wrong with everyone? Do we all have to follow the same path and who gets to make the rules? Hunters are not all good or bad and the same goes for non-hunters. It's fine to be one or the other so long as it doesn't harm someone else and you don't try to force your beliefs on everyone else. The same goes for politics, religion, liking spinach, eating meat or anything else you might care to start a discussion on. This country was founded on tolerance and respect for EVERYONES rights and beliefs and apparently a lot of people have forgotten that. Lighten up, you'll live a longer and happier life.

THANK YOU MARY S

This time next year it may be legal to blast these three critters right out of the tree. Won't that be great! On with the hunt!