In 1492, an ambitious emissary of the Spanish Crown set sail across the Atlantic on what was described as a “little hunt,” respectively, for the riches and fame of discovering a New World. He succeeded. We now proudly call it home, our hunting grounds and, affectionately, ‘Murrica.
Some 522 years later, on what is now celebrated as Columbus Day, I embarked on a little hunt of my own, but not for pearls, rum or spices. I set out for the much finer sportsman’s treasures of the Upper Midwest: turkey, king salmon, ruffed grouse, woodcock and whitetail deer.
Columbus had a two-month window of sailable seas, three ships full of men and the King’s checkbook bankrolling his vacation—I had three days, a gun, a bow and a fly rod.
If you’re in the boat and you have only one chance a year to arrange your own cast and blast, you can’t afford to point west and hope for the best. Instead, head to Michigan.
Michigan offers opportunities that aptly make it a sportsman’s New World. Northern Michigan is where you can essentially draw a silver dollar on a Rand McNally map to pursue five species in 72 hours (map sizes may vary). Here, you don’t risk aiming for India and accidentally bagging America—only some of America’s finest game and fish.
