Announcer:
You know what that sound means. It's time for the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast.

Announcer:
Welcome to the Wildtalk Podcast where representatives from the DNR's Wildlife Division chew the fat and shoot the scat about all things habitat, feathers, and fur. With insights, interviews, and your questions answered on the air, you'll get a better picture of what's happening in the world of wildlife here in the great state of Michigan.

Katie:
Hello and welcome to the Michigan DNR Wildtalk Podcast. I'm your host today, Katie Keen, coming to you from Cadillac, Michigan. With me today, I have a special guest host, the one and only, Mr. Bill Radtke. How ya doing Bill?

Bill:
I'm doing great, Katie, and I'm very happy to be here with you today.

Katie:
Well, Bill's coming all the way from the Roscommon Customer Service Center to talk to us. He's worked there for how many years now, Bill?

Bill:
There's 20 in the picture.

Katie:
Oh my gosh. And that's all with Wildlife Division?

Bill:
Wildlife Division.

Katie:
Okay. Give us your 30-second elevator pitch of what you do over there in Roscommon.

Bill:
Oh my goodness, Katie. So many things. I'm involved in habitat management and survey work and a variety of issues, just taking care of customers. It could be on the ground, in the air, on the water. A whole variety of ways and means on a daily basis.

Katie:
So you get to work in the office and in the field?

Bill:
In the office and in the field.

Katie:
And in the air, right?

Bill:
And in the air sometimes too.

Katie:
Oh my gosh. Love it!

Katie:
Let's get to this. We've got a great show planned. We're going to take a look at what's happening around the state. Then we'll have a DNR forester out of Traverse City, Patrick Cotant, and a wildlife biologist from Gladwin, Bruce Barlow, to talk about their jobs. Then we're going to see what's in the mailbag this month and wrap it up with some information about winter activities at state parks in Michigan.

Katie:
Are you ready for this, Bill?

Bill:
I'm ready to make this thing wild, Katie!

Katie:
Oh my gosh. Let's go!

Announcer:
It's that time of year again. Coyote breeding season.

Announcer:
Don't be surprised if you see more coyote activity during the next couple of months. Coyotes are found statewide and can survive just about anywhere. Coyotes can become comfortable living near people, particularly if there are food sources available. Remove attractants like trash bins, bird feeders, and pet foods. Take advantage of a coyote's natural fear of humans and scare them off if you see them.

Announcer:
Remember, coyotes can be good neighbors to have because they eat plenty of rodents.

Katie:
Welcome back to the Around the State segment where you get some quick highlights of what DNR Wildlife staff are up to. 

Katie:
For our staff, winter tends to be a time to regroup and catch up on projects that may have been set aside during the busy fall hunting seasons. Here's what's happening. Let's start in the north. Bill?

Bill:
Up above the mighty mack, the UP Deer Camp Survey Report is being constructed. Basically, hunters contribute deer sightings and harvest information as well as comments from the 16-day firearm season, which staff then summarize and report back to participants. In recent years, around 2,000 hunters from 500 camps across the UP have participated each year.

Bill:
The survey provides hunters and DNR staff with feedback on the status of the deer herd and hunting satisfaction soon after the season ends. The results are one of the tools used by the DNR when formulating recommendations for antler list license quotas and other regulations pertaining to the deer hunting in the UP. The survey supplements the division's post-season mail survey of deer hunters and deer age and physical condition information collected at check stations. 

Bill:
UP staff are attempting to trap and GPS collar about 30 deer in southern Dickinson County in February to learn more about seasonal deer movements and dispersals in the location where a CWD-positive deer was found in October. The box traps are currently being prepared and the best trapping locations are being found.

Bill:
Staff also recently held a turkey management partners meeting to discuss hunting season rules and license quotas for the next three-year regulation period. Regulations are set on a multiyear schedule to allow for results of a regulation change to be seen, and then to reflect on the result, like did it do what it was desired to? These meetings have been very successful at making good working relationships regarding management of wild turkeys.

Katie:
Now heading down across the bridge to the northern Lower Peninsula. 

Katie:
Staff there are getting into bear den checks. Selected female bears, called sows, are fit with radio collars and visited annually. These females act as surrogate mothers for orphaned cubs when needed. The annual visits ensure collars are fitting properly and batteries are replaced. This also allows staff to practice and train immobilizing a wild animal, and it gets us some anecdotal info on bear productivity.

Katie:
A winter wolf track survey will also be keeping staff busy this month. Survey teams will respond to locations that had recent reports of wolf sightings or tracks in the northern Lower Peninsula during a 30-day period. These are locations north of M-55 only. Staff work on fresh evidence, and we'll talk about that later in the mailbag, about preserving a track and taking photos with a ruler.

Katie:
The probability of actually seeing a wolf or finding a track in the northern Lower Peninsula is pretty low, so it's helpful to have as many eyes as possible looking and reporting. This survey ends on March 15th.

Katie:
Bill, give us a report out on what's happening on the south end of the mitten.

Bill:
Well Katie, in the southeast region, February tends to be a somewhat quiet month. Staff are working on writing and updating master plans for game areas. These master plans help to guide the direction of habitat work for the next decade and are important planning documents for game area managers.

Bill:
The winter is also time to repair equipment, enter data from previous hunting seasons, work on construction projects, and hold meetings to plan for the upcoming hunting seasons.

Bill:
February is also banquet season, so staff are attending partner banquets and connecting with other conservationists in organizations like Pheasants Forever, the Ruffed Grouse Society, and National Wild Turkey Federation. These partnerships help to build relationships and expand the habitat work that we're able to accomplish in our game areas.

Katie:
Heading to the southwest, they're getting some timber harvesting completed. When the ground is frozen, heavy equipment can get in and get out without doing damage. On average, about 800 forested acres are annually impacted through timber sales promoting wildlife habitat in the southwest region. Almost all of the state game areas in the southwest utilize timber sales to manage the forest, though many of the timber sales occur on larger state game areas like Allegan, Berry, and Haymarsh.

Katie:
While it sometimes may appear that that section of forest is getting destroyed, timber sales are a good thing! This habitat work helps to regenerate aspen and oak forests, as well as promote natural regeneration of plants that are growing underneath the aging trees. 

Katie:
Forest habitat work provides better habitat for deer, turkeys, grouse, rabbits, and many other species.

Bill:
Well, that wraps up our trip around the state. Hey Katie, what happens when a wildlife biologist and a forester walk into a room?

Katie:
Oh Bill, I'm not sure.

Bill:
You'll find out coming up next.

Announcer:
Planning to do any beaver, otter, or raccoon trapping in the next few months? Listen up. You have to make sure you have your 2018 base license purchased before the end of February. If you don't have your fur harvester yet, get it before the end of February. The 2018 fur harvester license is valid through April 30, 2019, but 2018 base licenses are only available until February 28, 2019.

Announcer:
For trapping season dates and information, visit Michigan.gov/trapping.

Katie:
All right, welcome back to the interview segment. Today with me, I've got a couple of wily guys who came over to Cadillac to talk with me about their jobs. I've got Traverse City forester, Patrick Cotant, and Gladwin wildlife biologist, Bruce Barlow.

Katie:
Now, I've been lucky enough to work with both of these guys over the years. Patrick and I were on a big fire crew. We spent 14 days in the mountains of Oregon. Patrick, let's start with you. You're from the Traverse City office. Is this where you grew up? What got you into this field?

Patrick:
I grew up, actually, in northern Michigan in the small town of Gaylord. There wasn't much to do there when I was young so my folks would always encourage my friends and I, and my sister and her friends, to spend our time outside in the woods surrounding our neighborhood. Once we could drive, we went to the Pigeon River Forest pretty much as often as we could to camp, fish, hike, and bike.

Patrick:
I then went to Michigan State University. My first semester, I had room for a few credits so I took a forestry and wildlife class. I realized that there was actually potential to make a career out of working in the woods, so I went that route.

Katie:
Bruce, when I think of us working together, it's east of Gladwin. I think about the time we were clearing off an access road to get a contractor back and I got stung about half-a-dozen times in the forehead when I stepped on a ground nest, so my memories of you are just great. 

Katie:
So where did you grow up and what was your childhood and education like?

Bruce:
I grew up in southeast Michigan. During that era, especially in the summer, as kids, we were out in the woods and the fields. There was a creek for me to play in. The rule was you had to be home before dark. I spent many a summer out enjoying and learning about the outdoors and about wildlife. When it came to pursuing a career, I then went to MSU and got a degree in Wildlife Management.

Katie:
It's fun to hear how you guys ended up where you are today. Now Patrick, what got you into the DNR?

Patrick:
Well, out of college, I wandered around a bit. I moved to Alaska and worked on a trail crew there. I flyfished a lot, traveled around the western US a bit more, and lived in a couple of other places out there. Eventually, the draw of Michigan, family, this place in general, drew me back. I also needed to make some money.

Patrick:
So I worked at the Conservation District in Otsego County for a couple of years and eventually, there were some job openings with the state. I was offered a job. Couldn't accept it, but eventually was offered a job in a location that I could work, which is Grayling.

Patrick:
I've worked as a forester in Grayling, Manton, Kalkaska, and now Traverse City, which is where I live with my family. Worked in some amazing areas throughout the state. I've also had the opportunity to travel on fire assignments to, like you mentioned Katie, Oregon a couple times, California, and most recently, British Columbia, which was a great time. Great experience.

Katie:
Crazy we got three MSU grads in the room. Go green.

Katie:
Bruce, did you ever think you could turn a love of wildlife into a career? How'd you make that jump?

Bruce:
Well Katie, it was kind of difficult, but my story is very similar to a lot of the staff in Wildlife Division. That is where we started out, volunteer positions, limited term positions, seasonal positions before I was able to land a full-time job with Wildlife Division. It included four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps. That allowed me to build up enough money to attend college and attain my degree.

Bruce:
That is the theme. If people are listening out there and they'd like to work for the DNR at some point, everybody puts their time in in these temporary positions.

Katie:
That's a great little clue there, Bruce. I appreciate it. Yeah, I can remember the steps you have throughout your career. You certainly don't start out where you're at today. That's for sure.

Katie:
We have foresters and wildlife biologists all across the state. In the northern half of the mitten to the Upper Peninsula, you can find, typically, several foresters out of one office. Let's talk about our current jobs. 

Katie:
Patrick, what are you working on right now with the Traverse City wildlife folks up there?

Patrick:
We work together regularly. I work with Steve Griffith, our wildlife biologist, pretty often. Currently, I actually have a timber sale going that's adjacent to an opening that they're hoping to maintain. We incorporated it into the timber sale and the producers removed the brush that's encroaching into the opening. Turned out great. Now Wildlife Division has the opportunity to go from here on how they want to manage it, whether it's prescribed burning or treating the stumps.

Katie:
Bruce, I know it's not too different over in the Gladwin State Forest where you work. From a wildlife biologist's point of view, what are you looking for in timber sale planning and how does that process work?

Bruce:
The Gladwin State Forest has a high percentage of aspen. As a wildlife manager, we treat the aspen to enhance and maintain a young forest habitat type. Young forests provide so much benefit for a myriad of species, from nesting to brood rearing, food cover. It covers everything. So for us at Gladwin, our focus is managing the aspen.

Katie:
With all the forests that are being cut, it's creating so much wildlife habitat, but it's also producing some great forest products and that industry is doing great in Michigan, and it has been for some time. 

Katie:
Patrick, can you tell us a little bit about that industry?

Patrick:
Yeah. The markets here in Michigan are doing great. We sell quite a bit of pine and hardwoods off of state land. The pine that we produce eventually ends up, a lot of it, as dimensional lumber for framing for houses. We also produce quite a bit of sugar maple and oak and black cherry that could end up as flooring or trim. We also have a new mill that's opening in Michigan, so that will occupy a good niche.

Katie:
Bruce, let's swing over to your customers and what you're hearing on a daily basis. What do they want? Are they day use? Are they permanent landowners? Maybe non-residents? Who's talking to you?

Bruce:
Well Katie, since we've just ended the deer season, at least in my part of the state, we have a lot of interest from out-of-state hunters that come up and enjoy our state forests, namely the GEMS Area. We have a lot of upland bird hunters who come from out of state to enjoy our gems.

Katie:
And GEMS are Grouse-Enhanced Management Sites, right? Places people can bird hunt.

Bruce:
Correct. Just recently, the questions that I've been getting in my office from private landowners are how do I manage my property for deer since the bating and feeding is going to end the end of January? I've had some very, very productive conversations with private landowners on how they can maintain their property to attract deer.

Katie:
Well, it's been great having you both of you here today in Cadillac. Had no idea the three of us were MSU grads, but that even makes it a little bit better because I've had this battle before with a U of M person on this podcast. It's nice to be united.

Katie:
But I got one last thing I want to ask you guys. Patrick, picture yourself. You just got to work and suddenly, magically, you get an unexpected afternoon off. Unscheduled, beautiful afternoon with no commitments for six hours. I realize this never happens, but just pretend. What would you do and where would you go?

Patrick:
Well, assuming it was a Friday and it was summer, I would probably strap my fly rod to my bike and take a long bike ride over to the Manistee River and maybe camp for the night on a state forest campground. That would be amazing.

Katie:
That's awesome. Bruce, when you're out working, I know there's times you just have to pinch yourself that you're actually getting paid for this. What are those moments that you just can't believe this is your job?

Bruce:
Well Katie, that's interesting you asked me that question because just yesterday, I had one of those moments. That was during an aerial waterfall survey of northwest tip of Michigan, along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I saw thousands and thousands of ducks and geese, swans. I just enjoy the flying and counting and it's one of those things that I just can't believe that they actually pay me to ride in an airplane and look at ducks.

Katie:
It's cool to have two people in the room today that are basically living their dream careers. It's been great to have you. Good luck in the future. I can't wait to work with you guys again, minus that swollen forehead from the bee sting.

Announcer:
Is it time to renew the license plate on your car or truck? When that moments arrive, show your support for Michigan elk and conservation by getting the Wildlife Habitat Plate at the Secretary of State. 2018 was the 100th year since the reintroduction of elk to the state of Michigan, and while the elk have been here for over a century, this plate is only available for a limited time. Don't miss out.

Announcer:
Visit MI.gov/elk and click on the license plate for more information.

Katie:
Welcome back to the Wildtalk Podcast. It's now time to answer your questions in our Mailbag Segment.

Announcer:
(singing)

Bill:
Okay Katie, Janice wonders, "We noticed a strange track in the snow in our backyard. It goes on for quite a ways with no breaks and no footprints. It's about eight-inches wide. Wondering if you would have any ideas to what could have mad this track? Do turtles ever come out in the winter? There is a pond close by and we see turtles in the summer, but we have never seen any in winter."

Bill:
Well Janice, from what we can see of the trail in the snow, it looks like it could be from a slide from a river otter, but it's hard to say for certain. It is unlikely to be from a turtle as most are hibernating through the winter. However, it is not unusual to see some turtles moving around under the ice occasionally during the winter. 

Bill:
Make sure you use something in your picture for size reference.

Katie:
James emails, "Good morning! I have bird hunted on the little Betsy GEMS, but was wondering if it's open to all other types of hunting like deer, fall and spring turkey?"

Katie:
This is a great question. GEMS are Grouse-Enhanced Management Sites, legit spots right now to target upland bird hunting like grouse and woodcock, but you can use GEMS locations to hunt all sorts of other game also. Right now, it would be a great location to small game hunt. Go find some bunnies. You can see all GEMS locations at MI.gov/GEMS.

Katie:
Thanks for that email.

Bill:
Zack writes, "I recently moved from Illinois to Traverse City. I've loved looking for sheds as it's a great way to get back out doors. Are there any state forests we'd recommend for looking for sheds in northern Michigan?"

Bill:
Okay Zack, awesome question. Elks shed their antler much later than deer do. That's why we can actually do the aerial elk survey right now because they still have those big antlers. But now is a great time to see where they are hanging out and eating because they'll tend to stay in that same location over the next month or so. 

Bill:
Use the elk viewing brochure at MI.gov/elk to see the best locations to find elk on public land in the fall. Think northeast Michigan, Pigeon River and Atlanta State Forest particularly. They'll be in the edges of those locations where they have young and reachable trees to eat. It is completely legal to compete shed elk antlers. Happy hunting.

Katie:
All right, great. We have one more from Dennis. He writes, "I've been waiting for my bear lab results. When do you anticipate them being posted?"

Katie:
Well, this is a great question. Bear are a species that we age by looking at their teeth. Our DNR Wildlife Disease Lab processes a zillion things. Think about deer heads, which is the priority right now, but all sorts of different teeth of different critters like bobcats and otters and even elk. But basically, they have a way of cutting a tooth across like a tree, applying some dye, and counting the rings to get an age. Every bear that is harvested has to be sealed by a department staff so we get the age.

Katie:
You can get those results after April 1st the following year, so you're a little bit earlier yet, Dennis. Visit MI.gov/DNRLab and use your customer ID and you'll look up your bear. You can always give us a call and we'd love to help.

Katie:
That's the end of the mailbag segment. We're going to zip this segment to a close. Remember, if you have questions about wild life or hunting, you can call 517-284-WILD. You can email us at DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov or stop by! Maybe your question will be featured on the mailbag.

Announcer:
Check yes for the Recreation Passport when you renew your license plate at the Michigan Secretary of State. The Recreation Passport is just $11 when purchased with your license plate registration renewal and is your key to visiting more than 100 state parks, accessing staff public boat launches, parking for rustic forest campgrounds, and hundreds of miles of trails, attending free outdoor events and classes, and protecting our natural resources for the next generation.

Announcer:
Visiting Michigan.gov/RecreationPassport for more information.

Katie:
Here we are, nearing the close of this podcast, but we wanted to take a few minutes to talk about some great fun things to do outdoors right now, alone or with friends or family. Young and old, there's plenty to keep you from going stir crazy indoors.

Katie:
First thing, if you have your valid Recreation Passport, you can unlock so many cool things to do.

Bill:
Hike, snowshoe, or cross-country ski by lanterns. Many locations offer these great hikes when we have snow to do it: Ludington, Hartwick Pines, Tahquamenon Falls, Island Lake, Mayberry and Sleepy Hollow. So many, I'm sure you can find one that's within an hour of you. You could even head to a special winter festival event. 

Bill:
Want to give back? Help out at a volunteer stewardship workday.

Katie:
Did you know you could learn to luge or even ice skate a quarter-mile skating trail? Both at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex. They have a lodge to warm up, snacks, and hot chocolate. I've got to get my family there this year.

Bill:
They even have a hard water school known as Ice Fishing Clash. February brings free fishing weekend, also in February, 16th and 17th. What this means is for two days, February 16th and 17th, you don't need a fishing license and you don't need a Recreation Passport to enter state park and recreation areas during these two days. This is for both residents and non-residents alike.

Katie:
Also, there's the 100-year birthday of Michigan State Parks with fun centennial-themed events all summer long. Where does one find all of these awesome activities? If you go to MI.gov/StateParks100, scroll down to Activities. A list of different events are happening.

Katie:
That's MI.gov/StateParks100.

Katie:
Thank you for all for joining us for this edition of the Wildtalk podcast. Hey Bill, on a scale of one to 10, how much fun was this?

Bill:
Well Katie, I'm not sure I can put a number on it, but it's been one wild time.

Katie:
That's a good, safe answer. Have a good day. That's a wrap!

Announcer:
This has been the Wildtalk podcast, your monthly podcast airing the first of each month and offering insights into the world of wildlife across the state of Michigan. You can reach the Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 or DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov.