I have carried a can of WD-40 in my truck for almost ever and while it has about a million uses, I often sprayed a mist of it on my shotguns after duck hunting or being in a wet field. Although it’s more of solvent than a lubricant, it displaces moisture and a quick wipe with a rag gives it …

PORT HURON — Bob Soulliere was born to hunt ducks. He grew up on Harsens Island, which is kind of duck-hunting central in southeast Michigan, in a house with a hard-core duck hunting dad. The house was known locally as the “Duck’s Nest,” and Soulliere jumped in with both feet.

Winter creeps in uninvited with its mix of snowy beauty and brutal storms. As winds howl through the dark nights, I often lie awake wondering how the wildlife living in my woods are faring. Are they cold? Are they hungry? Do they have adequate shelter?

It’s something I’m thankful for all the time — this year more than ever — and that’s our bountiful outdoor trails, preserves and state forests. A safe place to get away and hike, mountain bike and soon cross country ski and snowshoeing.

Finally, the grayish dark of the last half hour gives way to legal shooting light.

Gwizdz’s Gadgets and Gear

This year, 2020 has certainly handed us our fair share of challenges, and how we celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday is no exception.

TRAVERSE CITY — George Lombard didn’t grow up aspiring to be an Olympic cross-country skier.

A new sporting clothing/gear manufacturer out of Grand Haven is making waves with low-weight, high-tech fabrics made especially for upland game hunters.

MUNITH — In an ordinary summer, Chris Freiburger and I would have spent a couple of days, perhaps with a third person in the boat — often another former colleague from our days at the Department of Natural Resources — trolling for bluegills.

Looking for a new place to hike and mountain bike safely during firearms deer hunting season?

My buddy Dave Kenyon, who was a Department of Natural Resources photographer for decades, worked out of a kayak a lot to get into skinny water quietly to make his shots. He recently showed me his new toy — an Oru kayak — a completely foldable boat that compresses to the size of a large suitcase.

KALKASKA — One of the benefits of being a journalist, no matter what the beat, is getting to spend time with folks who are the top of their game.

TRAVERSE CITY — A local conservation effort will protect wildlife corridors, scenic views and water quality along the Boardman River where a downstate developer once planned a neighborhood of more than 50 homes.

TRAVERSE CITY — A pandemic-prompted quest for outdoor recreation and desire to prepare for potential food shortages has deer hunters heading to the woods in big numbers.

Remember when, if you had two Storm baits — the Wiggle Wart and the Hot ‘n’ Tot — you pretty much had walleye crankbait trolling covered? They both still produce, but they’ve been surpassed in popularity by several other lures in recent years.

EDMORE — The first two places we visited in our search of timberdoodles produced nada. And Chuck Riley was perplexed.

ACME — Mountain bikers who confidently weave through forests on narrow trails clinging to steep hillsides didn’t start out as experts.

Recently when I was fishing with Mark Martin, he pulled up to a dock and when I grabbed the dock line connected to his cleat, I noticed it was a bungee-style line. I’d never seen one before and it made great sense, allowing you to stretch it to a post, giving you a lot more room to work than…

NEWPORT — Shea Hegedus dropped the anchor where the depth finder said there were a bunch of fish, but you wouldn’t have known it by our results.

Sharp-tailed grouse and pheasant hunting season runs through Saturday, Oct. 31 in the Upper Peninsula and parts of Mackinac and Chippewa counties. Participants may bag two grouse per day and six per season. A base license and free endorsement are required for hunters. Visit Michigan.gov/hunt…

Some Octobers we have been blessed with almost summer-like warmth for getting outside on area trails to view the fall color show.

EMPIRE — Attention-grabbing graphics splashed across Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s new Mobile Visitor Center shares the park story in a glance.