The Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast

Owl tell you all about skunks, Southeast habitat and October hunting opportunities

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division • Season 7 • Episode 10

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In this episode of the award-winning Wildtalk Podcast, we talk to Terry McFadden about all things habitat in the Southeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan, fly away with eastern screech-owls as we talk all things feathers, and we discuss the odorous, striped skunk in our all things fur segment. Pete Kailing also chimes in with hunting and trapping opportunities during the month of October. 

Episode Hosts: Rachel Lincoln and Eric Hilliard
Producer/editor: Eric Hilliard

Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.

Announcer:
The Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app is your digital connection to all things hunting and fishing in Michigan. Buy, store and display your hunting and fishing licenses, check your points and chances for elk and bear, apply for the draw and view drawing results. Access all the hunting and fishing regulations, view your hunter safety certificate and report your harvest all from within the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Just click the app banner at the top of the page for download instructions at michigan.gov/hunting. You know what that sound means. It's time for the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk podcast. 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.

Rachel:
Welcome to the Wildtalk Podcast. This is your host, Rachel Lincoln, and joining me today as always is Eric Hilliard. Happy October, Eric.

Eric:
Oh, I know. I love this spooky season. It's one of my favorite times and summer is great, spring is great, but fall just has a special place in my heart.

Rachel:
I agree and I bet most Michiganders agree too. It's just so pretty outside and you've got the crisp chill fall air. This is a lovely time, a perfect season. And speaking of this spooky month season, we've lined up another great episode for you during this October. Our special guest, Terry McFadden will join us to shed some light on the early fall happenings for wildlife in the southeast region. And then we will be resharing some information from a previous spooky month episode that tells us more about creatures in the night, specifically the eastern screech owl and the Striped Skunk. You'll want to listen in to those segments for some very timely information, including how to enjoy Halloween decorations without impacting wildlife because please for the love of Pete, no more pumpkin head deer, please. And speaking of Pete, Pete Kailing is back this episode to tell us about the October hunting and trapping opportunities.
And of course, somewhere in the episode there will be a chance to win the one and only Wildtalk podcast camp mug. Before we get started with today's episode, we want to remind you that in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Michigan's endangered species law, we're offering a special shout out to our listeners who donate to the Michigan Non-Game Wildlife Fund. To hear your name read on the air, simply visit michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the link to donate. We'll be kicking off the list of thank-yous later in this episode by reading the names of those who have already generously contributed. But before we dive into the podcast, let's hear a word from our forest.

Announcer:
Trees provide for the wellbeing of our state. That's why we work so hard to keep our forests healthy and abundant, so wildlife has a home and so do people, so that there's clean air and water for everyone. And so Michigan's economy can be as strong as the trees that support it because every branch of forestry ensures that future generations will always have a tree for life and forests for a lifetime. To learn how sustainable forestry benefits your life, visit Michigan.gov/forestsforalifetime.

Rachel:
Welcome back to the Wildtalk podcast. Today we're excited to have on special guest Terry McFadden, the field operations manager for the Wildlife Division in the Southeast region. Thank you for joining us Terry.

Terry:
It's a pleasure to be on.

Rachel:
What projects are the Southeast Region Wildlife Division staff working on this time of year?

Terry:
A lot of people are just finishing up with duck banding and we've met a lot of quotas, exceeded a lot of quotas, which is really good. For instance, in the summer we have 900 geese to band in southeast. Across southern Michigan, it's 1,600 mallards and 850 wood ducks. But our staff, they're very good at what they're doing. They know how to utilize a lot of different techniques for banding and they're a little competitive, so they try to outdo each other, which is a good aspect for them. It helps us out. They're getting ready for hunting seasons, they're posting signs, refuges, directional signs, zone signs and stuff for hunting seasons and even getting things prepared for next year with prescribed fire, burn breaks, for instance, modifying some of the burn plans.
And just getting ready for that so that when the conditions are right next year, we're ready to go. Also, a lot of shows and events. Just a couple of weeks ago we had Woods and Water, we had staff there and I was there actually on the Friday night. We had people all weekend. Point Lee Waterfowl Festival, good turnout there and gearing up for open houses that are coming up in early October at our managed waterfowl areas. That's really neat because it's an opportunity for people to come and talk to the area managers and staff about specific conditions so that they can plan ahead and figure out what they're doing. We encourage people to show up for that. It's a really good opportunity.

Rachel:
You mentioned waterfowl open houses. Can you give us a little bit more details onto what is an open house? If someone was going to show up, what can they expect to be there?

Terry:
In southeast region we have Dianquin Point, Fish Point, Harsens Island, Shiawassee River State game area, and then Point Mouye down at the south. We have five managed areas and from 6:00 to 8:00 at night, I think the first two go October 1st and second, that's Fish Point and Dianquin point. Those are just prior to the middle zone opening up, and then the other ones go October 9th and 10th. That's for the south zone opener and people can go there, they can review maps, look at conditions, the hunting process, go through a draw so that it's not all alien to them when they get there 4:30 in the morning or 5:00 in the morning and they have a really good idea of what to expect and where to go and what to do.

Rachel:
Gotcha. You're going to pull back the curtain a little bit on the waterfowl hunting mystique and make sure hunters feel comfortable and ready when they show up for that really early morning draw.

Terry:
Absolutely. I mean, these are great places for new hunters to go and learn about waterfowl hunting. They're there to help people. Whenever we show up, we're there to encourage people and get them involved.

Rachel:
Back to your regional projects, are there any projects you guys are particularly excited about?

Terry:
We just accomplished a lot of pollinator prairie habitat across southeast Michigan around the 337 acres this year. That's super important across the landscape, especially in this agricultural landscape that we're in when you have beans, corn, wheat, and maybe some hay fields speckled across.

Eric:
When you say monoculture, could you explain that maybe for our listeners that might not be familiar with that term?

Terry:
A lot of these agricultural crops are monocultures, which are one type of grain. It'd be all cornfield or all wheat or all beans, soybeans, and even our hay fields, they can be three to five different varieties of grasses, maybe a few like alfalfa or clover mixed in, but relatively low diversity. Whereas pollinator prairies, they can have 30 to 50 different types of forbs, flowers, a few grasses mixed in, big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass and things like that mixed in. And that's important because it really kicks off the food chain. When you think of game species or non-game species, Turkey poults and pheasants and things, they're precocial birds. They have to feed themselves so when they hatch out of the eggs, they're responsible for feeding themselves and getting big. Well, they do that on a high protein diet, so that's insects. Not only do they get a high variety of food, but there's cover involved with that too, so they're not as prone to get picked off by predators and things.
When you look at these pollinator prairies, not only they're pretty like they're very visually stunning, but they're just teeming with wildlife and lots of rodents and things. You get lots of raptors, harriers and kestrels and short haired owls and things. They're basically an oasis for a lot of game and non-game species across an agricultural landscape. As we continue to add these pollinator prairies across state game areas, we have a lot of partners to thank for that too. That always goes hand in hand. People are working with us. We're excited to actually be able to put more of it on the landscape.

Eric:
Basically an all you can eat bug buffet and so much more.

Terry:
It actually is. It's great stuff and it's beautiful. You can go out there and walk around in a prairie and it's gorgeous stuff.

Rachel:
Thank you for sharing about the bug buffet and prairies, they're really on their way out in Michigan, right? Is there less than 2% of what used to exist?

Terry:
We're trying to restore and take advantage of things that had remnant prairies in them and looking for opportunities across our state game areas to increase that. And we try to incorporate these into places where we can have a complex of a variety of habitat types and I think our staff are doing a fantastic job of taking advantage of the soils and the areas that we have available to us.

Rachel:
And what would you say is the biggest accomplishment your region has tackled this quarter?

Terry:
Well, funding is always an issue. It seems like funding keeps declining and prices keep going up. We've been working with a lot of partners to make up some of the difference and these relationships we're building with traditional partners and non-traditional partners has been great. Bringing people together and working with folks and trying to think outside the box, I think people have been really making a lot of effort at maintaining relationships and starting new ones. It's funny, it doesn't matter if they're non-hunting groups or hunting groups. When it comes to conservation, we got a lot in common.

Rachel:
Yeah, no kidding. There's always a network of people who really do care and it's exciting to find those people and work with them on really unique projects. Well, Terry, we love hearing about the work the Southeast region is up to this time of year. Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to join us to tell us all about it.

Terry:
Thanks for having me on. It's always great to brag about all the efforts of our staff. Really a lot of committed people and it's great to advertise what they're doing.

Rachel:
It certainly is. Well folks, don't go flying off. All things eastern screech owl is coming up next.

Announcer:
There are many camping and lodging opportunities available in Michigan State parks. When you choose state park campgrounds, you get more than just a campsite. State parks offer a diverse range of recreational opportunities including hands-on instructional classes, nature programs, places to fish, boat launches, family-friendly events, and much more. Reservations can be made six months in advance, so why wait Visit midnrreservations.com or call 1-800-44-parks to make a reservation.

Speaker 7:
(Singing.)

Rachel:
The eastern screech owl is one of the 11 owl species found in Michigan, but despite its small stature and it is no larger than a pint glass, it's spooky nocturnal call can catch your attention at night. It's like sad puppy crying somewhere and every time I hear it in the woods, that's how I know what the bird is because sad puppy crying, eastern screech owl.

Eric:
What it's trying to do is lure prey like mice. They think, oh, there's a sad puppy somewhere that I need to go comfort. And then the mouse comes out looking for the sad puppy and then it's swooped in a pond by the owl.

Rachel:
Yeah, that's not a children's book yet. It very well should be. Now these owls aren't spooky despite their spooky call. In fact, they're pretty awesome. These owls are found in areas with old forests that have trees with nesting cavities. Big old trees that are large enough and mangled enough to have these openings in them for them to crawl into and take shelter in during the day. But they also have been known to nest in urban areas where nest boxes are available. Their smaller bodies are plumed in feathers of gray or brown with dark black fine vertical bars that run down their bodies with small short ear tufts and a black beak and the characteristic large yellow owl eyes. It's like if you picture an owl, the iconic image you picture as an owl is what eastern screech owls look like. They're expert of camouflage and as they blend in perfectly with the dark tree bark and they fill holes in the cavities of tree trunks making them nearly invisible during the day.

Eric:
I love owls.

Rachel:
Yes.

Eric:
They're probably my favorite bird. I very rarely see them in the wild, but when I do it's like, I love that bird.

Rachel:
Why? What makes them your favorite animal?

Eric:
I don't know. It's probably, I think it goes back to the Tootsie Pop commercial from when I was a kid, probably. The gee, Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop? And then it's one, two, three, and then that's it. And that's probably why I love owls. It's marketing.

Rachel:
And Tootsie Pops.

Eric:
And Tootsie Pops.

Rachel:
Weird how it's just built into who you are as a person now.

Eric:
Yeah.

Rachel:
Owls primarily hunt at night eating small mammals that includes birds, mice, voles, insects, frogs and other small critters that they can catch. These little birds are considered generalists because they eat most small animals that they come across, even sometimes bats or other owls. Now when prey is abundant, it will cache extra food in its tree holes for a few days so that it can have a little snack whenever it needs to. They tend to perch six to 10 feet off the ground and wait for prey to pass below underneath. And when they do take flight, it's generally not for great distances, only 75 feet or less, which I found to be really interesting that they don't travel great distances before landing on another perch and then ultimately pulling a U-turn and going all the way back to the original post they were on.
Now like other owl species, Screech Owls regurgitate the bones, fur and feather of their prey in an oval pellet usually once or twice a day. The ground beneath where the owl is roosting can be littered with pellets and you can learn a lot about the owl's diet by digging through these pellets. They look similar to a ball of dryer lint but mix in some really teeny tiny bones. And the bones themselves are really fascinating to look at and I have dissected them, you can dissect them. I suggest you wear gloves while doing so because it is regurgitating animal parts, but they're fascinating and oftentimes if you pick one apart slowly enough, you can find entire mice skulls that are still intact and very small talons and shoulder bones and things. It's really fascinating what you can find in those. Now, if you're hoping to catch a glimpse of an owl during the day, there are some additional clues that you can look for.
A lot of times smaller birds like blue jays and chickadees will help you find Screech Owls during the day. You can listen for the commotion that those small birds are making. They may be mobbing the screech owl or another raptor. They will do this with crows or other hawks by swooping down around it and making really noisy calls to alert other birds that this predator is in the area, but also to try to scare the owl or the other raptors out of the area. It's really interesting. And this can often be enough of a nuisance to make the owl move on while alerting other birds. If you're going through a stroll in the woods and you notice that there's particularly loud songbirds chirping in one tree, it could be because there's something larger there and they're trying to scare it out of the area.

Eric:
That's how I found a really nice barred owl that I took some pictures of a few years ago when I was out at a nature center and it was early before anybody else was out there and I could hear these blue jays just going nuts. And I thought, I bet you there's an owl over there. And sure enough I walked over there and the blue jays took off and it took the owl a minute to notice me. I was able to get a few shots off before it was ah, a human, run or fly and then it took off. But yeah, anytime I'm out in the woods, if I hear a bunch of blue jays going crazy, I am trying to track them down 'cause there's got to be an owl or something over there.

Rachel:
What a narc. Blue jays are narcs on the owls. Well, interestingly, I did learn something new while researching for this episode. Screech owls do not build nests, lay their eggs at the bottom of the tree cavity regardless of what is there, be it other sticks or scraps or even feathers that have fallen off or whatever just happens to be in the bottom of that tree cavity is what the eggs are laid on. The female will lay two to six eggs and have one brood a year and after hatching and fledging, the juvenile owls are picture perfect stuffed animal owl. They are so fluffy and light gray with very fine black barring down their seams and they'll continue to rely on the parents for eight to 10 weeks for food while they're slowly learning how to hunt and fly. And in that time they will be hopping around trees, experimenting with their wings on lower branches.
It's a really spectacular wildlife experience to get to watch. Hopefully people will see that and know what's going on if they do see some small baby owlets hopping around on trees. And just to keep this episode on brand, here's some spookiness for you. Nesting screech owls, so young screech owls will fight fiercely amongst themselves for food and sometimes even kill the smallest sibling. This behavior known as siblicide is not uncommon among other birds such as hawks and other owls and herons and is often a result of poor breeding conditions so that there's just not really enough food for all of the offspring to each get what they need. And so they will pick off the smallest siblings so that they can acquire more food. Now, sometimes in the spring people will actually see this happening and people will find young birds on the ground under trees and that could be because it's a fledgling and it's learning how to fly or it fell out of the nest with a strong breeze. But sometimes it's also that the dominant sibling kicked it out of its nest and is the true test of survival of the fittest. It's spooky, it's intense being in the animal kingdom.

Eric:
It's like the way that I ate my twin in the womb.

Rachel:
Similar but different. I think that's pretty spooky too. Wait, is that real?

Eric:
No.

Rachel:
Okay.

Eric:
It's a spooky holiday season, so I thought I'd throw it in there.

Rachel:
Mm-hmm. Well, if you want to learn more about the eastern screech owl or listen to their eerie trail, visit the all about birds website. It's a product of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and there you will find just the most interesting tidbits about all things birds. Continuing on with our chat about wildlife this time of year, there are some really good tips to think about how to keep wildlife in mind while decorating our homes and spaces for the fall season and the Halloween holiday coming up. Now if you're like me, I love decorations. I love decorating for fall and Halloween the most. I've pulled out all of my small tiny skeletons, I'll stash around my house. We've got fresh pumpkins and gourds lining the doorway and an impressive amount of sticky window clings hung on every window thanks to my seven-year-old. But while you're buying and decorating outside this year, take a moment to consider if your decorations are going to impact or attract wildlife.
Pumpkins, gourds and potted plants and flowers can attract deer, squirrels, birds, and lots of other critters. And every October it seems we start to get reports of deer that have stuck their heads into plastic pumpkins, presumably to get the candy from the bottom that was once in the bottom of that pumpkin and they end up with those pumpkins stuck on their heads. As you can imagine, the pumpkin will make it really difficult for the deer to eat and drink until it either falls off or has to be removed. Just make sure to clean up any candy wrappers or food spills that happen around your outdoors or on your decorations, and don't put out any decorations that are going to attract wildlife into places you don't want wildlife to be. Another decoration to think twice about before you place them is fake cobwebs and string lights.
Do they look awesome? Yes, but cobwebs and string lights placed over bushes or in between trees can accidentally entangle bats or birds that are flying by. Enjoy your decorations this year, just maybe pause a moment to think about where you're placing things to avoid having any bad experiences for wildlife. And then finally, since you might be out walking or driving at dusk or dawn in the early evenings, just be mindful to keep an eye out for wildlife this time of year. They're really active during dusk and dawn timeframes as the mating season for a few different species is happening in late October and early November, which leads to a lot of increased movement for deer especially, and they often will run right across roadways without even noticing it. Have a great fall. It's an excellent time of year to be outside. Just make sure to keep your wits about you. Up next, we'll continue our episode with another nocturnal critter. Stay tuned for all things fur.

Announcer:
Pure Michigan Hunt applications are on sale now. If you want your shot of what is considered Michigan's ultimate hunt, pick up a $5 application or two. There's no limit to the number you can buy. If you're one of the three lucky winners, you'll get a hunting prize package worth thousands, as well as licenses for elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, antlerless deer, and first pick at a managed waterfowl area for a reserved hunt. Purchase anywhere hunting licenses are sold or online at michigan.gov/pmh.

Speaker 7:
(Singing).

Rachel:
Mephitis mephitis, the striped skunk, is an nocturnal animal that is common throughout our state. It's typically identified by its mostly black fur that has a prominent white patch covering the top of the head down the neck and then all of the back and rump will also be covered in this patch that typically splits into two broad stripes. Though there can be a lot of variation in how these white stripes present themselves. Occasionally the back of a skunk will be completely black or instead of stripes, it can be white splotches. It's just genetics doing its thing and sometimes they look a little bit different than the standard two stripes, but at the end of those white patches is a wide tail with long hairs. Now this tail comes in handy as the first line of defense against predators. And when a skunk feels threatened, it first attempts to scare away the oncoming predators by raising the tail as high as it can and arching its back while repeatedly stomping its forelegs and shuffling backwards in a very peculiar type of performance that makes it look much bigger than it is and moving quickly to hopefully scare whatever menacing creature is moving its way.

Eric:
They're a good case of how you should observe all wildlife, right? Safely from a distance. Maybe there's wisdom in the skunk in that no matter what the wild animal is, you should keep about as far away from it as you would a skunk just for your own safety and the safety of the animal. If it's a black bear, maybe a little bit further, but definitely a safe distance.

Rachel:
I could not agree more. That's an excellent way to approach all animals, the poster child for animal activity. Now if that first line of offense doesn't work to off the oncomer, then the next line of defense is indeed that wicked stench. Now the scientific name for the skunk is mephitis mephitis. That word mephitis comes from a Roman goddess who is associated with foul-smelling gases arising from swamps, hot springs and volcanoes, which is fitting because the striped skunk is most well known for the pungent fluid it will spray in defense. The oily musk is projected from anal glands and it is so potent that it can cause nausea and sometimes temporary blindness. Interestingly, the defensive musk is made of organic molecules that contain sulfur. Now if you or your pet are sprayed by the skunk, you can counteract the sulfur creating molecules through oxidation and you can do that with some household things you probably have at home. With a little bit of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and liquid soap, you can create the concoction that will counter the chemistry that is occurring there to hopefully remove the stench as quickly as possible. But if you are going to take that approach, I recommend you do some more research to figure out the correct proportions for each one of those liquids.

Eric:
I'm just picturing myself is basically a homemade volcano experiment where I douse myself in baking soda and then dump peroxide on myself and then it's just I erupt.

Rachel:
When I was looking into this, it did say that this concoction will cause discoloration of hair and fur. If it's your pet that gets into some skunky business, peroxide will bleach hair so your pets can look a little wonky for a while, just wonky or you smell like a skunk. Choose your battles. And that is a chemistry lesson you didn't know you would maybe need someday.

Eric:
I hope I never need it.

Rachel:
I also hope. I've never been sprayed, but I have smelled skunk and I hope I never get too close to one. The striped skunk has very few mammalian predators as you can probably imagine why, but large birds of prey such as the great horned owl, are not affected by the skunk's musk and will feed on them, primarily at night when both animals are active. It is the most common predator of the striped skunk skunks are docile animals that dwell in the mixture of habitats ranging from open forests and ravines, fields to subdivision and urban neighborhoods. And as we mentioned before, they will happily take residence under your deck or under your house in those areas that are like burrows and are sheltered from the elements, they can certainly dwell comfortably close to humans. And so if you've got little crevices around behind some fencing or under your porch, you may take the time to make sure that no animals can crawl back and forth so that you don't have an unpleasant experience with a skunk one of these days.
Skunks will generally, they do take up residence in more uninhabited places like abandoned woodchuck burrows or under brush piles or rock piles and are primarily active from dusk to dawn because they're so well camouflaged in the night with the black and white fur. Now the winter time, skunks are not true hibernators, so they don't leave the area, but they don't necessarily sleep and go into true hibernation through the winter months either. Instead, they will gather into mostly underground burrows with a few other skunks to conserve body heat and then share body warmth amongst each other. And while they're in their den, they can lower their body temperatures for short amounts of time helping them to save energy. They'll take their body temperatures from a hundred degrees Fahrenheit down to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes even colder temperatures. During milder times through the winter months though, skunks will rise to forage. They'll mostly rely on their fat reserves and body fat for fuel through those cold months.
Now the diet of a skunk is highly variable. When food is abundant in the spring and summer, these omnivores will feast on a variety of foods, everything from insects and grubs and beetles and grasshoppers to later feasting on fruits and vegetables and crayfish, worms, bird eggs, turtle eggs, and the occasional fish or frog, whatever protein source it can find really. If it does rise to forage in the winter time, as I mentioned, voles and other small critters that travel under the snow are an excellent source of protein to replenish the fat reserves for skunks. And like almost all other wildlife species, the smell of garbage and human food sources is so tantalizing and alluring it often will bring skunks in closer to our homes or places where a trash disposal is happening. Now around late March or April, mating season does occur for skunks and four to six sparsely furred young will be born in an underground nest after about 60 to 80 days. At six to seven weeks old, those youngsters will begin to venture out with mom in a perfect straight line behind her as they set out for their foraging expedition. And that is about the cutest thing I have ever seen is a mama skunk leading her four little tiny babies in a line to go find some fresh blueberries. Amazing.

Eric:
They walk with those tails all puffy and high and prancing like they do, almost like they've got the warning flag up the entire time. Observing them from a distance, I had a family of skunks that wandered through my yard a few years ago, and that's when I saw baby skunks in person for the first time. You see them in videos people post sometimes, but it's just like, oh, they're so cute. And also, oh, please go away from here.

Rachel:
Yes, I agree. Skunks are super cute. We like to see them. We just like to see them at a distance and not necessarily on our property where it might become an issue for us. If you find that you have skunks living a little bit too close for comfort to your home, there are a couple of things you can do. Exclusion is one of the best ways to prevent skunks from getting in those nest burrow areas. Again, under your stairs or your porch, places that are covered from the elements, that's what a skunk is looking for. Maybe once a year, just do a quick lap around your house, make sure all of those potential places are fenced off so that critters can't get in there. And that goes for lots of small mammals, woodchucks, rabbits, all of those critters will take shelter in those places.
But then there is some things you can also do if a skunk is de under your porch and you didn't get a chance to put the lattice up to prevent it, you might also try placing an ammonia soaked towel in the den opening because apparently even though skunks can produce very foul smelling liquids, ammonia is enough of a pungent smell to actually cause them to relocate to somewhere else. There are options. All of them are listed on our website at michigan.gov/wildlife. If you experience a conflict with a skunk, we recommend you go there to learn what you can do about it. All right folks, it would really stink if you missed your chance at a Wildtalk podcast camp mug. Stick around for your chance to win one right after this.

Announcer:
Michigan.gov/dnrtrails is your destination for trail maps, trail etiquette and trail closure information. Trail information for biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, hiking, off-road vehicle riding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and even water trails for kayaking and canoeing are available. While you're there, remember to check out information about pet-friendly recreation, track chairs and the Iron Bell Trail, all available at michigan.gov/dnrtrails.

Rachel:
Now is your opportunity to win a Wildtalk podcast camp mug. As a thank you to our listeners, we'll be giving away a mug or two every episode. Our September mug winners are Sean Callowart and Alicia Reed. Check your email as we'll be getting in touch with you soon. They answered the question, what is a plumacorn? A plumacorn is an elongated feather found on the head of owl species. They basically give the illusion of ears or horns, but are in fact these small protrusions on the top of the owl's head. Now, eastern screech owls have plumacorns, but the most notable owl with plumacorns is the great horned owl. Interestingly, the great horned owl's real ears are hidden underneath its feathers and the owl's specialized facial discs. The feathers that surround its eyes help to guide sound to its ears under its feathers.
They act almost like a satellite dish. Now to be entered into the drawing this month, test your wildlife knowledge and answer our wildlife quiz question. This month's question is, how many times does a ruby-throated hummingbird beat its wings per second? Email your name and answer to us at dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov to be entered for a chance to win a mug. Be sure to include the subject line as mug me and submit your answers by October 15th. We'll announce winners and the answers on next month's podcast. Be sure to listen in to see if you've won and for the next quiz question. Good luck everyone.

Pete:
The road not taken. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And sorry, I could not travel both and be one traveler. Along I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth, then took the other as just as fair and having perhaps the better claim because there stood a great big bear. My head exploded, what the heck? And now in the other road there was an elk and a grouse underneath it saying, cuck, cuck, cuck. It was October, time to be on the hunt. I grabbed from my weapon, fast it felt, and came up with a pillow, a dreaming dunce. With sincere apologies to Robert Frost, I am DNR wildlife biologist, Pete Kailing. And here is the Michigan October 2024 hunting calendar. Archery deer season starts October one statewide. Archery bear season for permit holders only is open October four through October 10, but only in bear management units, Red Oak, Baldwin, and Gladwin.
Pheasant season opens October 10 in the UP and in zones two and three October 20th. This year pheasants will also be released out of 13 state game wildlife areas throughout Southern Michigan. Fall pheasant releases will occur from October 20 to November 14th. Some locations will have additional releases in December. Quail hunting in southern Michigan opens October 20th. Sharp-tailed grouse opens October 10th, but only in zone one. The duck, coo and merganser opener in the north zone of September 28. But the Duck, Coo and Merganser season opens in the middle zone October five and opens in the south zone October 12th. There's a special goose season at the Muskegon County Wastewater system that opens October 15th. Invite a friend or a new hunter out. And for Pete's sake, please keep the mud off the carpet. Have fun and be safe.

Announcer:
Michigan Conservation officers are working hard to protect and keep the outdoors safe for current and future generations. If you witness a natural resources violation, you can call or text the report all poaching hotline 24 hours a day at 1-800-292-7800, or fill out the complaint form available at michigan.gov/wrap. If you would like more information on becoming a Conservation officer, click on Become a CO at michigan.gov/conservationofficers.

Rachel:
And now is the time to show our appreciation for those who have donated to the Non-Game Wildlife Fund to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Michigan's endangered species law. An enormous thank you to Jeff Bradley, Stephen Hayes, Allison Bateman, David Straw, Kurt Mackey, Nicholas Hall, Tom Collian and Jackie Leitner. A big thanks to those of you who have donated. We have raised $673 since September one for the Non-Game Wildlife Fund. And your support makes a big difference in conserving our state's most vulnerable species. Remember, if you want to hear your name read on air, simply visit michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the link to donate. We look forward to adding more names to this list next episode. And thank you for joining us on this October edition of The Wildtalk Podcast. If you have questions about wildlife or hunting, you can call (517) 284-9453 or email us at dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov. We will see you back here in November.

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.