If you’re new to winter fishing and have questions like these, join our experts for a Facebook Q&A on ice fishing, 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, on the DNR’s Facebook page.

Christian LeSage, a biologist with the DNR’s Aquatic Species and Regulatory Affairs Unit, and Scott Heintzelman, the DNR’s Central Lake Michigan Management Unit manager, will answer your questions and share insights and tips to get you started. LeSage and Heintzelman will be joined by conservation officers from the DNR Law Enforcement Division, who will be available to provide information on regulations and safety.

Questions? Contact Sierra Williams at 517-230-8788.

Well-stocked bird feeders can attract such birds to your space during these months when natural food sources might be snow-covered or limited in supply. Keeping your feeders up into the spring, too, can aid birds on their long migrations north.

Keep in mind, though, that feeders may draw uninvited guests to your property, like rodents and white-tailed deer. While a beautiful sight, congregating deer can further the spread of chronic wasting disease, a contagious and fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose.

CWD is transmitted through direct animal-to-animal contact; that’s why it is critical to discourage deer from gathering around bird feeders. Make sure you’re familiar with baiting and feeding bans in place in the Lower Peninsula and CWD core areas in the U.P., aimed at reducing artificial food sources that lure deer.

• Use tube feeders. These are best for black oil sunflower, mixed seed, safflower seed or peanuts, which attract chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, goldfinches, siskins, and purple and house finches.
• Use hopper feeders, best for safflower and sunflower seeds or cracked corn. These feeds attract all the species that visit tube feeders, plus larger birds like cardinals, jays, grackles and red-winged blackbirds.
• Use suet feeders to attract woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches and chickadees, and the occasional wren, creeper and warbler.
• Don’t place seed directly on the ground or use platform feeders, which tend to attract deer and other unwanted guests. Mess-free birdseed options, which help keep the ground clean, are available.
• Fence in your feeders, if possible, to prevent deer from reaching them.

Get more bird feeding tips from the DNR and Audubon Great Lakes. For questions or concerns about feeding and baiting regulations, contact your local DNR customer service center.

Michigan has celebrated Free Fishing Weekend every year since 1986 as a way to promote awareness of the state’s world-class fishing and vast aquatic resources. With more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, and 11,000 inland lakes, Michigan and fishing are a perfect match.

Before heading out to your favorite spot, make sure you and your fishing buddies are prepared for winter weather. Take a few minutes to review our ice safety tips at Michigan.gov/IceSafety, too.

If you already have a fishing license, the Winter Free Fishing Weekend is a great opportunity to introduce someone new to Michigan fishing. Who knows? They might just get hooked on this popular pastime!

Another bonus: During Free Fishing Weekend, the DNR waives the need for the Recreation Passport, usually required for vehicle access to Michigan’s 103 state parks and more than 1,300 DNR-managed boating access sites.

Get more details on the weekend at Michigan.gov/FreeFishing. Brush up on current fishing regulations at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests.

Questions? Contact Sierra Williams at 517-230-8788.

On April 11, 1944, Lt. Moody was killed when his Bell P-39 Airacobra crashed in Lake Huron. Exactly 70 years later, on April 11, 2014, David and Drew Losinski discovered the wrecked airplane north of Port Huron. They have been working with Michigan’s state maritime archaeologist, Wayne Lusardi, from the Michigan History Center, and the National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen to archaeologically document and recover the aircraft wreckage, and conserve and exhibit the artifacts in Detroit.

A memorial was dedicated in August 2021 at International Flag Plaza in Port Huron to honor those 15 Tuskegee Airmen, whose impact on northeast Michigan, contribution to the war effort and ultimate sacrifice will long be remembered here and across the nation.

Thanks to the assistance of DNR conservation officers in accomplishing the project, the stories of Lt. Moody, the Tuskegee Airmen and the archaeological work are told in a new episode of “Wardens” airing Feb. 18 on the Outdoor Channel. You can preview some highlights.

Outdoor Channel and Wolf Creek Productions also have made two additional segments available:

• Tuskegee Airmen Memorial
• Intro to Lt. Frank Moody

Episodes of “Wardens” air on the Outdoor Channel every Friday at 8:30 and 11:30 p.m., Saturday at 5:30 p.m., Monday at 5:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. and Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. (all times EST). To get the Outdoor Channel, ask your local TV service provider or go to OutdoorChannel.com, MyOutdoorTV.com, Amazon Prime or call 1-855-44OUTDOOR. More than 52 episodes have featured the state of Michigan and have had more than 30 million viewers.

Questions? Contact Dave Haupt at 517-420-0819.

Note: This Showcasing the DNR story from October 2021 tells more about efforts to recover, conserve and memorialize this Michigan connection to Tuskegee Airmen history.

While coyotes are an integral part of our ecosystem, some residents may consider them a nuisance.

“If there’s an unwelcome coyote in the area, look for possible attractants that might make the area appealing,” said Holly Vaughn, wildlife outreach and engagement manager with the DNR.

“Is there a nearby patch of woods or natural area that provides shelter? Are there food sources, such as bird feeders, that attract small mammals or an abundance of rabbits?” Vaughn said. “Where possible, modify or remove the things that are attracting coyotes or the small mammals they prey on.”

“You want to make it an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience for the coyote to be near people,” said Vaughn. “Coyotes that become accustomed to being around people may become bolder as their fear lessens. It’s good to remind them that people should be avoided.”

If you’ve tried these tactics but coyotes are still hanging around your property, or you’re concerned about their presence in the area, contact a nuisance wildlife control business for help. These businesses are permitted by the DNR to remove certain wildlife, including coyotes, from private property.

If hunting is allowed in your area, coyote hunting season is open year-round statewide, with no bag limit. Check local laws and review the statewide hunting and trapping regulations for coyotes in the current Fur Harvester Digest at Michigan.gov/Trapping.

Learn more about coyotes and how to handle conflicts with wildlife at Michigan.gov/Wildlife.

Questions? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.

“It was another outstanding fall fish stocking season that will provide enhanced opportunities throughout Michigan,” said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager. “When added to our successful spring and summer stocking efforts, that brings the total for 2021 to more than 18.2 million fish put into Michigan’s waters.”

The number and type of fish stocked vary by hatchery, as each facility’s ability to rear fish differs because of water supplies and temperature. In Michigan, there are six state and three cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain and size of fish needed by fisheries managers. These fish must then be delivered at a specific time and location for stocking to ensure their success. Most fish in Michigan are stocked in the spring.

Fall fish stockings in 2021 consisted of eight species that included: brook trout, brown trout, channel catfish, coho salmon, lake trout, Eagle Lake and steelhead strain rainbow trout, walleye and muskellunge.

• Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 38,003 fall fingerling and adult brook and lake trout that weighed a combined 8,018 pounds. These fish were stocked at 46 locations, both in the Upper and Lower peninsulas.
• Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 37,000 Wild Rose brown trout and 113,863 Eagle Lake rainbow trout fall fingerlings that weighed a combined 4,093 pounds. These fish were stocked at four locations.
• Platte River State Fish Hatchery (west of Traverse City) stocked 70,194 fall fingerling coho salmon weighing 2,999 pounds. These salmon were stocked in the East Branch of the AuGres River located in Iosco County.
• Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 349,213 fall fingerling steelhead that weighed 3,810 pounds at four locations. In addition, the first year of musky production was a success at Thompson, stocking 20,037 fish at 12 locations.
• Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (west of Kalamazoo) stocked 9,850 Great Lakes strain muskellunge fall fingerlings that weighed 1,083 pounds and were stocked at 13 locations.
• Several fisheries management units (Northern Lake Michigan, Southern Lake Michigan, Central Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Southern Lake Huron) also stocked fall fingerling walleyes in 2021. The Northern Lake Michigan management unit stocked 4,927 Bay De Noc strain fall fingerlings weighing 730 pounds, while the Lake Erie and Southern and Central Lake Michigan management units stocked 23,133 Muskegon strain fall fingerlings weighing 2,108 pounds.
• Three sites were stocked with a total of 5,035 channel catfish from Ohio, with a total weight of 1,014 pounds. These fish were part of an annual agreement that includes Michigan providing Ohio with steelhead eggs in exchange for fall fingerling channel catfish.
• Also as part of an annual cooperative exchange, 2,123 Northern strain muskellunge from the Wisconsin DNR weighing 685 pounds were stocked at four locations in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas. The Michigan DNR provided Wisconsin with Great Lakes strain muskies in exchange for these fish.

In general, fish are reared in Michigan’s state fish hatcheries anywhere from one month to one and a half years before they are stocked.

The DNR welcomes visitors to its state fish hatcheries and interpretative centers to witness firsthand the fish rearing process and to learn about Michigan’s waters. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/Hatcheries. For everyone’s safety, masks are recommended for all visitors entering public buildings.

To find out if any fish were stocked in your favorite fishing spot, visit the DNR’s fish stocking database at MichiganDNR.com/FishStock/.