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WHY THIS PROPERTY??  

If you're a deer hunter, you'll love this lot.  It's not large, but the old realty adage "location, location, location" has never been more true.  This property is the FIRST property off the Sarett Nature Center Bird Sanctuary.  Sarett is almost 4 miles in length and is comprised mostly of the old House of David Marsh.  The marsh itself is spring-fed so it almost never freezes up in the winter (meaning a lot of waterfowl roost here).  No hunting is permitted on Sarett so these animals have every opportunity to grow.

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CAMPING

You're welcome to camp on-site (camper or tent - no electricity or amenities).

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THE PACKAGE

WEEKLY LEASE:  Regardless of type of fish or game, a weekly lease allows not more than three (3) specifically named persons on the property for that week.

ANNUAL LEASE:  Maximum party size is determined by game (see "Daily Max" below).  Lease is valid from April 1 - March 31.

GAME:  White-tail deer, Canada geese, ducks, turkey, and small game.  No carnivores are to be taken.

FISH:  Trout, salmon, walleye, pike, bluegill, catfish.

DAILY MAX:  The maximum number of hunters or fisherman allowed on the property at any one time are as follows:

• Deer - 3

• Waterfowl - 4

• Turkey - 4

• Small Game - 4

• Fishing - No Limit

• Camping - 4  

Details for each species is presented below.

GUESTS:  If you purchase the basic lease, only those persons whose names appear on the lease are authorized to be on the property.  

However, we do offer the right to bring as many friends to hunt or fish as you wish.  With this feature, any person signing the lease is permitted to bring as many guests as they wish as long as daily party size limits are not exceeded.

GUIDES:  Available for all hunting and fishing but not included.  If you reserve a guide, he will NOT be counted as part of your party.  Additional fees will apply.

IMPORTANT NOTE  

By purchasing this hunt package, you agree to ALL of the following items.  To put it simply, if you don't agree to all these items, don't buy the package.

• You are responsible for knowing and adhering to all laws and regulations pertaining to the current season in which you are hunting or fishing.
• Due to the presence and topography of the ravine, we do not feel tree stands are necessary for deer hunting.  For this reason, you will use only tree stands provided by yourself and are therefore completely responsible for their placement, condition, and safe use.
• You will be held liable for any property damage, including but not limited to permanent structures, fruit trees and other crops, whether accidental or intentional. 
• You will leave no trash - pack out EVERYTHING you take into the field. 
• You are required to stay on the specific property you are hunting.  You must NOT stray onto adjoining properties without a Big Lake Outdoors representative.  If you have a deer that needs to be tracked, call us and we'll help you track it.
• You understand that you will be hunting on wild land with inherent dangers and hazards that may lead to injuries ranging from bruises and scratches to sprains, broken bones and more serious injuries, up to and including death, and that neither Big Lake Outdoors nor the specific landowner will be held liable for any such injury suffered by any member of your party while on, or in transit to or from, the hunt site.
• You and your party are responsible for conducting yourselves in a safe manner.
• You and your party will NOT hunt while intoxicated or otherwise impaired.
• You and your party will NOT shoot in the direction of buildings and highways unless you are at least the legal distance from those locations as defined in the current Hunting Guide.
• Any injury, accidental or intentional, suffered by any individual, whether a member of your party or not, is the sole responsibility of the individual causing the injury.  Neither Big Lake Outdoors nor the specific landowner will be held liable for any such injury caused by any member of your party while on, or in transit to or from, the hunt site.

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THE PROPERTY

This property is the FIRST lot east of the Sarett Nature Center, a nature preserve and bird sanctuary of over 800 acres of spring-fed marsh and ravined river-bottom tangles that holds a nice herd of big white-tails as well as large numbers of ducks and geese, especially in the winter.  This stretch of ravined and wooded river bottom runs unbroken for over 15 miles along the Paw Paw River, including the entire west and north boundaries of the property (see photos below), and provides hundreds of big white-tails with cover. 

For the better part of the last 15 years, this property has been used mainly for goose hunting with a few deer hunters allowed on-site.  Now, however, a new orchard has brought about an increase in the deer traffic on this lot and they're causing a great deal of damage to the young trees.  The orchard owner is not happy and would like us to kill as many deer as possible each year.

This 45-acre lot, while not large, is in a perfect location.  It is bordered on the north by the Paw Paw River which has excellent steelhead and chinook runs, as well as nice populations of pike, walleye, and other fish.  The property is located downstream of the Watervliet Dam, probably the best-known fishing location on the Paw Paw.  The fish have to run past our property to get to the dam, and since the river is only about 30 feet wide, they pack in tight.  

NOTE: The river may not be wide, but we recommend you not try to wade it.  Along this property alone, there are holes known to be 15 - 20 feet deep.

On the east, we are bordered by a wild field (unfarmed) and then more woods and small swamps.  On the south, a golf course.  And on the west by the Sarett Nature Center.  This preserve runs along the south side of the river for about 3 miles and contains springs, marshes, and other wetlands.  Ducks and geese stay in the spring-fed marshes throughout the winter, making this property excellent for waterfowl hunting, especially for January geese.  The deer living in this preserve are numerous and get big.  Turkey have been seen on the property with more and more regularity and there is plenty of cover for rabbits and other small game.

We have the property posted and it will be policed to ensure ONLY the persons authorized by the lease are using the land.

The property is divided by Interstate 196.  In the 40+ years the highway has been here, there have been exactly ZERO deer killed by traffic on this stretch.  And yet the deer are getting from the nature center on one side of the highway to the young fruit trees on the other side.  How they do this without crossing the road is by going UNDER the bridge over the Paw Paw River (see photo below).  This natural funnel can provide you with an EASY deer hunt.

PROPERTY LAYOUT PHOTOS

In the second picture from the left, the RED box indicates the Sarett Nature Center; the YELLOW is the property for lease; the BLUE is county property that is usually flooded timber (but cannot be hunted); and the GREEN is a creek-fed pond that stays open year-round and attracts hundreds of geese each January.  The dark, irregular line running from lower-left to upper-right is the wooded Paw Paw River bottom and ravines.

In the third picture from the left, the YELLOW outlines the lease; the RED dashed-line shows the edge of the ravine; the ORANGE lines are deer trails; the ORANGE dots are where the deer most often feed; the GREEN circles are the best locations for your goose blinds; the BLUE dots show where timber sometimes floods; and the PURPLE circle is where turkeys are most often seen.

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DEER HUNTING

The main goal of this lease is to eliminate as many deer from the local population as possible.  The animals are tearing up the young trees in the  small orchard located on-site.  For this reason, we permit all persons signing the lease to bring as many friends as they wish to hunt deer.

We also want large numbers of deer taken.  If you're looking solely for a trophy buck, we'd prefer you not take this lease.  We need does and younger bucks taken as well, but the chance of a monster buck is definitely here.

THE MICHIGAN DNR KNOWS THIS PROPERTY AND HAS AGREED TO MAKE SPECIAL DEER TAGS AVAILABLE AS NECESSARY!!

BAITING:  You are responsible for your own baiting as permitted by state and federal regulations.

OFF LIMITS:  You are NOT allowed to kill coyotes or cougars as they help reduce the deer population as well.

10-point buck taken Nov 16, 2007

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TURKEY HUNTING

In the last couple of years, turkeys have been showing up with more and more regularity.

TURKEY LICENSE APPLICATIONS

Spring Turkey hunt applications must be submitted for (UNIT 'ZZ') from January 1 through February 1 each year.

Fall Turkey hunt applications must be submitted for (UNIT 'L') from July 1 through August 1 each year.

Click HERE to apply for your Turkey License

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WATERFOWL HUNTING

The Sarett Nature Center, the old 'House of David' marsh, is a bird sanctuary with acres and acres of spring-fed marshes and river back-waters.  Large numbers of ducks and especially Canada geese make use of this habitat.  Duck hunting can be sporatic at this site, although they do make some use of the flooded timber both on the north side of the river and in the northwest corner of our property.  Canada goose hunting can be excellent all season, but especially in January, as the local geese make use of the many grain fields to the east and the creek-fed pond a half-mile northeast (this pond stays open year-round).

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FISHING

The Paw Paw River has some very nice runs of steelhead and salmon.  The river isn't wide, so they pack in pretty tightly.  However, you should plan on losing a good number of the fish you hook.  There are numerous snags for the fish to wrap a line and you do NOT want to jump in the water.  There are some very deep holes due to some old-time dredging.

Walleye, pike, and other slow-water species (blue gill, etc.) can also be taken year-round.

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PARKING PASSES

Parking passes, with photo, will be issued to each party.  Maximum two passes per party.  Your pass must be visible on your vehicle's dashboard while you're on-site.  This will be checked when the property is policed.

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LEASE RATES

Includes:

• Unlimited, exclusive use of property during lease

• On-site fishing rights to the Paw Paw River

• Significant savings on Annual Lease renewals

• Anyone signing the lease may bring ANY friends they wish to bring as long as that person is on-site and the maximum number of persons for the activity is not exceeded

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