When Deer Tracks Looked Like Bear Tracks

There is a section of the Manistee National Forest not far off our land called “Bear Swamp”. There was a time when a group of kids on a camping trip poured out of a darkened forest into a Christmas tree farm just outside the borders of Bear Swamp. Most of the boys were between the ages of 11-13 but one 18 year old was with us.

As we approached a towering evergreen the kids noticed tracks in the dirt. They were easily identified as deer tracks but to give the kids a thrill I said they were bear tracks. Their eyes brightened and got larger as they bristled with excitement. I looked in the direction of Bear Swamp saying, “That’s where he’s headed, toward his swamp!” I suggested we track him.

All of the kids couldn’t wait to get started except for the 18 year old who said, “Norris, you’re crazy!” It was at that point that I told them all that the tracks they thought were bear tracks were simply deer tracks. But that’s not where the story ends!

A scant second later a large buck bolted from behind the evergreen tree and we all hit the ground as it was so unexpected. The eighteen year old though bolted for the nearest tree to climb and moments later we all had a good laugh about the whole episode and it was the talk of the trip back home after our camping trip was over. In fact, I’d reckon to say that they still talk about those “bear tracks” to their kids. It was the big one that got away. You know, I thought that was only said about fish?

Kids of Big Bass Lake- Jarrod

For those that say only blonde haired boys visited our lake, Jarrod would be the exception to that rule. Jarrod was the consummate hiker. He wore leather hiking boots, carried a compass, had a canteen always slung over his shoulder, and carried a pocket knife in his pocket.  Being a member of the Marion Boys Club, he took two trips to our property.  He always enjoyed our hikes down the Bloody Antler Trail the most.

Every so often he would mark the trail by bending a branch or putting a stack of sticks a certain way on the trail.  He told the other kids that if something ever happened to me, marking the trail would be necessary for them to get out of that forest. 

When we arrived at the Christmas tree section of that trail he would always take a few of the boys and set out to circle the area searching for other trails other than the one we were on.  Jarrod had leadership skills in hiking and was not shy to proclaim them. 

I think that he came to know the Bloody Antler Trail almost as good as I did.  He even relished our night-time hikes in that area.  I often wonder where Jarrod wound up in adulthood?  Maybe he’s now a guide with the forest service in another state? 

Haunting Spirit of Big Bass Lake

It always happens that first night of any camping trip. I call it “The Haunting Spirit” of Big Bass Lake. It seems to permeate each and every boy. It commences on our first night hike and thoroughly invades each boy when they return from that hike and observe the Haunted Island enshrouded by darkness.

It accelerates itself on a visit to that island as the boys near the Haunted House or the burial grounds where the bonepickers are said to dwell.  It further stretches itself on hikes down the Bloody Antler Trail on that hike at night. 

Even after dark visits to our commode area heightens that spirit as those walks are often taken by the boys alone.  Yet that same “spirit” keeps the boys most aware of their surroundings thus keeping them safe.  Never did they venture outside camp by themselves at night.  Might there be a bear out in all that darkness?  That “spirit” kept them safely in their tents until morning. 

In effect that haunting spirit kept the boys far safer than they might have been without it.  It sure made my task easier on every trip.  So was it really a haunting spirit or a protecting one?

The Tree Farm on The Bloody Antler Trail

For the longest time I thought that our boys club outings at night on the Bloody Antler Trail were heading due north to the tree farm, but now I find out it was due west. I looked at an aerial map only just recently to the north and could just not find that tree farm.

I remember that it was near to a dirt road so as I scanned that aerial map, I found it due west and I have it here by way of an aerial photo. The red line in one picture shows you the line our boys club outings took. Where we parked our car on those trips, it was just off the Bloody Antler Trail on a grassy path.

For a time on each side of the road there was a swamp. After a time the trail literally emptied into an open tree farm. I hope these pictures helps clarify where our journies took us.

These trips always started out at 10pm just as darkness was settling down in mid summer. As we reached the tree farm for a moment the kids mouths opened wide as above them they could see literally every star in the sky. That was the first time that they saw that many stars as whatever city they lived in that sight was blocked off due to their city lighting system.

From our wooded beach to the tree farm was about five miles and as you can see it is within the Manistee National Forest which is one vast forest extending some 110 miles north to south and about 60 miles east to west. From the aerial picture you can observe how dense that forest is and there are bears here as on one trip we encountered one following us parallel on the trail.

I had heard it following us and I knew it wasn’t a deer due to the noise the kids were making. About 70 yards ahead of us a dark figure emerged from the forest on the trail ahead of us. The kids closed ranks with me and one of them shined their emergency flashlight right in the bears face. He growled and I told all the kids to turn their flashlights on and begin shouting. The bear retreated into the forest and we continued on toward the car post haste. That was our only bear encounter in that area on all our trips down the Bloody Antler Trail.

Night Camping

I think that on all my camping trips to our property my favorite times were at night. During the day we would swim a lot or take side trips to Ludington or the Lake Michigan Recreational Area, or even to Wellston and the Pine River. But after supper the real great times began. One time each trip was reserved for a voyage to the Haunted Island but largely our hiking times began at dusk until about one o’clock in the morning hiking both on our property and down the Bloody Antler Trail by and near Bear Swamp.

On our property we would travel down the old loggging trails that led to two large swamps and then to a creek. We would play hound and the hare or scouting games or just enjoy the night air. Once we went over to the blackberry patch but there were too many mosquitoes also enjoying that fruit.

Some nights we would just stay by our camping site and roast marshmellows or hot dogs while telling stories or singing songs. Some of the boys enjoyed sitting on the soft moss while taking in the night time beauty of Big Bass Lake. At times we took a rowboat excursion onto Big Bass Lake to take in all the stars of the heavens.

Talks about God were also not uncommon on those trips as many boys prayed before heading back to the tents for sleep. The kids just seemed to open up more in the evenings as the night air was more refreshing and stimulating to their thoughts. Campfires were real special at those times. Some deep theological issues were discussed right there in God’s creation.

After a full day of activities and campfire times sleep was welcome and appreciated at all times. After all another day of activities was about to come forth.

Night of the Michigan Dogman Attack

The Hoffman Estates Boys Club kids were just past the tree farm down the Bloody Antler Trail when they heard a blood curdling growl. In the tree farm behind us we saw a figure running across the meadow. It appeared to be a human body but with a grotesque head. I had heard tell of the stories of the Michigan Dogman and perhaps that is what we were all seeing.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks and glared at us even though we were about seventy yards away. He looked skyward and screamed in agony sending the boys close around me. Then he came forth in almost a charge. Before we knew it, he was in front of us. A strange dog like head was what we took in and two older boys picked up a large branch to hold it off. But he shook those branches aside as if they were toothpicks.

I moved forward to protect the boys and the thing shoved me to the ground as if I were nothing. Before I knew it shirts were being torn ascender and screams filled the air. I grabbed the creature from behind and he shook me loose in no time flat and set upon the older boys again. By now it was evident that we had encountered the Dogman as his head was very visible to us. It acted as if it were insane.

The creature ignored the smaller boys and continued his assault on both me and the two older boys. One boy he flung ten feet through the air and the smaller kids went to his side to assist and protect him. Throughout the attack the Dogman shrieked that blood curdling howl as if it were wounded.

After about ten minutes, which seemed like an hour, it moved off without giving us any more due attention. The next thing I knew I was getting myself off the ground from my tent in full perspiration. What a nightmare that was! It made me ponder if the legend of the Dogman was real or not. But for that dream it was more than real. It was a terrifying nightmare!

Activities at Dusk

Often times this was about the time that we set out on our night time activities at our property either toward the Bloody Antler Trail or into our own forest. The boys from various boys clubs for the first few times preferred staying in our woods until they got the “feel” of the land so to speak. Actually they wanted to get their night bearings right.

The large percentage of our hikes were without flashlights, even though they were carried in the event of an emergency. Flashlights tend to rob us of our night vision. In time the boys saw right good even in the dark. They learned to listen better to the sounds of the forest. Kids enjoyed the trek to the tree farm at the end of the Bloody Antler Trail which was in the Manistee National Forest.

When we played scouting games the boys were paired in teams of three and were told to stay together as a team. Two teams of three were the hares, also to stay together, and I was the ref. The final pair of three were the hounds chasing and trying to locate the hares.

Other times we would stay together as a group and just enjoy the hiking experience. Night hiking was very popular on our trips. The kids of the Hoffman Estates Boys Club enjoyed tracking games the best and became quite good at it. Alan, one of our younger members, excelled in tracking games.

Motor Boats and Danny

In the mid 1980′s my Aunt Beth had informed me that Julie Benish and her son were visiting Agnes Benish across the road so I in turn visited them. Julie allowed me to take Danny on a short hike and then a motor boat ride on Big Bass Lake.

We began with a short hike on the sandy road hilly portion of the Bloody Antler Trail just off Big Bass Lake Road.  Then after a brief rest at our cottage I took Danny on a tour of Big Bass Lake in our motorboat.  We headed out around the eastern side of the Haunted Island and proceeded north through the narrows.  But before we had arrived at either Four Winds or Turtle Island, Danny began shivering and seemed to be catching a cold.  So I made a U-turn and headed back through the narrows and then south on the western side of Haunted Island back to our dock.

I had given Danny my light jacket which covered him like a blanket.  nce back at our dock I escorted him back to the Benish farm and he was near exhausted so he must have been coming down with something.  He was a most cordial young man but rather quiet.  He seemed disappointed that our motorboat ride was short but his health took precedent. 

It was good meeting Julie’s son that day and also to briefly speak with Julie herself.

Night of the Hunter’s Moon

After being enveloped within the miles long canopy of trees the darkness yielded to a field upon the Bloody Antlers Trail that was lighted by a bright Hunter’s Moon. The boys of the Hoffman Estates Boys Club had to adjust their eyes from near total blackness to what they now beheld.

Still, the scene remained eerie and quiet as only a hint of a breeze could be felt in that field.  All around that field stood stately trees and behind them that same thick darkness that the boys had just come through.  And each of them knew that soon we would be going back through that sam thick darkness on the way back to our camping site at Big Bass Lake.  In fact, I am sure that some of those boys wish we were back there right now.

Each of the trees around that open field seemed to conceal ghostly specters right behind them.  Some of the kids ventured out on their own about that field but the majority stood within a few feet of me with their eyes in total awe and what they were taking in as imagination sure played a role that evening.

One of the older members stood right by me as his eyes were focused on what might be coming out of that darkness at any moment. Would it be a bear?  More than likely it would have been a deer.  But his imagination was going full hilt at the time.

After about an hour being bathed by that Hunter’s Moon, the boys returned more than willingly to the thick darkness permeating the pathway back to our property.  It was amazing that they welcomed that darkness over the Hunter’s Moon light of that field.  But it was all their imaginations running wild as to what might be coming at them out of those ghostly specter shadows of the trees surrounding that field that made the trailway more than inviting.  What a night!

The Tree Farm on The Bloody Antler Trail

For the longest time I thought that our boys club outings at night on the Bloody Antler Trail were heading due north to the tree farm but now I find out it was due west. I looked at an aerial map only just recently to the north and could just not find that tree farm.

I remember that it was near to a dirt road so as I scanned that aerial map I found it due west and I have it here by way of an aerial photo. The red line in one picture shows you the line our boys club outings took. Where we parked our car on those trips was just off the Bloody Antler Trail on a grassy path.

For a time on each side of the road there was a swamp. After a time the trail literally emptied into an open tree farm. I hope these pictures helps clarify where our journies took us. From our wooded beachfront to the tree farm was about four miles. It made for a good evening hike.

These trips always started out at 9pm just as darkness was settling down in mid summer.

Star Trek

Our driveway to our property was right next to the public landing and just to the west of our driveway was a dirt road that led down the Bloody Antler Trail. About a quarter of a mile into the woods was a grassy path that led back into the Manistee National Forest to the north.

On almost every trip with the various boys clubs, we took this hike around 9:00 pm. It led to a Christmas tree farm but until then we were surrounded by thick forest and a couple of swamps.

The ominous trail opened up into that Christmas tree farm like one was coming out of a tunnel. There the kids could see almost every star in the sky. They were awestruck as to how many stars they could observe as the cities they came from robbed them of that view due to the lighting of the various towns.

This was the second most anticipated trip next to the Haunted House. The boys were always so excited to get to that tree farm to get out of the darkness of the forest. The stars were their reward as each trip told of that sight. Most times we gazed at the stars for about a half hour while resting before the return trip.

Fall at the Bloody Antler Trail

This is the Bloody Antler Trail looking toward Big Bass Lake Road. Yet, its the other way that leads back into the Manistee National Forest which surrounded our property and Big Bass Lake itself. On this trip the Hoffman Estates Boys Club kids hiked the trail from our beach campground. Other times I would drive up and down these few hills and park the car just off the road down the grassy trail that led into the Manistee National Forest enroute to the tree farm.

On this trip, as we were hiking, I told the boys of a motorcycle rider that was on the very trail we now found ourselves. Yet he was intoxicated and only his twisted bike was found by the authorities. One could only surmise that he was cruising through the forest on this path and ran right into a black bear. That, of course, could help one to sober up quickly. No one ever found the man, only the bike. I think only that black bear has the answers to what became of the rider.

This hike was taken in the daytime and as we entered the tree farm area the kids separated for a brief scavenger hunt. The boys asked about the dirt road that bordered the tree farm and I said that road eventually came out on the Free Soil Road going one way and the other exited quite close to Seaman Lake.

On the way back to our property the boys were asking a whole lot of questions about that biker and speculating to their hearts content. I could only then grin and “bear” it.

Sunset Hiking Trips

Most of our hiking trips either on our property or down the Bloody Antler Trail began as sunset. They lasted till just after midnight at which point we would return to our campsite by Big Bass Lake for either a brief campfire or bed.

On one trip on our property we hiked down a portion of our forest that we rarely traveled and that was just past the big swamp to the left which led to another swamp on the left side of the trail. It was just past the phone lines that cut through the middle of our land. That trail eventualy led to Big Bass Lake Road and then we would hike that road back south and past our gravel pit to Noreika Road.

If we hiked down the Bloody Antler Trail we always walked to the large evergreen tree farm about four miles from our campsite. On a trip with the Hoffman Estates Boys Club we had an experience where a large deer bolted from behind one of those evergreen trees and everyone hit the ground. It came out of the darkness and surprised everyone. Some of the kids thought it was a bear at first but afterwards everyone had a good nervous laugh over it all. Needless to say that was the conversation of the evening on the way back to our campsite.

But all those hikes always began at sunset and usually flashlights were only used for emergency purposes as they tend to rob one of their night vision. At the tree farm the kids were always amazed as to how many stars they could find in the sky. Quite amazing!

Hiking the Bloody Antler Trail

Hiking the Bloody Antler Trail can be adventurous. Notice how dark the trail is during the day. Can you even imagine how that same trail might be at night? Our boys club trips experienced that sandy road enroute to the grassy trail that led them just behind Bear Swamp.

From our property the trail was quite open for the first quarter mile before it moved into the heavy cover of trees. It would stay that way from what you find in the picture above through the grassy trail until we entered the Christmas Tree Farm. Pitch darkness was our constant companion. Flashlights were only used as needed as they tended to rob the vision of the kids.

On that particular trail no boy was ever more than ten feet from me as they huddled rather close together. On these hikes we once saw a deer and even a bear. The latter was from a distance at a place where there was an overlook. He seemed preoccupied with getting some honey out of a fallen tree that had become home to a nest of bees. That particular hike was during the day but the kids got some great close up’s with the binoculars.

The nightly Bloody Antler hike was looked on almost as much as the trip to the Haunted Island. Both were remembered far more than anything else on our trips to our farm.