# michigans biggest black bear?



## Mickey Finn

It runs west of higgins/houghton lakes, mostly missaukee sp? county. Big cedar swamp. not alot of roads at least on the eastern end. Worth a look!


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## Sprytle

The swamp is HUGE , biggest in LP , i belive that there is bear in that swamp that has'nt ever seen a human! And im not talking newborns or young'ins. I also belive deer live in that swamp only to die of old age! coming out only at night to feed on the fringes. Ive always wanted to canoe the deadstream all the way through the swamp! Anyone up for going with???


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## BIG DAVE

art jackson the guy that shot the bear is don tuck ( tucks ace hardware)
father or grand father. seen that picture too. heard one bear that got hit by a car on old 27 in the 70's they had to use a tow truck to lift it up.
i hunted the stream before with my dad seen the biggest buck there
my dads jaw drop when it came in if we would of got it our names would be in the frount of the book. :SHOCKED:


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## swampbuck

the deadstream is the swamp in my name. its about 25,000 acres and did you know that it is a national natural landmark.

yes there are deer and bear who live and die and never see humans.and there are some nice bucks. I had on get bye last year that would make the book. but I still ended up with a 100+ eight point

to acess it properly you really need a boat. and its a good idea to bring a canoe also. and you really have to want too. and the smallmouth fishing is pretty good when you get back there. I would tell you about the brook trout but you wouldnt believe it anyways.

thank god that very few people have the balls or ambition to go there.


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## Sprytle

hey swampbuck- good to hear from you. how far have you been back in there? i really want to canoe it sometime but only want to go with someone whos done it before. id like to go in once in early summer for the fishin ( to catch some of them LITTLE brookies ) and to scout out a couple bowhunting spots then return in the fall to hunt, maybe camp in there for a weekend!! now theres some adventure!! my friend has a cabin right on the edge of it. south higgins lake state park exit to left follow i think its called m18 or m118 to the west till you get to a bend in the road where there is a 2 track with some cabins on it that has black road spray painted on a tree on the corner. do you know where im talkin about?? anyways pm me or post some more info about this area i just love it up there! by the way also saw my biggest buck EVER 1st year deer hunting up there when i was 14 ---- i missed it but something ill NEVER forget!--Bob


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## swampbuck

bob,

I know the neighborhood you are talking about. as a matter of fact I ran into a pretty good bear while picking blackberrys last year. it was at the end of the trail you are talking about and then to the right about 1 block.you probably know the patch I am talking about.the road you were thinking about is 104,m18 is on the other side of the lakes.

to really access the swamp you need to enter by water. to get to the launch you take the same exit but instead of following 104 to the right go straight.the road will cuve to the left the launch is at the end of the road.

as far as the hunting there are only a couple places were you can access high ground off the deadstream. they are pretty well covered during rifle season. but bow season its not too bad. there are big bucks but I think that the real difference is that the population is a lot closer to the correct buck/doe ratio due to very little hunting pressure, due to VERY DIFFICULT ACCESS

as far as brookies. there are VERY FEW people who fish them. thats why its so good. about all I will tell you is that you need to reach the headwaters of the creeks that feed the deadstream.AND THATS NOT EASY.

I dont mean to sound unfreindly or rude but I really cant help much beyond that, its kind of like self preservation of a good thing. if you really want to check out that area I would suggest that you copy some arial photos off terra server and study them closely. if you are the type of guy who should be there, its not too hard to figure out. we see quite a few people who only try it once and never come back.

if you decide to give it a go, good luck and maybe I will see you up the river.

also along the swamp say straight south of you friends it can be good hunting if you walk farther than all the other guys.but that can be some hard walking.

another thing that comes to mind is, if you reach bear lake at the head of the deadstream there is a large area of pitcher plants right were the steam flows out. thats something you wont see anywhere else. if you like that kind of stuff. I guess thats a good indicatin of the skeeter population. 

does your friend ever have any bear problems there. I noticed that at least one of his neighbors has saw blades across his windows. they sure are tough competition for the berry pickin. lol


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## Deerhunter Rick

Sprytle said:


> I remember a long time ago at tuck's ace hardware in houghton lake ( no longer there ) they had a long article titled- michigans biggest black bear? it was taken by a old man named art jackson. I forgot what year it was but as it goes he was checking his bear traps way back in the interior of the deadstream and came across a small bear he had in one of his traps that was partially eaten and him and another guy tracked the huge bear that did the damage and shot it. i remember it was so big they never got it out of the swamp - just the head and hide. there was a picture of it with art standing next to it inside the swamp hanging from a large ceadar. i think it was a estimated weight of like 800 lbs.- Anybody else recall this story? maybe someone could give some more info and maybe post that picture. i saw the pic in a magazine once too but cant remember which one. thanks for any input. -- Bob


 The story is true. I lived with this man's grandson In Oscoda Michigan back in the 1980's . His name was Stubby Jackson he was 87 when I lived with him. I saw the pictures of this bear with his granddad. It supposedly weighted 895# hanging opver a tree limb lowered onto a huge meat scale. Stubby had the rifle his granddad shot the bear with Marlin 1893 in 38/55 Winchester. The story told was his granddad was trapping Bear when he had caught a small cub in the trap and this huge boar came by and feasted on the cub. His granddad tracked the bear through the snow and came upon the bear slumped over a hog covered in blood sleeping his meal off. Stubby's granddad walked right up on the bear and stuck the gun right behind the bears ear and killed him. I saw the tintype photo in his family album. As I remembered it the photo had a date scribbled on it that I believe said 1895 . Stubby was killed by a gravel train off US 23 in 1986 in Oscoda Mi. There is a Carryout store at the west end of Houghton Lake that used to be owned by a friend from Monroe Michigan that had the picture posted on the wall near the front door. But I have not been in the store since he passed away in early 2000's. Getting old reminds you just how precious life and stories truly are. I still fish and hunt the Dead Stream Swamps and have seen some really huge bear there. Probably the largest concentration of Black Bear in Michigan. If you venture in there make sure you have a map, gps, and survival equipment. It's not for the faint of heart after dark. If you venture far enough there is a hidden lake back in there about 10 miles northwest of Houghton Lake.


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