# Tunk Hole by Tippy Dam



## sobermann (Feb 13, 2011)

The Department of Natural Resources is attempting to make the National Forest Campground known as the "Tunk Hole" a Dayuse only area. closed to overnight camping, etc. There is a petition to sign posted on-site. Please save this time-honored tradition. Thanks guys.


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

sobermann said:


> The Department of Natural Resources is attempting to make the National Forest Campground known as the "Tunk Hole" a Dayuse only area. closed to overnight camping, etc. There is a petition to sign posted on-site. Please save this time-honored tradition. Thanks guys.


The overnight camping at Rainbow Bend was shut down 2 seasons ago also.
The fall before that, the "tradition" of at least one camp we saw, was of 6-7 guys settled into a campsite way back in the west corner. Just after sunset, 5 went into the woods carrying one pole and a large landing net.
One by one, over and over again, each would come dragging 5 fish through the woods from the tiny creek upstream of the launch.
Each one must have made 4-5 trips in the next couple of hours.
A bit later, we saw one of the pickups leaving with 3-4 Coleman coolers and lidded tote boxes.
It was gone for 15-20 minutes then returned...then left again with another load...maybe 3 times we know of.
At least 2 different calls were placed to the Hot Line, including 2 Ohio license numbers during the second call as we drove past when leaving. 
Don't know if any LEO showed up that night, but that one camp was gone the next morning and the area was trashed with bags of heads and guts all through the wooded area and adjacent tribal land.
The Tribal land owners surrounding and along the Tunk access road may be lodging complaints to the DNR there also.

Point being, nice to camp, enjoy the evening, the friends.
One group in an isolated - hard to patrol area like Tunk at night however, can fornicate a resource for everyone else...both fishing and camping.

We've cleaned up Tunk hole in Early November.
Not just standard cans, chip bags, paper...but a TV packing carton, busted lounge furniture, busted 5 gal pails, trash bags, KFC cartons from who knows where...a busted ice fishing sled.
The few that *F* it up will do without just as the well intentioned that take care of it...it's a shame.


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## wintrrun (Jun 11, 2008)

I have seen the scenario that Jimp has described.
I am all for them shutting it down to camping.
Tippy Dam Campground is a very short run from the Tunk. For a very reasonable fee you can set up your tent, take a shower, clean your fish at the fish cleaning station and best of all have access to a dumpster you can throw your trash into.

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## jatc (Oct 24, 2008)

sobermann said:


> The Department of Natural Resources is attempting to make the National Forest Campground known as the "Tunk Hole" a Dayuse only area. closed to overnight camping, etc. There is a petition to sign posted on-site. Please save this time-honored tradition. Thanks guys.


No. The *DNR *is NOT trying to make a US Forest Land Access site a Day-use area! The USFWS may be doing it, but it is NOT the DNR.

I only mention this because if you truly are interested in getting your opinion to those that make the decisions, namely the USFWS Director of the Manistee National Forest, you need to send your correspondence to the right place. The DNR does not have jurisdiction on Federal lands. They can patrol and write tickets, but they don't control the land designation or access sites.

The other thing that pops to mind is this... You can camp anywhere you want on Federal land UNLESS it is posted "No Overnight Camping". Just move down the trail 1/4 mile and set up there.

The last few years have seen many Day-use areas set up in traditional fishing access points and a fee structure set up (they know they can make a buck so they are doing it). I've had a few go-rounds with the feds myself about this issue, all falling on deaf ears.


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

sobermann said:


> The Department of Natural Resources is attempting to make the National Forest Campground known as the "Tunk Hole" a Dayuse only area. closed to overnight camping, etc. There is a petition to sign posted on-site. Please save this time-honored tradition. Thanks guys.


It's not a campground, it's an access site. And what tradition needs saving--the piles of beer cans left over, the snagging, or the general trashing of a spot that ends up looking like a landfill by mid Oct.? 

Guess what--places that DON'T end up looking like a landfill usually don't end up getting the camping opportunities taken away. In this case, a LOT of bad apples ruin it for the few who don't trash the place. 

Don't blame the DNR or the Feds, blame the pack of carnies that basically act like locusts and leave a great access site in chaos by mid October every year.


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## Cwick925 (Dec 28, 2008)

thousandcasts said:


> It's not a campground, it's an access site. And what tradition needs saving--the piles of beer cans left over, the snagging, or the general trashing of a spot that ends up looking like a landfill by mid Oct.?
> 
> Guess what--places that DON'T end up looking like a landfill usually don't end up getting the camping opportunities taken away. In this case, a LOT of bad apples ruin it for the few who don't trash the place.
> 
> Don't blame the DNR or the Feds, blame the pack of carnies that basically act like locusts and leave a great access site in chaos by mid October every year.


THis..

its a shame grown men cant clean up after themselves... Slobs.


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

It is a shame because if they do close it, it will still look the same. Campers are not the only trashing it. Day use people do the same. Idiots ruin it for everyone all the time.

I hope it doesn't close down because I have camped there many times.


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## Wall I Chasr (Feb 15, 2012)

Not sure where this "Tunk hole " is but I m sure Ive been there. Spent 4 days in fish camp at "Blacksmith Bayou " . Picked up a truck load of trash b4 we left. Mostly paper,glass& plastic all from campsites. All the barrels & dumpster were full so we had a fire in the pit & took a garbage bag full of glass with us . There was no trash on the ground when we first arrived.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

Headed there tomorrow and have spent a week camped up there each fall for about the last 10 years. 

It is my understanding that it is a done deal......this will be the last year for camping down there.............and I fully understand why. It is sad the way people treat the area.


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

2PawsRiver said:


> Headed there tomorrow and have spent a week camped up there each fall for about the last 10 years.
> 
> It is my understanding that it is a done deal......this will be the last year for camping down there.............and I fully understand why. It is sad the way people treat the area.


I hear ya! I've camped there many times over the last 20 years or so and it's a spot where if I'm just out on a weekend adventure with my sons we'll park there and sleep in the back of the vehicle. It sucks that it only takes two or three weeks every year to go from a nice access back in the woods to a landfill that you don't even recognize come November. 

It's not one year...it's every year. Hell, I wrote an article about this very subject over 10 years ago and said I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if they said enough is enough and shut it down.


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## GVDocHoliday (Sep 5, 2003)

I wouldn't doubt if Sawdust Hole is next. They have cut the campsite numbers in half there....USFS had to haul in a 6yd dumpster on Sunday afternoon so their staff could discard all the trash left laying around. Had it heaping in a couple of hours.


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## UltimateOutdoorsman (Sep 13, 2001)

jimp said:


> One group in an isolated - hard to patrol area like Tunk at night however, can *fornicate a resource *for everyone else.


Don't fornicate the resource!!


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

UltimateOutdoorsman said:


> Don't fornicate the resource!!


Software won't allow any other synonym for f**kit*p...until I just discovered this one...


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

You know what, I don't pollute. We know people do. Lets shut down everything because there are pigs on the earth. Don't keep the fish, don't step on the land, don't cut down the trees. Just think, if we keep everyone off our waters and land, how beautiful it would be. Bunch of PETA and environmental jackasses.


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## hmdomn (Sep 22, 2008)

Just curious, Is Tunk hole the first flats area directly across from the handicap dock (by the launch at the dam)?


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## miruss (Apr 18, 2003)

seems like they have a good idea when the most of this happens just have a USFWS guy sit in a unmarked car once in awhile and write a couple littering tickets those aren't to cheap word would spread real fast wouldn't have to be every day just like 3-4 days a wk switching up so people wouldn't know when there around if it's as bad as you guys say they would make more then enough money to cover the cost of being there


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

Ranger Ray said:


> You know what, I don't pollute. We know people do. Lets shut down everything because there are pigs on the earth. Don't keep the fish, don't step on the land, don't cut down the trees. Just think, if we keep everyone off our waters and land, how beautiful it would be. Bunch of PETA and environmental jackasses.


I would say the people happy about it closing to camping would be very low--it's more like, anyone who's spent any time up there isn't shocked by it.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Yeah I know. Just sick of seeing accesses go bye bye. I go down the river and pick up trash, not complain and hope they keep people off the river because of it. Pretty soon we won't have any access to our recreational areas. We as a group ought to be fighting closings. If all it takes is trash, might as well close all state land and public accesses. Maybe a little enforcement and penalties would help. I am all for a couple hangings to make examples of.


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## walleyetime (Apr 21, 2008)

next they will be closing the roads to get to your fishing place alot of trash gets picked up and baged by someone every week on most roads.There has to be a better way than closing places we fish from


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

walleyetime said:


> next they will be closing the roads to get to your fishing place alot of trash gets picked up and baged by someone every week on most roads.There has to be a better way than closing places we fish from


Funny story about that. Several years ago, the main road down to the tunk access had about a 15 yard curve that crossed indian land. So, when the whole treaty renogiation was going on, the tibe barricaded their 15 yard section of road so you couldn't get back there. :lol:


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