"On opening day ... I wasn't going to be
anywhere else other than in the woods."

Those words sum up how Armando Rios, shown above with his father, Al, feels about Michigan's deer hunting seasons. The Lansing-area duo spend much of their time at the Rose Lake State Game Area — 4,000-plus acres of rolling farmland, marsh, fields, and oak and lowland woods in Clinton and Shiawassee counties that support hunting and other outdoor recreation. 

Rose Lake is just one location among the 4.6 million acres of public land the Department of Natural Resources takes care of on behalf of the people of Michigan. Armando and Al let us capture a few minutes with them at Rose Lake, where they talked about outdoor tradition, the abundance of land open to hunting, and the joy of connecting with nature.

"Everything you want to hunt, it's out here. You've got pheasants, ducks, geese, coyotes and deer," said Armando.

"Rose Lake is definitely a paradise for hunting," Al agreed. "Hands down, we're blessed to live here in Michigan, to have the seasons that we have, and the variety of hunting. It's unbelievable that you just drive not that far and you can be out on state land. We're so appreciative that we have this opportunity."

Armando said that when you're hunting, you see things you otherwise wouldn't come across: "You see nature for what it is. You could be hunting cornfields for deer, drive 10 minutes down the road and be in wetlands jumping wood ducks and mallards off ponds. You'll never see the same thing twice."