Hunters have until June 1 to apply for your bear hunting permit for Michigan.

As a kid growing up in Michigan, it was always a dream of mine to go bear hunting.

When I got older, I applied for years but never got picked. Part of that reason was, I didn't really pay attention to all the rules you have to follow and follow consistently to get picked for the bear hunting permit.

Just when I had finally got my bear permit instructions down and was about to have enough points to get picked, I moved out of the state for 18 years and that made it even more difficult to get picked.

Later in life I made some friends in Indiana that bear hunted in Canada so I finally got to experience the thrill of being just a few feet from a north American black bear, especially when I was hunting with a bow.

Hunting in Canada a couple years was an incredible experience and I did bag my first bear but something was missing.

What was missing was my childhood friend that shared the dream of bear hunting Michigan. While in Indiana, another buddy and I finally got picked to hunt northern Michigan where my childhood buddy lives to hunt black bear.

Between the three of us, my two friends both shot really nice bears. I saw a lot of bears but I was looking for something bigger but all in all, it was one of the greatest hunting experiences I have ever had.

Setting up stands and baiting areas was fun but it was really the conversations between friends and the laughter that was really the best part.

Now that I'm back in Michigan as a resident, the likelihood of getting picked is much higher since my buddy and I up in the U.P. are applying as a hunting party.

If bear hunting is something that interests you, here is a link to apply for a permit. Make sure you study the guide closely because it does help to do everything right consistently in order to get picked.

There's some great black bear hunting in Michigan and you may be surprised, you don't have to drive all that far to find some good hunting.

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