Discover the U.P.

By Kristin Ojaniemi

Outdoors stories from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. From the fishing boats of the Great Lakes to the hunting camps deep in the woods, host Kristin Ojaniemi brings you interviews and stories from th... more

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FAQs about Discover the U.P.:

How many episodes does Discover the U.P. have?

The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.

Discover the U.P. episodes:

May 14, 2024 My First Spring Gobbler
Whew, I can talk. But there's a lot to talk about when it takes you 12 days to shoot a turkey. On today's episode I share my experience of spring turkey hunting, seriously hunting, for the first time. There aren't as many gobblers in the Upper Peninsula as there are in a lot of other places, but there are enough that you can hunt them in every county, even in the "high snowfall zone" that I live in. These birds are a lot smarter than I initially gave them credit for, and now I'm addicted.
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54min
May 07, 2024 Liquid Freedom
My full interview with Dean Juntunen, who completed his lifetime goal of kayaking the entire Lake Superior Shoreline, and he is the first paraplegic to do so (as far as we know!). There are so many things he's seen on his journey that few have laid eyes on. Dean shares his adventures, his favorite spots along the Lake Superior shoreline, some of the challenges he overcame, how to do a kayak water rescue, plus we get into local river kayaking.
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46min
March 26, 2024 Beaver Trapping - Under the Ice & Behind the Scenes
It's just me today, and I'm giving you a peek under the ice and behind the curtain of what it took to produce the last two episodes of "Discovering" about beaver trapping. I've also decided someday I need to do a full-length documentary about the fur trade in the Great Lakes region.
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28min
March 20, 2024 2023 Deer Harvest with Richard P Smith
I sit down with outdoor writer Richard P. Smith to get his thoughts on the 2023 deer harvest, the lowest deer harvest on record, here in the U.P. I interviewed him back in January for my "Discovering" episode about the 2023 deer harvest and only had room for a few of his comments. I wanted to share his full interview like I did with the rest of the sportsmen I interviewed.

Artwork photo provided by Richard P. Smith
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29min
March 12, 2024 Take a Hike & Volunteer While You're At It
I took advantage of the beautiful weather last weekend and went for a hike on a portion of the North Country Trail. I met up with a hiking group and the hike leader, Mark Roberts, V.P. of the Peter Wolfe Chapter of the NCT. While out there I interviewed Mark about the North Country Trail, new unit designation under the National Park Service, need for volunteers and what type of volunteer work needs to be done. We talk about the Peter Wolfe Chapter of the trail (which is the part of the trail I hike most), this crazy winter and good places to hike in the Western U.P. right now during our unseasonably warm and dry El Nino winter. This winter was a popular topic on the trail that day and we all agree we're going to get a huge snowstorm yet before May!

(Artwork Photo Credit: Keith Meyers)
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36min
March 05, 2024 U.P. Endangered Species
December 2023 was the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. The U.P. is an important place for the conservation of species and there are currently 15 species on the federal Endangered Species List that you can find here in the Upper Peninsula, including a venomous snake. I talk to Scott Hicks of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the Act and its importance in the conservation of plants and animals, how species get on and off the list, as well as some Michigan success stories in recovery of some species that were once endangered, like the Kirtland’s Warbler.
(Episode Artwork features the federally endangered Piping Plover which nests along the shores of Lake Superior)
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29min
February 28, 2024 Cooking Wild with 906 Outdoors
A chat with Brian Whitens of the 906 Outdoors show and Cooking Wild Seasonings. I started working with Brian back in 2019 when he was the producer/host of the “Discovering” program on WLUC-TV6. Brian took over for the show creator Buck LeVasseur back in 2012. With me as co-producer of the show in 2019, Brian had more time to pursue his other projects – 906 Outdoors and Cooking Wild Seasonings – until 2022 when he left “Discovering” and I took over the full-time role of producer/host. We chat about how he wound up producing the “Discovering” program after Buck, how he got into the outdoors television business back in the day, a little behind the scenes on how this outdoor TV biz operates, the evolution of video cameras, his idea for Cooking Wild Seasonings, how the spice business is going, new products in the works and his plans to expand.
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45min
February 20, 2024 Declining Deer Herd Part 2: Deer vs. Wolves
In this week's podcast, I talk to Gary Gorniak, president of the Straits Area Sportsmen's Club, about the 2023 deer harvest, our low deer population, wildlife habitat, and the impact of wolves on our deer population. Gary also runs the U.P. Wolves Only Facebook group, collecting wolf trail camera photos from across the Upper Peninsula. I had part of his interview on episode 72 of the "Discovering" TV program, and here is the full interview.
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50min
February 13, 2024 2023 Deer Harvest Report
For my latest episode of "Discovering" I sat down with Chad Stewart of the Michigan DNR Wildlife Division (via zoom) to talk about the 2023 Deer Harvest in the Upper Peninsula. We talk about the low numbers, what those numbers say about our deer herd in the U.P., what factors are influencing our declining deer herd, a lot about the Deer Management Initiative that is starting up soon, and more. Here's the full interview.
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52min
February 11, 2024 Declining Deer Herd Part 1
I talk to George Lindquist of U.P. Whitetails of Marquette County about our declining deer herd in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The 2023 deer harvest was one of, if not the, lowest deer harvest on record with less than 17,000 deer (12,600) bucks reported harvested. What does that say about our deer herd that has been on the decline for years and what’s causing the decline? George has been a part of multiple sportsman’s groups over the years, advocating for hunters and proper wildlife and habitat management, and is an avid hunter himself. We also get into other topics, like the need for more people to join more sportsman's and conservation groups, moose, wolves and more. This is my first interview about the 2023 U.P. deer harvest and deer population and will have a few more posted over the next couple of weeks.
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1h 9min

FAQs about Discover the U.P.:

How many episodes does Discover the U.P. have?

The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.