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Selected Articles I've Written Or Photographed (or both!).
NOTE: ALL ARTICLES ARE COPYRIGHTED BY
MICHAEL FURTMAN. NO REPRINTING OR DISTRIBUTION WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S
PERMISSION.
DIVERS WITH DAD
-- I was recently asked to write a story about what
I've learned about hunting diving ducks over the years. What it turned
out to be is largely a story about what I learned about diving duck
hunting in just one day -- the first time I went diving duck hunting
with my dad, Ralph Furtman. Sure, I added a few bits I learned on my own
over time, but really, that first lesson was the best lesson. This story
appeared in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue of Ducks Unlimited magazine.
 TRACK
THAT DUCK is a story I wrote for the Minnesota
Conservation Volunteer magazine that deals with the MN Department of
Natural Resources efforts to learn more about the movements of locally
produced ducks. While they are continuing to use traditional leg
banding, they've ventured into placing tiny tracking transmitters on
these birds. Some of the results might surprise you. Click
HERE to read the story!
BLASTS FROM THE PAST -- This
article appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of Ducks Unlimited
magazine. I spent the entire autumn of 2017 hunting ducks using nothing
but vintage gear, including my dad's Old Town boat from 1946, and his
1956 Mercury outboard, both of which I restored myself.
FREELANCING
THE PRAIRIE --
This story appeared in the July/August 2017
issue of Ducks Unlimited magazine. In it I share what I've learned about
waterfowling on the prairie, based on decades of experience.
DAD'S LEGACY
-- this article, published in Cabin Living in 2017, is a short essay on
how and why I restored my father's old boat and motor. It directly led
to the story above in DU magazine (Blasts From The Past).
MY LIFE (WITH LABS) -- This story appears in the Sept/Oct 2016 issue of
Ducks Unlimited magazine, and is about my four great black Labrador
Retriever companions that have marked the passing of my life. I hope you
enjoy it!
CANVASBACKS UNDER PRAIRIE SKIES --
I have to admit, I love canvasbacks. Big, bold, beautiful, and fine
table fare, when 'cans come barreling in, there is nothing quite like
it. Here's an article I wrote and largely photographed for the Sept/Oct
2015 issue of Ducks Unlimited magazine.
Wild Rice, Wild Ducks
-- a story of duck hunting the wild rice lakes of northern
Minnesota. This article appeared in the Sept/Oct 2014 issue of Ducks
Unlimited Magazine. I both wrote the story and took all of the photos. I
hope you enjoy it.
DIVER DAWN -- Diving
Duck Hunters Are Born Not Made.
This popular essay of mine appeared in
the January/February 2012 issue of Ducks Unlimited magazine.
THE BIRTH OF DU (DUCKS UNLIMITED):
This is my article that appeared in
the November/December 2011 issue of Ducks Unlimited magazine, and that is an
excerpt from my book, The Ducks Unlimited Story.
BADGERS BY THE SAUNA -- this is a
fun and informative story I wrote and photographed about this much
maligned and misunderstood species.
THE
SNOWY SEASON --
my pictorial tribute to these magnificent
visitors from the north!
 ROUGH
& READY
is a photo essay on
the Rough-legged Hawk, a medium sized raptor that moves south into
Minnesota each winter.
DAYS
AND NIGHTS OF OWLS --
a few years back, we were visited by
large numbers of the tiny, beautiful, Boreal owl. Here's a photographic
and written record of my winter spent with these fierce little
predators!
TWO HEARTS
--
A deer hunter values the most
fundamental reason to hunt: the harvest of food.
This is an article I wrote and photographed for the Minnesota
Conservation Volunteer magazine, and which appeared in their Nov/Dec
2012 issue.
The Fabulous Fox Family
is a Young Naturalist piece I wrote and photographed for the
Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine. Even though it is an article
for young people, I think you'll enjoy it no matter your age!
HOME FOR HAWK OWLS:
This is an article I wrote, and
photographed (with Bill Marchel) for the Minnesota Conservation
Volunteer magazine on the existence of a breeding Northern Hawk Owl
population in Minnesota.
The
Good News Ducks
-- My article in the Minnesota
Conservation Volunteer magazine about one of my favorite birds -- the
Ring-necked duck!
BOG OF THE BIRDS
is a photo essay I did for the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
magazine. The Sax-Zim bog is an internationally known birding area north
of my home.
Ups and Downs in the Grouse Woods:
An article on the population cycles of
Ruffed Grouse in Minnesota, which appeared in the Minnesota Conservation
Volunteer magazine.
RETOOLING MINNESOTA'S DUCK FACTORY:
Global climate trends indicate the prairies of the
Dakotas, where as much as 50% of North America's prairie nesting ducks
are raised, will become drier, while Minnesota's prairie will get
wetter. Can Minnesota pick up the slack in duck production if this
occurs? Here's a feature article I wrote for the Minnesota Conservation
Volunteer magazine that examines this issue.
THE
GIFTS OF GUN DOGS
--
Here's a tribute I wrote to man's best friend for the MN
Conservation Volunteer magazine. If you've ever had a hunting dog,
you'll enjoy this story!
THE DEER WOODS
-- A deer hunter explains his bond with
the land
-- MN Conservation Volunteer
magazine.
NO ROOM FOR DUCKS
-- A duck hunter discovers the local
implications of global population growth.
BLUEBILLS
--
Where Have They Gone?
--
MN Conservation Volunteer magazine.
In the North, In the Spring
--
A wilderness paddler ponders lake
trout -- MN Conservation Volunteer magazine.
Giving Thanks on the Prairie
--
A hunter expresses gratitude for
grasslands -- MN Conservation Volunteer magazine.
Church
of the Silver Trout --
A steelhead fishing essay I wrote for the MN Conservation
Volunteer magazine.
(Psst....Me, a children's author? Yes! Follow this
link to go to a new page that contains some of my published nature
stories for kids!)
NOTE: ALL ARTICLES ARE COPYRIGHTED BY MICHAEL FURTMAN. NO REPRINTING OR DISTRIBUTION WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION.
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