Proud Hunters Proud Yoopers
If you love your family, da U.P., the outdoors, wildlife, hunting, or Oprah, you will throughly enjoy a new book from a Sault native and proud Yooper. On January 23, Leon E. Hank, of Holt, published his book Proud Hunter Proud Yooper. This is not a how-to-hunt-deer book. It does recount many deer (and other) hunting stories, but to typify this book as such would do the book, author and the reader a great disservice. Four years ago, Hank's son Jeff pressed him to write down the family's history, especially after the death of Jeff's great grandfather. Jeff was concerned that the family's stories would be lost if someone his father didn't write them down. Mostly on Saturdays, Hank began to record the stories and soon realized that there could be a book in the project. He was right. The result was 50 stories of the outdoors, family, hunting, wildlife, and growing up in the U.P. When asked what he learned from writing this book, Hank said, The importance of family. Writing this reminded me of the impact of my family on my life. I wanted to highlight the great people we have in my family and the U.P. Secondly, he said, I always wanted to do something to promote the hunting I love. I wanted to feature hunting and hunters in a positive way. No group is more concerned about wildlife conservation than hunters. The book's 269 pages includes 50 interesting stories about cousins, ducks, frogs, chipmunks, EUP friends, relatives, parents, children, bears, hares, bedsprings, barstools, the Gogemain Swamp, deer management, wolves, boots, a mother-in-law, life in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and of course whitetail hunting. Hank's love of family, the EUP, whitetail deer, hunting, conservation, and all things outdoors, resonates throughout the pages. This book tells you why each fall, he makes 10-15 trips from his home in Holt to the EUP. He has made the 600 mile round trip on weekends for more than 35 years, crossing the Mackinac Bridge over 1,000 times in the process. The early chapters are stories about hunting-related adventures when Hank was young and growing up in the Sault. I grew up in a family where hunting was important, Hank said. It was a way of life for us. Throughout the book, I celebrate the families that support hunting as an important part of our lifestyle and our heritage. Later chapters tell of Hank's outdoor adventures as an adult. The book also includes some history lessons about how U.P. residents settled this rugged country and how they survive and eek out a living in a harsh environment. Each chapter also ends with a lesson learned from the experience. One story ended with, A Proud Yooper also learned that Proud Hunters don't keep wildlife as pets, unless they want a rabies scare and a visit from the Michigan State Police. Hank was born in 1954 in the Sault and his father owns Hank's Sport Shop. His full-time job is the Michigan Department of Transportation's Chief Administrative Officer. Hank is also the president of the State Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association, and a member of EUP sportsmen's clubs, the NRA, and Michigan United Conservation Club. Leon and his wife, Susan, have two children, Jeff and Sarah. The book's price and shipping costs are very, very reasonable. Oh, you may wonder why I mention Oprah in the opening line. Well, Hank's passion and involvement in many hunting trips to the EUP even got his wife, Susan, on Oprah. But, you'll have to read that yourself in Chapter 25. If you are not careful this book will touch your heart and get into your head. It did mine. --Kenn Filkins, Editor, Sault Evening News, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan