Three generations show hunting remains an important part of the lives of Northeast Michiganders
Courtesy Photo Chris Thatcher is seen with a buck he harvested.
ALPENA — Hunting is a Thatcher family tradition.
Ethan Thatcher, now 22, has grown up hunting with his father, Chris Thatcher, 50, and Chris Thatcher’s uncle, Jim Thatcher, 77.
They have a hunting camp in the middle of Long Swamp, between Alpena and Hillman.
That’s where they meet up for camaraderie, good food, and, of course, bagging those bucks.
“Jim started the camp that’s going to celebrate 50 years next year,” Chris Thatcher said.
Courtesy Photo In this selfie, Chris Thatcher is seen in the woods, followed by his uncle, Jim Thatcher, and son, Ethan Thatcher.
Data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources shows the number of Northeast Michiganders with a deer hunting license declined 2% between 2019 and 2023. With hunting contributing millions of dollars to Northeast Michigan’s economy and helping to tamp down a growing deer population that can wreak havoc on the environment, the loss of hunters has economic development officials and wildlife management officials worried.
But the Thatcher family shows hunting remains an important part of the lives of many Northeast Michiganders.
Jim Thatcher started hunting as a young teen.
“I started at 14, and I’ve been hunting ever since,” he said. “I just love it.”
He enjoys the solitude of sitting in a deer blind by himself, surrounded by nature.
Courtesy Photo Ethan Thatcher is seen with a buck he harvested. Now 22, he started hunting with his dad, Chris Thatcher, when he was just 4 years old.
“It’s a way to get away from everything,” Jim Thatcher said.
He also enjoys spending time at camp with family and friends.
“We play a lot of cards,” he said. “We goof around with each other. We have a good time.”
They said their camp is affectionately named the Hell Hole.
“We eat really well,” Chris Thatcher said. “I love the camaraderie, messing around with people. I like being in the woods.”
Courtesy Photo Ethan Thatcher, left, is seen with his great-uncle, Jim Thatcher.
Ethan Thatcher also looks forward to time alone in the forest.
“Getting up early, sitting in the woods by myself, and just enjoying the silence,” he said of what he likes best about hunting. “Just hearing nature.”
Jim Thatcher recalls hunting with his grandfather.
“My grandfather started me hunting,” he said. “And I just stuck with it. I like it that much.”
For him, it’s not always about killing a deer. He really enjoys sitting in the woods.
Courtesy Photo Jim Thatcher is seen with a buck he harvested. Now 77, he has been hunting since age 14.
“It’s just sitting out there, watching, seeing the animals,” Jim Thatcher said. “It’s peaceful.”
He said that, when he started out hunting as a teen, they had a rather rustic setup.
“It’s not like it was before, though,” Jim Thatcher recalled. “Before, we used to sit under a tree or sit on a stump. Now, you’re sitting in a blind. You’ve got heaters. It’s changed a whole lot, so that made it more comfortable.”
Chris Thatcher said his uncle takes a lot of photos in the woods.
“He carries a camera with him,” Chris Thatcher said. “He takes probably 1,000 pictures.”
Courtesy Photo Jim Thatcher, Chris Thatcher, and Ethan Thatcher are seen at hunting camp.
Ethan Thatcher started hunting with his dad when he was about 4 years old.
“I’ve been basically hunting my whole life,” Ethan Thatcher said. “I started sitting with him before I could even legally hunt. I just sat there and watched him hunt.”
“He would sleep on the floor of the blind, right next to the heater, and, if something came out, you had to kick him to wake him up,” Chris Thatcher recalled.
Over the years, the Thatcher crew has harvested many bucks, but some years are better than others.
“It comes in spurts,” Chris Thatcher said.
“We don’t shoot everything, like we used to,” Jim Thatcher added. “I’ve shot enough that I let a lot of deer go that other people would shoot. I’ll take a picture of it.”
He gets razzed at camp when he comes back empty-handed with only pictures to show.
“I show up to camp, and I show it to them, and they say, ‘Why didn’t you shoot that?'” Jim Thatcher said with a laugh.
“Jim also sits all day, every day,” Chris Thatcher said. “He never leaves his blind.”
“Six to 6,” Jim Thatcher said.
The men agreed on the best weather conditions for hunting.
“Thirty, with a light snow,” Jim Thatcher said. “That gets them moving, and it’s easier for you to see them, drag them, track them.”
He was humble about the size of the bucks he has harvested.
“I haven’t shot any real huge bucks,” Jim Thatcher said. “I’ve had some nice ones. I got a 10-point and I got a nice eight-point that was heavy-antlered, really nice. I think that was the best deer I’ve shot. It was the biggest, body-wise.”
“You got an 11-point,” Ethan Thatcher noted.
“Yeah, but that was a small deer,” Jim Thatcher said. “It sounds good on paper.”
Chris Thatcher also shot an 11-point buck about three years ago.
“It wasn’t a monster, just a lot of points,” he said, adding that getting a big buck feels “awesome. Natural high.”
He said there’s a healthy amount of competition at camp.
“Everybody wants to shoot the biggest,” Jim Thatcher said.
“My biggest was an eight the first year sitting by myself,” Ethan Thatcher said, adding that it made him feel “accomplished.”
“It was a great year,” Chris Thatcher recalled. “Five of us shot eights that year.”
Jim Thatcher said luck factors into the equation.
“It’s being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
Chris Thatcher said they look forward to hunting season all year long.
“I get excited in January that November’s coming,” he said. “I save all my vacation for deer season.”
Jim Thatcher said continuing the hunting tradition is important.
“It’s a great thing to do,” he said. “Get people together. It’s not just going out and killing an animal. It’s camp life. It’s a hobby. It’s a good one.”
Darby Hinkley is Lifestyles editor. She can be reached at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@thealpenanews.com.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
For the last several weeks, reporters at The News have studied data and talked to hunters, economic development officials, wildlife officials, and outdoors supplies stores to understand the impact a decline in the number of hunters has had on Northeast Michigan.
Here’s what they found:
* FRIDAY: Hunting declines in Northeast Michigan
* SATURDAY: The economic impact of a decline in hunting
* MONDAY: The impact of a decline in hunting on the environment
* TODAY: Meet a family of multi-generational hunters
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- Courtesy Photo Chris Thatcher is seen with a buck he harvested.
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- Courtesy Photo In this selfie, Chris Thatcher is seen in the woods, followed by his uncle, Jim Thatcher, and son, Ethan Thatcher.
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- Courtesy Photo Ethan Thatcher is seen with a buck he harvested. Now 22, he started hunting with his dad, Chris Thatcher, when he was just 4 years old.
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- Courtesy Photo Ethan Thatcher, left, is seen with his great-uncle, Jim Thatcher.
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- Courtesy Photo Jim Thatcher is seen with a buck he harvested. Now 77, he has been hunting since age 14.
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- Courtesy Photo Jim Thatcher, Chris Thatcher, and Ethan Thatcher are seen at hunting camp.
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