Sportsmen and sportswomen have come to the Pigeon River Country for more than a century to recreate in the forest. Hunting and fishing have been the primary choices for outdoor recreation for many, but the state forest is also a prime spot for morel mushroom hunting, wild berry picking, camping, hiking and backpacking, horseback riding, and more. In 1986, one such visitor was former President of the United States Jimmy Carter.

I first came across the fact that Jimmy Carter came to the Pigeon River in October 1986 to go Ruffed Grouse hunting from an article written by Dianna Stampfler in the September/October 2024 issue of Michigan History magazine. The article, "The Big Wild, Jimmy Carter in Michigan's Pigeon River Country" sparked my interest to dig deeper into this story. It also led me to Jimmy Carter's own account of this hunt in his 1988 book , "An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections." He shares this story in the chapter Ruffed Grouse, From Georgia to Michigan.

Piggybacking on the story of Jimmy Carter's Pigeon River Grouse hunt is an explantion of the various types of recreation available in the Pigeon River Country State Forest. If you love the outdoors, there is likely something in the PRC for you to enjoy.

Episode Resources:

Carter, Jimmy. An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1988.

Stampfler, Dianna. "The Big Wild, Jimmy Carter in Michigan's Pigeon River Country. Michigan History magazine. Lansing, MI: The Historical Society of Michigan, Vol. 108, No. 5. September/October 2024.

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