Hunting is a multi-generational family affair for the Dunn family of Cedarville. Brothers Dale, Randy, and Arthur, who lives in Alaska, all learned to hunt at a young age from their father, Archie Dunn. The three brothers have passed down family hunting knowledge and traditions that spans across five generations to their children.

Dale Dunn, 59, and Randy Dunn, 53, said they learned much about hunting from their father when they were both about 10 years old. Dale continued that tradition by passing down his hunting knowledge to his son, Dale Jr., 20, when he was about the same age. Randy is just starting to teach his son Silas, 10, how to hunt.

"[Archie] pretty much taught us about deer hunting. He showed us a lot of tricks. He's the one who got us into it," Dale Dunn said about his father. "I know if he could, he would be out there."

Archie Dunn, 89, who hasn't hunted in five years, said it was very much the same when he learned to hunt as a young boy. His father, George Dunn, took him into the woods when he was nine years old to teach him about the sport. He hunted for 75 years before hanging up his rifle in 2004.

"I never knew my grandfather [David Dunn], but he was a great hunter. My father hunted all his life. I have three boys that are hunters, and grandchildren that are hunters," he said.

Mr. Dunn said hunting has been a way of life for his family in Les Cheneaux. When he was young, he said, people hunted more for necessity, to have food to eat, than for sport. He typically hunted on private land on one of the Les Cheneaux islands, but said he has hunted all over the Eastern Upper Peninsula and into Canada.

Hunting on an island, he said they used several techniques to hunt deer, like using a dog to scare the deer in one direction while they come from the opposite direction around the island. He finds the best hunting occurs after hunters from downstate catch their deer and head for home, reducing the hunter-to-deer-ratio.

"After the first week, most of the downstate hunters would leave and we'd have all the hunting to ourselves," he said. The largest deer he ever shot was a 10-point buck.

Dale Dunn has begun preparing for deer rifle season this year, which starts Sunday, November 15, several weeks in advance, because it takes a while to get things planned and organized. He will be hunting for two weeks on private land in the Les Cheneaux area with several friends and his son. The largest deer he's ever shot, he said, was an 11-pointbuck.

Arthur, who is an avid hunter in Alaska, also learned to hunt from his father. Although he lives several thousand miles away, Randy said, he does occasionally travel home to Michigan to hunt.

Randy and his son will be hunting with friends on private land in Barbeau. This will be Silas' first year hunting, however, he first learned to shoot a rifle when he was five years old. The father and son will only be out for one day because Silas has to be back for school the day after rifle season opens.

"I'm teaching my son now how to hunt," he said. "This year we got him an apprenticeship license, so he'll go sit with me in the deer blind. It's a heritage here."

He said hunting hasn't changed much for him since he first hunted 45 years ago. He doesn't use any electronic equipment, like global positioning devices or motion sensors, to aide him in hunting. He will teach his son to hunt the same way. Mr. Dunn said the biggest deer he's ever shot was an eightpoint buck.

"I like to keep it simple. I've got an old 410-rifle and I shoot only when I've got something to kill," he said. "I don't spent much money on hunting besides my hunting licenses."