CLARE – On the surface, it’s just a story about a boy and his grandfather walking in the woods together, enjoying the tranquil splendor of Michigan’s great outdoors.
The warm spring day…a flock of turkeys eating near the forest’s edge…the boy’s deep concentration as he scans the landscape in front of him while his grandfather whispers words of encouragement. Their sudden rush of excitement in anticipation of bringing home the prize that awaits.
But for Jeff Poet, it’s much more.
“Our family has been in the Clare area for generations,” said Poet, 54. “My great-grandfather and my grandfather lived here as farmers and lived off the land. Hunting and fishing and a love for the land were always a part of our family. They passed that deep-rooted tradition down to my dad, and now I’ve passed it on to my sons and to my grandsons.”
Michigan residents such as Poet appreciate and enjoy the bountiful natural resources throughout our state.
“We all have memories of how Michigan’s wildlife and great outdoors have enriched our families’ lives, through a favorite place or activity,” said Matt Pedigo, chairman of the Michigan Wildlife Council. “For some, it’s the time on the river when you caught your first fish. For others, it’s camping or swimming in a lake. Each of these experiences is precious and something we want to preserve for future generations.”
The Michigan Wildlife Council was created in 2013 to implement and oversee a public education campaign about the importance of conservation and wildlife management to Michigan’s natural resources and outdoor traditions.
The outdoors is their business
Poet, vice chairman of the Michigan Wildlife Council, is not only an avid outdoorsman, he literally has made the outdoors his business. Poet is president of Jay’s Sporting Goods, which has stores in Clare and Gaylord.
Jeff’s father, Jay, started the business in 1971 by selling firearms out of the trunk of his car. He graduated to the family’s garage and eventually to their current 72,000-square-foot location just outside Clare. After Jay passed away in 1998, his wife, Arlene, and sons, Jeff and J.J., took over the business and eventually added a second store in Gaylord.
Today, Jeff’s children, Stephanie and Matt, help him run Jay’s Sporting Goods; the company’s motto is “Trust in the Tradition.”
Along with teaching his children about the business, Jeff taught them about the outdoors.
Hunting is a family tradition
“One of my earliest memories is sitting in a tree stand with my father,” said Matt Poet, 30. “I was lucky enough to grow up hunting and fishing on the same land that my mother’s family and my father’s family had hunted on for years. It was a great way to grow up.
“But even though we might be on the same property, it’s always evolving, and you experience something new every day.”
The best part of a hunt is the time spent together and surrounded by nature, they say.
“A lot of people who aren’t hunters think it’s just about pulling the trigger. But it’s not,” said Matt Poet.
Jeff Poet called it anticlimactic.
“It’s just such a small part of the experience,” Jeff Poet said. “There’s all that goes into the hunt prior to that: scouting out where you’ll put your tree stand, drinking coffee out of a thermos on a cold morning, or sitting in a blind with your dad or your child or your sister and just listening to the sounds all around you.”
Jeff Poet said it’s that “in-between” that means everything to him and so many hunters – and why they’re so passionate about preserving Michigan’s rich heritage.
He has especially enjoyed sharing his love of the outdoors with his grandchildren: son Derrick Poet’s children, Jay Poet, 19, and Mason Poet, 13; and daughter Stephanie Allen’s children, Emily Allen, 18, and Jeff Allen, 16.
Jeff Allen got his first turkey at the age of 12 with his grandfather by his side.
“He pointed out the turkeys, but told me we were too far away. So I had to army-crawl over to get a better shot; that was probably the coolest part,” recalls Jeff Allen, now a junior at Clare High School.
“When the turkey went down, I’ve never seen my grandpa so happy; he was jumping around. He had a tag, too, so he grabbed the gun from me, and he pulls up on it and shoots. But nothing happened, so I said, ‘Grandpa, the safety is on.’ He looked at me like ‘Are you serious?’ Then he popped the safety off, took aim from 35 yards and dropped it.”
It was a moment both will always remember, they said.
“I was so excited that it was probably the most photographed turkey in the world,” Jeff Poet said.
His grandfather’s love for hunting and the way he’s shared it are rare, Jeff Allen said.
“You get to sit out in nature and breathe in the air and look at animals,” he said. “I really think that if you’re able to hunt, you should really do it. Some people don’t appreciate all that we have here in Michigan. But we’re really lucky, I think.”
Like his ancestors before him, Jeff Poet is glad his children and grandchildren appreciate and work to preserve Michigan’s outdoor heritage.
“We need to do all we can to be good stewards to make sure my great-grandchildren and your great-grandchildren can enjoy all of this, too,” said Jeff Poet.
Every morning when Jeff Poet sits down at his desk at Jay’s Sporting Goods, he glances over at his great-great-grandfather’s photograph and sees a family tradition staring right back at him.
“I see this picture of him standing in front of a deer pole, and it reminds me of the hunting tradition passed down through my family for generations,” Jeff Poet said. “We are lucky to have the chance to share it with each other – and to be part of our customers’ love of the outdoors all at the same time.”
