Mountain Mike’s makes McAfee

MCAFEE — Supplies may come with a price but the hunting and fishing talk, stories and advice at Mountain Mike’s Sport Shop in McAfee are all free.

And the experience is there to back up the talk. Owner Mike Bush has been fishing since he could hold a rod and hunting since age 10.

“I’ve hunted deer, bear, turkeys, grouse and pheasants — anything you can eat — in all three states (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania) every year for over 15 years,” says Bush, who in addition claims to have fished “everywhere” in the same region, “the whole state, every lake and every pond that’s open to the public.”

Trips further afield have taken him from Maine to the Carolinas.

Bush and his fiancée, co-owner Delora Lang, officially opened Mountain Mike’s (previously Sig Borstad’s Archery) on March 1.

Bush is an expert archer with a preference for traditional gear such as leather quivers and cedar arrows.

“We also have indoor and outdoor archery ranges” he says, with four certified instructors offering classes.

Bush and Lang have added live fishing bait to their line, and function as a turkey check station during the season.

For the first month of trout season (until May 5), they are offering a $25 gift certificate for the largest trout brought in. Six-year-old Troy McCurry won an earlier contest for the largest opening day fish, hauling in a 12 5/8-inch rainbow trout.

Sussex County and the nearby areas are blessed with prime hunting and fishing grounds according to Bush, whose favorite sites include Hamburg Mountain for deer hunting and Greenwood Lake and Monksville Reservoir for walleye, bass, trout and muskellunge.

His dream, however, lies a bit further away.

“My dream is to go to Alaska,” he says, although he points out that it may be difficult to bring back the meat. “And, it would cost several thousand dollars. You can buy a lot of meat for that!”

Mountain Mike’s Sport Shop is located at 7 Old Rudetown Road in McAfee. It is open every day except Monday.