Michigan Roadside Attractions: World’s Largest Bronze Wildlife Sculpture at Cabela’s in Dundee

Michigan Roadside Attractions is a periodic feature on Travel the Mitten that will explore the many interesting things that can be found on the highways, byways and back roads of Michigan, ranging from the interesting to unusual.

On our trip to the east side of the state to see lighthouses in August, we made a few stops along the way including Monroe and Dundee. Our stop in Dundee allowed us to visit outdoor retailer Cabela’s, where we checked out the World’s Largest Bronze Wildlife Sculpture Fierce Encounter in front of the store. This 24 foot tall sculpture depicts two bears engaged in battle, with moose antlers below them. It was sculpted by Michael Hamby, and you can check out more of his work and see pictures of this piece being installed at http://www.gobronze.org/artists/hamby/fierceencounter.html.

The statue is set on a nice wide base that helps make it a popular spot for photos. You can find out more about this store at http://www.cabelas.com/stores.

Inside the store you’ll find everything you could possibly need for your next hunting trip, fishing trip, or outdoor adventure. With more than 225,000 square feet the store has gear and apparel as well as a large aquarium featuring local fish and several taxidermy exhibits showcasing animals from Michigan as well as those from all around the world. Nearly every kind of mammal found in North America is represented in these exhibits, and there is another one that features African animals.