2010 Deer Hunting in Superior national Forest (Lake County)

[kaplan]

Hello all. I am new to the forum and looking for some help/advice on hunting in the superior national forest next year. I have a lot of experience hunting big woods enviorments with few deer in Northern Maine and the Adirondacks. I'm set on trying out Minnesota next year. My main questions are hunting pressure, and wolves effect on deer movement. Is the number of hunters very high or do I have a reasonable chance of hunting in solitude. Second, what are the wolves effect on deer movement. Do they still wander around during day light, do they leave an area all together if there are wolves in the neighborhood, etc, etc.

Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks.

[picksbigwagon]

Welcome to Fishing Minnesota Kaplan. I am sure there are members here who are more familiar with that part of the state for hunting than I am.

[Wobbler]

kaplan,

I have hunted the Superior NationaL Forest for 25 years. I hunt in area 122. I hunt near the Fairbanks area. I will tell you that there are plenty of places a person can go to find peace and quiet. There are many forest roads that in between hunting shacks that you can try. The key is to scout out an area all Fall to see if people are by you. There are alot of hunting shacks with many people but now in the National Forest you have to put up a portable stand. It is not so much hunting pressure that effects deer movement or lack of movement for that matter. The wolves are the main source of pressure on the herd in the National Forest. The deer are hunted 24 hours an day 365 days a year. In my opinion we are more of a bother to deer then a threat to them. If a pack is in your area, you will not see a deer minimum 2 days in my experience. This year we had 2 packs come through mid day opening day. How I know that is we had 12 below my dad's stand and 10 by my brothers 2 miles away on the same evening right at dark. The deer are on lockdown and do not move. What we found is the deer stayed in wet swamp areas that no predator can get to without making a ton or racket. Once the wolves were gone after a few days the deer really moved. Mostly I feel because of the rut and laying around for a few days. When do they move? All 4 of us in our party shot at 7am, 8am, 8am, 8:15am. The 4 of us shot an 8, 9 and 2 10 pointers. We only shoot 8 or better so we saw most small buck activity in the morning as well. Hope it helps.

[NoWiser]

There are quite a few people, but with some work you should be able to find an area to yourself. A good bet is to either go out opening weekend to drive around and look for an area without many people, or to go a later weekend and talk to the camps. Most are pretty protective of their area, but are very friendly when you explain to them that you don't want to encroach on them and are looking for a spot to yourself. As for the wolves, we had what I think were two packs right around us this year, unless it was a single pack that split up once in awhile. They were howling around us almost every night we spent hunting. The very last night they were on both sides of our tent, and they were CLOSE! We shot a deer that same morning, and the wolves couldn't have been more than 100 yds from where it was shot. In our particular case the wolves didn't seem to have any effect on deer movement at all. I kind of enjoy hunting around them.

[kaplan]

Wobbler- Thank You for the good advice. Sounds like you guys had a very good year. Do you guys spend most of your time on stand?

No Wiser- You mentioned a tent. Do you use a wall tent with a stove. I was thinking about renting a room or cabin. On the other hand some of the area's I've been looking at are quite a ways from any sizeable towns. maybe a tent is the way to go for me.

[NoWiser]

Kaplan,

We backpacked/canoed into our area so we stayed in a pup tent in the middle of the woods. Lots of work and a bit chilly, but worth it.

[Wobbler]

I sat until noon each day. We usually sit until noon go grab a bite in the cabin and sit from 1:30 to dark. My brother in law sat all day both days on opener. For us over the years 95% of deer shot before 2:30.

[laker1]

great posts-I know there are some big bucks in the BWCA or Superior National forest. Did you guys see much for numbers(deer) beside the ones you got ? Should be a quality hunt for you probably did not see many other hunters either ?

[Wobbler]

laker1,

There are some big bucks in these areas. The problem is many hunters around where we hunt shoot whatever they see and fill tags. We took the approach the last 4 years to shoot 8 points or better. It has made a huge difference where we hunt. Granted we own 80 acres and have some food plots but when you take no does and shoot mature bucks our sightings have gone way up. Everytime I sat I saw a deer this year and I hunt not just on our property but in the National Forest as well. Many people that hunt in 122 can't say that. The 3 of us that hunted the first 9 days saw 11 bucks smaller than what we shot. Lots of does too. Funny thing is where there are does, so are the bucks. Another group by us practices the same thing 8 or better and are seeing the same thing we are. It is funny when people stop by and see our meat pole and say man you guys shoot nice bucks we never see anything better than spikes or forks, I just laugh. People have to pass on those so they can be 8 points or better. Where we hunt, we did not see anybody and granted we have private land but lots of Federal land and never saw anyone except those driving down the road to stop and have a brew and gawk at our meat pole.

[NoWiser]

We saw plenty of deer. Probably not as many as when we hunt the central part of the state (172), but we almost always saw something when we went out. Unlike zone 172, though, we did not see one single other hunter the entire time. No flags, tacks on trees, nothing. Quality of the hunt = A+

[Wobbler]

NoWiser,

I agree with your grade. I live where I could see 10 deer a day but it nothing like hunting the big woods and the experience I have with my family when we hunt. Nothing like seeing a moose or a wolf, or a silver fox, whatever. Plus nobody bothering you even better.

[FrazeeHunter]

Wobbler,

Do you hunt much near Thief River Falls?

We are looking at some land ne of thief river falls by some WMA.

Near Hamre and Fireweed or something like that?

Just curious what the hunting is like in that neck of the woods.

We are thinking about 400 acres.

IS that decent area?

[Wobbler]

FrazeeHunter,

I live in Thief River Falls but do not deer hunt around here for deer. I own some land in the Superior National Forest. I saw your post but I am not familiar with that area. Wish I could help!

[kaplan]

Kaplan,

We backpacked/canoed into our area so we stayed in a pup tent in the middle of the woods. Lots of work and a bit chilly, but worth it.

Very cool. Were you in the BWCA? We used to use a canoe in Maine to get on the back side of lakes. Definately a cool way to hunt. Minnesota is sounding pretty cool so far. I love being in the remote areas. We could hunt all week in Maine and not see any other people. It was great. But the yards have been harvested, so winter cover is pretty much gone in the Northern part of the state. 3 very rough winters in a row and the herd is destroyed. I would feel guilty shooting a deer up there right now. That's how low the numbers are. 10 years ago 2 or 3 nice bucks would be shot out of every camp. Now you can hunt for 3 days before you see a track. Amazing how quick the herd went down.

[NoWiser]

I was not in the BWCA, but was in the general area. I always thought you had to go out west to have an adventure like that, but that isn't the case at all. Start looking at maps now, and I bet by next hunting season you'll have a couple great areas to check out.

[kaplan]

Does the season always start the first Saturday of November?

[BucksnDucks]

Yes for firearms it does.

[willyfahey]

I have to agree with Wobbler. I, also, hunt in the area. My advice to be successful in a first year hunt is to do a lot of online research:maps, aerials,etc. Then get out and scout. A lot can change in these woods from year to year. I say this because an area might get logged off over the winter and these areas will pull deer from the more mature woods. Try and get the most recent photos and information possible. When the wolves moved in it deffinately changed the pattern for the deer where I was hunting. The thickest and wettest swamps were holding the deer. Be sure to check in with any camps in the area. A plat map would be a good start because people will typically branch out quite a ways from there private land. I have found people are much more receptive to new hunters in the area when you show them the common courtesy to see where everyone hunts. In addition, I have received a lot of helpful tips for hunting the area this way.

[kaplan]

Do you guys ever see camps for sale. If the deer hunting is good coupled with the endless fishing spots, I would love to own a camp up there.

[Heartman]

Lots of land for sale up there - it's a very depressed area and I bet a guy could buy decent land very inexpensively.

[gurkster]

Yes there is land available for sale. There is so much public land though that it may not be worth it for a few trips a year. Here you can camp and stay on the public land. What we did was found a spot and just camped out on it - no one has ever bothered us. I am sure that if someone saw us they just drive down the road a mile or two. There are lots of old logging roads, fire breaks, etc that you can get a full size truck into with a camper or tents. Have a great hunt, I hope MN delivers for you. It really can be gods country up there. Suggestion - if you can swing it - locate an area by maps, etc. Then come for a fishing trip in the fall and scout it out, talk to the locals in the bars, restraunts, etc. I bet you will get tons of info on the more local area that you are targeting.

[kaplan]

What are the rules on 4-wheelers in the Superior National Forest? What are the chances I get back into an area and end up with a 4 wheeler underneath my stand. Nothing against 4 wheelers, just want to be as informed as possible about this trip.

Thanks.

[Arctic]

Off-road travel with ATVs is illegal on federal lands within the Superior National Forest. They are legal, however, on most low-maintenance forest roads. Check out the Superior National Forest HSOforum.

By the way, where is "The Fort"?

[kaplan]

Arctic- Thanks for the info. I'm in Fort Wayne Indiana.