1::2.6

[spivak]

I read an article this past Sunday (previewing the upcoming bow season) which stated that there are 100,000 bowhunters in MN and 260,000 in WI. Anybody have any ideas about this? Why the disparity?

[DonBo]

Your stats are correct. Wisconsin is a hotbed for hunting in general and especially archery hunting. In fact Wisconsin had the very first archery-only deer season way back in the 40's. Sconnie has way more people who live away from the big cities and there is way more habitat in WS than there is in MN.

More deer, more habitat, more public land, more rural residents adds up to more hunters.

[jparrucci]

Easy....with limited range with a bow..being able to "hunt" over bait is an option in WI but not in MN. Getting a deer in bow range is not an easy task in MN, when you have a pile of corn or whatever they use over there, it increases your odds for closer shots.

[mrklean]

i really doubt that 200,000+ bowhunters bow hunt because they can use bait give me a break

[nonteepical]

bait makes about as much difference as doe in heat does during the rut.

[matchset]

also.... there is a 2 buck limit in Wisconsin; unlike 1 in minnesota!

this prompts more gals and fella's to but that archery tag AND rifle tag! if you can bag a tag with both....why not?!?! right!

[Finlander]

Nothing better for the cheese-heads to do on a sunday afternoon!LOL

[walleyeking19]

Nothing better for the cheese-heads to do on a sunday afternoon!LOL

besides watching the Packers beat up on the Vikings!!

[LightningBG]

I would agree a portion of it probably has to do with the ability to bait.

[DonBo]

I would agree a portion of it probably has to do with the ability to bait.

Not a chance. I've never heard anybody say "Hey, baiting's legal in WS, let's go!"

[mrklean]

maybe its a the fact that they have 200" deer in that state and are harvested each year. Does the whole state have a 2 buck limit? My gf and her family hunt there and i thought they were only 1 buck in their area.

[FishingWebGuy]

Not a chance. I've never heard anybody say "Hey, baiting's legal in WS, let's go!"

There we have it. Nobody has ever hunted WI because they can bait.

I would imagine all the differences add up for getting more hunters involved.

1. More tags available

2. More deer

3. Tons of access

along with baiting and a higher unemployment rate and no professional sports to watch equals more archery hunters.

[DonBo]

No pro sports....hehehehe

[LightningBG]

Not a chance. I've never heard anybody say "Hey, baiting's legal in WS, let's go!"

"portion"

As we all know, bowhunting isn't the easiest task on earth. You need to get a deer into a relatively small range area. Baiting gives a deer that draw to the specific location you desire, therefore increasing success (not by itself, but contributes). More success = more desire. I guarantee if I was getting more deer because I was baiting, my buddies would say, "hey, he keeps getting all these deer, maybe I'll give it a shot next year"

Edit:

With regard to the effective range.

40yds range with a bow = 45K sq ft of coverage

200yds range with a rifle = 1.13 million sq ft of coverage

25 times more area you have a possibility of covering.

[B-man715]

"portion"

As we all know, bowhunting isn't the easiest task on earth. You need to get a deer into a relatively small range area. Baiting gives a deer that draw to the specific location you desire, therefore increasing success (not by itself, but contributes). More success = more desire. I guarantee if I was getting more deer because I was baiting, my buddies would say, "hey, he keeps getting all these deer, maybe I'll give it a shot next year"

The funny thing about the guys that bait versus those that don't; is that they often shoot/see less deer than non-baiters

In my opinion hunters that rely on skills, such as reading the woods and how the deer utilize it, are much better hunters than those who simply dump out a bucket of corn.

The perfect example just occurred last Saturday evening on our opener. All of us where hunting private land within 15 miles of eachother.

Two people I know started bait piles before the season opened Both were going through a ton of corn everyday. Should be an easy deal to smoke a few deer right?

So that evening I talked to them both after hunting. One guy, who was going through 30 pounds a day didn't as much as see a single deer!! The other guy had one doe come in, but she cautiously circled the bait until after shooting hours.

Myself on the other hand went out to an area that I left undisturbed since spring. I took my climber, perched over intersecting deer trails in the woods, and wouldn't you know it, I could have shot a truckload of deer!!! I passed a small fork around 5:00, saw a doe out of range walk by a little after, then a doe and yearling walked by in range, and lastly had a doe with fawn in tow come past. WEIRD?????

NO BAIT IN THE WORLD IS BETTER THAN THE ELEMENT OF SUPRISE!!!!!

Do some homework well before season, find some funnels or feeding areas, and stay the heck out of there until the season starts.

Like many others, I started hunting over a pile of corn. Naturally, I shot my first bow deer over a pile of corn.

I have to thank a man much older and wiser man than myself for changing the way I hunt. At about the age of 18, he saw me walking out of the store with what had to have been the 10th bag of corn in as many weeks. As he was sitting on the bench in that little country store, he looked me straight in the eye and matter of factly said, "Brandon, you don't need corn. Go sit in the woods and you will see deer."

That was the best thing that ever happened to me!! I took his advise. Nearly ten years later, with dozens of deer under my belt and a few shooters on the wall, I can't thank him enough.

Now as my theory why we outnumber you guys, I would have to agree with some of the ideas brought up. Wisconsin and Minnesota have about the same amount of wooded acres, but I don't know if Minnesota counts the hundreds of thousands of acres of brushy swamps up north as woods? If so, the hunter density in these areas has got to be very low. I also have to say having the chance of shooting a nice buck with a bow and a nice one with the gun has to make a differnce. I'm sure that there are also other factors at play as well, but baiting IMHO is low on the list.

[Jameson]

Another small contributing factor is that folks 55+ in WI can use a crossbow as archery equipment.

[goblueM]

i dont think that ability to bait is the driving factor behind the disparity in numbers

i'd wager good money that its due to factors mentioned above, such as just a heck of a lot more deer, more habitat, and greater numbers of people in rural areas

[Cheetah]

Baiting has nothing to do with it for me, and I've never actually seen anyone baiting or mention baiting on the public land I hunt over there.

I've been spending a lot more time in WI the last few years than MN. I used to hunt MN exclusively, but that was when we had access to some private land to hunt down near Dodge Center, which was sold. I did the math and even paying $160 for a WI tag is cheaper when figuring in the lesser cost of fuel and being able to stay at my parent's cabin to save money on camping costs over the course of the season. There is also a TON more public land to hunt over there within day-trip distance of the TC area, it's silly to try to compare it to MN, and it really sucks for MN because I would prefer to hunt our side of the border but it just doesn't make sense.

I also like that for my $160 I actually get THREE permits. One buck and two does that I can take from the two counties I hunt in. I don't shoot that many really, but the opportunity is there.

[psepuncher]

why don't I throw this in the middle of the ring.

Food Plots equal a type of baiting.

[musky hunter]

Matchset:

I believe the two buck limit is incorrect. Archers get one buck tag, one doe tag, and one free herd control tag which is good in certain areas. Also, some of those herd control zones qualify for an unlimited number of $2 antlerless deer carcass tags. I live and hunt in Superior, WI, which is in one of those zones where I can buy $2 tags in addition to the two antlerless tags I got with my license. But there is only one buck archery tag, and no provisions to buy another. Wish there was. Wisconsin deer hunting regulations are fairly complicated, but the unlimited $2 tags are definatly available only in the very minority of areas where the deer population is a real problem.

As for why there are so many archery deer hunters: Wisconsin is made for archery with a mix of aggriculturan areas, forrest lands, and a deer hunting culture that won't quit.

[DonBo]

I think what he ment was, you are allowed a buck with the bow and another with a gun.

[InTheNorthwoods]

Matchset:

I believe the two buck limit is incorrect. Archers get one buck tag, one doe tag, and one free herd control tag which is good in certain areas. Also, some of those herd control zones qualify for an unlimited number of $2 antlerless deer carcass tags. I live and hunt in Superior, WI, which is in one of those zones where I can buy $2 tags in addition to the two antlerless tags I got with my license. But there is only one buck archery tag, and no provisions to buy another. Wish there was. Wisconsin deer hunting regulations are fairly complicated, but the unlimited $2 tags are definatly available only in the very minority of areas where the deer population is a real problem.

As for why there are so many archery deer hunters: Wisconsin is made for archery with a mix of aggriculturan areas, forrest lands, and a deer hunting culture that won't quit.

Good information, but I think you may have misinterpreted his post.

IIRC, His post was stating that you could shoot a buck with both a bow and a gun in WI. Not 2 bucks with a bow. So basically he was comparing that to the fact that in MN you can only shoot 1 buck no matter what weapon is used (or what tags you bought) may cause more people to hunt BOTH gun and archery in WI because killing a buck by bow does not stop them from hunting bucks in gun season.

[psepuncher]

can you party hunt in WI?

[NoWiser]

Its got nothing (or VERY little) to do with baiting. I spent quite a bit of time over there and bowhunting (and deer hunting in general) are just in their blood. The landscape over there, much like SE MN, is very condusive to bowhunting. Lots of quality deer, too. I've had a hard time getting back into bowhunting here just because I know I will never have it as good as when I was hunting out there.

[bottomdweller]

Party hunting during rifle season not archery.