Who's getting ready for hunting season?

[jasonmichalski]

The hunting season is getting close for small game here in Michigan and the bow deer opener is not that far behind. I'm getting my bow spots setup and I'm getting the dogs ready for some grouse and woodcock hunting too. Anybody else hunting Michigan this year getting excited?

[jasonmichalski]

Just 6 days left till the small game opener, I'll be out after grouse with the dogs hopfuly I will have some pictures to post.

[FISHINGURU]

You Michigan guys sure have some tight lips lol

I have an opportunity to do some deer hunting up in the White Pine/Ontonagon area. Is there big bucks in that area? I've only been up on the land once but have my game camera set up.

[jasonmichalski]

The UP has some big bucks that should be a good area, it's not hunted as hard as the rest of Michigan, but there are few deer, the ones that do live there are bigger.

[FISHINGURU]

It's only 20 acres but it has a hay field on the property that has apple trees going all the way down the length of the field, it also has a river running through the center. Seen alot of deer sign, but also seen bear and wolf sign lol.

[jasonmichalski]

Saids like a good place to find deer as long as the wolf don't run them off, when I hunted that area years ago, apples tree were the ticket but you have great food and water, should be a winning combo.

[FISHINGURU]

Yeah it looks like a pretty nice piece of property, I was originally gonna try to bowhunt it but if I hunt it this season it will probably be gun now.

Is that a rifle zone in that area?

[jasonmichalski]

Good luck, bag the big one!!

[perchking]

Rifles are ok I believe in all of the UP. I have property about 50 miles way from Onto, and you should see deer if they wolves stay away. Deer management in Michigan is laughable in my eyes, they sell tags like candy and mortality numbers in the UP is based on the inches of snow from years past. Best yet, harvest numbers are measured on how many cross the bridge heading South.

Occasionally you see a good buck being knocked down, but nothing in comparison to our neighboring states, but I still dream nightly about that big gnarly swampbuck. I was born and raised in the Western end of the UP and it is the most beautiful place of the US in my eyes. I am just saddened on where it currently is and frightened on where it will be in 20 years.

But--- I still love my deer camp and listening to the old-timers how good deer hunting once was.

[FISHINGURU]

They should look into fixing that, you'd think the deer hunting would be good and the bucks would be able to grow old, besides the snow fall which no one can do anything about.

I hung a trail cam the day I left on an old logging road that heads up to a hay field that is surrounded by apple trees, I wonder what kind of pics I have on there so far.

[jasonmichalski]

If you get any be sure to post them, it sounds like a great location.

[perchking]

Good luck, if you are in the Wakefield area, drop me a PM an stop by my camp. I will be up on the 13th - 21st then I head to SE Wisc for the Opener.

[CrewJones]

i have all our spots picked out around the gogebic area, I agree with perch king the hunting up there is laughable. by allowing people to only shoot bucks we almost never see any large deer up there. But there is always that chance and that is why we hunt. Seems to be a good number of deer up there this year, not as good as it was last year. Since the deer by us migrate to wintering spots we very rarely see the same deer year after year getting bigger.

[perchking]

Deer are just a bonus, what fun would it be to just knock down a monster every year anyway, right? Just joking, I can't wait until next week Wed. That is when I will be heading to deer camp for 10 days...

Be safe everyone.

[jasonmichalski]

Good luck guys, I'm already to get out there with my rifle, let's of good sign around my spot, can't wait to from opening morning.

[perchking]

Oh that glorious time of the year. I am heading out in 5 minutes for camp for the next 10 days...

Good luck to all and most importantly be safe...

[jasonmichalski]

Good luck I'm all ready, I'm laid off for the winter so I'm looking forward to hunting for the next few weeks too.

[CrewJones]

we have some nice deer here but they have not been out in the day (by our cameras) for two weeks everything is at night. HOpefully that changes good luck

[jasonmichalski]

Good luck to you too, I saw 8 deer this morning, 1 nice 8 pt but he never gave me a shot.

[FISHINGURU]

Nice, good luck to you guys. Looks like I won't be making it up there this hunting season but I have the permission for the land so it will be happening eventually.

Got that camera still out there, curious to see what's on that thing.

[CrewJones]

well we hunted for 3 days all the bucks on our camera's were moving at night only. We literally saw more wolves than deer.

6 wolves that were hunting our bait pile

2 deer (does)

next year ill get em'

[perchking]

not a good season for us in the western end of the up either. I saw a few different bucks but nothing bigger than a fork horn. I came home last night and am hoping I have better luck in SE Wisco I am leaving Friday morning. Sunday night we did a little camp hopping and our of 10 camps, I saw 2 decent bucks on the buck poles. I dont think I had a buck bigger than 100" on camera up there all year, pretty depressing. Not sure what can be done, but it sure would be nice to get back to the 80's and early 90's in regards of quality.

[CrewJones]

i dont think in my lifetime it will ever be a "good" area. And by good I mean the chance of shooting 140" deer. I have never seen one ever on my camera's or in person. We saw two buck's registered that were 8 pointers 155 lbs, maybe 115-120 inch tops. they just dont have the food, and live under some serious pressure now with the wolves.

Have fun in SE Wisco. post up some pics of your monster buck !

[perchking]

I stop by some camps over in the Chaney Lake area and a camp of 8 guys in the mid 80's there would at least be 2 shot each year over the 130 mark, and I saw all the pictures over the years to back up the stories from the old timers. Some of those buck pole shots are amazing. Please remember that is when the winters were much worse than they are now, so to me it not the nutrition. I also have a hard time blaming everything on the wolves, even know I know they take their number but they were always there. I really think it is the brown it's down mentality, I go to some camp and there must be 100 small 1.5 year racks in a camp that is about 8 miles south of me and I always hear, "If I dont shoot them, somebody will"

[J_D]

You don't think that back in the day it was all about meat? I understand the fantasy with deer antlers, but in the end a lot of folks are out to get some meat. I feel bad for you, not being able to pound a monster buck every year must suck.