Mille Lacs County - Your Opinion

[Chipes]

Fellow Deer Hunters,

I will be hunting Mille Lacs county for the first time this fall for deer. I am also looking for land to buy for deer hunting. I would like to know from others that have hunted this area, or own land in this area, to give me your opinion on the quality of the deer hunt around there. Like most hunters, I like seeing deer and having the potential to shoot a decent buck. I will be hunting about 10 miles or so south of Mille Lacs and a few miles west. Zone 222.

[sportfish]

Sent you a PM

[btheturkey]

The hunting sucks big time. 5 permits a guy for 8 years decimated the herd.

Join a pool league.

I have 1,100 acres with a completely redone cabin I will sell for $1,000 an acre. Roads, plots, permanent stands, t 2 tractors, imoplements and on and on. The whole 9 yards just miles from where you are looking.

[sportfish]

If you have 1100 acres you should have not bot so many bonus tag and saved your herd and not shot ur honey hole up .

The deer numbers are down all over the country not just MN . 222 still has good pockets of deer and the guys who manage alittle and plant the plots will see quite a few deer compared to the guys who shot every brown spot they saw in the woods .

Finding good mature bucks is hard but it always has been . I have had a lucky few years but I don't shoot less than 8 pointers

222 is a good area

[EaglesEdgeDeer]

I'm in the same boat. First time hunting this area. About 5 miles west of onamia just south of 27. I also was wondering about the deer population. We bow hunted it for first time last Saturday evening. Had a doe and fawn pass by at about 10 yards. That's about it. How's the bear population as well? Thanks

[btheturkey]

Have shot one doe in the last 5 seasons. Zero bucks. 22 acres of food plots. Dont pretend to know what I have and have not been doing.

I see deer almost every sit. Last year averaged 3 deer per hour on stand. But I work way to hard and spend way too much for the dump hunting that now exists in 222.

Fact is deer vehicle collisions in Mille Lacs County are down 85% since 2004.

The deer herd is no longer there Jack.

Maybe back up and not pretend your space is the norm. Mine is not, but my neighbors have dump hunting and I am trying to help them. Your 'my hunting is okay' because I spend the cash to make it so will not help the avg Joe.

[btheturkey]

The bears are plentiful. And there are wolves coyotes and a potload of bobcats.

And more licenses sold than deer in the woods. True story.

[nik]

I hunted that area for many years. It was good for a while and it just got to the point where it was a convenient drive from the cities and that was about it.

[btheturkey]

Hunting pressure during the firearms season is up, over 20% in the last several years. Fewer guys heading to zone 1 and choosing closer zone 2 locals.