Any for Camp Ripley

[polaris boy]

Anyone planning on Applying this summer? What weekend are you going to apply for and why? Also anything else about the camp that keeps you comming back? Thanks

[PerchJerker]

I've never hunted Ripley before but a buddy and I are going to do it this year. He's never hunted it either, but we know guys that have hunted it and we're getting some maps and info from them.

From what I hear, expect to see a lot of other hunters, and expect to see a lot of deer that are being moved by hunters. And if you are fortunate enough to arrow a buck, you unfortunately need to get on it's trail right away or you risk someone else claiming it for themselves.

I'm looking at it like this - I'm not going there expecting to have a quiet bowhunt in the quiet woods. I'm expecting to see a lot of hunters in the areas I want to hunt, and to see a lot of hunters moving through the area that I'm hunting. But I'm not going to let myself get upset by that, and I'm going to hunt hard for 2 days and hope to get a crack at a dandy. That way if I do get some solitude, so much the better.

Not sure if we're going to do the first or second hunt. How about you?

[Captain B.R.K]

It seems to be about the same number of people for each season in Ripley.

If you think you will find an area that will be hunter free, I'm here to break your dreams and hopes. Lots of hunters are out and lots of deer being pushed around. YOU will see plenty of deer, but the key is to getting yourself placed in a strategic place without knowing where to set up before you get into the camp.

There are some real nice deer taken there.

I'll be applying for the second time. Our group applies for the 2nd season.

[I'llTakeWhatiCanGet]

Quote:

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And if you are fortunate enough to arrow a buck, you unfortunately need to get on it's trail right away or you risk someone else claiming it for themselves.

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Its not that bad, I've been there three times and my old man has been going since the 70's and has never had that happen. There's a lot of people but tons of deer that don't have much fear of people. You guys are right on about not expecting to get away from people, its probably not going to happen. The hunt is a pretty neat experience though, last time we were there I had about 20 deer (all does and fawns) walk within 25 yards of me while I was in the process of hanging my stand. I saw about 30 that morning, a couple right after another hunter walked about 40 yards from my stand.

The main thing is not to get frustrated by the hunting conditions. The first morning I ever hunted there, I was barely awake in the back of the camper for the ride in, and as soon as we pulled over, everyone was off into the woods, and I was left wondering where to go. I walked for about 1/2 hour eventually setting up over the biggest scrape I had ever seen (about 4 feet wide). As the sun came up, I realized that I was only about 40 yards off the road, and I got pretty stewed up that I had walked so much in the dark only to end up right where I started. I assumed that this close to the road (which was pretty busy with trucks) I had no chance at seeing any deer. For the first (and last time) ever, I hung my bow in the tree next to me without even nocking an arrow. As I sat in my stand, silently cursing my misfortune, a Pope and Young class buck trotted up over a hill, freshened up his scrape (broadside to me @ 15 yards) and trotted off before I could get to my bow. Needless to say, my opinion of Ripley was completely changed. As we like to say: its Ripley, believe it or not