Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

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Dewey
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Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:09 pm

As many of you know I spent the last week up in the U.P. bowhunting Sylvania Wilderness for the first time. Loved hunting there and spent 95% of my time there and 5% in neighboring Ottawa NF lands. It was an experience I will never forget and this is coming from someone who has hunted the northwoods off and on for over 20 years. Something about Sylvania just draws you in and you never want to leave. I hunted 7 days and never saw another person or most importantly no bait piles. It was just me and the bucks. That is a quality hunt to me!

Sylvania or other old growth forests in places like Canada or even far northern MN are in my opinion the toughest place to kill a buck. I am not ashamed to say that I got my but handed to me this past week. It seemed the bucks up here were always one step ahead of me and proved that they are just incredible survivors in this habitat. I never had much problems killing deer in the northwoods of WI where baiting artificially inflated deer numbers for many years plus logging operations really improve the deer habitat as well making hunting much easier. Up here it is night and day difference.

In my opinion the guys in the big woods like this that are putting down good bucks every season are without a doubt the best hunters out there. If you guys came down in my area you would be killing machines. Down south I have no problems getting on good bucks but hunting up here will really humble a guy in a hurry. All of you guys that see 10-15 bucks in a day need to come up here and get a dose of reality. ;)

I went into this hunt without high expectations because I knew it was going to test me but was excited for the challenge. What I got out of it was so much more rewarding than killing a deer. What I learned in the past week will stay with me the rest of my hunting days. If only I had another week who knows what would have happened. 8-)

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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:42 pm

Northwoods bucks are very tough to kill. I used to live in northern MN, like 7 miles from the Canadian border and never seen a mature buck in the places I hunted. They were even camera shy in front of trail cameras. Guys would find giant shed antlers all over the big woods in the spring but never lay eyes on the bucks that dropped them. Places like that make you appreciate hunting the farmlands of WI or Iowa.
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby BuckTrack81 » Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:05 pm

Dewey I live here in the UP and have most of my life this is all I know about hunting, I read posts on the live from the stand and hear of guys seeing multiple bucks in a hunt and I sometimes feel like what am I doing wrong, But then rather than get discouraged ... And I admit it happens especially when I see what some guys pass up, bucks like what most guys are passing up would be a dream Buck for me.. Heck a. 100" buck would be a trophy ... I'm not lying in the last 3 years I spent around $8-9,000 on guided hunting trips chasing my Dream of getting a Buck for my wall, and came home empty handed ... From Tennessee, to Canada, to Kansas... It wasn't that I didn't put in my time either, it just never worked out... What I guess I am trying to say is there is no pixie dust you can use to get a big buck and I have learned that ... I want to learn as much as I can and dream of a day when I can put slobs down on a consistent basis...and maybe even see more than one buck during a day... Anyway thanks for your post I feel that maybe I 'm not so far outta touch as I think sometimes with what the reality is of where I hunt ....

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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Sun Nov 10, 2013 1:31 am

Crazinamatese wrote: Places like that make you appreciate hunting the farmlands of WI or Iowa.


X10. The guys that get it done routinely up there are in a class by themselves. I hunted up there for years because that is what people did. They went "up north" to shoot their buck. Not for me anymore.

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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:30 am

Now everyone knows why I fish a lot more than bow hunt. Lol.

Good buddy just called to go fishing today but turned him down. Dewey's' posts have inspired to head out and hunt today. Think i'm headed out to a new spot I found tracking last year.....we shall see what happens.

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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Sun Nov 10, 2013 8:46 am

Great read Dewey!

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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby backstraps » Sun Nov 10, 2013 9:05 am

Good Post Dewey! Maybe on your next trip you can even the score with the big woods and bring a slob out with ya!
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Sun Nov 10, 2013 1:44 pm

BuckTrack81 wrote:Dewey I live here in the UP and have most of my life this is all I know about hunting, I read posts on the live from the stand and hear of guys seeing multiple bucks in a hunt and I sometimes feel like what am I doing wrong, But then rather than get discouraged ... And I admit it happens especially when I see what some guys pass up, bucks like what most guys are passing up would be a dream Buck for me.. Heck a. 100" buck would be a trophy ... I'm not lying in the last 3 years I spent around $8-9,000 on guided hunting trips chasing my Dream of getting a Buck for my wall, and came home empty handed ... From Tennessee, to Canada, to Kansas... It wasn't that I didn't put in my time either, it just never worked out... What I guess I am trying to say is there is no pixie dust you can use to get a big buck and I have learned that ... I want to learn as much as I can and dream of a day when I can put slobs down on a consistent basis...and maybe even see more than one buck during a day... Anyway thanks for your post I feel that maybe I 'm not so far outta touch as I think sometimes with what the reality is of where I hunt ....

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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby G3s » Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:06 pm

Sounds like a fantastic hunt Dewey, I think those are the exact reasons why I love hunting the big woods so much, no human intrusion, no pressured deer, no artificial behavior. Just you the woods, and the animals. Hard to figure out the game for sure. But man when it all comes together and you get one in check mate...that is the best. Best of luck on your next trip!
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Buck Clark » Mon Nov 11, 2013 5:49 am

Great post, Dewey! Thanks for sharing! :clap:
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby May-39 » Mon Nov 11, 2013 2:24 pm

Was wondering how u did,,,,those deer are like smelt all here one day,,,gone when I show up..lol
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:25 pm

Right on Dewey. Every time I go up there I wonder how I will ever figure it out. Just keep going and learning and hope someday the light will go off
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Mon Nov 11, 2013 6:54 pm

Dewey wrote:As many of you know I spent the last week up in the U.P. bowhunting Sylvania Wilderness for the first time. Loved hunting there and spent 95% of my time there and 5% in neighboring Ottawa NF lands. It was an experience I will never forget and this is coming from someone who has hunted the northwoods off and on for over 20 years. Something about Sylvania just draws you in and you never want to leave. I hunted 7 days and never saw another person or most importantly no bait piles. It was just me and the bucks. That is a quality hunt to me!

Sylvania or other old growth forests in places like Canada or even far northern MN are in my opinion the toughest place to kill a buck. I am not ashamed to say that I got my but handed to me this past week. It seemed the bucks up here were always one step ahead of me and proved that they are just incredible survivors in this habitat. I never had much problems killing deer in the northwoods of WI where baiting artificially inflated deer numbers for many years plus logging operations really improve the deer habitat as well making hunting much easier. Up here it is night and day difference.

In my opinion the guys in the big woods like this that are putting down good bucks every season are without a doubt the best hunters out there. If you guys came down in my area you would be killing machines. Down south I have no problems getting on good bucks but hunting up here will really humble a guy in a hurry. All of you guys that see 10-15 bucks in a day need to come up here and get a dose of reality. ;)

I went into this hunt without high expectations because I knew it was going to test me but was excited for the challenge. What I got out of it was so much more rewarding than killing a deer. What I learned in the past week will stay with me the rest of my hunting days. If only I had another week who knows what would have happened. 8-)

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I have to laugh sometimes when I read that stuff. Other times I about cry because I wish I had hunting like that around here. lol At least I got to go to Iowa a couple times. Even though I go to a county that has pretty low numbers of deer and big bucks compared to most of Iowa it still smokes any hunting I have ever had here in Michigan.
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby ihookem » Fri Nov 29, 2013 3:03 pm

I've been hunting the same spot in northern wis. for 25 years and this year I think I am starting to figure out bits and pieces like the first few pieces of a 1000 piece puzzle. The tide started turning when I started espanding my area instead of the same 60 ac. spot and I started shed hunting and scouting much more serious.
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Re: Wanted express my respect to all the big woods hunters.

Unread postby Tadmdad » Fri Nov 29, 2013 11:59 pm

Dewey wrote:As many of you know I spent the last week up in the U.P. bowhunting Sylvania Wilderness for the first time. Loved hunting there and spent 95% of my time there and 5% in neighboring Ottawa NF lands. It was an experience I will never forget and this is coming from someone who has hunted the northwoods off and on for over 20 years. Something about Sylvania just draws you in and you never want to leave. I hunted 7 days and never saw another person or most importantly no bait piles. It was just me and the bucks. That is a quality hunt to me!

Sylvania or other old growth forests in places like Canada or even far northern MN are in my opinion the toughest place to kill a buck. I am not ashamed to say that I got my but handed to me this past week. It seemed the bucks up here were always one step ahead of me and proved that they are just incredible survivors in this habitat. I never had much problems killing deer in the northwoods of WI where baiting artificially inflated deer numbers for many years plus logging operations really improve the deer habitat as well making hunting much easier. Up here it is night and day difference.

In my opinion the guys in the big woods like this that are putting down good bucks every season are without a doubt the best hunters out there. If you guys came down in my area you would be killing machines. Down south I have no problems getting on good bucks but hunting up here will really humble a guy in a hurry. All of you guys that see 10-15 bucks in a day need to come up here and get a dose of reality. ;)

I went into this hunt without high expectations because I knew it was going to test me but was excited for the challenge. What I got out of it was so much more rewarding than killing a deer. What I learned in the past week will stay with me the rest of my hunting days. If only I had another week who knows what would have happened. 8-)

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Good post Dewey.....enjoyed reading your live from the stand post and the pictures. Spending 21 years hunting the Sylvania, understand the draw of this type of hunt, it's not the type of hunt for everyone. But for those that like the challenge of going one on one with a mature buck, there isn't anything like this style of wilderness hunting, it isn't easy to explain, it just needs to be experienced.
When you first experience this style of hunting, it makes you question if you can ever figure it out and what you really know about hunting mature bucks, they are true survivors.
Sounds like you have taken the first step of a long journey. Welcome to the addiction.

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