2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

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Dewey
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2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Nov 20, 2014 5:28 am

I'm headed up north to Vilas County in the morning to get a head start for opening day. Deep snow up to 2 feet in some areas is going to make things tough this year so I figured I better give myself a few days of scouting to figure things out. Access to some of my best spots will be very limited since these roads are not plowed so anywhere I go will take a lot of extra work. Thinking my snowshoes will be my most valuable tool for getting around.

I'm sure this has really concentrated the deer to certain areas but rather than going in blind Saturday I want to get a better feel for what I'm dealing with. Gonna be interesting to see how this affects hunting pressure. Pretty sure most will be hunting very close to the roads more than usual due to deep snow. Been quite a few years since we had deeper snow so it's going to make things interesting for sure.

Anybody else hunting the northwoods this year?


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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Thu Nov 20, 2014 5:29 am

Good Luck!!! :pray:
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby PLB » Thu Nov 20, 2014 5:38 am

I will be up there Friday morning for the whole 9 day hunt. We hunt out of an 8 person deer camp in a shack. This is my 25th season of hunting out of a deer camp. Its all I know. This year opening weekend 6 out of the 8 of us myself included will be hunting private farmland. We sit all day Saturday and Sunday. This is the first season we have changed it up a bit due to the extreme lack of deer and deer sign up there. Starting Monday through the next Saturday we make drives and sit some and due organized still hunts based off topo scouting. There are less and less hunters every year and after opening weekend we pretty much have the woods to ourselves. It's a great time!

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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby headgear » Thu Nov 20, 2014 5:53 am

With that much snow I would find some thick pines or cedar swamps. They are going to hold a lot of snow depth on their branches and make it easier for the deer to move around below.
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:10 am

I will be sitting this one out since my wife just had a baby but usually hunt up there. I started four years ago and fell in love with the solitude. With those kind of conditions I agree you won't have much competition and the deer will be pretty concentrated! I have heard the bucks are still moving pretty well up there, wish I was going to be up there! Good luck guys!
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Hilts » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:21 am

I'll be out in Bayfield county. You will definitely get a work out and snow shoes will be a good idea. I am sure pressure will be way down this year, but it has been steadily dropping the last few years anyways due to the lack of deer. Our Camp had up to 12 guys a few years ago and now this year we will be down to 2 or 3. Pretty sad.

Make sure you have a full tank of gas before heading out into the forest. Last weekend I only got 100mi out of a tank due to the snow and breaking trail on most of our forest roads.
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:30 am

Glad I don't live in Buffalo NY!!

5 feet of snow on the ground with 2 more by the end of the week!! :shock:

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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby PLB » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:34 am

Dewey wrote:Glad I don't live in Buffalo NY!!

5 feet of snow on the ground with 2 more by the end of the week!! :shock:

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My aunt and uncle live there... Just another day in the snow belt.... You don't snow blow your driveway. Everyone has a plow truck and snow machine... Crazy but they love it.

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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Southern Man » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:37 am

I just pulled up Vilas County on Bing maps. Wow, not a whole lot up there but water & trees seems like. Looks to be a fair amount of sloughs too. In the side bar it said population was 21,000. Looks like a good place to see....... in the summertime :mrgreen: I'll pass on the 2' snow
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby justin84 » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:41 am

I'll be up on the Vilas/Oneida county border all week, near St Germain. I'm really curious how much company I'll have in my neck of the woods opening weekend; I have a few places picked out ahead of time depending on what I run into. Also have a pair of snowshoes packed up and ready to go!

Opening day I might find myself on a steep northern slope looking down into a area of thick, short pines.

Just me and my father in law this year so if anyone's interested in sharing a few drinks and laughs, send me a message!
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Nov 20, 2014 7:07 am

Southern Man wrote:I just pulled up Vilas County on Bing maps. Wow, not a whole lot up there but water & trees seems like. Looks to be a fair amount of sloughs too. In the side bar it said population was 21,000. Looks like a good place to see....... in the summertime :mrgreen: I'll pass on the 2' snow

Vilas County has 1,300 lakes. Great place for a summer vacation.

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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Southern Man » Thu Nov 20, 2014 7:46 am

Dewey wrote:
Southern Man wrote:I just pulled up Vilas County on Bing maps. Wow, not a whole lot up there but water & trees seems like. Looks to be a fair amount of sloughs too. In the side bar it said population was 21,000. Looks like a good place to see....... in the summertime :mrgreen: I'll pass on the 2' snow

Vilas County has 1,300 lakes. Great place for a summer vacation.

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It does really look good. Someday I hope to make a tour of northern WI. The southern end was nice and the people friendly.

Good luck to you guys up there.
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby Rome » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:50 am

I'd be willing to bet a lot of deer up there are flocking to the cabin feeders. Going to be a lot of deer shot within eyesight of the cabins this coming weekend I'd imagine.

I spend a lot of time up there in the summer musky fishing. Great area to spend some time in. In the fall, I usually take a musky trip up there, and we do a little duck and grouse hunting, and it's beautiful country to spend time in.
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby ihookem » Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:18 pm

I am hunting west central Price co, It has about 12" of snow. It will really make getting back in an almost impossible option. Then drag one out? Nope. Biggest problem is if I get a deer or even walk there to some of my stands I scouted so hard for, someone else might folow my tracks and find my spots. There are stands I don't hunt if there is snow on the ground. The poster that said lots of baiters near the cabins bothers me and never thought of it. We have some real big baiter boys across the road. Anyway, I am crossing the river again this year and happy it will be frozen solid. Beats breaking ice half way across the river. I am going in 1/4 mi where there is a 300 ac clear cut that was done 5 yrs ago. It is the best place I have. I am sure hunter pressure will be way down.
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Re: 2014 WI gun season-Northwoods

Unread postby rutnbuck » Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:40 pm

I'm taking the snowmobile up but not going till the middle of next week. With the bait piles out, the deer go nocturnal. I'll wait till they come back out usually when the others go home because they didn't see any deer.

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