Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Tadmdad
500 Club
Posts: 919
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:10 pm
Location: S.W. Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby Tadmdad » Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:13 am

Tadmdad wrote:
Public Land Beast wrote:With QDM so popular now those Out of staters are managing there small piece of heaven. The with the northwoods!! Too far away and too much work! That's why traditional deer camps are almost non existent now. Everyone is micro managing THEIR deer on their 40 or 80 acres. Deer drives are out of the question because you wouldn't want to push YOUR deer onto Uncle Tony's 40!! I'm glad I'm part of a 9 man deer camp up north on public land. We have no problem getting away from the circus ;) No property lines or fences!! :D


PLB, your absolutely right. Living in S. Michigan the big deal is co-op's and they work for alot of guys, and they kill some nice scoring bucks. Several of my buddies have land and belong to co-op's and are good hunters, and they use to go up to traditional deer camps "up north", and they don't anymore. And the oldtimers that still go to camp are losing interest because nobody comes to hunt anymore, unforunately that tradition is dying.
When we all get together to play poker or do a cookout, their always talking about their property, and foodplots, and crop rotation, QDM....blah..blah..blah.
It's like a broken record, I sold my hunting property in MI years ago could see the way the sport was going and it wasn't my cup of tea. They all think that my hunting buddies and me are crazy for traveling 1000+ miles to go deer hunting, and think I should buy more property and join their co-op, that would be crazy. No disrespect to these guys or people that hunt that way, but if I had to watch 80 acres for a hunting season I'd go crazy, always tell them that I'm a hunter and not a farmer. But if I chose to farm it would be cattle and not deer. :mrgreen:


User avatar
BackWoodsHunter
500 Club
Posts: 3011
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:13 am
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby BackWoodsHunter » Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:33 am

Tadmdad wrote:
Public Land Beast wrote:With QDM so popular now those Out of staters are managing there small piece of heaven. The with the northwoods!! Too far away and too much work! That's why traditional deer camps are almost non existent now. Everyone is micro managing THEIR deer on their 40 or 80 acres. Deer drives are out of the question because you wouldn't want to push YOUR deer onto Uncle Tony's 40!! I'm glad I'm part of a 9 man deer camp up north on public land. We have no problem getting away from the circus ;) No property lines or fences!! :D


PLB, your absolutely right. Living in S. Michigan the big deal is co-op's and they work for alot of guys, and they kill some nice scoring bucks. Several of my
buddies have land and belong to co-op's and are good hunters, and they use to go up to traditional deer camps "up north", and they don't anymore. And the oldtimers that still go to camp are losing interest because nobody comes to hunt anymore, unforunately that tradition is dying.
When we all get together to play poker or do a cookout, their always talking about their property, and foodplots, and crop rotation, QDM....blah..blah..blah.
It's like a broken record, I sold my hunting property in MI years ago could see the way the sport was going and it wasn't my cup of tea. They all think that my hunting buddies and me are crazy for traveling 1000+ miles to go deer hunting, and think I should buy more property and join their co-op, that would be crazy. No disrespect to these guys or people that hunt that way, but if I had to watch 80 acres for a hunting season I'd go crazy, always tell them that I'm a hunter and not a farmer. But if I chose to farm it would be cattle and not deer. :mrgreen:



I agree with most of your post. We hunt the northwoods, the family owns 120 acres and there is lots of public just across the road I like to poke around on as well. Sure watching that same "80 acres" all season can get old but the food plots and tree plantings and habitat management and hanging trail cams and watching deer grow through summer is a lot like hunting public land in that it still takes work. Its not quite the same because a guy can go to the deer on public where as a person on private land works with what they got. I am having a great time planning out some land management stuff in an attempt to draw more deer to my hunting area by altering the landscape in the northwoods. I am confident a 2acre or so brassica plot and some fruiting apple trees with a few micro plots mixed in should draw out far more deer to our land than we have seen in years past though I can't be sure. Maybe its the part of me that was born and raised in the city that gets a kick out of working in the woods and improving habitat I'm not really sure. I'm always scouting everywhere I go. My girlfriend asks me how come I see all this wildlife whenever I'm driving I tell her its because I never watch the road I'm always "glassing" areas looking for things that stand out. I spend a fair amount of time on public land and my eyes are always peeled for "critter sign". I will spend more time hunting public this fall but I enjoy the time and effort I put into improving our family land and like to sit back in the fall and see its effect from my perch.
"The history of the bow and arrow is the history of mankind." Fred Bear
User avatar
Tadmdad
500 Club
Posts: 919
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:10 pm
Location: S.W. Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby Tadmdad » Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:39 pm

I agree with most of your post. We hunt the northwoods, the family owns 120 acres and there is lots of public just across the road I like to poke around on as well. Sure watching that same "80 acres" all season can get old but the food plots and tree plantings and habitat management and hanging trail cams and watching deer grow through summer is a lot like hunting public land in that it still takes work. Its not quite the same because a guy can go to the deer on public where as a person on private land works with what they got. I am having a great time planning out some land management stuff in an attempt to draw more deer to my hunting area by altering the landscape in the northwoods. I am confident a 2acre or so brassica plot and some fruiting apple trees with a few micro plots mixed in should draw out far more deer to our land than we have seen in years past though I can't be sure. Maybe its the part of me that was born and raised in the city that gets a kick out of working in the woods and improving habitat I'm not really sure. I'm always scouting everywhere I go. My girlfriend asks me how come I see all this wildlife whenever I'm driving I tell her its because I never watch the road I'm always "glassing" areas looking for things that stand out. I spend a fair amount of time on public land and my eyes are always peeled for "critter sign". I will spend more time hunting public this fall but I enjoy the time and effort I put into improving our family land and like to sit back in the fall and see its effect from my perch.[/quote]

Not to change the topic of this post.....maybe need to start a new post.

Certainly understand the land ownership, land managment and improvement issues. As I did that for many years, with property "up north" here in MI. Something about working the land and improving habitat, and getting dirt in your fingernails, keeps a person grounded. I got alot of enjoyment doing that with my property, but found that going to deer camp with my buddies every year in the U.P. and hunting the northwoods was more enjoyable and challenging than hunting my own property were I watched the deer yearround.

But coming full circle in deer hunting, it just doesn't feel right if I don't have 10 sq. miles to wander during deer season, feel kinda caged in.
User avatar
BackWoodsHunter
500 Club
Posts: 3011
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:13 am
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby BackWoodsHunter » Sat Apr 16, 2011 1:17 am

Agreed there is definitely something awesome about being able to roam for miles in a day without seeing another hunter/person/vehicle. I pretty much have given up on gun hunting but during gun season those are my favorite places to hunt. I get up early with everyone else and just wander a few miles in and covering new ground and seeing what I can see. During bowseason I don't mind watching the same deer as long as they are nice ones ;)
"The history of the bow and arrow is the history of mankind." Fred Bear
DropTyne
500 Club
Posts: 924
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:26 pm
Location: Cheese
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby DropTyne » Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:03 am

Public Land Beast wrote:With QDM so popular now those Out of staters are managing there small piece of heaven. The with the northwoods!! Too far away and too much work! That's why traditional deer camps are almost non existent now. Everyone is micro managing THEIR deer on their 40 or 80 acres. Deer drives are out of the question because you wouldn't want to push YOUR deer onto Uncle Tony's 40!! I'm glad I'm part of a 9 man deer camp up north on public land. We have no problem getting away from the circus ;) No property lines or fences!! :D


I agree 100%. I embrace my traditional deer camp as well. We have been settled in there since the 1920's. The membership has fluctuated over the years, we have had as many as 13 in deer camp and as few as 6. Like you said one of our hunters recently quit hunting with us because his father in law has a 40 near New London that they want to "manage". Although I could personally hunt some very good big buck farm country I forgo this every year to head to the land of no fences, uninterupted forests and low deer densities. For some reason I feel when it all comes together under these circumstances it is really an amazing feeling.
DROPTYNE

"Obsessed is a Word the Lazy Use to Describe the Dedicated"
User avatar
headgear
500 Club
Posts: 11625
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
Location: Northern Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby headgear » Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:46 am

I sometimes wonder if the northwoods is the best kept secret in world, sure the hunting isn't amazing and you really have to work hard to find a nice buck but I wouldn't trade the solitude and wilderness for anything. I often hear guys complaining about all the hunters in southern MN, sometimes 10 or 15 hunters rotating 5 or 6 stands on 80 acres they share. I am just just 3-4 hours drive north sitting on multiple square miles to myself on the weekends and even more on the weekdays. For years I thought about buying some land and managing it but now that dream might be a thing of the past, I am having too much fun exploring unlimited public land and chasing the bucks instead of hoping they come to me.

Like Tad said, no offense to guys who do that, it can work great and there is something about working your own land that is tons of fun but I am finding more and more that it is just not for me.
User avatar
kenn1320
500 Club
Posts: 3474
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:19 am
Location: Shooting my bow (MI)
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby kenn1320 » Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:10 am

I hunted the UP a few years, had no luck. I ran into lots of guys 2.5 miles back on an old 2 track. They told me they get a nice one every other year on average. At the end of one of my hunts they asked how many deer I saw. I said only a couple and they laughed. They said we used to hunt over where your at, tons of sign, but never any deer. The guys that did real well used bait and traveled a long ways back in the brush. Its a long drive and wasnt productive for a guy hunting 3-5 days. I got the impression the big woods was extremely hard to hunt, then I look at the pics from Ontario and Mn and it seems everybody in camp is shooting a big deer. Is the hard part, finding the deer, then your hunting deer that are not pressured due to the vast area with low hunter numbers?
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
User avatar
UPbowhunter
Posts: 1041
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:52 am
Facebook: todd freeman
Location: 25'up a tree
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby UPbowhunter » Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:23 am

kenn1320 wrote:I hunted the UP a few years, had no luck. I ran into lots of guys 2.5 miles back on an old 2 track. They told me they get a nice one every other year on average. At the end of one of my hunts they asked how many deer I saw. I said only a couple and they laughed. They said we used to hunt over where your at, tons of sign, but never any deer. The guys that did real well used bait and traveled a long ways back in the brush. Its a long drive and wasnt productive for a guy hunting 3-5 days. I got the impression the big woods was extremely hard to hunt, then I look at the pics from Ontario and Mn and it seems everybody in camp is shooting a big deer. Is the hard part, finding the deer, then your hunting deer that are not pressured due to the vast area with low hunter numbers?

The big woods are hard to hunt from a distance. If you can make it up during the spring or late summer, run those back roads slow looking for tracks and deer sign. When you find big tracks try to back track them and figure out what he was doing. Find doe groups and where they bed. put things together, and pick a spot and say to yourself I want to give this place three seasons to figure out. If you do that and there are deer in the area you will kill deer with out bait. You may have to adjust, during those years but the time you put in scouting and hunting, traveling back and forth thru it should really help getting the feel for how the deer are useing the terrain.
Go Go Epic Stuff, Seek Wilderness
User avatar
headgear
500 Club
Posts: 11625
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
Location: Northern Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby headgear » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:20 am

Trust me kenn those pics with big northwoods deer either take many years to accumulate or the hunter has a ton of experience in the bigwoods and really knows what they are doing. The pressure probably isn't near as intense as say farmland hunting but the bigwoods deer don't tolerate as much human activity before they are gone, there are also plenty of wolves to keep them busy.

I have had my best luck by getting to know one chunk of land fairly well, I have been hunting one area roughly 10 square miles for about 20 years now and I still have a lot to learn.
User avatar
kenn1320
500 Club
Posts: 3474
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:19 am
Location: Shooting my bow (MI)
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby kenn1320 » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:57 am

Trust me kenn those pics with big northwoods deer either take many years to accumulate or the hunter has a ton of experience in the bigwoods and really knows what they are doing.


I hear what your saying, but posting pics with 10 guys tagging big ones on the same trip, hard to believe they ALL know the land so well and found the right spot in the same 1-2wks. I havent seen that many bucks of that caliber hunting farm land over the last 28yrs, just sayin...... :D
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
User avatar
Tadmdad
500 Club
Posts: 919
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:10 pm
Location: S.W. Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby Tadmdad » Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:53 am

kenn1320 wrote:
Trust me kenn those pics with big northwoods deer either take many years to accumulate or the hunter has a ton of experience in the bigwoods and really knows what they are doing.


I hear what your saying, but posting pics with 10 guys tagging big ones on the same trip, hard to believe they ALL know the land so well and found the right spot in the same 1-2wks. I havent seen that many bucks of that caliber hunting farm land over the last 28yrs, just sayin...... :D


Kenn, there is some pretty good advice posted by headgear and upbowhunter.

Didn't want to give the wrong impression posting camp pictures, hunting the northwoods isn't easy. Our main group of 6 guys group range from 44-68 years old and we all have been hunting the northwoods for many years. The 2 primary areas that we hunt in Ontario and N. Minnesota we've been hunting there for 10-12 years and know the ground pretty well. But the first couple of years in these areas we were lucky if we scratched out 1-2 bucks, patience and persistence payoff over time. Each year you learn a little more, and keeping a journal helps.

I think another thing that helps our group, we all have different hunting styles and we are constantly comparing our experiences and observations from different areas, and learning from each other.

I read your earlier post about hunting in the U.P., it's very difficult to go into any area, especially in the northwoods, in a new hunting area, with limited amount of time and kill any deer, let alone a mature buck.

Where I live in S. Michigan, I get to watch deer almost everyday. I use to hunt alot down here, and when I had my property "upnorth". I don't deer hunt down here much anymore, unless I go with kids. Why? because I don't see many of the caliber of deer that I'm after, they usually don't live long enough.
One of the good things about hunting the northwoods, with large tracts of land and limited access, and low hunting pressure, a buck has a chance to reach maturity. They exist, you just have to learn how to hunt them, and it doesn't happen overnight.

A lyric in a old song " a man believes what he wants to believe and disregards the rest". I'll just keep going to the northwoods and killing good bucks, it's all good. :D
User avatar
Tadmdad
500 Club
Posts: 919
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:10 pm
Location: S.W. Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby Tadmdad » Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:06 pm

Headgear... I just looked back through this post and noticed you posted some pictures of some of your northwoods bucks. Some fine animals there, congrats your on a roll man.
User avatar
headgear
500 Club
Posts: 11625
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
Location: Northern Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby headgear » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:49 am

Tadmdad wrote:Headgear... I just looked back through this post and noticed you posted some pictures of some of your northwoods bucks. Some fine animals there, congrats your on a roll man.


Thanks, just trying to keep up with you and your group. ;) You guys certainly have a knack for those bigwoods deer.
User avatar
Tadmdad
500 Club
Posts: 919
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:10 pm
Location: S.W. Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby Tadmdad » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:37 pm

headgear wrote:
Tadmdad wrote:Headgear... I just looked back through this post and noticed you posted some pictures of some of your northwoods bucks. Some fine animals there, congrats your on a roll man.


Thanks, just trying to keep up with you and your group. ;) You guys certainly have a knack for those bigwoods deer.


Heck, I can't even keep up with a couple of guys in our group. But the bigwoods does take you away from the day to day for a short time, brings a sense of freedom. Just gotten better over the years at sitting on the first stump I find, watching my baitpile a little ways off the 2 track, and shooting 'em when they walk by, just sayin'. ;)
User avatar
PLB
500 Club
Posts: 6974
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 3:49 pm
Location: NE Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Lets see some northwoods/big woods bucks!

Unread postby PLB » Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:43 pm

Tadmdad wrote:
Tadmdad wrote:
Public Land Beast wrote:With QDM so popular now those Out of staters are managing there small piece of heaven. The with the northwoods!! Too far away and too much work! That's why traditional deer camps are almost non existent now. Everyone is micro managing THEIR deer on their 40 or 80 acres. Deer drives are out of the question because you wouldn't want to push YOUR deer onto Uncle Tony's 40!! I'm glad I'm part of a 9 man deer camp up north on public land. We have no problem getting away from the circus ;) No property lines or fences!! :D


PLB, your absolutely right. Living in S. Michigan the big deal is co-op's and they work for alot of guys, and they kill some nice scoring bucks. Several of my buddies have land and belong to co-op's and are good hunters, and they use to go up to traditional deer camps "up north", and they don't anymore. And the oldtimers that still go to camp are losing interest because nobody comes to hunt anymore, unforunately that tradition is dying.
When we all get together to play poker or do a cookout, their always talking about their property, and foodplots, and crop rotation, QDM....blah..blah..blah.
It's like a broken record, I sold my hunting property in MI years ago could see the way the sport was going and it wasn't my cup of tea. They all think that my hunting buddies and me are crazy for traveling 1000+ miles to go deer hunting, and think I should buy more property and join their co-op, that would be crazy. No disrespect to these guys or people that hunt that way, but if I had to watch 80 acres for a hunting season I'd go crazy, always tell them that I'm a hunter and not a farmer. But if I chose to farm it would be cattle and not deer. :mrgreen:

I totally agree!!! ;)
Obsession Bows
Lone Wolf Alpha and sticks


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 77 guests