Hunting Paradise

[Singing Bridge]

No hunting but I have a great area to fish that has been fantastic for the 15 years we have been going there. On a well known river but between 2 very popular areas so we never get any crowds. Best part is its only a 2 hour drive from milwaukee, and we have a camper about 100 feet from the water.

Have never been skunked out here for walleyes. Always catch them, and for the last 5 years, almost always get fish to keep if I want them. I know lots of people who drive 12 hours to canada, or fight the zoos at other areas to not get the action and numbers we get. Heck some of them quit going to canada and just come by us now. Way cheaper and the fishing is just as good

Sounds like a great set up! I have a walleye honey hole on a small inland lake. It doesn't have a reputation so it hardly gets fished. I catch walleye after walleye but make sure that it doesn't look like I'm catching fish. At the last possible second my net appears to scoop the fish and then everything is dropped into the bottom of the boat, out of sight. I carefully watch my surroundings. I'm going to ride it as long as I can!

[Tufrthnails]

Hog Hunter paradise growing up. Orange grove I had the run of. Everyone in the family knew if they wanted a pig just to call and I would drop it at their house skinned and quartered. I can't think if a better think for a 17yo boy to be doing with his time. Those days are long gone.

Got a couple of Fishing holes that are phenomenal still. My son thinks the creek that runs the border of our property here at the house is a brim paradise. That boy has wore out some wigglers over the last few years.

[Lockdown]

I had some phenomenal duck hunts over the years. Flat farm land slews that sometimes held 3,000-5,000 ducks. I'm talking 10-30 acre slews. I'll never forget one morning in my early teens dad and I set out in the dark kicking most of the ducks off our slew, and they went and landed in a flooded field 1/4 mile away. When our first shot rang out the whole field got up and it sounded like thunder even though they were that far off.

We had a low spot in a field that treated us well over the years. On a dry year it didn't hold water at all, and often it was only an inch or two deep, but the ducks loved it. Geese too. I think it was '04 we had a huge storm drop 6" of rain and that low spot held 30" of water.... Amongst standing corn.

The ducks were eating corn right off the standing stalk. Believe me they husk it. Best part was we could drop the duck boat and trolling motor off in the road ditch and motor down a drown out area in the field. We buried the boat in the corn 50 yards away and threw the dekes out with one robo. No calling needed. We filled out every time we hunted that year, although it was dry by the end of the season. All mallards, widgeon, pintail, and gadwall. Let all the teal pass. THAT was waterfowl paradise.

[magicman54494]

deer hunting no by most people's standards but hunting in the big north woods is as close to heaven as you can get. very few hunters and land that doesn't seem to end and there are a few big ones too.
fishing I would have to say Canada. we used to portage in and never see another human and the fishing was aewsome!

[Rich M]

I'm still looking for the deer hunting place...

We have had some great fishing honey holes and usually got them for 3 years before too many folks caught on and ruined it - walleyes in VT, jumbo smallmouths (up to 24-inch fish - released) in VT, redfish & sea trout in Mosquito Lagoon, stripers & blues off Rhode Island, blackfish/tautog & flounder in Long Island Sound, flounder/sole in Boston Harbor.

Ducks & geese for a while in CT - not for volume but for sheer experience cause no-one else hunted them for a few years. Down in FL ducks were great for about 5 years and we shared the refuge with a bunch of other guys. The refuge killed the habitat and the duck hunting beginning around 2000, but it is the closest spot for us.

Have a had a lot of fun over the years. Looking forward to a few more special spots before I get too old.

[JAK]

Me and a friend had permission to hunt a 400 acre farm that wasn't bow hunted for a number of years.. first couple years we hunted it just a few weekends out of the year always saw allot of deer had some big bucks on camera we were lucky enough to take a couple really nice bucks off of that property.. but with the more success we had the more people that he knew wanted to hunt with us down there.. long story short it's pretty much 400 acres of public land now and I'm on the hunting beast . But believe it or not I've had more fun with this style of hunting and am more excited for opener then any other year

[Singing Bridge]

Hog Hunter paradise growing up. Orange grove I had the run of. Everyone in the family knew if they wanted a pig just to call and I would drop it at their house skinned and quartered. I can't think if a better think for a 17yo boy to be doing with his time. Those days are long gone.

Got a couple of Fishing holes that are phenomenal still. My son thinks the creek that runs the border of our property here at the house is a brim paradise. That boy has wore out some wigglers over the last few years.

Awesome- and the brim paradise will never be forgotten.

[Singing Bridge]

I had some phenomenal duck hunts over the years. Flat farm land slews that sometimes held 3,000-5,000 ducks. I'm talking 10-30 acre slews. I'll never forget one morning in my early teens dad and I set out in the dark kicking most of the ducks off our slew, and they went and landed in a flooded field 1/4 mile away. When our first shot rang out the whole field got up and it sounded like thunder even though they were that far off.

We had a low spot in a field that treated us well over the years. On a dry year it didn't hold water at all, and often it was only an inch or two deep, but the ducks loved it. Geese too. I think it was '04 we had a huge storm drop 6" of rain and that low spot held 30" of water.... Amongst standing corn.

The ducks were eating corn right off the standing stalk. Believe me they husk it. Best part was we could drop the duck boat and trolling motor off in the road ditch and motor down a drown out area in the field. We buried the boat in the corn 50 yards away and threw the dekes out with one robo. No calling needed. We filled out every time we hunted that year, although it was dry by the end of the season. All mallards, widgeon, pintail, and gadwall. Let all the teal pass. THAT was waterfowl paradise.

I've never had duck hunting like that, unreal! You'd better believe I'd have been all about it.

[1bhtr]

I was very fortunate to have 2000 acres of private ground in southern IL to cut my teeth on when I was a teenager. We bowhunted it for 4 years, I killed alot of deer and no mature bucks, but the amount of deer and lack of pressure was awesome. No one else bowhunted it at all, but the family that owned it did lots of drives during gun season... I had many cool encounters with bucks but couldn't seal the deal.... There was a small field on top of a ridge that was a magnet, it was not unusual to set up in the late season and have 20-30 deer file out from all sides.
It was a tough few years after that transitioning to public, but it has been rewarding in different ways, but also equaling frustrating at times. Currently I've found a place that is public, I hunted it last year for the first time, the amount of sign and sheer deer density is amazing... there is a browse line 5 foot high on all the foliage. I saw the biggest rub I have ever seen in this area, it was 50" high on a tree as big as my waist.... This particular place does not allow anyone to step foot on the property period except to bowhunt and only till the end of October, no rut hunting pressure at all. There are only a few guys that hunt it and they don't push back very far. I'm expecting good things this year as I have 6 good beds I found while scouting during season. One of the beds was on a willow sapling hump in the middle of a weed field. the bed was eight foot around with no weeds in what so ever, with rubs everywhere, obviously being used by multiple bucks. I did have a really good encounter with a nice buck in mid october, hit him in the shoulder and I later saw him alive. I kicked up at least 3 over 135 when scouting. I think that is about as close as I have seen for public deer paradise...

[BigCedarJack]

I made friends with a guy in college. His major was mechanical engineering, he liked video games and hated hunting. I ended up going back to his area and living with him for a few years. It was then that I found out his family owned thousands of acres of part ag part wooded, part riparian land that had great deer numbers (as well as other critters). I like to go up there for a weekend at the end of season and fill my unfilled tags in a day if the meat is needed. But honestly... The big woods where I hunt the rest of the time is my "paradise." It doesn't have lots of booners walking around. But what it provides richly is the part I love most. ... "The Hunt"

[oldrank]

I feel Michigan is a pretty good sportsmans paradise. Im never far from a great hunting or fishing adventure on public land in this state.

I have stumbled on some areas that are really really great. Most dont last. Things change.

[cedarsavage]

I feel Michigan is a pretty good sportsmans paradise. Im never far from a great hunting or fishing adventure on public land in this state.

I have stumbled on some areas that are really really great. Most dont last. Things change.

I agree it doesn't have the opportunities that some states do; but Michigan is a good place to live with lots of outdoor opportunities for a middle class guy.

[JAK]

I made friends with a guy in college. His major was mechanical engineering, he liked video games and hated hunting. I ended up going back to his area and living with him for a few years. It was then that I found out his family owned thousands of acres of part ag part wooded, part riparian land that had great deer numbers (as well as other critters). I like to go up there for a weekend at the end of season and fill my unfilled tags in a day if the meat is needed. But honestly... The big woods where I hunt the rest of the time is my "paradise." It doesn't have lots of booners walking around. But what it provides richly is the part I love most. ... "The Hunt"

I'm starting to realize that's what it's all about well said

[Octang]

I never hunted a paradise. Better hunting always lied 'on the other side of the hill.'