ihookem wrote:About 30 yrs ago there were nine guys in our camp. Now it is just my son and me. We didnt even grouse hunt this year.He is out of college and works 50 hrs a week. He only has 1 week a yr. so far. As for me, I just dont understand why there is so little interest in hunting anymore. I live inside of 10 mi. from 7,000 ac. of public land . Ya , it sucks by the time 2nd week of gun season but at least there is a chance to get a deer. A BIL lives very close , wont even go out there.. and .. and public can be very good sometimes. . .. Kids and wives do come first . If they dont there is almost always marriage trouble . Work, comes first , retirement plans put a damper on life. I put in $5,000 in my SEP, I fill $14,000 in wife's and my ROTH. . $4,000 property taxes, car repairs.... It adds up to staying close to home to hunt and the cabin up north sits empty except 5 to 8 times a year.
Well, it has been 2 yrs since I posted on this thread. It only got a little worse , but I am ok with that. My son went to the cabin with me in NW WIs. this yr. to hunt deer. It was so cold we drove up opening morning. About 4 mies down the road , driving through public land,,,,, yet, 2 deer walking along a frozen pond . .. I hunt there all the time,,, and said out loud ,," we should really just stay home and hunt".. We got to the cabin,,, it was so darn cold in it we never did get it warm till that night. I could not get across the river. It was almost froze over with bare spots and I felt too dangerous to cross in my Jon boat. I hunt 50 yds from the cabin. It was 11 degrees and windy,, likely -10 with the chill. No deer. Chas, my son, said he aint going , so he takes his shotgun and goes grouse hunting on opening day of gun season. Not sure it is even legal,, but I dont see why not. He had blaze orange on. Oh well. He didn't see a deer or a grouse . He found a real nice deer trail,,, but surely led to a bait pile. ... I go home and get a buck 4 miles away in 2 hunts. If public in SE WIs. was not so busy,,, I am sure I would do real well. I just hate seeing other hunters. Next year, I told my son, I am going to bait up north, and go muzzy hunting in the middle of the week. If I dont see deer then,,, I am going to completely give up hunting there.