Need info.

[AZHUNTER]

Hello new to the site and so far seems very helpful. I am an AZ. native and have lived here for my 1st 30 years. But now on our way to lansing so my wife can attend law school. I have been searching for info on hunting around this area and really not clear on how your system works. I have been on the michigan dnr website, when done I didnt feel like I got the info i needed.Tough site to navigate, hopefully I will get use to it.

Looking for info on archery deer hunting? Is there a drawing for tags or can you buy them over the counter?? I saw applications for doe tags but nothing for bucks. How many deer are you allowed to harvest in a year?? To many questions not enough space

I could use all the help and info I can get.. Thank you:dizzy:

[brdhntr]

No draw, they are over the counter. If you buy a combo tag, you can take 2 bucks or 2 antlerless, or a buck and an antlerless with the bow. Using the same tag, you can take 2 antlered bucks with a firearm. You will be living in the shotgun only zone. I haven't checked the regs, but that area will probably have over the counter leftover antlerless tags for private land. Public land will be draw, and probably hard to draw. If you have private land to hunt, you could potentially take 1 deer/day from Oct1-Jan 1. Not realistic, but the way it works.

[Backwoods-Savage]

AZHUNTER, welcome to the site and welcome to Michigan.

You will find for sure that others will help you much more (some won't even look at any of your posts without the profile filled out) if you would just take a minute or two to fill out your profile. You can do that by clicking on User CP, which you will find on this page on that brown bar just above the forum (where is lists also Home, Forums, Photo Gallery, etc.).

You will find that our Archery season begins October 1 through November 14. Then November 15-30 is gun deer season. That is followed again with archery deer from December 1 through January 1.

More information will be coming from the DNR very soon as the antlerless permits and drawings were established late this year so I'm not sure when they will become available. Probably August 15, but we'll have to keep an eye on that one.

Hope you find a good place to hunt and there definitely are some very good areas around Lansing.

[AZHUNTER]

Thanks guys for the info, it is much needed. I'll take as much as you guys give me... I have been doing a little research on the web for tips on whitetail..This will be my first time hunting them. I hunt mulies and elk out here. Any help with good websites?


I will be ariving around the 17th of August, that gives me almost two months of scouting and getting familar with the area. I am looking forward to this new style of hunting. Out here a lot of spot and stalk, or sitting a ground blind over water. Its not that fun in those blinds in this az heat.... trust me
Last August I took a thermometer in the blind with me and it got up to 129 degrees in there. BRUTAL.. Looking forward to the change in climate.

THANKS AGAIN..

[Michihunter]

Don't get your hopes up for better climate. What you guys boast in heat, we boast in humidity!! October can still get plenty hot and humid and I've stripped to my shorts plenty of times hunting here in MI. Make sure you get yourself a Thermacell too if you plan on doing any stand hunting. May save your life!!:lol:

[Backwoods-Savage]

I'll second that on the humidity that Michihnter posted.

My wife and I spent 5 winters (December through April or part of May) near Yuma. I loved the dry climate for sure. It was nice going out, Hell coming back. We could notice the climb in humidity the further east we came.

Had to laugh once when at a barber shop at Yuma. Some fellow had moved there and the barber jokingly asked him if he was headed back that year. He told of his wife who had to have knee surgery and just had to have the same doctor....in St. Louis. In August, he said they left Yuma and drove straight into Hell itself. Said they were really miserable. I believe it.

Although here we usually count on the first week being pretty warm, it usually cools off enough to get rid of the bugs early in October most years. Two years ago we had a damp and chilly start with cool the first day and a hard freeze on Oct. 2. I've also seen 60 degrees in November and also have seen below zero in November. You just take what you get and be happy.

One of the biggest things will be for you to outfit yourself with some good clothing. Get good underwear. Most say polypro is good but I don't like it. I like the Thermax and Polar Max underwear and also have one suit of silk. Get good boots too and for darned sure get some Scent Loc clothing. With the humidity, you'll notice a big difference in how game scents you vs. out west in the dry air.

I could go on and on but you get some of the ideas for sure.

[DTrain]

If you have private land to hunt, you could potentially take 1 deer/day from Oct1-Jan 1. Not realistic, but the way it works.

Not this year. From what I understand you can buy a combo which gives you two kill tags and a MAX of 3 antlerless licenses. So unless I am wrong or you can get block permits or crop damage permits, the most one person can kill this season is 5 deer.

Again, I might be wrong.

[AZHUNTER]

Thanks again.. Taking it all in....

Any thing more than one deer is an improvement. AZ allows 1 ANTLERED DEER per year. It is an over the counter archery tag. Drawing for rifle or muzzle loader. And no I mean no doe tags...STATEWIDE.

[Slippin']

Welcome AZ. Your first shock, if you don't already know, is going to be the lack of public land hunting in southern Michigan. Get to know some farmers and your in on some GREAT hunting close to Lansing. Less than a two hour ride north gets you to a lot of public land but the quality and quantity goes down. I prefer the December hunt in Michigans UP as my favorite. It's a quiet hunt and I love the snow. I guess your blood will eventually thicken up:lol:

I don't know if somebody already mentioned, but 99% of MI whitetail hunters stand hunt with a bow. Unlike out west where it it is mostly a stalk hunt.

Send me a PM with your phone # if you would like to chat more about MI hunting.

Good luck and shoot straight!

Scott