Ideas for next year

[CMR]

After getting bummed again for deer season, my hunting buddies and I are thinking of a different location for next year. Somewhat of a good deer population but yet still on public land. Either Upper or Lower is fine w/us.
So, any suggestions of counties to start looking at?

[Nimrod1]

Check out the area around and just north of the 4 county corner of Kalkaska, Roscommon, Missaukee and Crawford.

[ART]

Chippewa County, near Kinross, has a pretty decent population of deer. Several hotels are in the area.

[jme]

CMR, for some close-to-home hunting have you tried Waterloo and Pinckney? It looks like you're in Ypsi and this public land is just west of Chelsea. (Hmmm, maybe that's where you had a bummer season this year!) I've hunted out there for about the last ten years and have had pretty good luck. I don't see a lot of deer but they're out there. Scouting is an absolute necessity. This time of year is a good time to get out there and scout, especially if there's snow. There are a lot of swampy/boggy areas out there and I find that these areas aren't so crowded with other hunters.

Good luck,
John
Ypsi

[CMR]

jme:
Been to Waterloo a few times. Looks like a parking lot the day after Thanksgiving. Plus, tired of running into hunters out in the field.
Might have to get a canoe or jon boat to hit a few areas.
Personally, we would like to find a place that we can rifle hunt.

[Joe Archer]

Last night on Great Lakes Outdoors (or Practical Sportsman) they stated that the majority of Michigan's herd is now in the southern half of the lower. If I were looking for new land to hunt, I would go where the deer are. <----<<<

[CMR]

What about Cadillac area?

[UPwannabe]

CMR, there is a big chunk of state land in central Menominee Co. in the UP that gets low to moderate pressure during the gun season. During Thanksgiving week it is almost empty. All forest and cedar swamps but not too far from the agricultural areas so a decent # of deer. Lots of places to set up a camp or there is a motel a couple of minutes downthe road in Cedar River, even a state forest campground in the area with a pump and pit toilets. Drop me a PM if you want more info.

[One Eye]

Try Illinois or Iowa!

Okay, that was cold, but it pretty much sums up my opinion. Seriously, I would head South where all the deer are and where all those farmers are more than happy to let you kill all that you want :rolleyes: .

Good luck in your search for a new area.

Dan

[Whit1]

You'll notice how few responses there are mentioning N. MI. Of course, not many hunters want to divulge their "honey hole", but as far as public land hunting goes up here it is not worth the trip north anymore and I find that sad...:bloos: :sad:

[Erik]

Somewhat of a good deer population but yet still on public land.

Even if such a place existed I doubt anyone one in his right mind would tell everyone on the WWW.

The joy is in the pursuit. Don't try to cut corners. If you try hard enough eventually you will get what you desire. If your really lucky you may just find that what you truelly desired was right there in front of you the whole time.

[Whit1]

If your really lucky you may just find that what you truelly desired was right there in front of you the whole time.


These words ring very true with me, in a way. For many years I would travel off to deer camp east of here in Osceola County. While the hunting was fair and the comaraderie of deer camp unmatched and my focus was not on taking a wall hanging buck (I wouldn't turn one down either), it wasn't until the property was sold and I began to hunt near the house that I did take a "hanger".

The year following the sale of the deer camp, I hunted in the area near the house and took my biggest buck, a dandy 3 and 1/2 year old 9 pointer, with some mass and an 18"inch inside spread. He hangs on the living room wall and would score about 130. I shot the deer the evening before Thanksgiving from a pit blind that I had prepared and two miles north of where we live.

Yup! What we want is sometimes right in front of us. Thanks for the reminder Erik.

[lostmale]

Since the DNR is telling us that the deer herd is the same size just that it has moved south. Might want to check OHIO. I am in Lenawee county and I haven't seen the increase in deer here yet but 6 miles south in OHIO the deer hunting is great. Just wondering did the southern migration past me or hasn't it got here yet.

[Luv2hunteup]

CMR

I'll second Chippewa county. There are not big deer numbers but lots of public land that supports a decent deer population.

Right now there is a forestry project named "The Rudyard Project" which is a multi-year clear cut program on public land which eventually will impact over a 100,000 acres. You can probably follow the foresters around for the rest of your life and have good hunting. We've found that 3-6 year old clearcuts have lots of deer activity. Lots to a Yooper is far less than when the northern lower had record deer numbers so don't expect that.

Do an internet search for the Rudyard Project, visit the USFS & DNR office in the Soo, spend the winter on Terraserver and the spring in the woods and you will find areas that have deer plus little hunting pressure outside of your group. Unless we have a horrible winter I'm sure your group will be able to take a buck or two. Don't expect to shoot a buck every year but every other year is not an unreasonable expectation. As the clear cuts age you will have to relocate. Good Luck with your search.

[Whit1]

CMR

Right now there is a forestry project named "The Rudyard Project" which is a multi-year clear cut program on public land which eventually will impact over a 100,000 acres. You can probably follow the foresters around for the rest of your life and have good hunting. We've found that 3-6 year old clearcuts have lots of deer activity. Lots to a Yooper is far less than when the northern lower had record deer numbers so don't expect that.


Now there's the kind of project that we need to see all over areas of N. MI. This is the public land habitat improvement that we spend so much time talking about.

Thanks for the "heads up" Luv!!!!..............Hmmm!.........."Luv"...........sounds kinda British..........or..........well...........I won't go there ya know what I mean.......:) ;) :lol:

[ART]

I have hunted some of the clearcuts around Rudyard, and some of the Pine River Drainage between Rudyard and Trout Lake. Very good for hare and grouse. A friend and I went bear hunting there a few years ago, and he killed a nice one with his bow.
I have seen some deer there, but have seen more around the prison.