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Best county for deer hunting?

21K views 65 replies 41 participants last post by  HUBBHUNTER 
#1 ·
Ok guys, in the Lower Peninsula, if you could buy land to deer/Turkey hunt on, what county would you go to?

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#8 ·
This question is a "no brainer". First pick would be Jackson county followed by Washtenaw or Calhoun... Third place would be a tie as well, Hillsdale and Lenawee. All of these county's equal one thing... Record book bucks!
These counties do produce some big bucks. Of the group you mention, only Calhoun is the top ten Michigan counties for deer kill per square mile. It's about 6th or 7th. One of the counties you mention isn't even in the top 20.
We are talking about two different things........a few giant bucks in the counties you talk about or many more good bucks in a number of other counties.
If the 4/4 rule goes into effect starting in 2014, things could look very different in 5 years.
Also, last summer's EHD may affect some county's numbers in the soon to be released Deer Harvest Survey, especially Ionia County.
For deer, I would check the last 3 Deer Harvest Surveys and also check the CBM records.
Not so easy for turkeys. As far as I know, the DNR does not publish a Turkey Harvest Survey per county. CBM does publish county by county records.

L & O
 
#13 ·
These counties do produce some big bucks. Of the group you mention, only Calhoun is the top ten Michigan counties for deer kill per square mile. It's about 6th or 7th. One of the counties you mention isn't even in the top 20.
We are talking about two different things........a few giant bucks in the counties you talk about or many more good bucks in a number of other counties.
If the 4/4 rule goes into effect starting in 2014, things could look very different in 5 years.
Also, last summer's EHD may affect some county's numbers in the soon to be released Deer Harvest Survey, especially Ionia County.
For deer, I would check the last 3 Deer Harvest Surveys and also check the CBM records.
Not so easy for turkeys. As far as I know, the DNR does not publish a Turkey Harvest Survey per county. CBM does publish county by county records.

L & O
L&O, You failed to mention what your top pick would be... (hence the topic of this thread). Would you like to share with the class what your top picks would be?
 
#18 ·
If you're looking long term I would buy up north for sure. The SLP gets more and more crowded and the prices are very high.

With the timber prices on the way up and all the logging going on the NLP is going to go through another deer explosion. Couple that with more education on habitat and I feel the future is very bright for the NLP.
 
#21 ·
L&O, You failed to mention what your top pick would be... (hence the topic of this thread). Would you like to share with the class what your top picks would be?
No, I don't think that's important. We have had this discussion before and many of us think that picking a location within an hours drive is as important as the hunting possibilities. I would suggest to anyone to try and find hunting property within a half hours drive. If you can do that, you will be jumping in your to make that short trip very often.
Take a look at where the OP is located and then look at the 3 counties that he has mentioned. It looks like he is more interested in finding a spot where he can't hear the neighbor's car door slam than he is in finding a location with good/great deer & turkey hunting. That's fine if that is what is important to him. When I go hunting I like to see the wild game that I have a tag for, I don't care if I hear dogs, cars or voices in the distance.
For sure the land prices are less in the NLP, there's a good reason for that.

L & O
 
#23 ·
No, I don't think that's important. We have had this discussion before and many of us think that picking a location within an hours drive is as important as the hunting possibilities. I would suggest to anyone to try and find hunting property within a half hours drive. If you can do that, you will be jumping in your to make that short trip very often.
Take a look at where the OP is located and then look at the 3 counties that he has mentioned. It looks like he is more interested in finding a spot where he can't hear the neighbor's car door slam than he is in finding a location with good/great deer & turkey hunting. That's fine if that is what is important to him. When I go hunting I like to see the wild game that I have a tag for, I don't care if I hear dogs, cars or voices in the distance.
For sure the land prices are less in the NLP, there's a good reason for that.

L & O
I think with your "no" answer you've summed yourself up. This topic is not even debatable! The SLP has the states best deer hunting period!.... p.s. that does include antler size and deer numbers.
 
#26 ·
I think I'm leaning more towards northern lower Michigan, ie missaukee/oceana, etc. For what I'll be doing I'll need more quantity of deer than big monsters. Plus I can't afford 200+ acres in Jackson county lol. I think with land management and food plots etc I'll be able to get some deer on


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"For what I'll be doing............." Tell us what you will be doing besides deer hunting? Deer quantities are relatively low anywhere in NLP except for club country in the NELP.
 
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