Has anyone else been hunting the state land off of U ave in Kalamazoo county? I have only been out a couple times but have not seen a single deer. I am wondering if the lack of deer is simple because its state land and all the deer have been pushed out. Or if EHD has wiped them out. I haven't found any dead deer or smelled any. OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors.
I've been out there the past two weeks looking for rabbit and squirrels. I've seen deer tracks, but I haven't kicked anything up. I have a feeling they are coming in to feed at night and leaving for someplace safe. Probably the swamp farther north. As far as I've seen, there's not a darn thing that's alive out there. That goes for the rest of the state land in the area.
I've heard state land is rough to hunt. Too many people going out doing stupid stuff. Theres even signs on the road saying where you can or can't shoot. Seems like hunting out there is just like begging the DNR to pester you, or get in a confrontation with some hill billy cause your in his area. The wifey and I just put a bid on a house out there in the portage area. I'll probably still go hunt over at the inlaws. May give it a go IF we get the place. But time will tell. I just looked at the maps. A guy I work with said area 4 by hog set and E. of sugar loaf. So ya probably be best north in there by the creek. Let us know what ya see if anything.
I've been hunting during the week. I've seen exactly ONE stand out there. And one other guy small game hunting. The biggest use seems to be the boat launch to Hogset lake. Be advised: There are LOTS of REALLY nasty thorns in there. I swear they are rose bushes. I could be wrong, but I've never seen thorns that big on anything else.
Grab a small game license and a shotgun. Go wander around sometime between 11 and 3-4 so you don't overrun any bow hunters. It's quite the area. they have some fields with corn and beans on them.
I have only sat on the edge of the swamp to the north and at the west end on the first east west corn field. I think the next move is going to be the north east or over by prairie view park. OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors.
Any idea what the schedule of plantings are? Seems 1 of the corn fields was left standing from last year, and the northernmost on the right hand side of the log road seems to have been there for a couple years. That might be a good spot on the northern end of it. But I didn't push too deep in it as I wasn't scouting for deer and it was too thick to see squirrel.
1: Standing Corn 2: Standing Corn 3: Standing Corn 4: Harvested Corn 5: 2-3 year old standing corn. Much of it is rotted off and filled with grass/tall weeds 6: Harvested Corn 7: Standing Beans 8: Natural Prairie (SW corner is HEAVY brambles) 9: Grass The north ends of 6 and 7 and the borders of 1-4 are choked with Autumn Olive bushes. Haven't scouted the Lettered areas yet.
I live 5 minutes from there, never been there but was planning on hunting it next bow season. I've ran into a few people that said don't bother going there Nov 15 to 30 unless you plan on getting shot. Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine
I have only tried it out during bow season. Might try the muzzleloader season to see what the pressure is like depending on what I have in the freezer at the time. OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors.
I would believe that. There's not much state land near Kalamazoo. I would hunt it in muzzle-loader, but I'm not brave enough to hunt during rifle.
Personally I'd like to check out that Gourdneck state land area and the other one to the north west of there. Do a lot of hiking around next spring and find a few good areas to hunt from the ground with a crossbow next bow season. With my work schedule and how much slower bow season can be compared to gun season I could have a number of nice days out there to hunt.
I went out today (Nov 15th), I was the first person there I think at 5:30am to try and beat everyone. I sat to the north of the fields in between them and the swamp where it turns into forest and drops down. It would be north of fields 1 and 5 on that map. The goal was to have everyone else push the deer into the swamp and have me waiting there. I had also found fresh tracks in and out of it a few days before. I didn't see a single deer. I did see like 40 turkeys though, literally 40. Also, I did not see a single other hunter anywhere near me all day (there was a tree stand about 100 yards east though). There were a bunch when I went back to the car further south. So from 6am-6pm I did not see a single one. Im not sure where to try next, maybe dare to cross the swamp, or check out the other part of the game area to the west.
I've hunted that area quite a bit with a bow, these guys are right gun seasons a little scary normally out there. I killed three bucks in consecutive years out there when I hunted it, you definitely have to go where no one else wants to go and even then the duck and/or small game hunters will shoot your stands down our of the trees. People get shady as f out there, if you can find a way to access that area from the back side it's great. I always wanted to take a kayak up that creek from gourdeneck that would be money....closer to that creek the better and the other side of it is great, old apple orchard out there somewhere too....bucks like to cruise by the water too and they cross the channel between the lakes too. Good luck to all who are out there nice property out there minus the hilljacks
