Mmmmk thanks for the input.

 

Lol michigan has the same system, first tag any buck, second tag restricted to four on one side....

 

Lol michigan has the same system, first tag any buck, second tag restricted to four on one side....

OK as I said MI is moving in the right direction ..

And since I have not hunted inn MI for over 35 years probably before you were born, what do you suggest?

 

Mmmmk thanks for the input.

so you choose the status quo?

"Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present, current, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep things the way they presently are."


I find it amusing how many think just because someone does not live in MI their opinion is automaticly discounted..
I lived in MI I grew up in MI and it saddens me to see the current state of the MI deer herd.. I remember one year in the late 70s a close acquaintance and one of my neighbors both killed BC bucks in the NLP, when was the last time you knew two people who killed BC bucks in one year..

 

I here ya wish all mich hunters would follow and let the little ones walk but your right i let it walk and the guy hunting the property next to me shoots all the time its sad we need to work together guys we can make a difference ! just my opinion

 

OK as I said MI is moving in the right direction ..

And since I have not hunted inn MI for over 35 years probably before you were born, what do you suggest?

Kind of an opinionated statement coming from someone who hasn't hunted here in over thirty five years.

may I suggest that you spend more time worrying about where you do hunt, and leave Michigan hunters to sort out their own hunting situations, Apr or not

Just my opinion and its worth what you paid for it.:lol:

 

I here ya wish all mich hunters would follow and let the little ones walk but your right i let it walk and the guy hunting the property next to me shoots all the time its sad we need to work together guys we can make a difference ! just my opinion

What we do here in GA often times is talk to all of our adjoining land owners and try and establish co-ops or at least come to some sort of an agreement to let the little ones walk, some will do it others won't. You never know till you ask them..

 

Kind of an opinionated statement coming from someone who hasn't hunted here in over thirty five years.

may I suggest that you spend more time worrying about where you do hunt, and leave Michigan hunters to sort out their own hunting situations, Apr or not

Just my opinion and its worth what you paid for it.:lol:

this is the mindset I am talking about..

"you don't live here so shut up"
may not be your opinion maybe it's sarcasm, sarcasm does not come across real good on message boards..

maybe I want to move back at some point, you gotta kick all the libs out first:lol:..

 

But to some hunters the size of antlers does NOT determine the quality of hunt.

 

But to some hunters the size of antlers does NOT determine the quality of hunt.

true.. but how many of you really dream of killing a forky or small 6pt... And if MI would get it's act together there would be ample opportunity at at deer it might be a doe but at least it's meat in the freezer.. I understand if it's a new hunter of you have never killed a deer you might not care about antlers..

I guess I am jaded because I remember what MI deer hunting used to be like..

 

I might get flack for this but I dont care about the size. The buck I remember the most (not counting first buck) was a muzzle loading buck that I hunted all season, cat & mouse game. Ugly 6 point. We went back & forth & I figured him out & put a hole in his chest cavitiy.

Alls I am saying is people want to choose what kind of buck make's people happy. I have shot the big 10's & 8's & the small ones. I dont want people telling me what I get out of a deer hunt. To some he has to be BIG to make them happy

 

let me ask a question of someone who might know...

Is MI selling more deer licenses now they were sold in the 70s?

I grew up hunting 200ac in Kalkaska county my family also had land in Grand Traverse and leelanau county, so access was not a problem for me.

but I remember seeing cars parked almost bumper to bumper on state or public land..It seems more licenses were sold then then now is this true?. Does anyone have a chart or graph?

 

Swampbuck62, I dont hunt state land but I cut firewood on it. I have seen more 120"+ bucks on state land this year than any other year since I moved to the NELP. There might not be a large number of them, but they are out there. I think this is due to the doe slaughter that went on for many years in the bTB zone. And this is the third year of the APR's in the DMU, this (imo) is another reason for the larger bucks. In all these APR threads I have said give it two years and you will see results, we did in our co-op and it can happen in the whole LP.

 

Swampbuck62, I dont hunt state land but I cut firewood on it. I have seen more 120"+ bucks on state land this year than any other year since I moved to the NELP. There might not be a large number of them, but they are out there. I think this is due to the doe slaughter that went on for many years in the bTB zone. And this is the third year of the APR's in the DMU, this (imo) is another reason for the larger bucks. In all these APR threads I have said give it two years and you will see results, we did in our co-op and it can happen in the whole LP.

cool..it's gonna be tough so many people are set in their ways..

I also have to add in GA no one was forced to do QDM or APR they had many town hall meetings and it was voted on by land owners in that county
And as I said before those are the most sought after counties in the state for lessees and land buyers now.

 

"...it saddens me to see the current state of the MI deer herd.. ..

Wholeheartedly agree!
I have progresses through most of the natural 5 stages of a hunter, and have always decided what deer to target based on the population I was hunting. Many years, I would take doe when plentiful, let young bucks walk, and only set my sights on mature bucks. In other years, when hunting low population densities doe would be spared at all costs.
Stage 6 - Mellowing out and patience only takes you so far. The total hunting experience is no longer satisfying. You can't take enjoyment from the company of family and friends because they feel it is a waste of time to even hunt your area any longer. You are mostly a loner. You sit countless hours on stand and find yourself at Shooter Stage 2. During these hours one common sentiment guides your thoughts ... "Please God - just give me something to shoot"!
<----<<<

 

cool..it's gonna be tough so many people are set in their ways..

I also have to add in GA no one was forced to do QDM or APR they had many town hall meetings and it was voted on by land owners in that county
And as I said before those are the most sought after counties in the state for lessees and land buyers now.

The township I hunt is 95% private land, the camps in my co-op went to three on one side six years before the state made it mandatory. It was all new to us, I didnt really like it to be honest. But now I would not go back to the old ways even if the state said it was ok to shoot spikes and forks. I dont kill a buck every year, and I'm fine with that, I do see at least one 130" or better buck every season.

 

Joe, I hope you get that pre rut monster, he is out there.

 

The township I hunt is 95% private land, the camps in my co-op went to three on one side six years before the state made it mandatory. It was all new to us, I didnt really like it to be honest. But now I would not go back to the old ways even if the state said it was ok to shoot spikes and forks. I dont kill a buck every year, and I'm fine with that, I do see at least one 130" or better buck every season.

lot of GA deer hunting is done on leases any where from 100ac to 10,000ac and many of these clubs are meat clubs but a growing number are QDM and some are trophy clubs, I prefer the the trophy club, what you get in a trophy club are fewer hunters large acreages and a much better quality of deer most trophy clubs have a 130"min and no you will not take a buck every year but when you do he will be a good one you will also have ample opportunity at a doe or two or three..Trophy clubs tend to run a little more in cost and are not for everyone I paid $1500 for my membership last year, but there was 10 guys hunting 5k ac.. The QDM club will run about half as much on avg.

 

lot of GA deer hunting is done on leases any where from 100ac to 10,000ac and many of these clubs are meat clubs but a growing number are QDM and some are trophy clubs, I prefer the the trophy club, what you get in a trophy club are fewer hunters large acreages and a much better quality of deer most trophy clubs have a 130"min and no you will not take a buck every year but when you do he will be a good one you will also have ample opportunity at a doe or two or three..Trophy clubs tend to run a little more in cost and are not for everyone I paid $1500 for my membership last year, but there was 10 guys hunting 5k ac.. The QDM club will run about half as much on avg.

One issue with the NELP is soil quality, hard to get stuff to grow in sand. The winters can take a toll on the deer also, but we've been lucky the past few years. We are still killing too many 2 1/2 year olds, but that might change with time.

 

One issue with the NELP is soil quality, hard to get stuff to grow in sand. The winters can take a toll on the deer also, but we've been lucky the past few years. We are still killing too many 2 1/2 year olds, but that might change with time.

YOUR RIGHT SAND IS TOUGH. It takes a lot of lime and potassium plus fertilizer you have to somehow build up the organic matter in the soil..I guess if the plots were small you could haul in a lot of manure..

 

lot of GA deer hunting is done on leases any where from 100ac to 10,000ac and many of these clubs are meat clubs but a growing number are QDM and some are trophy clubs, I prefer the the trophy club, what you get in a trophy club are fewer hunters large acreages and a much better quality of deer most trophy clubs have a 130"min and no you will not take a buck every year but when you do he will be a good one you will also have ample opportunity at a doe or two or three..Trophy clubs tend to run a little more in cost and are not for everyone I paid $1500 for my membership last year, but there was 10 guys hunting 5k ac.. The QDM club will run about half as much on avg.

Sounds like they turned deer hunting into an capitalist armpit. Who wants michigan to go that route? I have a relative who lives in lafayette. For years, he and several other leased a large chunk of land. Even though he leased, that's never stopped him from coming back to michigan every season for over 30yrs.

Many of us here pass on small bucks and its slowly catching on. Could it be better? Yep. But I will not allow myself to be antler blinded enough to take part in destroying what others enjoy.

 

Qdm coupled with the vast swathes of public land that we have here in Michigan is the great equalizer for all IMHO.

Sounds like they turned deer hunting into an capitalist armpit. Who wants michigan to go that route? I have a relative who lives in lafayette. For years, he and several other leased a large chunk of land. Even though he leased, that's never stopped him from coming back to michigan every season for over 30yrs.

Many of us here pass on small bucks and its slowly catching on. Could it be better? Yep. But I will not allow myself to be antler blinded enough to take part in destroying what others enjoy.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Ohub Campfire mobile app

 

Qdm coupled with the vast swathes of public land that we have here in Michigan is the great equalizer for all IMHO.





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If we go that route I hope so. When antlers bring large hunting clubs with them, a lot of hunters will lose.

 

Well said. We need more hunters here in Michigan with your mind set. i UNDERSTAND the argument for the " Thrill of the hunt" idea. But, in the end those fork horns are not going on most hunters walls. But, in a bucket in the garage. Shoot more does. They taste the same and it helps the deer herd.

I do think we need to adopt the 1 buck rule.

Thanks again

 

Well said. We need more hunters here in Michigan with your mind set. i UNDERSTAND the argument for the " Thrill of the hunt" idea. But, in the end those fork horns are not going on most hunters walls. But, in a bucket in the garage. Shoot more does. They taste the same and it helps the deer herd.

I do think we need to adopt the 1 buck rule.

Thanks again

With the all seasons buck tag being offered next year, it will all but make a one buck rule for most hunters as I see it. The price list may help to create that choice if MARs do not. (I do understand that the second tag would have the same restriction as this year's tag but I am predicting some backlash either for the cost or MARs, if they are enacted, as I previously suggested.)