Michigan Sportsman Forum banner
  • From treestands to ground blinds, all your hunting must-haves can be found at Bass Pro Shops. Shop Now.

    Advertisement

Who has hunted the wilderness areas of the U.P.?

7.1K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  fishinlk  
G
#1 ·
Im talking about Mcormick, Sturgeon, and Huron Mountain area. I have some tips on some interesting locations if your in for a wilder experience.
 
#7 ·
Matt,
We've hunted out of Herman, off the Celotex road for forty years, and have seen the logging come and go, and the deer hunting is always a little better within a few years of some logging. Grouse are cyclical anyway, but they seem to improve along the edges of hardwood cuts. The logging roads get us there, we walk after that.
Bushwhacker
 
G
#8 ·
Icewolf-

Skanee is great country, isn't it?

You have several great trout/steelhead rivers within a few minutes drive, you have the coast, the rugged huron mountains( I WISH I had a scanner so I could post a pic- you guys wouldnt believe this was Michigan), and the interior of the MCormick wilderness.

It's a different country in there. Rocky, rugged, with most of Michigans moose and wolves. This is also the area of the grayling reintroduction effort.


what are of Skanee is your cabin at? what road?

Thats a cozy looking cabin.
 
G
#9 ·
Bulletslinger-

I havent been to the Porkie area as much as the other areas. Thats an area I am anxiously awaiting to explore.

Will be heading up to the Bois Brule of wisconsin this spring for some steelheading, then will be heading over to the rivers on up to the Porkies Park.

Normally I prefer to fish the magnificent skanee country, but im trying out the far western U.P. this spring for steelies. How is the bear hunting in the park? I hear the numbers are vry high.

Porcupiine mountain state park is
something around 50,000 acres of wilderness. Second only to Isle Royale in Michigan.


There is an interesting battle brewing up over a roadless area that borders porcupine mountain park in the ottawa national forest. Check out the ottawa national forest web site for info.
 
#11 ·
Matt, I would love to see them pictures if you ever do get them scanned. I bet they are great.
I have bear hunted in your area and northwest of you for many years in the past near the FlintSteel and Sturgeon rivers and have been in near the Silver River. I love it up there and my wife does also. I would like to get back up there again ,but not to hunt , but to enjoy the beauty with my wife in the summer time and to take some photos. If you can think of some good scenery spots and falls to enjoy please fill me in on their locations so I can take her back there and we can explore again and take some very beautiful photos. We stay at Baraga State park or Twin Lakes state park when we go up..thank you...SnS
 
G
#12 ·
\\Hi matt12
I am at Anderson`s point at the end of Peterson road
the secant cabin to the left. have lake front property
on Huron Bay. my Dads ant owns Witz`s Marina an
camp site maybe you heard of it. I got to many photos
to post love to Bear Hunt up there\\

No kidding? That nice ol'e lady is your dads aunt at Witz?

I always stop in there for a candy bar and a soda on the way to the Huron mountains and the huron river.

They used to have a HUGE northern pike mounted up on the wall there. I think it was close to 40 pounds and taken out of the bay there. Im not sure if it's still up there.

Still, its the biggest pike I have ever seen.
 
G
#13 ·
\\\If you can think of some good scenery spots and falls to enjoy please fill me in on their locations so I can take her back there and we can explore again and take some very beautiful photos. We stay at Baraga State park or Twin Lakes state park when we go up..thank you...SnS\\


Hmm..there are alot of places to choose from.

Im kind of giving away some spots here, so just keep it on this board.

Some of my favorites are the Huron river mouth campground(great spot).

This is northeast of Lanse, in probably the most scenic country in Michigan.

For a large waterfall, try AGATE falls on m28 just outside of Bruce's Crossing. It's also a barrier for the steelhead and salmon run. The falls are quite large. You can just pull over on the side of the road and then follow the path DOWNSTREAM. You soon come into a steep gorge and the thunderous falls.

Bond falls is also a nice spot, just south of Agate falls on the same middle branch ontonagon river. Bond falls is pretty developed though as far as people there, but they are still a marvelous falls.


For rocky, rugged scenery, I suggest the Mcormick tract and the huron mountain area. The mcormick track is around 10 miles north on huron bay road 607 . This is off of m28 near lake Michigamme between marquette and lanse. It is an area of rugged cliffs and old pines. Drive there in the daylight hours and youll see why. IT's very wild. you can feel it. Its about 20,000 acres of wilderness and old growth forest. Some say it is the last haunting grounds of the lynx and the cougar in Michigan.


The huron river is a great river that flows from the Mcormick wilderness down into lake superior(huron river mouth campground) You really get a sense of being apart of this great river valley and area. The photos I have of the rocky balds and cliffs are from the huron river valley/huron mountain/mcormick area.

The huron mountain club itself owns like 30,000acres, which they keep mostly as wilderness. A river in the huron mountain club is one of the last rivers to support coaster brook trout.

The huron has several nice falls, all upstream from big erics bridge. There are few rivers that can compare with the hurons beauty.

This area is full of moose and wolves. I have seen several moose along the river and even one on the beach.

The mcormick/huron area is the best example of how the Michigan forest once was.

If you have a canoe, craig lake state park is a great place to fish and camp. It's a remote wilderness park, no engines allowed. The fishing for smallmouth and northern is top notch, and the lake itself is very scenic, much more so than usual. It's more like a canadian shield type of lake you would expect to find in Canada. But then again, most lakes in the huron/mcormick area are like this.......

Its 12 miles in on a dirt road from m-28, a few miles before lamke michigamme.

The previous state record musky was taken from craig lake in the 80's(?) . It was 45 pounds.


Baraga or Twin lakes are ok state parks, but are not wild at all. Maybe thats what you guys are after.

IF you want something wilder, definately check out the areas I have recommended. Send me a private message if you want more specifics.
 
#14 ·
Matt, Thank you for the post and I will be sure to check them out. I usually stayed in them state parks when I pulled my 33 ft. 5th wheel trailer up and they were located in a area that was a base camp for me while bear hunting. I really didn't care if the place I stayed at the time was that scenic as long as I could park or set up camp to futher explore in the more scenic areas and was close to my bear hunting areas.
I love tent camping also and will now bring it along and set up in some of the other camping areas you mentioned here for a much more scenic and relaxing atmosphere...thank you for sharing...Tony
 
G
#15 ·
Strut-


I believe the Huron River Mouth Campground allows for camping and parking of a trailer, and it's extremely scenic. with the Huron Islands looming 200 feet straight up out of the water just offshore.

I know an old timer who sets his trailer there for 2 months every fall.


The road is a little tricky with a super large trailer, but it is doable.

This would be an ideal location for a combination of bear hunting /salmon steelhead fishing.
 
#16 ·
Hello matt12, I hunt the western side of the u.p. Gogebic county. have a cabin on a 40 surrounded by federal forest. Very nice country and people there. The closest i came to a tent was a motorhome. chad 1
 
#18 ·
I'd like to get over that way in a couple more years when my daughter's a little older. I get up to the Channing /Republic area every fall to grouse hunt with some site seeing days spread out over that period.

The Sylvania Wilderness Area is on the top 5 list of places we'd like to camp in the next 5 or 6 years. Any info about the area would be much appreciated. :)