Anyone Hunt the Upper Peninsula for white tail?

[HeadHunter0805]

I may be heading up there during rifle season this year and would like some information.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Hhmmm, used to be a popular destination...

 

[Cedarsavage]

I live there. What are you looking to find out?

 

[WI in the west]

I think a pretty common answer is it was better before the wolves started overrunning everything in northern wosconsin and the U.P. As on the good ol days are gone. But theres definatly deer and ive seen the camera pictures from friends of very respectable bucks but id say you got to do a bit more homework and a bit more effort to find deer then it is in farm country. But there is almost for sure gonna be snow so finding tracks is always an option so you know your hunting were some deer are. Good luck, it should be fun just dont expect it to be like hunting a managed farm were you see tons of deer, but you should have some opporunity.

 

[jackle1886]

I've hunted there virtually every year since 1997. Seen the hunting go from ok to downright awful. There are deer in small pockets but no where how it used to be. Multiple harsh winters back to back, late springs and wolves have decimated the population. We hunt hard, dawn to dusk, and I've had years I saw 0 to 2 deer in a week. I've also shot some respectable bucks.

Look for fresh timber cuts and farm land. If the snow gets bad they'll retreat to the cedar swamps. Good luck!

My last big buck up there. Michigan also has a bad mentality of brown it's down. So many people just want to get a "buck" and like to shoot yearlings. To each their own I guess.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[ELKhunter60]

I haven't hunted the U.P. in years but wolves were there when I went. Jackle covered it pretty well. It's a beautiful but tuff place to hunt. Like him, I've hunted hard dawn to dusk for a week only to see 3 does. But what keeps you going is knowing you could see a buck like Jackle has in his picture at any moment. It's not for the faint of heart.

 

[menhaden_man]

I spent a few winters there in the late 90s and know the region ok (used to haul fish for the govt so logged plenty of miles). Shot some smaller bucks and does with friends that still live there. I think the general feeling is that hunting quality has tanked like the guys say above.

PM if you’d like some thoughts, though I’d probably be inclined to check into some other options... or save the UP trip for fishing.

 

[HeadHunter0805]

Wow thanks for the updates. Sounds tough but we will still try it and see how it goes.

 

[Netloss]

I used to hunt near Watersmeet. The cabin owners on the lakes tend to bait deer in their backyard and really concentrate the deer in some areas.

 

[Two Roads]

Somewhere along the way Michigan hunters lost their proud tradition of great deer camp experiences and evolved to trophy spike shooters "da, dem are longer than its ears, eh?" because that license "cost me 2 cases of beer", and two sacks of bait. Of course a DNR who can't separate southern private ag zones from northern cedar forage zones doesn't leave much QDM practice in place. And of course, the wolf issue becomes the number one excuse, not that it hasn't been impactful. The land has the potential, its the people who lack commitment and understanding. Good luck, it can be beautiful country.