2011 WI Hunting Journal

[Goose]

The 2011 archery season is a week away and its time to once again get a statewide journal going. Last years journal was a great success thanks to all of your awesome entries. Hopefully we can do the same again this year!

The season structure is a little different and the herd seems to be recovering a little bit in some areas. Last year there was a state record buck killed in Wild Rose and many other great deer killed throughout the state.
Whether your sights are set on a big buck or any deer that you can legally harvest, we should be in for a good year! I personally wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy the great outdoors and draw closer to the one that created it all.

Hunt safe and good luck!

2009's Journal - viewtopic.php?f=89&t=1670&p=1670&hilit=hunting+journal#p1670

2010's Journal - viewtopic.php?f=89&t=2

[pgchambers]

Shooting, shooting, shooting. I switched to a thumb release this summer, and I am finally shooting as good or better groups with it. Stands are set, and we have a 150" buck showing himself in the evenings. In addition, we have plenty of does for the first time in a few years, so we have plenty of early season targets. The 17th can't get here fast enough!

[bullwinkle]

I am with you Mr Chambers. I am ready. Gonna miss opening day - chasing elk in CO next week but after that my freezer is empty and hope to take 3-4 does before Oct. We dont have any monsters but 14 different bucks on camera. 4-5 we had designated as shooters. One nice big 10 - we estimate a 4 year old with 150"+ antlers. Two nice 8's that look like 3 year olds close to 130-140" (need to get some pictures without velvet before we make the call) and two 2-3 year olds with messed up racks on one side. We have one 2 year old 8 pt with a small drop tine. He has a 14-15" spread right now so I am sure he will be a target in the area. Really hoping this boy makes it through the season. Would love to have more like him running around some day.

Our population is back to pre-earn a buck levels. I plan on taking enough does to balance the deer on my property. Good luck

[wisbooner3932]

Checking in for 2011 season, I hunt in Sauk County. I enlisted in the Army this summer so this will be my last around here in at least 3 years. Of everything I'll miss, I think the deer woods might be worst. Fortunately, I built my entire school schedule around hunting time, which leaves me with any morning and 6 out of 7 evenings to hunt a week. I've been watching a 150"+ 11-pointer all summer but he has disappeared now that season is almost here (go figure). I also got one pic of a double drop-tine with an additional tine that kicks straight out, which some of my friends consider a drop-tine as well. Hopefully they'll come back around come late-October!

Good luck to everyone this season and stay safe!

[pgchambers]

OK, I would trade opening day for a CO Elk hunt. Good luck out there bullwinkle!

[umpiremark]

"I enlisted in the Army this summer so this will be my last around here in at least 3 years."

Thank you for your service, sir.

[gunther89]

Glad to see the thread has been started. This could be the best year as far as quality of bucks our area has ever seen. After so many years of EAB, our age structure is great as we have captured or seen 5 bucks that are 4.5 years or older. We got a 160+ class 8 pointer running around along with a wide drop tine buck. The buck that is on the top of my hit list is a buck we call The General and is 5.5+ years old. I'll post a picture of him. We seem to have more does and fawns around as well which is great to see. We planted 1.5 acres of beans that we will let stand during winter so the deer have a food source.

[wi_hunter]

glad to see this back on here again this year. last year i got a lot of useful info from everyone. hopefully i that is the same this year and maybe i can help someone out. this year we have put in 2 food plots (bought the land less than a year ago) and it is paying off. we see does and fawns everynight already and we are surrounded by farm land. we have a non typical roaming around yet from last year. i saw him last year and guessed he was 160+ with 2 stickers off the G2s going straight back that are at least 6 inches long this year. hopefully i get the opportunity. happy hunting everyone and good luck.

[bigwisconsinbucks]

Pretty pumped for this weekend to say the least! Gunther stated pretty well the excitement that we have on our land this year. I am very excited for our bean plot as well! It should be an awesome season ahead!

[pickleguy]

I am kind of sad to see EAB go because as Gunther said we have a good age structure. I think it will go back to shoot all bucks this year & we will go back to the days of no mature bucks. I will continue to let small bucks go & hope they make it thru. The biggest thing I want to do this year is make hunting fun again & not drive my wife nuts bitching about what the land owner is doing that I don't like etc. I just need to feel fortunate that I am blessed with the private hunting land that I have. I have nemorous bucks on camera but have not identified a deffinate shooter yet. I have been focusing my cameras on a new 160 acres that I have the hunting rights to. I have not even looked at the other properties that I have access to. I will hunt them the old fashioned way! I will be going to Idaho on the 21st for 10 days & hope to kick off the 2011 season with a 6x6 elk that my wife already said I can put on the wall!!!!
We started a hunting club at the end of the 2010 season to get man power & money out of our whole group insted of 2 or 3 of us doing all the work & as suspected the individuals that were targeted as slackers have not put in 1 hour or $.01 to the club so hasta la vista too them.
Good luck to you all this season.
Bruce