Upper Penninsula Hunting Report

[AlleganBowhunter]

Wired.. we were talking the UP...  unless the snuck something in last minute, and I missed it, baiting is still legal up there.



Happy hunting!

[WiredToHunt]

Oh woops, good point. I forgot that the ban was only in effect in the LP.

[dmcianfa]

Whel, back to work for a few days then back in the blind on Thanksgiving, which should be more like the cold weather we were SUPPOSED to have during deer season.  Not much movement when it's friggin 55 deg outside.  I saw very small bucks sporadically and does each night, but no king willies taken.  Actually out of the eight guys at camp, no bucks hangin on the gin pole.  Although we mandate an eight or better rule, so that played into it a little.  lots of forks and spikes.  Scents, bait, calling, nothing seems to be gettin' up off their keesters during the day.  Magine they are just laying tight cause they aren't burning those calories up trying to keep warm.  I've seen plenty of does ripe for the taking at last light, but am waiting to see if one of them comes into heat before I take some during last couple days of the season and muzzleloader.  I will be putting 3 does in the freezer in a matter of a week, so Ihave my work cut out for me that week and a half or so.  Hopefully, I can add a decent buck to the mix, but with this weather, we'll see.  Time to put some drives on if they aren't movin' much by Sat.  good luck to all.

[Sailfish]

ORIGINAL: dmcianfa
 Scents, bait, calling, nothing seems to be gettin' up off their keesters during the day.

That seemed to be the norm.
Plenty of new sign everyday from their nightime activities, but boy the boys DID NOT want to move much in the hours of light.

[MiBassMan]

Yes the weather has something to do with it, but not everything! I live in Gladstone and my camp is north of Rock. This has been one of the slowest seasons I've seen since the 70s. I've hunted almost everyday of season, most days I was in the woods all daylight hours. I didn't hunt today, monday the 23rd. I've seen only 3 deer all season. The coyote numbers are higher than I've ever seen and the last two years I also have wolves on trail cam. Last winter was brutal to the deer herd in the northern and central U.P. The winter before last was real tough on them too. The D.N.R. must need revenue from doe permits bad. My guess is they will still sell 1000's of  permits when it gets down to only 100 deer left in the state.

[riverrat10]

Sure is good to hear how the other areas of the UP are doing. My property is in Mackinac Co. and have always done well here, until this year. Like other reports I'm seeing some night time movement on trial camera, but nothing during the day light hours, until 4 pm yesterday, I had a deer come running past my blind with a large wolf in persuit, he was wearing a tracking collar. Sure is discurageing when scouting you see more wolf tracks than deer.

[LIVE2HUNT6969]

I hunt just on the outskirts of stephenson, away from town. Did alot of hunting this year, both bow and gun. Lots of trail cam pics scouting etc. Bow hunting was quite enjoyable lots of deer sighting all bow season, not many good bucks on hoof till night time untill the pre rut started to kick in still wasnt cing the biger boys on foot like I was expecting, higher doe numbers im sure had its impact on this and the rut was early from what it typically is or the deer starting seeking out and chasing earlier at least by me. Saw quite a few smaller bucks chasing around oct 20th and on. From the numbers I have seen this year it is down from all the people hunting antlered deer, much of which was self inflicted. I have never seen more hunters driving throught the logging roads, which pass through bedding areas and park there trucks so close to there stand. I was the first in my stand and it was a circus at 545 in the morning, the deer numbers are there the harvest numbers were not. I got a nice 3 1/2 6pt opening day, a friend of mine got a 8pt 2 1/2 years old both had roughly 13-14 inch spread, and one other buck with a large fork on one side and a tall spike on the other were the only deer taken from Nov 15th-thru yesterday on on are land as far as bucks, properties next door took 2 and another camp on the oposite side took 3 bucks none of which were of anysize and over 15does with manegment tags. So all in all plenty of does were taken, plenty of bucks made it, and the bowhunting should improve greatly by next year and if ppl wise up and walk a little further to there stand and dont drive in and out all day, gun hunting will aswell.

[riverrat10]

Am I missing something? I keep hearing people talk of taking spikes and fork horns here in the UP, and seeing some being hauled home. I thought a UP buck had to have 3 points on one side or better to be legal for the last two years. Let'm go, let'm grow.

[LIVE2HUNT6969]

RiverRAT...As far as I can under stand with the up antler restriction is only for the combo tags. 3on a side, and 4 on a side. BUT if you buy a buck tag non restricted you only get one for all seasons, so the a gun hunter only can still legally shoot spikes and forks... Thats to the best of my understanding on how it is anyway- Kyle

[dmcianfa]

ORIGINAL: riverrat10

Am I missing something? I keep hearing people talk of taking spikes and fork horns here in the UP, and seeing some being hauled home. I thought a UP buck had to have 3 points on one side or better to be legal for the last two years. Let'm go, let'm grow.

riverrat10,

live2hunt is right, only the combo tags are subject to the restrictions you mention above.  If a single tag is bought anything with horns is fair game, granted it has to have the spikes tall enough if it is a spiker.  So, were getting there as a trophy state, but not completely there because idiots are still shooting every tom dick and harry bucks out there without caring what impact it will have on the maturity of bucks in the UP.  They just feel its a good place to see lots of deer and lots of shooting.  Until that mentality is broken we will never see trophy potential in this great wilderness that has so much potential to become a haven for hunting whitetails that would, if only nutured and controlled, make record books.  Don't get me wrong my only objective is not to make the books, far from it, just get a really nice buck every year, and your just not going to get that in today's Upper Penninsula.  You have to go to Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota to achieve that on a consistent basis, that's what I do.  Sure, you may get lucky every 5-10 years with a "nice" buck, but right now that's about it.  I wish the state would adopt more strict rules when it came to buck hunting in the U.P.  They are on the right path in my opinion adopting these rules for combo tags, but need to take a more aggressive approach altogether.  Not only that, but they would also generate more sales if the U.P. was known for "pope" or "booner" bucks as people would flock to find success with greater odds.  I'm not really even sure I want yahoos in the woods like that next to me though, so I shouldn't say that too loud I guess.  But managing for it would benefit both us (hunters) and them (the state) that's for sure.

Too many hunters are still taking immature bucks for meat, when they are seeing plenty of does.  It is widely and acceptedly known the U.P. has no shortages of does and population balance is tipped to say the least in the females favor.  That is why we see virtually no heavy rutting behavior, fighting, or intense chasing by multiple bruisers.  Why aren't these hunters focusing on harvesting does for meat instead of shooting one buck that is less than 2.5 years old for their yearly deer to take home on the roof or hood of thier car?  Do they feel this is an accomplishment year in and year out? Then they complain to every soul they see, especially locals, about how they never see any descent bucks to shoot that would warrant hanging on their walls.  I don't get these people, when they do this and can see upwards of 10's to 20's of does in their bait pile on any given day, being that baiting is legal in the U.P..  I can shoot a doe every day if I wanted to I know that.  Somehow these folks, need to shoot a buck to feel worthy or something, even if it's young enough to still taste the milk in their mouth from the mother's teet.  OK, I'm done griping for now!!!