Minnesota Outdoorsman
Hunting Forums => Deer, Moose & Elk => Topic started by: CAB on October 10/17/22, 11:10:59 AM
-
It's my first firearm whitetail deer season here in MN and I must say.....I'm nervous. I've hunted Whitetails, Muleys and Blacktails so the hunting and gutting part don't scare me, it's finding a spot that does. This last weekend I was out grouse hunting and it was hard to a place to hunt that wasn't taken by guys camping/hunting. I'm taking the day before season off and I will be camping solo for the entire season. I've been looking at both Solana SF and Paul Bunyan SF for locations. I have a feeling both will be swamped with guys. Should I go further north? I'm in the twins city area but I don't mind driving if it means I can enjoy my time in the woods.
-
You will find hunters no matter where you go. But the further north they may be spread out more.
-
I find opening weekend can be a s..tshow. by Tuesday 75% of the hunters are done for the season. By the last week of the season you will find yourself to be all alone in many places.
-
First time in new woods public land is always hard.
In the old days, you could scout around, and if you saw lots of well maintained "permanent" stands, you could move on to find fewer hunters. But those days are long gone. Pink / orange marking tape isn't necessarily a sign of current hunters either. That stuff stays in the woods forever.
The good news is you are going to be out the entire week. Pressure will be way down Monday into Tuesday and the rest of the week.
Maybe take your best shot at trying to find a place to sit opening morning, but otherwise, I'd come out of the woods early and start driving around and mark the spots where trucks are parked and how many you see. Sometimes if you wait til lunch, they'll have gone into town and you won't know they were there. If you see folks by their trucks taking their morning coffee, ask how the hunting is, how many guys they got, which side of the road they go, how many years they hunted there - stuff like that. Then decide how much you believe what they told you.
There will be parties of guys who will tell you they have hunted that same patch of woods for 40 years... But depending how the hunting is, and the logging is, folks move on to new grounds and others move in all the time. There may have been 3 pickups parked in a turn-off last year, and no one this year. Maybe do the same thing after guys head back into the woods after lunch. If it is just you, you should be able to find a good seam to hunt in between other groups.
Study your topo maps. Mark off where they have recently logged and where they logged 10 years ago. That thick regrowth does hold deer, but they are hard to get out of there. Maybe try to find the edges of that stuff.
I know the thought of not sitting all day opening morning isn't a good one, but a little "road hunting" might just be the ticket to finding a place for the rest of the week.
-
IMO, leave the stand at camp the first few days. I’ve always mostly only hunter public. Only one year was it crazy busy with hunters…and that was the first year I hunted a new area. That was I didn’t know the area and wanted to hunt the east and obvious spots…as did everyone else.
I’d learn the area, get a feel where others are hunting (most stick to the same area year after year) and then make a game plan.
Remember, the north woods are massive, there’s no reason you should be hunting near other.
-
I don't disagree with Pulleye, but something else...
Everyone is different, but some guys like to hunt and NEVER see another hunter all day and figure their best chance is to sit and wait. And some guys get pi$$ed if they see other hunters in "their" woods. That never bothered me. I'll bet over half of the deer I shot on public land was because there was a hunter tromping around pushing deer. And I know I kicked a few deer to other folks too.
Now you don't want to be adversarial by horning in on other guy's spot, but it doesn't hurt to have other hunters nearby to push deer either.
-
First time in new woods public land is always hard.
In the old days, you could scout around, and if you saw lots of well maintained "permanent" stands, you could move on to find fewer hunters. But those days are long gone. Pink / orange marking tape isn't necessarily a sign of current hunters either. That stuff stays in the woods forever.
The good news is you are going to be out the entire week. Pressure will be way down Monday into Tuesday and the rest of the week.
Maybe take your best shot at trying to find a place to sit opening morning, but otherwise, I'd come out of the woods early and start driving around and mark the spots where trucks are parked and how many you see. Sometimes if you wait til lunch, they'll have gone into town and you won't know they were there. If you see folks by their trucks taking their morning coffee, ask how the hunting is, how many guys they got, which side of the road they go, how many years they hunted there - stuff like that. Then decide how much you believe what they told you.
There will be parties of guys who will tell you they have hunted that same patch of woods for 40 years... But depending how the hunting is, and the logging is, folks move on to new grounds and others move in all the time. There may have been 3 pickups parked in a turn-off last year, and no one this year. Maybe do the same thing after guys head back into the woods after lunch. If it is just you, you should be able to find a good seam to hunt in between other groups.
Study your topo maps. Mark off where they have recently logged and where they logged 10 years ago. That thick regrowth does hold deer, but they are hard to get out of there. Maybe try to find the edges of that stuff.
I know the thought of not sitting all day opening morning isn't a good one, but a little "road hunting" might just be the ticket to finding a place for the rest of the week.
I like this idea of scouting out where people are in the area. Often I find that if you pattern people you have an easier time figuring out where the deer are. Might sit opening day if I can find a spot which I should be able to find 1 and than pull out around lunch and just get a sense of were everyone is in the area. If it thins out I can always move. I sleep in the back of my 4runner so I can always move camp in minutes as I don't have to tear anything down, just throw my coolers in the back and take off. Might have to go with a more exploring mindset and see what I can learn. The Fri before opener I'm going to head out early to get a camping/hunting spot and plan to continue traveling further away from the cities if the spots I have marked out are taken. Should be an interesting time regardless and being from Maine we consider it a very successful season if you even see a deer.
-
As long as you are so close, I would checkout the Chippewa National Forest. It is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota.
This is massive area starting south of Leach Lake and extending well to the north and east. There are many, many dirt forest roads throughout the national forest.
-
As long as you are so close, I would checkout the Chippewa National Forest. It is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota.
This is massive area starting south of Leach Lake and extending well to the north and east. There are many, many dirt forest roads throughout the national forest.
If you head up that way, double check your zones. There are CWD management and monitor zones up there.
-
As long as you are so close, I would checkout the Chippewa National Forest. It is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota.
This is massive area starting south of Leach Lake and extending well to the north and east. There are many, many dirt forest roads throughout the national forest.
hey, that's getting close to me!! :tut: :rotflmao: just kidding, we are in Chippewa national forest but further northeast.
Main reason I posted go to whatever county you plan to hunt in and go to that counties GIS mapping. I love it and you can find all the US forest lands and stay away from the private land
-
I'm no deer hunter at all, just birds. But if it we're me looking for an area to hunt deer it be more farm land country. WAY to many hunters up north complaining of tge wolves and not seeing any deer fir weeks. We see deer almost daily running back and forth from the cabin. I'd say go north west...towards Boar! But then again don't you need to know the zones your hunting??
-
Bobber, no you actually don't need to know an area anymore. Your firearm license is valid throughout the state. Well, you have to give them an area you plan to hunt when you purchase the license, but you don't need to hunt there.
-
Might be worth the investment of this app.
https://try.onxmaps.com/hunt/app/hunt-smarter/?gclid=CjwKCAjw-rOaBhA9EiwAUkLV4ihMwZzURl3aCmYioiTZ0UyYN85VK-Al0pMQ7GmT_FAdi_vCJCdlvRoCD68QAvD_BwE
-
“Should be an interesting time regardless and being from Maine we consider it a very successful season if you even see a deer.”
I’m curious about this statement. I’ve always been under the impression that Maine was a great place for deer. I can remember reading in Outdoor Life and other magazines about huge deer taken in Maine. Maybe I was misled by a series of books I used to read as a kid-“Jeff White- Young Guide” ,“Jeff White-Young Forest Fire Fighter”, “Jeff White-Young Game Warden”, etc.
other than that, I have nothing to add to what’s already been said. Further north equals fewer hunters, and many of them hunt opening weekend as sort of a social ritual and go back home Sunday night.
The Chippewa National Forest is big and there’s plenty of room. Find a dirt road and take a drive. You will be able to find forest roads that have trails going off of them. There are plenty of deer. Depending on weather and wind, the lack of hunters may be a blessing, but there’s also an advantage to having guys moving around and kicking the deer up.
-
Might be worth the investment of this app.
https://try.onxmaps.com/hunt/app/hunt-smarter/?gclid=CjwKCAjw-rOaBhA9EiwAUkLV4ihMwZzURl3aCmYioiTZ0UyYN85VK-Al0pMQ7GmT_FAdi_vCJCdlvRoCD68QAvD_BwE
it's my go to app. I have plotted out a lot of "spots" but will see what they look like in person. I plan to camp out and check out some areas to see if I like any.
-
“Should be an interesting time regardless and being from Maine we consider it a very successful season if you even see a deer.”
I’m curious about this statement. I’ve always been under the impression that Maine was a great place for deer. I can remember reading in Outdoor Life and other magazines about huge deer taken in Maine. Maybe I was misled by a series of books I used to read as a kid-“Jeff White- Young Guide” ,“Jeff White-Young Forest Fire Fighter”, “Jeff White-Young Game Warden”, etc.
other than that, I have nothing to add to what’s already been said. Further north equals fewer hunters, and many of them hunt opening weekend as sort of a social ritual and go back home Sunday night.
The Chippewa National Forest is big and there’s plenty of room. Find a dirt road and take a drive. You will be able to find forest roads that have trails going off of them. There are plenty of deer. Depending on weather and wind, the lack of hunters may be a blessing, but there’s also an advantage to having guys moving around and kicking the deer up.
Maine total deer harvest in 1 year is around 35k for the entire state. You have GMUs here that do better than the whole of Maine. In Maine you only have a buck tag and have to put in for lottery to shoot a doe which if you live in southern Maine is pretty easy to get. Are there monster deer there? Yea, you get some 275lb deer every year getting pulled out(we don't measure antlers we go by weight) but the odds of killing a deer are in the 15% range. Southern Maine has pretty good deer numbers but it also has 70% of the population so the woods are full and not just hunters sadly(dog walkers everywhere). Northern Maine is brutally hard deer hunting but the locals have it figured out pretty well. We're buddies with a Maine guide right by the boarder and he has killed a few monsters.
-
Well ya could just hunt like glenn and just pull em outa the ditch...
-
Well ya could just hunt like glenn and just pull em outa the ditch...
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :mooning: :mooning:
I took that outta your playbook!! :happy1: :rotflmao:
-
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :happy1: :happy1:
-
Maine total deer harvest in 1 year is around 35k for the entire state. You have GMUs here that do better than the whole of Maine. In Maine you only have a buck tag and have to put in for lottery to shoot a doe which if you live in southern Maine is pretty easy to get. Are there monster deer there? Yea, you get some 275lb deer every year getting pulled out(we don't measure antlers we go by weight) but the odds of killing a deer are in the 15% range. Southern Maine has pretty good deer numbers but it also has 70% of the population so the woods are full and not just hunters sadly(dog walkers everywhere). Northern Maine is brutally hard deer hunting but the locals have it figured out pretty well. We're buddies with a Maine guide right by the boarder and he has killed a few monsters.
Well what about Moose? You guys had about 3-4 times the Moose we have, trade yeah a few! And we can throw in a few hundred Wolves which you don't have any? :happy1:
-
Maine total deer harvest in 1 year is around 35k for the entire state. You have GMUs here that do better than the whole of Maine. In Maine you only have a buck tag and have to put in for lottery to shoot a doe which if you live in southern Maine is pretty easy to get. Are there monster deer there? Yea, you get some 275lb deer every year getting pulled out(we don't measure antlers we go by weight) but the odds of killing a deer are in the 15% range. Southern Maine has pretty good deer numbers but it also has 70% of the population so the woods are full and not just hunters sadly(dog walkers everywhere). Northern Maine is brutally hard deer hunting but the locals have it figured out pretty well. We're buddies with a Maine guide right by the boarder and he has killed a few monsters.
Well what about Moose? You guys had about 3-4 times the Moose we have, trade yeah a few! And we can throw in a few hundred Wolves which you don't have any? :happy1:
They got 'dem damn Coywolves out East.
Coywolves are Taking Over Eastern North America/ (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/)
-
Maine total deer harvest in 1 year is around 35k for the entire state. You have GMUs here that do better than the whole of Maine. In Maine you only have a buck tag and have to put in for lottery to shoot a doe which if you live in southern Maine is pretty easy to get. Are there monster deer there? Yea, you get some 275lb deer every year getting pulled out(we don't measure antlers we go by weight) but the odds of killing a deer are in the 15% range. Southern Maine has pretty good deer numbers but it also has 70% of the population so the woods are full and not just hunters sadly(dog walkers everywhere). Northern Maine is brutally hard deer hunting but the locals have it figured out pretty well. We're buddies with a Maine guide right by the boarder and he has killed a few monsters.
Well what about Moose? You guys had about 3-4 times the Moose we have, trade yeah a few! And we can throw in a few hundred Wolves which you don't have any? :happy1:
They got 'dem damn Coywolves out East.
Coywolves are Taking Over Eastern North America/ (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/)
So now there Bigfoot puppies taking over! :rotflmao:
-
Very interesting, thanks.