BIG woods hunting

[breeggj]

Hi there new to the board and got a question.  I grew up around Shakopee so I'm used to river bottoms deer hunting and a little down south, all pretty much around open fields and what not. so my question is, this year i plan on hunting around either the Paul Bunyan forest or the Chippaewa forest, Is there quite the difference in hunting methods?  we normally sit in our stands mornings and evenings then push small sections of woods during the day but i'm assuming that the forests are going to be more just stand hunting am I correct or not?

[Big E]

Stand sitting would probably be your best choice. It's hard to drive the deer when they can just keep running around in the woods especially when you don't know where the deer are going to run. You also have other hunters to worry about and I don't trust anyone that I don't know in the woods. I would say just sit all day and let the other hunters push the deer to you when they head in for lunch.

[bowhunter73]

I would agree

 Also, if the weather is not to cold for you I would be the last one in for lunch and the first one back out. That’s a lot of woods up there but you will see other hunters. Let them drive the deer for you, hopefully to you. I have found in a big woods like that, it’s not always best to get to far away form everybody. Because for the most part the other hunters will keep them moving around with there wheelers, walking around board. Shooting and all of the other things that go no in the big woods on opener weekend.

 Like hunters coming in late. That use to make me mad until I realized they jumped the deer that was already bedded for the day. Or the person who got cold, left his stand early, and got them moving early. Sometimes your best friend in the big woods is all of the undisciplined hunters!



   Good luck and don’t forget the camera

[T.R. Michels]

Althougnit is much harder to Pattern a particular buck in big woods than it is in mixed agricultural  land, I'd still look for rub routes leading toward and away from food sources (often in openings, pwerlines and clear cuts, or mpossibly agricultural fields withn a moe or two of where you hunt). Then I'd walk the rub route until I go close to a buck's daytime coe area, where it spends most of the day, and setup near the cocre area.

If it is during peak breeding times, about Nov 1-21 I'd set up where the does are, because where the does are, the bucks will show up. So look for does and doe feeding areas.

God bless,

T.R.   

[dakids]

Try scouting on the internet.  Last year I had knee surgery in late sept. and did almost all of my scouting on google earth, county web site, and any map that I could find.  I found 4 different bottle necks that looked pretty good.  3 weeks before the season I took a quad as close as I could get.  The first on that I thought would be the best had a lot of fresh scrapes so I never checked the other 3.

Remember that most hunters do not go to far off of the road, or logging road.  If you can, get in earlier and farther from the road.  Even better, try to get to the back side of public land and let the other hunters drive the deer to you when they go to there stands in the morning.  The thicker the bottle neck the better.  If you are using a scope keep it set on the weakest setting that it has.

Good Luck and be safe.
 
 

[breeggj]

ok thanks for the tips guys,  i am planning on trying to stay out for the most part of the day,  my little brother is coming along as well so hopefully i can get him to sit in his stand longer then his ussual 3 hours

[Paul M]

Here's an Idea for your little brother if he don't want do stay put for the whole day. Have him still hunt through the woods surrounding the area you will be hunting. With any luck if he spooks a deer it may run your way. Get on google earth and plan areas for him to hunt through that may end up pushing deer your way.

[thunderpout]

Breeggj.... we hunt Paul Bunyan St Forest, have for years, its thick, rolling hills, with lots of room to roam....its public land, so yeah, best not to do the push thing for great distances.... you know, do unto others as you want them to do to you.  But yeah, we always take turns with who goes to their stands first so all movement to the stands is really stratigic, or mini-pushes, ya just co-ordinate times as when who does what, when, and then your even more ready as when things may happen... But yeah, thats why they call em big woods, lots of escape routes... I dont know about you guys, but when the shots ring out and bullets start flyin,  the big guys always seem to be seen, heard or taken using like, back door routes or secondary trails... young deer and does will take the most obvious routes, and the older/bigger deer will be off in the thicker covered, feeder trails paralelling the main routes... so dont always put your stand on the "highways".... You'll hear the big guys grunting behind ya, off the beatin path when they have so much room to use.  The "first in the stand , last to leave " thing is a really good Idea....

[breeggj]

thanks a lot you guys make me feel a little better about going hunting up there. new question does anybody know where i can get a map of the Bunyan forest?

[thunderpout]

I used to see them in gas stations up in that area, but dont anymore, the DNR carries them....