RE: big bucks in michigan
Terry:
Look to southern MI counties of Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, and further west and south. If you try to stay south and west of Ann Arbor you are in the prime big buck areas of MI. While most counties can produce a trophy or two the deer in those counties to the south are predominantly larger, have more massive antlers, and more room to roam. There is plenty of food for them. I am not up on the availability of state land - there are a couple of state game areas but they are likely crawling with people - you may have to do some looking for private property and get permision to hunt - the State also maintains a list called "public hunting on private land". Northern lower is not good these days...deer are becoming hard to find - in the north east the DNR has wpied them out due to bovine TB and I think state-wide the insurance lobby has won over the DNR into providing way to many antlerless tags (one per day in some places) - the upper is better to the east and central - the western herd has been depleated due to the CWD scare from Wisconsin - a friend of a friend was in a 5-man party last season that shot 40 does in the west in a four day hunt - legally...yes forty in the western UP. The state seems to have gotten cagey about the CWD
good luck