dandbuck

Ok, I live in central Wisconsin, but I hunt inNorthern Wisconsin most of the time. All this patterning talk is out the window up there. I mean, the deer just do not do the same thing everyday. You may not see the same deer more than one time a week. Now with some wolves running around, it has gotten a bit harder. I have a couple spots a mile or so back with wild cranberry marsh type valleys that stay "moist" most of the time. Is there any way to plant some type of clover, turnips, grasses, etc. that would not take the effort of plowing up the ground? I know there are those that take 4 wheelers all around the woods near there, but it's public land and you are not supposed to(legally) do that, and really, it's not the quietest thing to do when bowhunting. Anyone have a good suggestion? I rifle hunt here too, and it's hit and miss seeing deer. I saw 8 deer last year hunting all day 4 days worth rifle season. Bow season I saw 3 deer, but only had time to hunt a handful of times. One morning I had a decenet 8 point come right by, quartering away, 15 yds, and I shot "just low", got brisket. Trailed for most of the day, arrow smelled like tallow(pass thru), lots of white hair at impact. Long story short, I shot the same buck a month later in rifle season 3/4 mile away from where it was bow season. But I digress______Is there a mineral block or "crop" I could plant without tooo much trouble that would keep deer coming to the area longer?
Thanks
dandbuck

heo kyle

I hunt in Price Co. (also on public land) and I'm pretty sure your not allowed to plant anything. I've been having the same problems as far as not seeing many deer. My cousin was hunting small clover patches and saw a lot of deer. I'm gonna try using deer cocaine or c'mere deer this year, but aside from that (or dumping corn like every one else does), there's not much you can do other than put in a lot of time on stand.

HuntingEd

Big woods hunting is tough.. If you find a mast crop like acorns you'll be covered w/ deer, if you know where the trees are go out and fertilize them this spring. Just a few to hunt around, you'll notice a big difference... Its good to get a mineral block out too.

Big woods deer are very patternable, its just tough to figure out the pattern... They will have a distinct bedding area and usually travel to the most recent food source...

Also a good topo map is helpful... Find saddles and low areas that deer travel through.. they are lazy too and dont like walking up and down steep inclines if they dont have to.

dandbuck

I'm in Oneida county just a few miles from price county, and just north of 8. I have seen my share of nice bucks at a distance, so they are there. Just need to spend some time in the tree I guess, but with 2 little girls it gets hard tospend a lot of time there.

heo kyle

I have run into quite a few illegal atv riders myself. It really pisses me off. Do you walk back a mile on a logging road, or are you a mile from a logging road? also, is that chequamegon where you hunt, or county land? I hunt a bit of both. I'm near phillips where the west edge of chequamegon meets the east edge of county land. I know theres different rules, but the bottom line is if there's no sign marking an atv trail, they're not allowed

dandbuck

I hunt county and state land by Tripoli. I walk back by a logging road from clearcut in 1985. So really it's just woods.

hoseromon

Dandbuck I hunt off of swamp lake road just up from tomahawk above hwy 8 in oneida county. I hunt some paper land up their and see lots of deer does and bucks. Maybe it could be the land is their alot of hunting preasure? and they are hard to pattern in the bow season and the rut is hard to hit to up their. My suggestion would be look for bedding areas then find some funnels from them and hunt about 100 yards or so from them also gun season hunt in funnels/escape routesthat other hunters will bump deer and push them past you. Try creek bottoms,Tree lines where taller pines meet smaller pines or hardwoods meet pines. and then natural funnels made by hills. If you have any questions let me know. I might be able to help you out a little for suggestions. Just send me an email


P.S. take your girls out with you and let your wife have a alone weekend. Then you have another excuse to go hunting. just a thought.

dandbuck

Funny you should say take the girls there--- I'm taking them this weekend so my wife can do some painting in the house, (i built the wall, drywalled and texture, it's her turn right)? Problem is my girls are gonna be 5 and 2, just a bit hard to keep quiet in the stand. I do hunt areas of creek bottoms, and thick stuff, just can't seem to get a lot of movement during daylight hours. Every deer I get is full of corn, so someone has bait piles around, and up there I'm sure it makes them nocturnal. Rifle season I have only seen 1 guy in the last 12-15 years out there, so the pressure is not near me. Couple years ago I had just sent my gun down on a rope and had a dandy come thru chasing two does, I'll bet the look on my face was priceless! Heard something else following and pulled the 7mm up real quick and chambered a round just in time to have a little basket rack 8 point stop about 50 yrds out. I let him pass and shot a 16" 10 pointer back near the shack that night, so all ended well, but the first was a real wall hanger,course that 10 point is right behind me on the wall as I type.
Well, gotta run, maybe we need to meet at the Sportsland sometime this fall.
dandbuck