Alsatian

Is the deer hunting in the upper pennisula of Michigan good? I seem to have read that the deer population density is low. Is this because there is a lot of dense woods and the population density is low because the available food is short? What is the best way to hunt this ground? Is there a lot of lumber company land up in the UP where the public is allowed to hunt?

Ansel

I live in Marquette, MI and the hunting for the last few has been pretty poor. Sure there will be some beauties taken but when you look at the numbers of hunters you will soon see your odds are not great. Between the deer baiting, hunting pressure, low deer numbers, preditors...the picture isn't pretty.
Unless your real lucky or real, real, real good I would look towards Southern UP - Menominee, Dickinson, Delta, Iron Counties.
Timber Company or any land considered Commercial Forest is open to hunters.
Good Luck!

bullcan

The UP does have a ton of public land to hunt but the deer densities are low. The deer densities are much higher in souther MI, but there is not a lot of public land either.

Alsatian

Thanks for the information. I asked because someone at work suggested I could use their parent's cabin on Lake Superior as a base and hunt around there -- presumably on timber company land or public land. I live in Texas so this is a very long haul, but in the right circumstances I would make the trip. In this case -- low deer densities and smallish deer -- I'll probably pass on the trip.

Wizard420

where at is the cabin i will tell you i hunt the up every year for the last 8 years and it is hard hunting but with alot of hunters not really i will go almost the whole 2 weeks im up there and not see another hunter uless he is local but i have also seen sum huge bucks im talk wide and with alot of mass 10 pointers it is all in where you are at if i see that your from texas well i will have to say that the deer will be bigger body then what you get down there like i said let me know where you are and i might be able to point you to sum spots that we know have big bucks in them just is a very hard land to hunt lots of mountains

UPHunter89

The bodies of deer in the Upper Peninsula are far greater than those of deer in Texas. I hunt in Menominee county and we have seen MANY huge bucks and lots of deer every year. A friend of ours who lives up there killed 3 bucks over 150 last year.[:-]

Alsatian

It is supposed to be near a place called Rabbit Bay.

Ansel

The Lake Superior water shed has been especially hit hard. Since the winters of 96' and 97' deer numbers along lake superior have been decimated. From 91' to 2000' I hunted up by a place called Big Bay. It is true that I saw few if any other hunters, gun shots could be counted on both hands, it was very peaceful and the country is beautiful - HOWEVER, every year i saw less and less deer. I'm not trying to send someone off in another direction - just telling you like it is.