Magazine Articles- What about the Big woods?
08-12-2005, 08:29 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Kewaskum, WI
Posts: 201
Magazine Articles- What about the Big woods?
I read alot of articles out of the several bowhunting magazines I get, and it seams like they never spend any time talking about deep woods tactics.
So many of them give great tips and advice for hunting nice woodlots and farmland, funnels, more ideal whitetail hunting areas. What about us guys that hunt in areas of Northern WI (and Im sure many many other states) that have nothing but miles and miles of woods with no fields or anything.
I would like to see how they recomend patterning big bucks and scouting with bino's and watching bachelor groups and all of that good stuff when there is no good vantage points or places for the deer to really come together.
My best luck in the big woods is finding an oak ridge in the early season. Either that or try to find a narrow spot in a large swamp where the deer cross, or something like that. Other that that its just looking for trails, rubs, and scraps, trying to determine the best spot. I personally don't think its possible to pattern a large buck in the woods. You would have to have several trail cameras out monitoring different trails.
Im not begging for help or anything, I have decent luck in the big woods, I just would like to see more articles on this type of hunting, rather than always reading about the picture perfect whitetail ambush spots and glassing bucks from affar and hunting natural funnels made by fields, etc. I believe alot of these "professionals" would have a much harder time bagging that bruiser if you stuck them way back in the sticks.
Thats just my opinion.....has anyone seen any articles on hunting the big woods lately that I haven't??
So many of them give great tips and advice for hunting nice woodlots and farmland, funnels, more ideal whitetail hunting areas. What about us guys that hunt in areas of Northern WI (and Im sure many many other states) that have nothing but miles and miles of woods with no fields or anything.
I would like to see how they recomend patterning big bucks and scouting with bino's and watching bachelor groups and all of that good stuff when there is no good vantage points or places for the deer to really come together.
My best luck in the big woods is finding an oak ridge in the early season. Either that or try to find a narrow spot in a large swamp where the deer cross, or something like that. Other that that its just looking for trails, rubs, and scraps, trying to determine the best spot. I personally don't think its possible to pattern a large buck in the woods. You would have to have several trail cameras out monitoring different trails.
Im not begging for help or anything, I have decent luck in the big woods, I just would like to see more articles on this type of hunting, rather than always reading about the picture perfect whitetail ambush spots and glassing bucks from affar and hunting natural funnels made by fields, etc. I believe alot of these "professionals" would have a much harder time bagging that bruiser if you stuck them way back in the sticks.
Thats just my opinion.....has anyone seen any articles on hunting the big woods lately that I haven't??
08-12-2005, 09:30 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Marquette MI USA
Posts: 300
RE: Magazine Articles- What about the Big woods?
If I remember correctly, there was an arriticle about big woods in D&DH not to long ago.
I agree with your comments, I've hunted the big woods in Michigan's UP for the last 15 years and boy, it is a whole different game. I've had the opportunity to hunt some awesome land in SW WI and the deer were lots easier to pattern.
One thing I have done that you did not mention is hunting around logging opperations - In the big woods that can really bring in the deer, especially if you hit it right!
Good Luck!
I agree with your comments, I've hunted the big woods in Michigan's UP for the last 15 years and boy, it is a whole different game. I've had the opportunity to hunt some awesome land in SW WI and the deer were lots easier to pattern.
One thing I have done that you did not mention is hunting around logging opperations - In the big woods that can really bring in the deer, especially if you hit it right!
Good Luck!
08-12-2005, 09:58 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,406
RE: Magazine Articles- What about the Big woods?
supa....Interesting thread. I do agree about these "professionals" bagging those big bucks if they had to go back in the big woods to do it. Add the fact that if they were to do it on their own, with no guides, baiting etc, then I would have my doubts on how successful they would be. Maybe the fact that we don't see very much on this topic says something about the difficulty involved.
As to hunting big woods, I have spent many years hunting Maine and my home state of NH. Although NH can offer some big woods, especially in the northern part of the state, Maine in the King. I have hunted areas in Maine where there isn't a tar road within 35 miles in any direction. The Benoit family from Vermont has written books and articles on this type of hunting. They always prefer snow but the way they hunt, they could shoot a monster buck in any condition. To me they are the Best.
As previouslt mentioned it has to be more difficult trying to pattern a buck in the big woods vs states/provinces where most of the deer hold up in fields, prairies etc. I mentioned "has to be" because I have ever really hunted in those areas.
Personally, I focus mainly (in Maine..see what I did there?) on the cedar swamps. That's the thickest, nastiest place in the woods and the deer, especially those bruisers love it there. I also hunt the tote road, funnels and hardwoods. I guess the straetgy must be he same - look for feeding/bedding areas, add the scrapes, rubs to the mix and then come up with a game plan.
I always have a feeling of self gratitude after bagging a nice buck under these conditions. Not only because of the time/effort put in especially under less than ideal weather conditionsbut also the deer numbers are such that you can literally hunt an entire season and only see a handful of deer.
As to hunting big woods, I have spent many years hunting Maine and my home state of NH. Although NH can offer some big woods, especially in the northern part of the state, Maine in the King. I have hunted areas in Maine where there isn't a tar road within 35 miles in any direction. The Benoit family from Vermont has written books and articles on this type of hunting. They always prefer snow but the way they hunt, they could shoot a monster buck in any condition. To me they are the Best.
As previouslt mentioned it has to be more difficult trying to pattern a buck in the big woods vs states/provinces where most of the deer hold up in fields, prairies etc. I mentioned "has to be" because I have ever really hunted in those areas.
Personally, I focus mainly (in Maine..see what I did there?) on the cedar swamps. That's the thickest, nastiest place in the woods and the deer, especially those bruisers love it there. I also hunt the tote road, funnels and hardwoods. I guess the straetgy must be he same - look for feeding/bedding areas, add the scrapes, rubs to the mix and then come up with a game plan.
I always have a feeling of self gratitude after bagging a nice buck under these conditions. Not only because of the time/effort put in especially under less than ideal weather conditionsbut also the deer numbers are such that you can literally hunt an entire season and only see a handful of deer.
08-12-2005, 10:54 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 7,208
RE: Magazine Articles- What about the Big woods?
I hit a BIG awakening when I went from farmland woodlots to big woods deer. Thankfully that didn't last long. I had some success, but it was rough.
08-12-2005, 10:57 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Audubon & Red Rock, Penna.
Posts: 4,472
RE: Magazine Articles- What about the Big woods?
I'm with you on this one. It's always farms and wood lots near food plots. We hunt big woods country. There's not a farm on the whole mountain. To add to the challenge, there are no oak trees on our property. The mature mast trees are beech. The main cover is hemlock swamp, laurel thichets, blueberry/blackberry bushes and overgrown clear cuts. The logged out areas are now 15 or more years old and you can't even move through them. This is where the deer spend most of their time. Get a couple of hundred acres of cover you can't even see through and patterning a deer becomes really tough. We hang stands near these areas and hope they come by on their way back to bed. A lot of trails in and out though. If they get pressured, they could go in for days and never come out. There's plenty to eat in there, too. Give me a two acre patch of woods between to fields any day.
