Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

A friend and I have been talking about different areas to hunt and he said that the state of wisconsin has the most Boone and Crockette registered bucks than any other state. I was wandering if any of you could shed a little light on the subject for us? I would certainly appreciate any available feedback. For some good do it yourself areas. Thank you.

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

I guess it is alittle dfferent for me because I live here, but I can go any direction from where i live and there is public land within 20 min. as for looking for a trophy. it depends on if you have the time or resources to get up here and do a little scouting?

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

This state has lots of different habitats, all which produce trophy deer. Thepart of the state known as the "Driftless Area" probably has more trophy deer than others. It is an area that the glacier missed. It has ridges and deep valleys. The ridges are full of oaks and the ridge tops and valleys are farmed. If a buck is pressured he just needs to go over one more ridge until no one bothers him. However, folks are aware of this and finding public huntable land in this area is difficult.There is also CWD in this area. The northern forests are under hunted andcontain a smaller deer population. But the deer live a long time and get to be trophy size. There is a lot of public land.The central forests and swamps also have a lot of public land and a higher deer population, but are hunted more heavily. The state DNR has had an emphasis on shooting does lately. A lot of hunters are satified with a doe or two and go home.
That's my assessment. I'd invite any other cheesehead to add to it.

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

If you have the money and dont mind hunting with a good outfitter heres one of the best in the state. http://www.bairdcreekoutfitters.com/my cousin has been there and he says the place is great. He hasnt hunted there but the guy that owns is I guess is one of the best people you will ever meet. He built this palace after he lost his arms in an electrical accident. Oh yea and they are fair chase.

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

I've got some friends from way back in high school that turkey hunt on the property next door to them and out towards Coloma to the West. Very nice place from what I'm told.

It's no secret thatBuffalo County in WI has the largest concentration of B&C (& P & Y) bucks over the last decade or more, in any state in the union. There's 5 or 6 public areas in that county you can try, if you don't mind seeing a lot of hunters. I hunt in Eau Claire County to the west of there...

Here's the link to the WI DNR map of that area:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/...estcentral.htm

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

I agree with Wis Bow Hunter on his recommendation. I accidentally stumbled on the lodge 2 years ago while heading up from Chicago for a deer hunitng trip on a friends property. We were originally suppose to stay at a Motel 6 but while getting gas in town we started talking to a few ladies our age (in there 20's) and told us about this place. They had one room left when we got there. It is a hunters dream! The nicest lodge I have ever seen or stayed in. they have a bar and a nice restaurant and to show how much they like there hunters there, they had $1 beers for all hunters! Everyone there is friendly and towards the end of the night of drinking and eating onm opening day, one of the owners brought us in his office and showed us video of this years deer he had been scouting. Monsters!! A guy actually brought in a 160 + buck the first nite of the season and wasn't even excited about! They have some big deer up there. The property we hunted (which is now houses[:@]) was home to a couple monsters. We actually found a 4 pt antler that had been ripped off by a bigger buck that had been roaming the property! And no it wasn't a shed, it had skull attached to it and was no less than a week old. A neighbor said that is was probably done by13 that was in the 160s that he had seen a few times, but never a shot. Public hunting up there is tough. My buddy spent the first 3 days of rifle season in a stand last year on Public land up there and saw one doe. Id look into wisbowhtrs advice on a outfitter or keep an eye out for a lease. There a little expensive, but if youre going with a few guys, it can be cheaper than an outfitter, but the results may vary. Id look into Baird Creek or a lease up there. Its a great area with some monsters. Every year Im there I see bucks of all sizes on the backs of cars and pick up trucks. Just my 2 cents. Good Luck!

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

Most of the booner's come out of Buffalo county or Waukesha County. Buffalo is all private land so you would have to go with a outfitter. Waukesha county has some public land but not much. I hunted it a couple of times and it is packed with hunters. There are good bucks all over the state but if you are coming in blind I would say go with an outfitter or try and lease some private land.

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

I guess I have to weigh in here, being from WI most of my life.

There is lots of public land in this state. National forest in the north, state forests, state wildlife areas, county forests, etc. Almost every county has some. Yes, Buffalo county has some public land. There are trophy bucks to be had on public land, people get them every year.

Choose an area, figure out logistics, go in there and hunt hard. Public land is tough. The deer in most cases are pressured, there is sometimes competition for the best "spots". I'm convinced that a hunter coming in and applying good fundamental hunting skills, patience and persistence, can be successful. Use common sense, don't overlook the obvious. Don't be afraid to try still-hunting, or small drives. Standing can get old, and these other methods allow you to stay in the field without getting so burned out. Luck can be a big factor. A big bone head can pop up in the most unlikely time or place.

Good luck.

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

It all depends on what you want from the experience. If you want solitude, wilderness, and 10's of miles of public forest to hunt, go north. The deer density is lower but so is the pressure and hunters per acre. If you want to see more deer but dont mind seeing lots of other hunters and chased deer, stay in the lower one third of the state. I live about 20 miles north of Green Bay just on the edge of farming and the start of the big woods. I see many more deer near my home and south including some big ones too but for me, im not deer hunting unless im up in the big woods. Especially during the gun deer season. I want to be at the traditional deer camp. I would rather shoot a 6 pointer from the deer camp than shoot an 8 from the farm. To me, you havent experienced deer hunting until you have stayed in a deer camp up north.

RE: Wisconsin public hunting or outfitter
 

If you wanna try some public land try down by bigflats before rifle season, ive seen a few dandies taken out of there, even a 190 class buck.