In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

I and two other guys are thinking about putting an offer in on 80 heavily wooded acres in central Wisconsin (Antigo Area). Part of the by-laws we are thinking about incorporating into our hunting camp is each owner would be allowed to bring one other person to gun deer camp. That would total 6 hunters and would equal one hunter per 13.3 acres on average. This is not open field. This is 98% wooded and pretty thick. Pretty much all shots would be <100 yards. I am not too concerned about safety because of the dense wood cover and we will know where each other is posted. However, is this just too much pressure in too little area? And thereby, pushing most deer out of the area?

For those of you on this site that have a plethora of land. I have read some say they hunt 500 acres to themselves that is not feasible. First of all we cannot afford it. But secondly it is difficult to find 500 continuous acres these days in this part of the country.
Thoughts and comments are appreciated.
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RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

I would say yes it is too many,2 maybe but if you want to keep deer on the property even 2 would have to be careful.If it is connect as part of a funnel or travel are you will be a little better but after a while they will start avoiding the area.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

it would take 6 guys that were really willing to work together ,thats hard to find . i have a few places that are under 10 acres and i kill lots of deer on them. if the 6 of you put up stands and were extra careful about the wind and scent ,then it may work. on any piece of property the deer need a safe place,a place the hide when danger aproaches. that place needs to be left alone ,no one goes into it unless you have to track a wounded animal.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

I think it is too much.Just MO

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Put another way, that equates to 48 hunters per sq.mile (if my figures are right)
That would be 2 hunters for every deer in a good area,however if the surrounding land is not heavily hunted It can be done. You could limit the extra people to certain days.
RC

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

What about 4 hunters per 80 acres? That would be 20 acres per hunter.

For the guy that said 2 hunters. You must not be from Wisconsin. I doubt 20% of gun deer camps have 40 acres per person.

There are 650,000 hunters in the woods for a 9 day season. No way every hunter gets 40 acres.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Too many, I have 5 guys on 330 heavily wooded acres and I feel crowded. Cant imagine 6 guys on 80. I dont think its safe either, too much can happen and I know you think that the woods would stop any stray bullet but you really never know. I have hunted in southern Wisconsin, but I know that n. wisconsin is much more dense woods wise. I would say 4 would be safe, but then you just run the risk of running all the deer off the place.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Yes! We hunt 180acres with 2 guys...which we could probably hunt it with 4 guys, though it would limit where everyone could choose to go. So 4 guys on 180, I figure 2 guys on 80 would be more ideal...

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

What is the surrounding land like? Is it fields woods swamp?

I hunt in wisconsin also in Green Bay I can walk into a patch of woods half the size of walmart and see deer everywhere if there are no corn fields close bye. I share 14 acers with another person caseu i enjoy hunting with friends. we do it fine and have a good plan. Last year we took 2 bucks the same day the bugger got the big 10 and i got an average 8 but I would still rather hunt with people casue Im social.

Ok back to the point 6 guys will work for the first day of gun season and then after that on 80 you have to pray that deer get scared to you land. Your going to push them out that first day. You could do it but they way it sounds your going to let people you dont know hunet with you. They might seem great now but what happens when they dont agree with you and they want to hunt the ridge that the big buck runs? I wouldnt try it unless the other 5 people knew it was my land and they went where i told them. After day one deer are on the run so your going to have to hope they run to your land.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

One per 40 acres is maximum IMHO.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

In my opinion, 6 guys on 80 acres is just to much. If it was 3 and you werent allowed to bring any guests than I would think you would be in good shape. I think a lot depends on the surrounding property too. If the landowners next to you have 500 acres that 2 people hunt than I think you could go to 4 if you can find runways that are going through your property. Ive hunted 3 people on 40 acres before of thick woods and it is not a great thing to do. I wouldn't worry so much about safety but with all of those people moving through such a small area you are bound to spook most of the deer out of there and leave scent everywhere. There is just too much movement with 6 people on such a small area of land. As I said before, If the property next to you is large with light hunting pressure than I feel like you can up the numbers a bit, but if you are 80 acres among many other 60 to 100 acre lots which have 2 to 3 gun hunters on each of them, I think your not going to see very many deer and your neighbors may be a little upset with you having that many people on one lot. I know if I had a neighbor that had 6 guys and all are trying to shoot bucks on a 80 acre lot I'd bea little upset. Stick with the original 3 and maybe have3 guest that rotate 1 day on and 2 days off, then I think you will all be happy. Just my opinion.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

way too much

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

To the east is a large lowland wooded swamp. Not hunted. To the west and south appears to be much as the same as this land. Not sure if it is hunted. North is farm field.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

I honestly think that 2 hunters on 80 acres is one too many. 80 Acres is only 622 yards X 622 yards. That is not much land at all for three hunters much less 6. With three of you already hunting it I would not allow any guests on 80 acres.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

My land is around 90 acres. I usually hunt it by myself and occasionally have a guest and I can tell exactly when somebody else is in there with me. I cant imagine having over 2 people maybe 3 absolute max on it. This is wooded, brushy, logged mountain property.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

There are many variables. But if things are really ideal, with guys spread on the edges, it can be done.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

WOW, that would be WAAAAYYY to much pressure and hunters/per acre! [:-]TWO hunters on a lil' 80 acre tract would be plenty.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Wow, you can tell most people on here don't hunt heavily pressured and hunted areas. We've put 5 guys on 40 acres almost every year and haven't had too much of a problem. If Wisconsin is anything like MI during gun season it is a warzone out there with hunters covering every square inch of land. The deer are gonna be staying in the thick stuff and running around like crazy. I think it can be done no problem as long as people aren't walking around much.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

With 6 people hunting 80 acres you are just looking for an accident to happen!!! 100 acres per hunter is what our Fish & Game suggest for safety reasons.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Way too many people for 80 acres. The end result is your neighbors will love you because all the deer will be driven out onto their land assuming it has less pressure.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Agree 100%. I am shocked at the amount of people saying 2 people per 80 max. And then that they still feel crowded. Amazing. Seems to me that they are more blessed than I am. Anyways I am agreeing with the fact that 6 is too much. There is no way in god's earth that 4 is too much in this state. Again, there are 650,000 hunters in Wisconsin for a 9 day season. Most only hunt the first weekend. Thereis not enough huntable acres in the state of Wisconsin to give every hunter 40 acres with almost 3/4 of a million people in the woods at the same time. The math just doesn't add up.


FWIW, I used to hunt a 10 acre property with another guy and didn't feel crowded. We saw and harvested deer everyyear.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

After reading this thread I have learned that hunting is far different for many areas of the country. Here in the northeast even when on public lands I don't usually see many other hunters. I guess it is just what you are used to.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

It really depends on what you want to do. In my pic below, I have 40 acres, 5 hunters and everyone spread apart. Its shotgun only here so that changes things a little. Anyways, 5 hunters, 6 deer opening week. Every one had fun, seen deer and had shots. My brother and his 2 friends are from maine so they couldn't believe all the deer they saw. Anyways, 6 guys on 80 acres sounds like a fun hunt to me, i would go with it. Just make sure all your guest know your rules and it will be a fun time.

Oh well, my pic is to big to load. Good luck

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Can't even wrap my mind around it. 25,000 acres of private land and 12 hunters tops...all private. I think thats too many.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

13 acres per person, assuming folks are somewhat evening spaced. That's actually quite a bit of ground if you ever spend any amount of time hunting a plot of that size. Lot's of times hunters think they are covering a hell of a lot of ground, especially if it is hilly with a lot of cover,and it turns out that they have pretty much been within an area the size of a football field.

I guess it would depend. During Fall bowhunting when there is so much brush that your individual hunting zone may be measured in feet instead of yards, I would not see much problem with it, other than the fact that a running wounded deer may cause trouble for the other hunters. Dunno about being in that close of proximity to folks with rifles, though. Of course, my frame of reference is southern Illinois where it is pretty commong to have several people hunting relatively small pieces of ground with little or no problems.

Would you really have all six people there at the same time. Maybe for opening weekend. If so, there could be some sort of arrangement where some folks hunt mornings and others evenings. The rest of the time, I would think that fewer people would show up at the same time to hunt.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

90% of the deer are on 10% of the land so out of that 80 acres a small percentage are good spots, and they would be close to each other. How many trails are cutting through that area. Where's the bedding area. Food sources, etc. Is there a field which would also cut down on good area.

sure it does.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

It depends what you are trying to get out of that 80 acres. If you and your buddies all want a place to hunt together then thats what it will be. If you want a place where you can move and adjust your setup then you will be limited. If five other guys will be there every time you go there it will be too many in my opinion. I prefer private spots when ever possible.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Must not like to be able to change your set up too much.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

This is exactly what your going to get with 6 guys but I have seen it done but with that swamp not being on your land it will be harder.

In wisconsin up by my hunting camp we dont own land so its public. After day one i just go in the swamp and climb a tree and the pickings are amazing when the pressure is high. The deer will be in that swamp when all 6 of you are on your land.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

thats way to many,i think 30 -40 acres per hunter jmo

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Sounds like a mall parking lot to me.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

things could be pretty crowded

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Since I am a deer tracker I guess I wouldn't like it there Lanse. Give me the big woods of Northern Vermont. Maine and New Hampshire....plus the "dacks" in NY. In those places I can walk a little further than a 13 acre piece. Most days I put on several miles because that is the way I like to hunt and rarely see another hunter. And then there is the west where you can walk forever. I only wish I had started to hunt there when I was young. All you easterners and southern boys make a point of getting out and chase a few wild free range elk around. It is humbling and puts a new meaning to the word hunt.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

You might change your mind if youever find yourself sitting ina little plot of Illinois woods and some cornfed monster 16 pointer comes strolling by.[:-]

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Oh I know I have a buddy who goes outto Ilevery year for the past 12 years and his average is about 160" all with a bow. I think his largest is in the high 180's and he has about 10 mounted. He said the first year he thought it was a joke when the farm owner showed him where to put his stand. It was a real small piece of woods that you could see right through to the field with a small creek going through it. During the rut it turns wild I guess. He said it isn't quite as exciting or safe during the gun season though.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

That's done in Michigan all the time. I know of plenty of camps that have a half dozen hunters on 80-100 acres. When you get 700,000 hunters out in the woods on opening day, that's a lot of people.

In my opinion, guest issues/limits are the biggest problems with any deer camp. A one guest per owner policy sounds fine, but I've seen friendships tarnished from non-owners not following rules, an owner making exceptions for himself and his guests, some not carrying their weight with work and expenses, etc.... Even the best of friends, with the best intentions, seem to struggle with this.

I've seen rules that only owners can hunt the first three to five days of deer season, and after that limited guest rights are allowed. Those types of rules, when strictly enforced, seem to work somewhat....

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but it's just from my experience. Hope it goes well for you though, and that you have a lot of fun.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

I think it totally depends on where you hunt in the United States. If you hunt WI and MI, You most likely hunt with a number of people that is unimaginable in other parts of the country. Ive hunted a 40 acre lot in MI with 2 other people and didn't feel too crowded but thought in the back of my mind it was too many. Ive hunted Illinois on 400 acres with 4 guys and thought it was just right because of the large lots of land around me. Guys that hunt out west would think your crazy hunting more than 1 guy per thousand acres but thats where there are 5,000 acre ranches everywhere (I hunted a ranch with 12other guys that was 65,000 acres and the ranch manger thought that was pushing it with too many people. I think its all a matter of where you hunt and what you are used to. I wish I could hunt WI or MI with 1 guy per 80 acres, that would be a dream. Reality though, for the high pressure areas 2 people per 40 is pretty much average. Everywhere Ive hunted in WI of MI Id say the average is 2 per 40 acres and that is all the deer camps ive visited.

I agree with the guy who says those deer will be pushed to that swampy area, you hear countless stories every year about people pulling big bucks out of public land swamps and pressure private land as well. When deer are pressured they go to the thickest areas possible, they know where humans don't want to go and they head there and laugh at us hunters (like me). My buddy hunts next to a 100 acre swamp in Michigan and everywhere within 5 miles a basket 6 pt is a nice deer and he consistly sees and kills nice 8 pointers and sees even bigger deer during bow season that he can't get shots on. Deer love swamps. If I were you and you do hunt this property I would pick a stand site closest too that swamp. Wow, I just ran off topic! ;)

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Seems like a lot to me but if its thick like you say it might work out.

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

5 too many for me!

RE: In your opinion , is 6 hunters on 80 heavily wooded acres too crowded?
 

Its a small area and I think to many,safety an issue even if you know where the others are suppose to be also u have that many shooters in a small area and a few shots will soon clear the area of game.