what is needed to bow hunt whitetail deer in wisconsin
08-03-2012, 09:23 PM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 183
As in licenses or equipment? Licenses you just need to buy a deer tag which will be about $24 or so if your a resident. Just make sure you know what unit you hunt in so you know if it's a buck only unit or if you can shoot doe or buck...luckily they got rid of earn-a-buck so you don't have to worry about that.
08-06-2012, 07:17 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Northern WI
Posts: 853
Know the laws, as mentioned - get a rule book and read it carefully. And if you hunt on state forest lands, really watch your step - take your case with you so your bow is cased up if you are walking to the vehicle and shooting hours are over.
No baiting in much of the state. And limits on areas you can bait such as no baiting til the day before season starts and a 2 gal limit (2 gal total per AREA).
Otherwise, I think it would be very similar to other states. Find a person that hunts and have them help you with equipment.
No baiting in much of the state. And limits on areas you can bait such as no baiting til the day before season starts and a 2 gal limit (2 gal total per AREA).
Otherwise, I think it would be very similar to other states. Find a person that hunts and have them help you with equipment.
08-07-2012, 05:03 PM
#5
Spike
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7
Wisconsin untie
Hunting Wisconsin used to be easyer but in the past years its become a challenge finding good deer to shoot. If your looking at equipment check craigslist for stuff i picked up a 2010 parker wild fire bow and five carbon arrows for $150 clothing i usually try to wait till february or march once all seasons are over and u can get stuff a little cheaper. Check the Wisconsin dnr web site it can give u a list of public hunting grounds
08-13-2012, 03:00 PM
#7
Spike
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Slinger, Wisconsin
Posts: 2
You asked “what is everything I need to bow hunt whitetails in Wisconsin”.
I am going to assume you are from out of state, even if you are a resident these tips can apply to you as well.
#1. A legal hunting license. A general resident license will cost $24.00, non-resident is $160.00 (a steal for the leading trophy state). You can get additional unlimited doe tags for $2.00 if you hunt the right areas.
#2. Somewhere to hunt. If you do not have private land to hunt on you will need to find quality public land - yes there’s actually a ton of it. Almost 50% of the record book bucks taken in the last 5 years have come from public land.
I successfully hunt public exclusively, one of my all-time favorite past times is looking for that “new place to hunt”. One of the draws to public land for me is the need to try new places. Hooray for Google! All you have to do is go to Google Maps, search around for the green segments and zoom in a little; they will be listed as State Natural Areas or Public hunting Land, once you’ve found a few you can check them out on the DNR website to see if it’s suitable for the type of hunting you prefer. Most State Natural Areas are groomed and managed for hunting purposes.
It is a bit more challenging and you do have to know the rules, I hunt CWD - simply because that’s where the deer are. I could care less if it’s a buck or a doe, you said “what is everything I need to bow hunt whitetails in Wisconsin”, you did not specify trophy hunting so the lower ½ of the state is going to be the most beneficial.
Many state parks allow hunting during the late season. Seriously prime hunting, those deer are barely pressured, they eat well and are somewhat used to humans. I know a guy that took a 170” out of Devil’s Lake two years ago in December.
#3. Equipment. While the fancy, expensive equipment can give you a leg up, hunt with basic equipment can yield just as many kill shots.
Bow - buy the best bow you can afford, if you buy used, I would suggest having the bow looked at by a professional for cracks or stress fissures. The last thing you want to do is buy a bow only to have it explode in your face when you shoot it. Depending on your budget, there are some spectacular bows out there at a mid-point, check out Mission Archery or Quest. My first bow was a Parker Wildfire, nckrump got a steal for $150.00. Check consignment shops too. Or even just call an archery shop and let them know you’re looking for a nice used bow for $$$ amount of dollars.
Arrows - once you’ve determined your draw length you can search on EBay or Craig’s List, I highly suggest carbon if you can afford them.
Camo - if you’re not a brand whore you can find killer deals on camo at farm stores like Fleet Farm. If you are a brand whore (and I admittedly am!) checking classifieds on forums can yield inexpensive deals in the pattern you’re looking for. I’ve used Ebay and Google Shopping to find my Realtree AP at a steal sometimes.
Scent - I’ve never really worried about purchasing overpriced garments that claim they can block my scent from the most wily mature bucks. I just carry some Dead Down Wind with me.
Guides - if you’re going to go with a guide - DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Seriously, there are some really good ones that don’t charge an arm and a leg and some really bad ones that will charge you your first born.
That’s really about it - other than a good attitude (it’s called hunting not killing for a reason) normal whitetail hunting skill. I’m sure anyone on the forums would be happy to answer additional questions or help you out with whatever you need.
Good luck!!
I am going to assume you are from out of state, even if you are a resident these tips can apply to you as well.
#1. A legal hunting license. A general resident license will cost $24.00, non-resident is $160.00 (a steal for the leading trophy state). You can get additional unlimited doe tags for $2.00 if you hunt the right areas.
#2. Somewhere to hunt. If you do not have private land to hunt on you will need to find quality public land - yes there’s actually a ton of it. Almost 50% of the record book bucks taken in the last 5 years have come from public land.
I successfully hunt public exclusively, one of my all-time favorite past times is looking for that “new place to hunt”. One of the draws to public land for me is the need to try new places. Hooray for Google! All you have to do is go to Google Maps, search around for the green segments and zoom in a little; they will be listed as State Natural Areas or Public hunting Land, once you’ve found a few you can check them out on the DNR website to see if it’s suitable for the type of hunting you prefer. Most State Natural Areas are groomed and managed for hunting purposes.
It is a bit more challenging and you do have to know the rules, I hunt CWD - simply because that’s where the deer are. I could care less if it’s a buck or a doe, you said “what is everything I need to bow hunt whitetails in Wisconsin”, you did not specify trophy hunting so the lower ½ of the state is going to be the most beneficial.
Many state parks allow hunting during the late season. Seriously prime hunting, those deer are barely pressured, they eat well and are somewhat used to humans. I know a guy that took a 170” out of Devil’s Lake two years ago in December.
#3. Equipment. While the fancy, expensive equipment can give you a leg up, hunt with basic equipment can yield just as many kill shots.
Bow - buy the best bow you can afford, if you buy used, I would suggest having the bow looked at by a professional for cracks or stress fissures. The last thing you want to do is buy a bow only to have it explode in your face when you shoot it. Depending on your budget, there are some spectacular bows out there at a mid-point, check out Mission Archery or Quest. My first bow was a Parker Wildfire, nckrump got a steal for $150.00. Check consignment shops too. Or even just call an archery shop and let them know you’re looking for a nice used bow for $$$ amount of dollars.
Arrows - once you’ve determined your draw length you can search on EBay or Craig’s List, I highly suggest carbon if you can afford them.
Camo - if you’re not a brand whore you can find killer deals on camo at farm stores like Fleet Farm. If you are a brand whore (and I admittedly am!) checking classifieds on forums can yield inexpensive deals in the pattern you’re looking for. I’ve used Ebay and Google Shopping to find my Realtree AP at a steal sometimes.
Scent - I’ve never really worried about purchasing overpriced garments that claim they can block my scent from the most wily mature bucks. I just carry some Dead Down Wind with me.
Guides - if you’re going to go with a guide - DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Seriously, there are some really good ones that don’t charge an arm and a leg and some really bad ones that will charge you your first born.
That’s really about it - other than a good attitude (it’s called hunting not killing for a reason) normal whitetail hunting skill. I’m sure anyone on the forums would be happy to answer additional questions or help you out with whatever you need.
Good luck!!
Last edited by CarrieZ; 08-13-2012 at 04:05 PM.
08-14-2012, 07:28 AM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 320
To add to the suggestion of finding public land, contact the WDNR office in the area where you want to hunt and ask them for the location of all MFL (Managed Forest Land) properties in that area. MFL land is private land that gets a tax break for both active forest management (periodic logging) and keeping it open to the public for hunting. You can't find that on Google, so you need to go to the DNR to get the listings for an area. Once of my prized honey-holes is a hidden-away parcel of MFL land that very few others know about...not everyone knows to go looking for it because they're unaware of the MFL program. 
08-15-2012, 12:04 PM
#10
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 320
Otherwise, what are you specifically looking for in this thread? The original question is really vague.
