With only 82 days remaining before October 1st is here, it is really important to make the most of every day. I am finally caught up on all of the “To-Do’s”, so I am going to start tuning my bow and hitting the weekend 3d shoots. Locally there are a few clubs that I try yo shoot at through the summer…
Please let me know if there are any other 3d shoots that I can post.
It is also time to start thinking about the pre-season prep and scouting. This time of year is REALLY NASTY in the woods, there are a thousand different types of bugs that want to eat you, and if that’s not enough, POISON IVY is very ripe this time of year. So remember when you do your scouting and prep work to dress appropriately.
I have come very close with a score of 296 (2 near misses) and a 295 (one body miss). This weeks 3d round threw me a curve as I started very strong, but the 3rd target I encountered some technical difficulties… My D-Loop came untied after about a thousand arrows – that was the last thing I expected to fail. So i tied it back together a few times but was unable to locate anyone on the course with a cigarette lighter to get the proper knot. So I lost at least 20 points as I had to make shot with a loose D-Loop or no D-Loop. I t was kind of a bummer. To offset my badluck… my partner was on a roll! At the 13th target someone said ”…wow, you have a perfect round going!”. As luck or jinx has it… Mike missed his 28th 10 mark by about an inch and buried X’s on number 29 and 30. One shot from a perfect – GREAT shooting Mike!
Let us know if you have ever shot a perfect round…
I only had a few days to hunt, and I was pretty excited to hear gobblers the night before my permit. It was just about sunset when I hit the owl call and a couple Toms gobbled back. In the morning I setup right where I heard the birds, but they roosted the other side of a swamp and would not cross it to come to me. So when they stopped gobbling, I headed to the woods on the north side of the road and bumped a flock of birds, there was a tom at full strut, a couple jakes and about 4 hens. I was so mad that I spooked them off. The next morning I cam back and had gobblers and hens talking all around me, but the weren’t buying whatever I was selling! So to make a long story short… i didn’t have enough time to really work the woods and was unable to score a bird this year.
This will be the first year I have hunted turkey in a few years. I am starting to get excited about it. My son and I got drawn for our hunt – 2nd week of the season. We have seen a lot of birds migrating into our area in Oakland county, so we decide to try our luck here rather than driving upstate somewhere. In the past we always hunted in the thumb. Our results were mixed; there were times when we saw birds EVERYWHERE, and there were times that we were lucky to hear a gobble.
The question we are asking ourselves… Do we hunt with bow and arrow, or the ol’ smoke pole? I think the mornings that we go out together, we will take the shotguns, and the mornings that are solo, I will take the bow.
Since I have never gone after Turkey with a bow, I need to learn what the best strategy is. I have talked to some guys about this and have heard a few different view points…
Gobbler Guillotine and take off the head
Fixed blade broadhead and take a heart shot
Fixed blade and take a shot to the upper thigh
…the upper thigh thing caught me by surprise. A guy at Bass Pro Shop told me that he has shot them in the heart and they would either fly away or run away and never be found. So he told me the last few birds he has taken, he shoots them in the upper thigh and they can’t fly or run. Thought it was a little weird but it makes sense.
Turkey hunting is one of the coolest hunts I have ever done! My son and I started Turkey hunting a few year ago, and got hooked. It is an awesome sport, because it’s you against the Tom. Unlike deer; the turkey can see like a hawk and hear like an elephant. They’re also very skittish, so hunting turkey is a challenge like no other.
Remember… January 31st is the last day to submit for a turkey license.
One of our users shot this buck in early November and finally got the final scoring of 160 5/8″. Becky wins the 2009 Michigan Bowhunting Blog Big Buck Contest!
My grandfather instilled my love for the woods and hunting when I was little by accompanying him rabbit and deer hunting, we also spent hours in the woods sitting quietly to see what wildlife we could observe and how close they would come to us. He unfortunately passed away before I was old enough to hunt but I still follow many of his “rules” about hunting. About 9 years ago a friend who knew of my passion for the woods and my craving to start hunting introduced me to bow hunting. I shot year round in archery leagues and spent my falls through Jan. 1st in the woods with my bow. The years of accounting work caught up with me and after three surgeries on my right hand and elbow in March of 2005 I could no longer pull my bow due to permanent nerve damage in by right hand, in the summer of 2005 I applied for a crossbow permit and was granted a permanent crossbow permit by the State of Michigan. It will never be the same as hunting with my bow but I’ve come to terms with it.
At 9:10 am on November 4, 2009 I observed the doe that is missing the tips of her ears walking down the trail to the side of where I was sitting. I then noticed movement about 40 yards behind her off the trail in heavy brush, when I caught sight of his antlers my heart skipped a beat. The direction that he was heading would only provide me with one very narrow shooting lane if he would step into it. I started mouth calling to him and spent about 15 minutes getting him to stay in the area but was never able to get him to step into the shooting lane. During this time the doe bedded about 15 yard from where I was sitting. My last sight of him was his antlers moving away from me in the heavy brush. At about 10:30 am another single doe approached down the same trail as the first doe, who then proceeded to stand up when she heard her approaching. As I glanced back and forth between the two does, the tips of his antlers suddenly appeared between them, he had bedded in the heavy brush. As he slowly approached the incoming doe he stepped into the narrow shooting lane and I instantly squeezed the trigger. He jumped high and ran back into the heavy brush, within seconds I heard what I was sure was him crashing. It was 10:45 am I quietly exited my stand going in the opposite direction. Upon reaching the house I called my 16 year old daughter and then drove and picked her up from school, I just couldn’t do the hour wait by myself. We easily located him, he went 60 yards. While finding him was easy the two of us quickly found out that loading him into the back of the truck was going to be impossible. (We do not field dress deer out in the field because of the increasing coyote numbers.) After multiple phone calls we located a neighbor and another friend who helped us load him into the truck. Kruizenga’s Archery weighed him after field dressing at 222 pound. The Plainwell DNR Office aged him at 6 ½ years old with a possibility of being 7 ½.
On January 10, 2010 he was panel scored by three senior measurers of Commemorative Bucks of Michigan and a Boone and Crockett measurer, his official net score is 160 5/8”. We currently hold the Michigan Women’s Crossbow Typical record.
My fondest memories of this buck will be the time I spent that day with my youngest daughter, having her with me to share the wait and then his recovery. I will never forget our laughter at not being able to get him into the truck and our time together while we showed him to relatives and close hunting buddies. Those will be my most treasured memories of this buck.
the deer pole looked beter in the Great Depression than it does now
.
.
2009 was a rough year for many. The economic woes of high unemployment, recession, and the overall environment has left us all feeling like 2009 was a bust. The deer season has come to a close in the same fashion as everything else this year. I am curious to see what the DNR reports as the season results. My local observations were that it was a very trying season for most. There are some big deer around the state (proof is in the Big Buck forum), but my overall belief is that the deer herd is shrinking. Hopefully I am wrong , but I have talked to several hunters that feel the same.
Attached is a letter from one of the site administrators. Please leave your comments and feedback…
Friends,
Please take a look at my suggestions I have summarized from all of our discussions and frustrations over the last couple of years. I think we need to attend a couple of these MDNR/NRC Open Deer Hunting Forums to voice our opinions.
Let me know what you think…
2010 Michigan Whitetail Deer Mgt Suggestions for MDNR: Prepared by Michael Bobay, Avid Deer Hunter
Situation: In my opinion the current mgt practices of the Michigan Deer Herd are yielding disappointing results. In 1996, the sportsmen men and women of the State of Michigan voted Proposal G in order to scientifically manage the state’s Natural Resources. I believe Michigan’s current deer hunting regulations are NOT yielding the results for the improvement of the deer herd. Buck to doe ratios in many parts of the state are way out of balance, in some places 20 to 1 or 10 to 1. I believe are goal should be 1-Buck to 3-Does or better. This would balance the deer herd to the carrying capacity of the land. Goals: Farmland: 35 per square mile, forested: less than 25 per square mile. I believe adopting some of the Quality Deer Management Practices in our Deer Hunting Regulations would help accomplish these goals.
Opportunities: Michigan should be a North American destination for Deer Hunting, our deer herd population and genetics can compete with any state in the union. All we need is some modern deer hunting mgt practices implemented, to show the true potential of the Michigan deer herd. We need to balance the deer harvest between bucks and does to attain the buck to doe ratio and carrying capacity deer density goals. In just 2-3 years of implementing the suggestions below, Deer Hunters in Michigan would see a vast improvement in daytime deer movement and rutting behavior activity. All which would improve the outdoor deer hunting experience and hunter satisfaction.
Suggestions:
1. Go back to a 1-Buck Kill Rule Per Hunter Per Year.
2. All Bucks Must have at least 4-points on 1 side for harvest.
3. Combo licenses are good for 1 buck and 1 doe, anywhere in the state of Michigan Public or Private land.
4. Issue additional antlerless permits as needed to accomplish harvest goals in high deer density areas like Southern Michigan and DMU 452.
5. Single purchase buck tags, Buck must have at least 4-points on 1-side.
6. Either Ban Baiting State-wide or allow the limited 2-gallons of bait statewide. All or nothing.
7. Improve the deer harvest self, volunteer, and mandatory registration process to attain more accurate harvest records.
A couple friends of mine sent me emails with their opinion for Whitetail hunting throughout the rest of the country – see if you concur.
Anyone watched this episode yet? What a Joke!
10 Best Whitetail Desinations according to the Outdoor Channel Experts? Who are these idiots? What critera did they use, never was explained.
1. Texas
2. Illinois
3. AB/SK, Canada
4. KS
5. CO, No way in hell, less that 15,000 Whitetail deer is the whole state?
6. WY, Same as CO, not enough Whitetail to be a contender.
7. MT
8. MI, Won’t make my top 10, poor quality deer mgt practices.
9. OK
10. Iowa
Deerslayer’s Top Deer Huntin’ Destinations:
1. AB/SK, Canada: The next World Record 300+ Pound Monster, will come from here.
2. Iowa: Kisky, Drury, or Tiffany Lakosky Farms are all I have to say about that!
3. Illinois: Pike County Triangle is Spectacular, more P&Y kills in last 10-years, then any where.
4. Wisconsin: More B&C and P&Y taken than any where else on earth, Buffalo County Baby!
5. Texas: They grow them big here, birth place of Trophy Deer Mgt.
6. Kansas: Coming on strong last 10-15 years, great genentics and habitat.
7. Montana: that Milk River Valley is anazing deer country.
8. Minnesota: Across the river from Wisconsim continuation of great deer huntin’ territory.
9. MB/ON: Big Woods, Big Bodied Mature Bucks, Sleeper area.
10. Okalahoma, another Sleeper, very similar to Texas Huntin’.
Runners Up:
11. Ohio: Big Bucks and Buckeyes, I hate the Crimson RED state, GO BLUE!
12. Indiana: Another unknown sleeper, this state can produce 150+ Monsters.
MI Grand Slam’s comments:
Not sure I agree with the list too much. Here are my thoughts………..
MI is fair to poor at best. Deer mgt sucks. Too many hunters and issued tags.
SK & AB are too commericalized theses days. Was great in the late 80′s and 90′s. Was there did that.
TX…overrated…..all ranch hunting over bait piles……………been there did that.
MT…great place to hunt. Just not enough Whitetails and getting very commericialized in recent years. Been there did that.
WY….same as MT. Been there did that.
KS….The best place I have ever hunted whitetails with a stick & string………getting very commericalized and expensive.
OH…..hidden gem….getting much more attention these days.
IL & IN……great whitetail states. IL is very commericialized & can be costly.
This year has been extremely tough for me to get out for the “Late” season. With the everyday run around and extra chaos from the holidays, I have only found myself in the woods a few times. Since the rut is over (did it EVER happen), the deer are going into the winter conservation mode. I will have a chance tomorrow to get out, hopefully I will be able to let the air out of one.
If I do… I will be donating the meat to a needy family. If you already have venison in the freezer, you might want to do the same.
Hello to all,
I am new here. I would appreciate any help to get to the right places on any forums. I live in Leelanau County and have the priviledge of QDM…let me tell you..it works!!! We all know that Michigan’s deer hunting has been in trouble for years. I have been to many DNR meetings and it seems like the hunters are talking to the wind. Next year Michigan will be getting a new governor. I am looking for input to get a large enough organization of people to have our new governor make the 9 commissioner positions on the DNR an elected position instead of 9 bureaucrats that are being controlled by lobbyists from the insurance companies instead of listening to what Michigan sportsmen want. The only way we will get anywhere is if they realize we are after their job. Please give me as much input as you possibly can (either here or email me doodoctor@hotmail.com ).
Please feel free to comment (anonymously) here, or login into the forums and post your thoughts.
With only 82 days remaining before October 1st is here, it is really important to make the most of every day. I am finally caught up on all of the “To-Do’s”, so I am going to start tuning my bow and hitting the weekend 3d shoots. Locally there are a few clubs that I try yo shoot at through the summer…
