This is my first year since 2014 not hunting in the gun hunt in wmu 47. Just wondering how the deer hunt was for the last 2 weeks?
Dustin
Printable View
This is my first year since 2014 not hunting in the gun hunt in wmu 47. Just wondering how the deer hunt was for the last 2 weeks?
Dustin
Our camp of 8 hunted the first week. We had 4 doe tags. We filled 1. We could of filled all of them, but most of us felt that the deer numbers have not improved enough. We were in the 20's for sightings, same as the last 2 years. Didnt see my first deer till I saw five on Thursday. We had no confirmed buck sightings this year, something we haven't seen since one year in the 90's. Bucks were making scrapes just about everywhere we hunt.
Weather was great, nice and cold. Down to 0°F and 3° Friday and Saturday mornings. The snow that came late Thursday afternoon made the deer show up the next morning in the form of tracks.
Wolves we feel are a major problem. Opening morning we heard a pack in hot pursuit at 10:15. Later in the day a camp member saw a single wolf. The snow showed there are wolves everywhere.
We saw moose Monday and Tuesday. One fellow had a small palmed bull and 2 cows pass by while he was watching a dam within a few yards. Another fellow saw a decent bull, and I had 2 cows near me. Saw a moose standing, couldn't see the head for branches at about 70 yards, then it moved and a second moose moves. The original came almost at me and stopped 40' from we when I made meh noises. Both were young cows.
Saw some bear sign, but nothing real fresh.
Saw other tracks in the snow. Had new dusting of snow for going home last Sunday. Cut tracks on our camp ridge, but as soon as we crossed our camp swamp, we never saw another deer track for the remaining 6 miles. Saw several wolf and 1 moose track near the road.
Talked to a couple camps. One had filled their 2 doe tags and got a 13 pointer. Next camp south had a 6 point and a doe, and had seen another small buck. Another camp got nothing.
Wonder if the Ministry should make a big cut on tags, from the 4000 they gave out this year.
Had a nice holiday
I've talked to a few people and they said the wolf population is vary healthy in 47. It would be nice if they lifted the tags and had an opened season all year. I'm headed up to the commanda area next weekend to go hare hunting. Hopefully we can put a few bunnies down. Thanks for the up date. Always like to here how things are going up there.Quote:
Originally Posted by cramadog2
Our camp of 7 , saw 3 deer on the Sunday of second week, There were several deer family's on our grounds. Does and fawns. When the snow came there was the odd track, by this time most of the guys had gone home.
There was quite a bit of moose sign, our old cow has a calf with her , again this year. The ministry could add a few bull tags , for next year.
The deer migration to the yard , hadn't started yet, just hunting local deer. Had a good time so that is really what it is all about any way. old243
Our group hunted the last 2 weekends in the Loring area, pushing and hiking a good distance each day. Finally saw our first tracks this past sunday on the last day after the snow fall. We were floored at the lack of sign in our area of just about everything. No moose, bear, deer, wolf, yote sign period. Might be time to find new grounds as ours seem to have dried up, so to speak.
WE did OK on deer, but worse than last year. Deer sign was present everywhere but was thin. The MNRF's ongoing practice of giving out WMU 47 doe tags like candy remains a mystery to me.
We also saw as many moose as ever (our moose sightings have not changed ever since moose became common in our area in the late 1970's) and sign was abundant. The absence of moose tags remains a mystery to me too.