I've personally suggested a traditional only bow week for early September to the DNR and NRC. I've also suggested that there's no reason archery season shouldn't open here on Sept. 1, even if antlerless only Sept. 1-Sept. 30.
Oddly enough, it's some bowhunters that complain about that suggestion. They say it's too hot or fawns have spots. But I say "don't go if you don't want to, but don't stand in the way of those who would take advantage of September bowhunting.
States south of us, like Ohio and Kentucky, which are much warmer in Sept. open in early Sept. and their fawns are small too. Those states have no problems with September hunting.
As far as the hunting, that all depends where you're at.
The guys not seeing deer are typically northern public hunters and they stick to their familiar grounds. But what's happened is, by design, northern herds have been reduced due to the TB threat and that northern forests have matured and can't support large populations without massive timbering.
People remember the NLP and UP public land from 20-30 years ago, when the forest was 20-30 years younger. Now, much of the northern public land has passed the treshold to where it isn't very good deer habitat anymore. The UP deer crash in the 1990's marked the end of the UP heyday and will never rebound to past glory, unless of course Grand Rapids becomes the furniture capital of the USA again and we cut the whole north down. But we know that won't happen.
I'm in the central NLP. Newaygo county, to be exact. My hunting is better than it's ever been. But I've done some pretty substantial habitat improvements at our place. We timbered 80% of it in stages over the past 15 years and planted some 80,000 trees. We're passing yearling bucks and taking reasonable numbers of doe's.
What once was an area with only scrub spikes and forks is now producing some very respectable northern Michigan bucks. I "truck" scouted at daybreak yesterday and saw 3 really good bucks. My neighbor is a cop and on patrol, he's seen a couple bucks that are what you'd think is more like Iowa, than northern Michigan.
The NLP and UP will never again have the deer numbers of the 1980's and 90's. The DNR won't allow that to ever happen again, and frankly, the habitat won't allow for it anymore either. Winter in poor habitat will make any boom a bust in 2-3 years.
For some, QDM are dirty letters. All I can say is that it's made my hunting experience in the NLP better than I ever could have dreamed. Not only that, since I do habitat projects 12 months a year, the "season" never ends for me. To be honest, I think I enjoy doing the habitat improvement part more than the hunt itself. Seeing all the lush browse and thick bedding area's I created, and the healthier herd, gives me a higher satisfaction than killing a nice buck.
My suggestion to a group of guys that hunt northern public land would be to get together and buy some land up north. With the auto biz being what it is, tons of great hunting land is for sale "up north" and for cheap, by normal standards. Partners are always tough, but some type of incorporated club with 10-20 members is something a trad club should look into, if hunting northern public land was what they were used to.
If a trad club got 20 guys together, they could buy a couple hundred acres and have membership due's to cover all expenses and taxes. Limit hunting to paying members and kids of members. Then totally improve the habitat via the chainsaw.
This is just an example, but this is how northern public land hunters will need to think in the future if they wish to see more deer.
The reason is, the northern forest has finally outgrown the timber boom of the past, that made northern Michigan once the envy of the nation for deer hunting. Once thick poplar second cuts are now wide open aspen forests with 15-20" diameter aspens where you can see 200 yards.
Until those forests get cut, the north will remain a shadow of it's former glory, other than private owners that take the path that I did and work your tail off to improve the habitat.
Topic: Really? (Read 3561 times)
