Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

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CEG017
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Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby CEG017 » Tue Nov 02, 2021 3:09 pm

Going into this season as my first season ever hunting public land I admit that my expectations weren't super high. I was looking for a challenge and boy did I find one (Still loving it).
I feel like I am learning something new every time I go out but I do admit that I am having a hard time seeing deer. The goal for this year was not to target bucks but to just find deer as I only recent moved to S/E Wisconsin. I think I have done well in avoiding other hunters as I have gone out many times since the opener and have only encountered a couple of other hunters. I have actually spent a lot more time scouting this year than hunting and I am doing my best to focus on what I think is hot sign. One thing I still think I am learning is the definition of hot sign for this area I am in of S/E Wisconsin. The majority of the time I stillhunt & scout through areas and only setup if I think its worth my time. The main things I am looking for are tracks, beds, rubs, scrapes, bedding, transitions, and food sources. Even though I only setup in places that I am fairly confident in and with the right wind, it is pretty rare that I see deer (Not me complaining, just reflecting).

My questions here for everyone are: Is it time for me to get more aggressive and walk until I actually find the deer? Am I misinterpreting the sign I am seeing as night time or non active? Does anyone have any advice about this area of Wisconsin (Not asking for spots, just trying to learn more about the area)? How can you tell the age of sign in wet areas?


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Kraftd
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby Kraftd » Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:27 am

Not sure exactly what part of se wi you’re in but far southeast has less deer per square mile
In the north woods in many areas. Big populations, fairly limited land and they did a number on the herds with unlimited CWD tags for years spells low deer numbers. Not seeing deer that often is the norm in my experience. I just keep scouting and trying. It really helps to be able to stack hunting days in areas. Otherwise if you scout and can’t get back for a few days sign doesn’t stay hot for long. To me fresh tracks by bedding are number 1 for sign.

I’m season scouting, which seems to be what you’re doing, is key, IMO. Keep at it and you’ll start to increase your sightings but not likely to get to multiple deer every sit from what I’ve seen.
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szwampdonkey
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Thu Nov 04, 2021 12:55 pm

As a veteran SE WI hunter i’ll just say that if you’re seeing a lot of great sign but no deer and that sign is in areas you were easily able to access without much effort outside of just hiking you’re likely hunting sign made at night. During shooting light the deer are elsewhere or honestly, they would be dead on most SE WI public.

I’ve learned to avoid other hunters, readily accessible, easily found on the map areas like the plague. No joke, i find a nice spot and get bumped by a hunter, find a trail cam, stand, etc i won’t come back. At least this year i won’t. I’m forever looking for places without faces or foot prints. You find those and you’ll find the deer making all that sign you’ve been hunting. When you find that sign don’t even remotely think about hunting right over it. Instead stand there and think to yourself, “where is he right now” and then hunt as close to where you think that might be.

Good luck, they ARE out there.
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby CEG017 » Fri Nov 05, 2021 2:15 am

What would everyone reccomend for the situation? Do I need to get even more aggressive and dive in untiI physically bump deer? Or do I need to reevaluate the areas I am going to to really get away from other hunters?

Any insight is appreciated!
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szwampdonkey
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Fri Nov 05, 2021 2:24 am

CEG017 wrote:What would everyone reccomend for the situation? Do I need to get even more aggressive and dive in untiI physically bump deer? Or do I need to reevaluate the areas I am going to to really get away from other hunters?

Any insight is appreciated!


Be more aggressive and get closer to wear you think they’re bedding. You shouldn’t intentionally bump deer but if you do you know you’re getting closer to the areas you should actually be setting up so you can catch them on their feet during daylight. It’s no fun hunting sign made at midnight.
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby walleyeralph » Wed Nov 10, 2021 3:05 am

I might be able to help some. Southeast wis, where, south, north or west of milwaukee.
CEG017
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby CEG017 » Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:42 am

I am located North west of Milwaukee and hunt primarily in that area at the moment.
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby ihookem » Thu Nov 11, 2021 2:16 pm

If you are hunting in the hardwoods, you are likely in the wrong spots . You need to head for thick cover. Where I hunt , it is high grass and cattail type areas. You dont have to go far back, you just need to remember that for some reason, most hunters don't like water and high grass. You will no doubt get better every year. I have 3 areas of a piece of public land that is about 7,000 ac. . I narrowed it down to 3 ,300 ac. areas . The rest you can have. If you are not seeing deer, you are hunting where others are if there is a lot of deer sign. I have scouted well over 100 miles of this land in the last 6 yrs. My best spot is 100 yds from a hwy. No one seems to hunt it and I see deer there more than any spot. You will start to see more deer, however, my avr. is seeing deer every three times out so if you see deer , or a deer 1 in 3 you are doing as good as me. However , I have been seeing deer almost every time out this week. I have gone 13 times without seeing a deer, but that was early in the season. Find deer beds in high grass and you will likely see more deer. Few hunt high grass cause you can hardly see them unless they are 30 yds. away. I saw a buck tonight , only cause I looked behind me to stretch my back. They can be very close and not see them.
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby CEG017 » Thu Nov 11, 2021 2:35 pm

ihookem wrote:If you are hunting in the hardwoods, you are likely in the wrong spots . You need to head for thick cover. Where I hunt , it is high grass and cattail type areas. You dont have to go far back, you just need to remember that for some reason, most hunters don't like water and high grass. You will no doubt get better every year. I have 3 areas of a piece of public land that is about 7,000 ac. . I narrowed it down to 3 ,300 ac. areas . The rest you can have. If you are not seeing deer, you are hunting where others are if there is a lot of deer sign. I have scouted well over 100 miles of this land in the last 6 yrs. My best spot is 100 yds from a hwy. No one seems to hunt it and I see deer there more than any spot. You will start to see more deer, however, my avr. is seeing deer every three times out so if you see deer , or a deer 1 in 3 you are doing as good as me. However , I have been seeing deer almost every time out this week. I have gone 13 times without seeing a deer, but that was early in the season. Find deer beds in high grass and you will likely see more deer. Few hunt high grass cause you can hardly see them unless they are 30 yds. away. I saw a buck tonight , only cause I looked behind me to stretch my back. They can be very close and not see them.



I am definitely doing my best to steer clear of the hardwoods and areas I see other hunters. I think I do need to do more scouting in wet areas though and learn to read the sign I find in it. One thing you mentioned caught my attention. You said that areas with a lot of sign will most likely be hunted by others. So does that mean you are hunting areas with not as much sign as its over looked by other hunters or are you looking for a different kind of sign to know you are on the right track?
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby WIswampdweller20 » Thu Nov 11, 2021 3:48 pm

I feel your pain on this subject and don’t claim to know it all, but I have been hunting public exclusively for about 25 years and one thing that vexed me earlier on is the lack of consistent patterns in the short term for general deer movement. Pressure and other factors such as competition and varying food sources can necessitate deer alternating between multiple bedding locations, particularly with the does and younger bucks. My recommendation would be to look at the sign as a clue to work backwards from and consider yourself to be getting hotter as you identify this sign taking you through terrain features that funnel deer towards or away from obvious bedding or food sources, depending on the time of day you intend to hunt. Obviously for the savvier, more nocturnal members of the herd you’re going to want to favor bedding, but for general inventory purposes or even to get into some less selective hunting, concentrate on more general pinch points. Some examples include, a narrow strip of higher stem count or understory stretching out of thick vegetation and leading into or through any necessary to cross open area, a point of high ground that fades into thick meadow or wetland with dense cover on 3 sides, corners or fingers are always good in any type of terrain transition. Then I would start with some pulled back observation sits with high visibility. Think in terms of setting yourself up as if you had a rifle. This being said, not all pieces of public are created equally, but this too
can be subject to change on a given day, so if a sit or two with a long range vantage point of the prime land features in the area doesn’t help you to key in on the deer present, don’t be afraid to try elsewhere. If you are able to locate movement,
it’s just a matter of moving in closer for the kill at your next opportunity. The 1000 acre swamp I’ve done the majority of my hunting in can be hit or miss at different times of year depending on the status of crops over a mile away. Fortunately there’s a section closer, so that when I can identify the trend, I can pick up and move with the herd. Good luck!
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Re: Lessons Learned - S/E Wisconsin

Unread postby ihookem » Fri Nov 12, 2021 1:15 am

Yes, there are different kinds of sign. Hunters love to hunt over scrapes , but most that I see are in the hardwoods. That scrape was made at midnight likely. I look in marshy areas. If you are in marshy areas you will likely notice good trails through them, even in 1' of water. If there are big trees around , and downfalls you might even notice trails coming off like a spider web , or a maze of trails. Even in wet areas there are some dry spots, like an old downfall that sits a foot higher, or a big maple that has roots rising up out of the water. A deer will lay down right there with 4' marsh grass all over. You will be hard pressed to see them and they know it. You will likely see some packed down grass where its dry, and if you see any white hair, it is a dead giveaway its a deer hideout. I try to find some areas like that, found one yesterday going through the thick stuff and said to myself " par for the course , right in the marsh and much a deer finds a high spot just big enough to lay there. After a while you will know and identify spots like that just by driving down the road where they are. Few hunters will sit in there. They think deer dont go there but they do much more than hardwoods. I dont know if they always did this or if it has evolved from hunting pressure. SOmetimes the grass is so high it is hard to get a shot , so a little open spot is ideal, like 20' wide. Later. ihookem. I dont see much for buck rubs there. When it freezes up you will be able to go through that area after season ends on the ice like a walk in the park instead of 12" of muck. Then you can really scout it fast , easy and no one else there. When I walk by a scrape in the hardwoods, I just snicker with my quote"
" Big old buck is making mock scrapes at midnight to tease the hunters and keep them in the hardwoods."


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