Help me love deer hunting again

[Jigmasterflex]

I’ve hunted my entire life in Wisconsin and learned what I like and dislike about my home state. I live for duck hunting every fall here, it takes up a majority of my time until our November gun season with a little bowhunting snuck in between, I do a lot of winter squirrel and rabbit hunting after that. The common themes being that I can only stand passively hunting in small doses, despise bringing along anything that I don’t absolutely need and have an enormous tolerance for horrible terrain and zero tolerance for hunting pressure. Both duck and small game hunting fit right in and I’ve found niches where I can have plenty of success and a minimum of frustration. Deer hunting here is different, stand hunting public land is a boring gamble on either hunting where you know the deer will be or trying to anticipate where pressure will redirect them, usually your success or failure is evident in first couple hours of the opener, after that the deer become even more extraordinarily nocturnal. I have zero interest in the buy land, start food plots and check cameras game and while I have had good success driving deer I really would rather hunt solo. I have access to private land but the hunting equates to trading time for opportunities in the same routine areas and there’s really no more adventure left to it. If I took the time in late October and early November to hunt some of my big woods spots with a bow I would no doubt have better hunting but that time period is already spoken for with chasing ducks. I would love to entirely replace deer hunting here with an annual trip somewhere else. Ideally I’m looking for a place where I can put a lot of distance between myself and others through sheer effort and hunt with a minimum of equipment. Although the deer don’t need to be high scoring behemoths I would at least like a reasonable opportunity to target a mature deer. I want to be able to spot and stalk rather than jump shoot and I want to hunt entirely on public land. So far I’ve developed an interest in Montana and Kansas, I’d be as happy with a mule deer as a whitetail. As a 106% green western hunter I’m not expecting a ton of initial success but I’d at least like to go into the pursuit somewhat prepared. I’m looking for some help setting myself up with some practical and minimalistic gear and the basic skills I’ll need. I’ve never used binoculars, I’ve never quartered and packed out an animal, while I’m comfortable shooting deer to 250 yards most of my shooting has been inside of 100 and most importantly while I’ve done tons of still hunting but never stalked an animal I’ve actually spotted. I’m possibly the cheapest man on earth and have no interest in the cool factor of anything so while I want quality gear matching, name brand or even new gear is completely unimportant. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated and although there’s not much I can give in return I do have a good grasp on a unique approach of waterfowl hunting and a lifetime of fishing knowledge that I would be more than happy to share.

 

[wayoh22]

That's a pretty loaded ask. I'd browse the sub-forums and read around a bit. Ask specific questions in those sub-forums and use the search bar. No doubt that if you have a question on your mind, that someone has already asked it here. But to address some of it...

Welcome to public land. You'll never know what's out there till you have boots on the ground. What you put in is what you'll get out of it. Public land with no pressure? Good luck.

As for gear, you definitely don't have to spend a fortune to get out there but the basics are a starting place. Proper attire, food, shelter, optics, a way to get a harvest out...etc.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

Even out west you're going to be in pressure if it's on public. Hard to escape that. More people going deeper into the wilderness these days. And if it's not hunters it's other people recreating into there.

 

[Customweld]

I hate to say it, but you would probably see less people on your hunt in Wisconsin than 5 miles deep in public land out west. As said above, more folks are getting deeper and deeper into the woods these days. Both for hunting and recreation opportunities.

 

[Murphy]

Alaska is the answer. More pure adventure than anyone can find in a thousand lifetimes. You can run into other hunters but there is room to roam and escape others if you work at it.

 

[Glyn Ingram]

Probably not the answer to your question but how about doing some deer photography/videography? Similar level of hunting skills/challenge as bow hunting in terms of how close you need to be but no seasons etc? It might scratch the itch between hunts.

 

[FLAK]

I feel your pain. Lost my private land access earlier this year.
Gotta make some big changes.
Heck, I've already started fishing.

 

[manitou1]

Like stated above, you will be disappointed if you are driving 1600 miles to get away from crowds. I hunt public in Missouri and thought it was bad... but it is worse in WY in the 150 sq miles I hunt out there. You can find animals, but solitude has escaped us. I too, enjoy glassing, stalking more than sitting in stand though.

 

[fwafwow]

I would not worry about needing to exchange your knowledge for our input. As @wayoh22 said, I'd do some browsing and searches, and then consider re-writing your post. There is really a LOT in your post and it's hard, at least for me, to figure out exactly what you are asking - or a way to approach so many asks without more information. Maybe something like "I'd like suggestions on how to start learning about western rifle hunting for mule or white tail. I have the following basic equipment and I'm prepared to hunt and camp solo. My budget for travel and tags is $X." You probably would do better to pick one or the other (mule or WT), then watch some shows, read some articles, etc. If that still is of interest, then you will be able to narrow your questions.

 

[scfreeman66]

It's a tall task, but the rewards are many. I'm coming from Western PA and hunt mostly public here. We have high hunter density but relatively high success rates as well. A couple of buddies and myself started making an annual trip west for the adventure of it. We've found a couple areas that have very low pressure and have been successful in taking some animals. It's a steep learning curve and it took me some working overtime to get the initial equipment/gear necessary to survive out there. If you have the desire, do it. You won't regret it.

Sent from my moto g(7) optimo maxx(XT1955DL) using Tapatalk

 

[street]

Why do you want to love deer hunting again?

 

[Tjay]

Do a late season cow elk hunt n Wy. Just a look at it as a big deer.

 

[AZ8]

Paragraphs man, paragraphs!

wish I could help, but only got through a couple sentences! Good luck!

 

[kda082]

I’ll admit I didn’t read the entire post, but also a waterfowl and deer hunter. Before leasing I hunted archery public and pre rut there were no crowds. Hunt the rut for a week during archery and your free for waterfowl. How passionate you are chooses how much time and effort you put into it. Reading posts on this site I realize western hunting isn’t always the best way to get away from crowds.

 

[Customweld]

I’ll admit I didn’t read the entire post, but also a waterfowl and deer hunter. Before leasing I hunted archery public and pre rut there were no crowds. Hunt the rut for a week during archery and your free for waterfowl. How passionate you are chooses how much time and effort you put into it. Reading posts on this site I realize western hunting isn’t always the best way to get away from crowds.

You hit the nail on the head about crowds in the west kda. We all like to romanticize about getting away from the crowds and having our own "Private Idaho", so to speak. It's still possible to get away from most folks, but not all of them.

 

[huntnful]

Montana in Late November will get you hooked. Its cold as an MF and VERY few people are packed into the back country. The bucks are rutting and you can see 10+ bucks a day easy. I also spent 10 days there just doing 2-3 mile morning hikes to get to spots. Plenty of deer and very few people are willing to put on 2 miles up a mountain in the dark with a headlamp in 0 degree temps. I've also packed in 5-7 miles and seen nobody. Don't go to the most popular areas and you wont see a million people. Montana is loaded with roadless terrain. Use trails for access, but not for your end destination. Everyone and their brother can hike 5, 10, or even 15 miles down a trail. Climb the mountain next to the trail once you've gone like a mile in. Not many people want to climb 4000 feet straight up with 65lbs on their back. It's not about distance, it's about effort.

 

[Jigmasterflex]

Montana in Late November will get you hooked. Its cold as an MF and VERY few people are packed into the back country. The bucks are rutting and you can see 10+ bucks a day easy. I also spent 10 days there just doing 2-3 mile morning hikes to get to spots. Plenty of deer and very few people are willing to put on 2 miles up a mountain in the dark with a headlamp in 0 degree temps. I've also packed in 5-7 miles and seen nobody. Don't go to the most popular areas and you wont see a million people. Montana is loaded with roadless terrain. Use trails for access, but not for your end destination. Everyone and their brother can hike 5, 10, or even 15 miles down a trail. Climb the mountain next to the trail once you've gone like a mile in. Not many people want to climb 4000 feet straight up with 65lbs on their back. It's not about distance, it's about effort.

I’ve noticed the same thing in Wisconsin just in a different fashion. Trail miles or logging road miles don’t count for much, here the goal is usually to put water or thick regrowth between where the access is and where I want to hunt to break away vs using elevation to escape the crowds.
I definitely want to go late in November so hearing about that amount of activity then gives me more excitement for Montana. I just had back surgery so I’ve been digging through as much satellite imagery and mapping as I can handle. I’m just starting to wrap my head around BMA land, beyond just possibly having more land to access is there any edge to it over the usual state or BLM land? Is there anything particular to really look for? I’ve heard a lot about trying to ditch what I know about cover and bedding habitat and see the wide open areas as the good stuff. Is there much homework to do over a computer or is it all out the window when you physically get there?
Last question is in regards to the roads, I see tons of what looks like two tracks at best that are marked on maps, do people actually drive on these things??? If so it seems like most of what I was looking at is fairly accessible, I just can’t imagine taking a truck down them in the dark especially for the distances some of em seem to go.

 

[huntnful]

I’ve noticed the same thing in Wisconsin just in a different fashion. Trail miles or logging road miles don’t count for much, here the goal is usually to put water or thick regrowth between where the access is and where I want to hunt to break away vs using elevation to escape the crowds.
I definitely want to go late in November so hearing about that amount of activity then gives me more excitement for Montana. I just had back surgery so I’ve been digging through as much satellite imagery and mapping as I can handle. I’m just starting to wrap my head around BMA land, beyond just possibly having more land to access is there any edge to it over the usual state or BLM land? Is there anything particular to really look for? I’ve heard a lot about trying to ditch what I know about cover and bedding habitat and see the wide open areas as the good stuff. Is there much homework to do over a computer or is it all out the window when you physically get there?
Last question is in regards to the roads, I see tons of what looks like two tracks at best that are marked on maps, do people actually drive on these things??? If so it seems like most of what I was looking at is fairly accessible, I just can’t imagine taking a truck down them in the dark especially for the distances some of em seem to go.

I'll shoot ya pm, before I tell the world lol.

 

[jooleyen]

Du

I’ve hunted my entire life in Wisconsin and learned what I like and dislike about my home state. I live for duck hunting every fall here, it takes up a majority of my time until our November gun season with a little bowhunting snuck in between, I do a lot of winter squirrel and rabbit hunting after that. The common themes being that I can only stand passively hunting in small doses, despise bringing along anything that I don’t absolutely need and have an enormous tolerance for horrible terrain and zero tolerance for hunting pressure. Both duck and small game hunting fit right in and I’ve found niches where I can have plenty of success and a minimum of frustration. Deer hunting here is different, stand hunting public land is a boring gamble on either hunting where you know the deer will be or trying to anticipate where pressure will redirect them, usually your success or failure is evident in first couple hours of the opener, after that the deer become even more extraordinarily nocturnal. I have zero interest in the buy land, start food plots and check cameras game and while I have had good success driving deer I really would rather hunt solo. I have access to private land but the hunting equates to trading time for opportunities in the same routine areas and there’s really no more adventure left to it. If I took the time in late October and early November to hunt some of my big woods spots with a bow I would no doubt have better hunting but that time period is already spoken for with chasing ducks. I would love to entirely replace deer hunting here with an annual trip somewhere else. Ideally I’m looking for a place where I can put a lot of distance between myself and others through sheer effort and hunt with a minimum of equipment. Although the deer don’t need to be high scoring behemoths I would at least like a reasonable opportunity to target a mature deer. I want to be able to spot and stalk rather than jump shoot and I want to hunt entirely on public land. So far I’ve developed an interest in Montana and Kansas, I’d be as happy with a mule deer as a whitetail. As a 106% green western hunter I’m not expecting a ton of initial success but I’d at least like to go into the pursuit somewhat prepared. I’m looking for some help setting myself up with some practical and minimalistic gear and the basic skills I’ll need. I’ve never used binoculars, I’ve never quartered and packed out an animal, while I’m comfortable shooting deer to 250 yards most of my shooting has been inside of 100 and most importantly while I’ve done tons of still hunting but never stalked an animal I’ve actually spotted. I’m possibly the cheapest man on earth and have no interest in the cool factor of anything so while I want quality gear matching, name brand or even new gear is completely unimportant. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated and although there’s not much I can give in return I do have a good grasp on a unique approach of waterfowl hunting and a lifetime of fishing knowledge that I would be more than happy to share

Wisconsinite here. You sound just like me! My first year of deer hunting and you really nailed it with your explanation of opening day. I don’t know the good ole days so for me, this is them.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I was over deer hunting until I went on my first trip to SE Alaska for black tails, it was awesome, now I always want to go back.