Deer Camp 2023 - Part II - Deer Season Continues 

100%! Getting a big whitetail is difficult no matter where you are but it is extremely special to get it done in an area with few deer and scouting big woods funnels!

Thanks! I think my father in law had purchased one of those umbrellas but not sure if he used it. When it’s raining especially just above freezing it’s really miserable! Hope you guys had some luck this season!

Appreciate it! Always a good time at deer camp!

Thank you, agreed! It’s like Christmas!

Thanks! We do put a lot of time and effort into deer camp but it’s all worth it just to spend time in the outdoors! Thanks for watching!

Thanks! Always a good time when you get outside and enjoy the outdoors! Thanks for watching!

Yea, it’s been a few years but I’m hoping some mild winters will let the deer rebound.

That’s so awesome! Congrats on a successful hunt. I like the McGregor area. Lots of swamp and likely potential for nice deer. Certainly not the numbers as you likely had in the forest lake area but with a few mild winters you’ll be swimming in deer! Thanks for watching! Much appreciated! Here’s to hoping for more success next season. Also think g about getting into muzzleloader. I bow hunt but muzzleloader would be new to me

@@arrowheadangler yep Im muzzle hunting next year!! I have a muzzle hunting gun and also next October I'm retiring, I will be 67! My son is 45!

Amazing animals! Sometimes they are about the only things that keep you from getting down and going back to warm up at the cabin. I just enjoy sitting and taking in the nature around me whether it’s the red squirrels prepping for winter/breeding season, an occasional pine marten or fisher that strolls by or maybe even getting a glimpse of a red fox chasing some snowshoes, it never disappoints!

If we get a couple mild winters they’ll come back. Some pretty bad winters since 2013

Assuming Eric is my neighbor. His brother-in-law use to hunt up there but the camp has since moved on. Such low deer numbers and a lot of work to get into the place. Hoping the numbers come back soon. Fun times! Hope you guys had a good season!

The deer was in the first video. Just head to my page and find the deer camp 2023 video and you can see his buck. Thanks for watching! It is certainly a difficult camp to get to but that why we love it!

I have rattled before but no luck. I didn’t do any when I was younger and deer numbers were up. Likely would have been way more effective. I will say that I’ve seen some bigger bucks react to grunts. I’ll be looking into getting a few more enclosed stands on the property to stay out in the rain. Seems to me that rain is more and more frequent during the season.

Too good! Some people are great at tacking deer! I envy those folks in the northeast that are tracking masters. With so few deer sometimes it’s easier to go find them.

Thanks for the feedback!

Thank you. Always a good time at deer camp even if the deer do not want to cooperate.

Yeah, we’ve done all of the above. With the extremely low deer numbers it is really difficult. That said, this season I’ll give some rattling and grunting a try. I’ve utilized them a lot in the past with little to no success. We cannot use dogs. Currently the deer numbers in the area are 4-6 deer per square mile. Not very good odds. It’s tough country for them.

Yes fishing is really good at certain times of the year. Here’s to hoping for some Mild winters and get the deer numbers back.

There are no roads for at a minimum 15 miles. We actually stumbled upon the spot when we were scouting new area about 20 years ago. My brother, a friend and I came on what appears to be an old logging trail from the late 1800’s or early 1900’s when they logged. The trail never grew in and so it looked very out of place. It forever became known as the highway due to the large natural shooting lane.

It’s a doozie to get to but when it’s all you know, it doesn’t seem that bad.

Yes sir, it’s cartridges in a 300 savage. Was my grandfathers gun.

Appreciate it. I try to bring the whole experience to folks. Next season maybe a buck will come out and I’ll get a little more deer action! Definitely had the jumping the buck experience before and kicking myself since he was within shooting distance but I wasn’t paying attention. Hoping he makes it to next season!

Good point. One wrong slip into the water and we are gonners.

I’ve used them in the past. Always have a grunt call with me and try when I see deer. I’ve had zero luck rattling in deer but will give it shot next year as more than a couple of you have given me that tip. I’ll shake them up early morning on one of the beaver ponds and see what happens!

Sure is! It’s been a tough few seasons. Ever since the 2013 winter deer numbers have been extremely low.

Great question. We utilize wheelers as the walk out behind the cabin in some areas is 4+ miles. We typically parked the wheelers a good 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the hunter areas. I think due to the minimal pressure the deer do not seem to mind the wheeler traffic. In the 2020 video my brother Carl shot that big 10 pointer within an hour of 3 wheelers driving right past the stand. Across the lake we walk to the stands. We have a few spots that we walk over a mile to get to but they are good pinch points. One of the stands I went 9, 10, 8 in back to back to back seasons out of a stand I hike over a mile to. My profile picture is of the 10 I took out of that stand. Really utilize the wheelers just to cut down on walking multiple miles.

Thank you for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!

While I agree that wolves can be managed we haven’t seen much for wolves in the past 3-4 years likely because the deer numbers are so low. The biggest contributor to deer density in the northern states and Canada is Mother Nature. Cold wet springs can impact fawn survival as well as deep late snows of which my area has seen around 8 in the last decade or so. This is really what keeps deer populations from growing. I cannot speak to other areas but my family has been hunting this area since the 40’s and we’ve seen populations boom and bust. Also wolves have been in this area near voyageurs in good numbers for at least 50 years and deer have bounced back without issues in the past. That being said, for the sake of the resource and wolves in general I would like to see the season open again. I think the DNR can have a modest harvest and manage wolves similar to how we manage most furbearer’s in the state. Hopefully the federal govt can figure it out and lift protections so we can pressure the state to open a season. Currently out of the states control with the federal threatened listing of the gray wolf in the Midwest.

Thanks! Looks like your camp had a good time as well! Love watching the videos!

My second favorite part of the world! Awesome! How are the deer numbers where you are at. Guessing the long winters were tough on them. Atikokan use to have some nice deer but I haven’t seen anything come from there in some time.

Awesome! That is the homeland! My great grandparents migrated in from Sweden on my Dads side in the late 1890’s. Actually why the cabins are painted red with white trim! Someday I plan to visit. Do you guys hunt a lot over there? How is the fishing? I’ve seen picture of these giant perch from over there.

@@arrowheadangler Oh wow! That's cool! I'd say where I live in the countryside there are alot of hunters and hunting is pretty prevalent! No whitetails here though, but alot of roe deer and wild boars 😀 I live pretty close to a couple of lakes which kind of reminds me of the lake at your cabin. Lots of perch and pike!

Wild boar! Geez, keep those over that way. I’ve seen some significant sized boar being shot in states nearby and don’t think I want them running around. Are roe deer good table fare? I think the lake country in Minnesota looks very similar to areas in Sweden. Lots of rock, pines, and water!

@@arrowheadangler They can get really huge! Largest boar I've shot was about 130 kg, that's about 280 lbs. Roe deer are great eating, it's my absolute favorite animal to hunt and eat. I couldn't agree more!

Man, I’m going to have to try me some roe deer. Not all that familiar with them. Do you hunt them similar to how we hunt Whitetails or is it quite different?

We pull it up on shore and winterize the motor. Sometimes use thick rubber matting to put the toons on, considering a lift or pulley system too. It’s a work in progress for sure!

Ruffed grouse. It’s what’s for dinner!

Yes, calling works. I’ve given it a few tries. Also tried rattling but haven’t had any luck with this yet. Hopefully get a nice buck one of these years!

Yes the eagle statue is a memorial for Frank. Our good friends dad carved it with a chainsaw. We call it the highway due to when we found the area it appeared to be an old skidded trail that never grew back from the logging that occurred in the early 1900’s . There was literally a straight line through the woods and it was naturally called the highway. There have been a few nice bucks taken in this area. My brother shot a big 9 out of there. An old friend shot a big 8 and 10 from this stand as well.

@@arrowheadangler Thanks for the info. Good luck out there.

Thank you. I’ll be sure to post more. Glad you enjoyed them!

They sure do. Not much success but they give it a try. Very few deer in my area. 4-6 deer per square mile is about the average. Could be lower.

Yes we do use grunt tubes, especially when walking out to stands or still hunting. There’s very low deer density in this PA, so theres a lot of recreational grunting going on!

Oh it’s work every time. A lot of work. Every trip is a lot of work but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Deer or no deer it’s a lot of fun.

Shucks. Tough hunting when that happens wish we all had the luxury to pick our hunting weather!

Appreciate it! Lots of hard work but definitely worth the effort to have a piece of property all to yourself. Deer or no deer, it’s a fun time!

You bet!

Oh it sure is. Been a tradition since the 40’s. Some years we have good deer densities lately it’s been really low. Definitely need to brush up on my tracking. One issue I’ve had with tracking across the lake is there hasn’t been logging since the early 1900’s so the woods tend to be super thick. So difficult to hunt!