North to Michigan Part III
 

The wife and I left yesterday morning for our bi-annual Michigan deer hunt. We drove a little over 900 miles yesterday and spent the night in Charleston, Illinois. Got there just in time for supper and and a bourbon night cap.
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Anyone that has traveled to hunt know the joys of getting in and out of the hotel.


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Good luck, safe travels!

In

What part of the state will you be hunting?
Good luck!


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We made it to Michigan this afternoon and our hosts did us right with the Texas and Cowboys flags flying.
We went out to look over our stands, and I got to watch the wife back over a little tree in the truck (she couldn’t see it in the backup camera)
One thing you notice while heading north is that as you pass farm land, corn fields etc., you don’t see many deer in the fields compared to when you drive through Texas. We saw 4 deer total from Missouri to Michigan.
Hunting is harder, we are hunting public land. First year I hunted 4 days and never saw a deer. The wife shot a nice old buck, weighing 180lbs. It was the only deer she saw. 2 years ago I hunted 4 days and saw 1 fawn, no one took a deer. I’ll post a picture of MaryLynn’s buck.
We will start in the morning. Sure would be nice to be done by Thursday!!
Time to try out some Michigan bourbon before we hit the sack. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...120f5e6dcd.jpg
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Will be following, dig reading about hunts in other areas, good luck.

Outside of South Haven

Thanks Bryan, got here about noon. All the bad weather forecasts have changed, it will be cold but snow storms are out.

Hope y’all took your fishing today.

You posted those pics about one minute before I just posted. Very good looking deer woods. Most of the leaves are still on the trees here in TX and not on the ground like where you are. :)

Enjoy that Michigan Bourbon, and I hope you will be using some of the remaining contents in a celebration drink soon. Good luck! ;)b

Good luck, I was in Jackson Michigan two weeks ago we hung a couple of sets on a lease property and I came close to killing a nice 11p he walked straight in to me, stoped and looked right up at and took a jump How ran out of there.

Even got the TTU game up here!
Wreck Em
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Looks like a good time in progress. Enjoy!!

The Brown Water isn’t bad! I would love nothing more than to be having a “I Got One” toast. It’s is so different than hunting in Texas, theses woods are THICK!

You were due East of us. Hope you get to go back and have another shot.

Don’t have enough bars to update anything while I’m hunting. Today was super slow, but typical for when I hunt up here. Hunted 2 different stands. The first one is supposed to be a good morning stand, the second one I hunted in the afternoon is supposed to be good all day. They aren’t to far apart, so I hunted both. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b6c6792f78.jpg
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Here’s a view from the morning stand. This place is thick, even if rifle hunting, your shots will be close. Saw 2 different kinds of woodpeckers, they are fun to watch. Also had these 2 squirrels playing chase. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...85ae812e1b.jpg
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Here is the scene from my afternoon hunt. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3a89d6733e.jpg
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Both stands have 2 shooting lanes. Nothing over 30 yards. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e24df32d8b.jpg
My wife is muzzleloader hunting about 1/4 mile away.
Sure hope someone sees something tomorrow. It drizzled a few hours this morning, got up to about 48. Tonight a front is supposed to blow in, chance of snow tomorrow and much colder.
Looks like the Cowboys luck is about as good as ours was today!


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I had an old friend from around Bellaire, lake Intermidiate area we became good friends by chance. He just loved to deer hunt.
I took him to our lease in the hill county for years and one year I bought him a spot on the lease.
He would say he would see more deer in one mornings hunt than 1-2 seasons in Michigan.
This spring will be 3 years since he passed away and I miss him all the time especially during deer season.
Good luck and I hope y’all get a big one.

Sorry to hear about your buddy, especially a hunting friend. I agree with his analogy, I’ve only seen one deer while hunting here, and I get about 4 full days worth of hunting and this is my third trip. I would just like to shoot a big bodied northern deer, one time.
Good luck to you this year as well!

It’s a tough time to hunt- gun season started nov 15th and is only two weeks long so everyone hits the woods hard and they have a lot of pressure in the past week.
Good luck


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Caught up on this one…best of luck to you and your Wife!


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Good luck man! Spent many night chasing coon dogs through those woods. P.s. clementine in south haven used to be a local favorite to grab some grub. Drive safe!

Those woods sure look promising, just a matter of time. Good luck to you and your wife, and thanks for taking us along. Very cool pics.

I am sure you are correct about the extra pressure from gun season, it doesn’t help the situation. I would love to be able to come and hunt here in October or first week of November, but until I retire, it isn’t an option. Until then, we will hunt hard and have fun.

Thank you!

I bet that is some tough hunting, especially at night, with all the thick brambles/ thorny vine like stuff that grows everywhere. It is a pain in the but walking through the woods because of that stuff.

Getting ready to head out for the day, supposed to be a high of 34 today, will be layered up! Had a front pass through last nigh with real high winds, hope the deer bedded down and will be up moving this morning. See y’all tonight.

Good luck

Best of luck today


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It's been a few years since I hunted MI, but I thought rifle season opened November 15 in Michigan?

I do like the woods up north, miss this time of year! Good luck, look forward to the rest of the posts.

Well same story as yesterday, except colder. Think the high was 34. Had a little snow early this morning. The wife and I did come in at noon for lunch, then headed back out about 2.
I did some research and found my ground cover nemesis is called Roundleaf Greenbriar. This stuff is everywhere and if you don’t pick up your feet, it can trip you.
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I guess tonight I will drown my sorrows, and think positive about tomorrow. Hope everyone who is hunting over the Thanksgiving break has good luck!
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I go the 29th through the 5th, I think next year I’m gonna go the end of bow week to 1st of gun week and still bow hunt.

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Nothing, again. It was a long day sitting listening to the leaves fall. Sounded like rain. Saw 3 doe on the way out, about a half mile from where I was hunting. Maybe there is hope. Tomorrow is the last day. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...48823914cf.jpg
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At least there was a nice sunset at the cabin to end the day. Saving my Michigan bourbon one more day.


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Hopefully tomorrow is the day!

Man I hope so, only thing not on the hit list is a fawn or young buck. id be happy with a doe, or even to see one walk by, even if out of bow range. Oh well, I know one thing, beats the hell out of being at work. This has been a great time to decompress and relax. Appreciate the encouragement!

Hang in there…good luck tomorrow!


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I live and hunt in Hamilton, mi, about 45 minutes from where you are. Good luck. First week of november is best week of the season for hunting. What public land are you hunting? I hunt private and some on the Allegan State Game Area.

We are actually in Pullman. I’m hunting on a farm area, my friends hunt club, I guess like a lease back home. And my wife is public land across the road from the club. She’s muzzle loader hunting, the hunt club land is bow only.


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Good luck tomorrow, but if you’re back at camp for the sunset, you’re leaving the woods way too early. I hunt the same type of woods here as you’re hunting up there. We kill more deer in the last 20-30 minutes of daylight than any other time of day.