What are you all using instead of farm logs? All I need is rain tracking data to keep my tree plantings alive on my property 4 hours away.
Something similar to farm logs would be awesome.
Thanks.

If planting oats as nurse crop, It is my understanding that in order to get good soil contact I will need to work the soil.

At this point, my best option for working the soil is going to be to use my walk behind garden tiller. I was able to grow the clover by simply broadcasting the seeds after spraying and killing the existing weeds and grasses.

Secondly, will spring planted oats hang on through summer and into fall, assuming we have average or better rainfall?

Go for it, things will grow.

I am just getting started myself.

I have a small area that has been mowed previously, approximately 1/4-1/2 acre. The deer have always used this opening, since I am in a Big Woods setting, most opening and edge habitat attract deer. There is zero agriculture anywhere.

The soil is HEAVY clay, there is a decent layer of organic matter/top soil from years of mowing. Last year I sprayed and planted a test area with clover and chicory to see if anything would actually grow. It grew very well!

I started spreading lime last year and plan on killing and planting the entire thing this spring.

My question is, Where do you purchase pelletized lime in bulk? I’d assume a local COOP/farm supplier.

Are you buying 50# bags of pelletized lime? What is a reasonable price expectation for pelletized lime?

Thanks for your inputs.

scout, scout, scout, scout…..dig in and do some research on how to really effectively and efficiently scout.

Post season and in season scouting are key. Typically I do most of my post season scouting late winter/early spring when there isn’t a lot of snowfall, but prior to green up.

On public I concentrate on bedding areas, for both does and bucks. When there is no snow you will be able to determine bedding that is from last fall.

Winter bedding is often often times going to be different, depending on terrain/cover. Rut bedding is often different than early season, there is a lot of nuance, so take your time, don’t get overwhelmed.

Determine what winds deer are using the bedding areas, this will help determine your entry and exit routes, and when to hunt these spots, where to hang your stand.

GPS or ONX is really important and helpful. ONX is awesome!

Don’t overlook hunting from the ground, often times, the places I hunt there are not trees big enough to hang my lone wolf, hunting from the ground within a natural blind/cover is my only option.

Stay mobile and look for human sign and avoid the human sign.

Personally, I stay a LONG ways from agricultural food sources, these public land spots that stick out like a sore thumb on the map/satellite are going to attract everyone. Learn and look for natural food sources/staging near bedding areas that deer will be using in day light hours. Oaks(acorns), young maples, maple leaves on the ground, dogwood, etc….deer move a LONG ways after dark to hit agricultural food sources. look at Large cat tail marshes, swamps, tamarack swamps, etc….

“going in deep” is very popular now. Overlooked spots do exist, so stay observant at all times, you never know when you will find secret hidy hole. It is amazing how many buck beds overlook parking areas and human trails.

I love hunting public land because it lets me hunt VERY aggressively, I am not worried about bumping deer. I go in for the kill, if I screw up, I hunt another spot. The key is to scout a heck of a lot more than you actually hunt and to have a lot of places to hunt.

Here are couple of good videos, there are a lot more comprehensive videos that will provide lots of info about scouting public grounds.

Good luck and have fun!

scouting:

Kill after scouting, follow up video:

Tent camping at Birchdale is great if you have the correct gear, if you do not it would be cold and miserable. In my younger days I was lucky enough to camp and fish from the time the river opened until it muddied up!
My set up included a large(cheap) dome tent, cot, heat source, and a good down sleeping bag, with an additional oversized sleeping bag.
I’d take the “chill” out before going to sleep and when getting dressed in the morning. This set up was great to very cold overnight temps.

As for fishing plastics, pitch em or drag up stream. Unlike some river systems, you can fish a fairly heavy jig.
I’m not going to get to go this year as we are expecting a new baby the beginning of April. I will have to live vicariously through everyone here. Have fun!

Central MN, between Brainerd and Garrison. Lots of action in our woods this morning. Saw 10-12 deer this morning, 8 antlerless, 3-4 bucks. Most everyone in our group had good action.
5 deer were harvested, 3 bucks and 2 does.
Deer are quartered and cooling. 73 degrees is too warm!
It has been dead quiet since 11:00 AM.
It was a much better morning than anticipated!
Have safe and enjoyable hunt everyone!

Stoney point is great! Centrally located, both fishing spots and to Walker if you need provisions of some sort.

The campground has 2 small protected harbors and all of the amenities you stated.

I was just there 2 weeks ago, and have stayed there countless times in the past. I’d recommend reserving a campsite in advance.

Natural colors, white with red and silver accents are always a good clear water option.

I meant lightweight, 1/8 or 1/16 oz. Long lined or pitched, tip it with a gulp or trigger x minnow.

Worth a shot.

Dragging Light hair jigs has been productive for me on past openers.

deertracker wrote:

If you need 5 shots to hit a deer you need to stop shooting at that one because you don’t have an ethical shot.
DT

EXACTLY! I Can’t believe how many times I hear the multiple shot volleys. Typically, if you need to shoot more than twice you probably are taking a shot you shouldn’t.

I agree, running shots are not ethical.

Having just gone through this about 6 months ago, I highly recommend going to a reputable bow shop!

If you are ready to buy it may not hurt to call ahead to the shop and be sure they aren’t short staffed or too busy to give you the attention you will need. Give them your budget and allow plenty of time! I think I spent about 3+ hours at the shop when I purchased my bow, I shot quite few comps as well, above and below my budget before I setts on the Mission Ballistic.

I went to a new bow shop this afternoon that was highly recommended. It was determined immediately upon setting my anchor point that my original draw length was 1/2 inch too long.

I had always suspected that I may have been set up a bit too long, but it never really effected my shooting with field points. With this being my first bow I had no previous frame of reference to fall back on and I was very pleased with the groups I was shooting.

Joe I tried the adjustment test and it definitely helped bring the mechanical broad head down as it was still shooting a little higher than my field points.

I feel much better now that I know, my inconsistency was caused by my bad technique/torque and not bow tuning issues.

Thanks for everyone’s help!

I have had my eye on the g5 squaring tool, seems like a very worthwhile investment.

I think I am going to try a different shop, consider different broadheads.

My current concern is the wild iinconsistency of the mechanical heads I’ve been shooting.

I assumed I would have to try a couple of different options of broadheads, it is just discouraging that the mechanical broadheads aren’t really even grouping. They are all over the place.

Thanks again for everyone’s help.

Thank you very much for the advice. I have been shooting 100 grain field tips, so that’s not the issue, I wish it was that simple.

I shot again tonight with the mechanical broad heads, they are really inconsistent, spraying both high and low. I’m not even missing in consistent groups, they seem to sail every which way. I shot from both 20 and 30 yards.

I am still getting good consistent groups out to 40 yards with my field tips.
Unfortunately, the mechanical broadheads I chose are very long and not the lowest profile.
I probably could be starting with a more forgiving mechanical broadhead.
I am wondering if I don’t have spine issues, perhaps a stiffer arrow could help?

I will have to try letting off the lower limb bolt slightly as recommended to see if that helps at all. Unfortunately my rest is attached to the lower limb so I am not sure how much I can let off without other side affects.

I’m really trying to avoid spending additional money on mechanical broad heads to compensate for a poorly tuned bow. I would actually like to be able to shoot fixed blade broadheads someday as well once I get more experienced and knowledgeable of my bow.
Do I have unrealistic expectations of the performance of my bow, it has been my understanding a truly dialed in bow could shoot multiple broad heads well.

I realize my technique could be causing some inconsistencies, but I don’t think it could be that bad.

Are there any bow shops that could be of any asistance? The shop I have been using thus far has been great, but just reinforced that with the paper tuning and a set of mechanical broad heads all I should have to worry about is sighting in and adjusting my pins.

Thanks again.

We have tons of acorns in Northern WI, my neck of the woods seems to be largely dominated by White Oaks which produce and drop acorns every year.

If I remember correctly Red Oaks produce acorns in a two year cycle…if your area has a mix of Red and White oaks that could help explain the lack of acorns.

The deer have been absolutely hammering the acorns since the end of August!

I was outon Madeline over the weekend…lot’s of ice still. I would consider it fisabled, just going to depend on where the ice is at any given time.
There are still some big chunks floating around out there and.more than I had anticipated.
I left the boat at home this trip and sure glad I did.
Sure was warm!

During that time of year shore fishing on “the island” is pretty limited.
Most of the fishing activity is off shore, but it is always worth a shot.

The Ice road approach during low light periods may yield a fish if temps are right, the marina entrance may be another possibility.
Both of these locations are better early and late in the season, but brown trout show up from time to time.
The “lagoon” at the town park can yield some fun pike fishing from a canoe, they rent canoes and kayaks on the premise.
If the channel is open to the lake there is chance at a giant Lake Superior pike.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I used to work and live on madeline and stil get up there quite often.
I also have a friend who guides both lake trout and smallies from Madeline in his Ranger, If that is of any interest I’d be happy to share his contact info.

August is the best time of year to visit Madeline!

Very sorry for your loss, I have a border collie/mystery mix at home as well. Looks like cosmo had as good a life as any retriever could wish for.

What do you recomend for deer feed? I am of the understanding it takes deer quite some time to adjust to different food types. Are there deer pellets or other high protein feeds that they are able to metabolize and benefit from while eating natural browse.

Is it also critical to maintain these feeders consistantly as this would now be primary food source or can deer eat maintain a diet of feed and browse successfully.

I wanted to get some feed out on our property on madeline Island but haven’t done so yet as I didn’t want to do harm.

Any feed recomendations for an area with zero agricultural land and all hardwoods?
Thanks for your help.
Cam

The Lund Pike from the 70’s are good solid boats that are small enough for ease of handling, but deep enough for big water. My first boat was a 1975 of this type w/ a 50 H.P. tiller. Think I paid a bit over $2000 for it 12-13 yrs ago.
Simplicity is bliss! 14-16 ft boats with something around a 25 h.p. motor should be within your range. I think fall is the best time for used boat shopping w/ this time of year being second best.
I second what Mike said about trailer, check for any craks or weak spots that may cause problems down the road. Nothing worse than being sidelined w/ a perfectly good boat because of trailer problems.
Good luck.

Nice reports guys! I still need to replace my lower unit from a mishap I had on lake Superior this summer. This is the time of year I wait all summer for, really starting to miss the river. I may be looking for an open seat to fill in the near future, I have everything needed and willingness to fish into the wee hours of the morning.
Enjoy those nights out there and be safe!

If I had a smoker i ‘d have at it just like that…Looks great!

As stated pork shoulder, Bone in, aka boston butt, only cut to use.
As of late I have been brining my BBQ as it gets an even distribution of flavor and salt throughout entire cut of meat, you can even add a bit of liquid smoke to brine if you want to simplify process and lessen or skip smoking the meat. I brine, dry and then rub with a SALT LESS rub, as I like the crust you get from the rub, this isn’t necessary, just my personal preferance.

To cook I’ll “blast” with smoke for a 1/2 hour or more on grill, continually reloading chips, to add a lot of quick smoke flavor. I then finish in the oven at 300 covered until it pulls apart easily. You could also finish in a crock pot.
Alow meat to rest and cool before “pulling” Strain excess liquid, allow to cool. Once this is cool you can skim the fat and what you’ll be left with is super concentrated pork jelly that can be added or used to make BBQ sace or just mix in with the meat.

I am a huge fan of brining any white meats for roasting, you can use the same basic ratio of salt/water/sugar(sweet) and add flavors as you like.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Enjoy!

The south channel starting at long Island is a good place to start, if by yourself run a rigger down on the bottom and two boards at varying depths. 60 – 100 F.O.W.

The flats, east of Madeline, all the way out to the fish boundary line is a great place to get a limit of eater laketrout, I’d run two riggers there right on bottom, 90-120 F.O.W. If you have any flashers/fly run one of those and a spoon on the other, the fish will tell you what they want.

I’ve been up twice this year thus far, 4th of July and last week, a few steelies, and some coho and kings in the area, should only get better as things cool.

Glow green spoons and white or pearl glo flashers with flies or spin n’ glows are my standard deep lake trout patterns I start with, if those aren’t firing, I change.

I typically like flashers near sand/flats and spoons over rock.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I am more than happy to help.

You should be able to find some fish given the cool season we are having.

What type of boat are you running and have you ever fished up there before?

I fish off of Madeline in a 16Ft. lund with 50 hp Yamaha no problem. I’ll shoot you a P.M. with specifics once i know what you knowabout the area so i know how specific I should be.
Also a buddy of mine guides for smallies and Lakers off of Madeline in a Ranger 621, it’s a great way to go fish Outer Island for trophy caliber lakers, it’s about a 25-30 mile boat ride from Madeline. His name is Capt. Josh Huff, (Hook N’ Fin Charter Co.)

I absolutely love fishing up there amongst the Islands, it’s a very unique experience for the midwest.

There can be behemoth pike in the lagoon at the town park, accesible via canoe or kayak, both available for rent on site. lake trout Spoons casted work great for the pike.

The wind is always the biggest factor as fall approaches.

Get a good systemic that you apply in the early spring and fall, once they are on the tree it is too late. Last year we applied a systemic in the spring and sprayed those that were around and our apple tree was fine.

Thanks for your help, I’ll let you know how it goes.
I am looking forward to fishing a smaller out of the way body of water, than the normal big lakes and busy river I spend most of the season on.
Thanks again,
Cam

A.J.
I know this is the Vermilion forum, but wondering what your thoughts are on Echo lake? I’ll be camping there next weekend, I’ve done basic research of the lake, just haven’t talked to anybody that has fished it before, looks like a nice lake. There are so many great options to fish up there i don’t want to waste my time on one of the lesser lakes in the area.

Any info is appreciated.
Thanks

I’d bring the great lakes gear, trout bite is typically solid that time frame. The big lake is typically more user friendly that time of year.
A guy can walleye, bass, and panfish on inland waters anywhere in the midwest, but fishing amongst the Apostle Islands is an awesome experience all of its’ own.

Watch the wind forecasts closely, get out early in the morning, be safe and have fun!

We have a border collie mix, herding dogs NEED to work. When she was a puppie we questioned if we could handle her. With time we found a routine that kept her happy and healthy. Walks really don’t satisfy her need to work, they really are for my wife and I.
The addition of a second dog definately helped us and our border collies sanity. The combination of play and fetch is perfect.

Now as she approaches 3 years old it has definately gotten very manageable and i wouldn’t trade her for any other dog.