AFTER THE SMOKE CLEARS

###

Wisconsin has long been known for its deer hunting. It's a family tradition in many homes throughout the state and Vilas county is no exception. We don't get the numbers of hunters that we once got, nor can we claim to be in the top 10 per cent of the counties with the highest deer harvests. This is due, in part, to the lack of timber cutting in the area plus the lasting effects of some severe winters. Never the less we have a number of trophy animals harvested in this area every year and we have a very long season in which to hunt deer. Our archery season begins in mid-September and closes at the end of December. The gun deer season begins the Saturday before Thanksgiving and runs for nine days.

Some areas of the state have greater populations of whitetails but the vast majority of land in those areas is privately held. In this area we are fortunate to have hundreds of thousands of acres of Federal, State or County land on which to hunt. In some areas one can spend days in the woods and not see another person, hear an automobile, listen in on a family feud or a dog fight. The country is vast and if you cut a fresh track you can get on it and not have to worry about trespassing on private property.

I really enjoy the early bow season. Around the first of October the leaves have turned to brilliant colors. The air is cool and fresh and one finds very little hunting pressure. This is an excellent time of the year to do some pre-season scouting and enjoy the north woods at its best. In late October the prerut kicks in and some days it seems as though there are deer everywhere as they become very mobile. They can be seen day or night along roadways and in fields. Rubs and scrapes show up with increasing frequency and if you are interested in patterning a deer's movements this is the time to start. Throughout November until the start of the gun season hunting along deer trails can be quite productive as deer movements increase as food supplies begin to dwindle and the mating activity reaches its peak. The archery season is suspended for the duration of the gun season but resumes immediately upon the close of the gun season. We also have a muzzleloader season which run for about 9 or 10 days following the close of the regular gun season. Relatively few hunters take to the woods with their smoke poles so this is a fairly quiet time in the woods.

After the smoke clears from the last musket blast the archers have the deer woods all to themselves for the better part of a month. If you can handle the cold and, at times, deep snow the late bow season can be very productive. We are talking about late December where bone chilling cold can sap one's strength to the point where that easy draw on the bowstring in September becomes nearly impossible after sitting out in the cold for a spell. Also, if you are looking for a trophy you may find that many of the trophy antlers have been shed by their owners. Regardless of the disadvantages, once the smoke clears, it is a pretty neat time to be in the north woods and you just might find that trophy buck of a lifetime with his rack still intact.

Good Luck!
LaMont

###

Back