Price County deer hunting

Just want to start this because I'm not always up but like to know what is happening. So hopefully there is people that are hunting up here.

I think the does by my cabin got bred, no bucks all season and then this guy showed up for 2 days.

That's a really nice buck for price county.

Price County Bruiser. 11/7/15

was on vacation last week and was surprised at the amount of deer we saw before dark or in the dark along 70 from park falls south even saw a dandy buck. hopefully the population will rebound up there one of these years, I grew up hunting that area and although deer were not very abundant it still made it that much sweeter when you did connect, I actually think taking a true northern wi deer is much more rewarding than getting one south or central.imo goodhuntin all!

People make too big of deal out of baiting. I have done both baiting and non-baiting and the whole idea of them going nocturnal is mute. They may be nocturnal to the bait sites, but they are up and moving somewhere else. If anything they move more in the northwoods than anywhere else in the state. For some people its the only place to hunt and the DNR already has it as buck only so hunting it won't be a big deal. Does will still get bred, they do every year. We scouted this past weekend. Found one new spot with a lot of acorns and quite a few deer tracks. Couple rubs and scrapes by it, even jumped one of those mythical creatures off the ridge we are going to hunt around noon. Guess it didn't get the nocturnal memo LOL. Didn't see the head though, just a single deer. Checked out where I usually hunt and had about 6 scrapes and a couple rubs all in one area, then a few others more spread out. Nothing overly fantastic but from what others are saying I guess it wasn't too bad. Put a camera out at that spot, probably will be where I sit for gun season. All that being said I expect gun season to be a bust. Nothing looked that great, nothing to really get excited about. Its amazing how deer activity changes during rifle season. Even the does by my cabin stop coming in and they aren't even being hunted. They figure it out right away, they'll be in daily multiple times and then you suddenly don't see them for a week. Those are deer I can usually walk in the woods and have a conversation with. If you want to talk about deer becoming nocturnal, ramp up the human pressure. Works every time. I'm actually more excited for rifle season to be over with to head out with the smoke pole.

Funny, funny stuff. No deer but trying everything to shoot the last deer. Sounds like baiting may be the savior of price county. If everyone baited, every deer would be nocturnal and not one deer would be shot in the county. Instant success in growing the deer herd. Matter of fact, lets make it mandatory for everyone in the state to bait, we would have deer coming out of our ears next year.

Hunted Fri thru Sun, only two deer and that was 5 mins after getting in the stand on Friday. But on the four wheeler trails there are a few rubs and scapes. Probably around six or seven. Which isn't bad since we had zero basically last year. And talked to neighbors and they have been seeing quite a few small bucks. About 5 or 6 small bucks and about 2 or 3 big bucks. But hunting quite large area.

There must be bucks around cuz I see does with fawns. But everything I see is so darn skinny, the meat you get is hardly worth a bent arrow. Seen 2 small forkhorns, not worth getting excited over. Went hiking for rubs and scrapes last week and so so little sign. No rubs, just 2 small scrapes.

I am thinking rivers are a good bet because they concentrate deer movement, forcing the few that are around to use predictable crossings, etc. Public land does not get hunted as hard either, whereas almost all the private land is baited. And you are correct, baited land teaches deer to become nocturnal. Bad situation up here. Our neighbors all do the same thing; bait all year and shoot every small buck we pass on. In the last 3 years, between 6 guys, we have taken only 2 bucks total.

Ligthning, I hate to tell you that you won't do any better on public land , river close by or not. I have river frontage with public around and it is dismal at best. Almost NO deer sign anywhere. I know of a few scrapes. A wolf can swim like crazy and they use rivers all the time to catch beavers and deer. If a beaver is caught unaware when a wolf comes by , it is lunch. Wolves runn rivers like crazy. One will run the river and one will run the ridge along the river. Any deer between the river and ridge run like crazy. When rivers are froze they run right on the ice for easy travel. The only thing I can suggest is go so far back in the woods that the deer are not affected by baiters. When we get over half mi. from bait piles we see more deer move in daytime hours, feeding on browse and grass. The deer by the cabins stay by the cabins when there is bait out for them and they dont move much.

u think one reason they are by the river is back they can go in it for protection from wolves and predators maybe? I haven't seen a wolve swim? let me know if they can? but if they can't it would be a reason why they are near the river.

Wolves and winters got more than us hunters the last two years. Not many deer by our cabin, but have noticed concentrations near rivers. Sign is almost nonexistent, will take a miracle to bring the deer back. Our 240 acres is bunk, might try public land along a river for first time in 20 years.