To piggyback on the last thread "What motivates you?"
What killed it for you?
For me it was my dad getting sick about 3 years ago. He passed just almost 2 years ago.
Toss in a dislocated knee and other med problems. I haven't seen the woods in over 3 years.
Never missed a year since I was 10 (I am 37) until then. I just lost it.
I'd rather be fishing.
Brews,
That something I always wanted to see. All the "hotshot" hunters with TV shows hunt public land big woods.
All you have to do is get in between their bedding and feeding areas. It's simple. 
I've watched deer feed for a bit and just plop down to bed, 5 steps from where they just have eaten and just stay there, within 50 yards.
I didn't even have my scent-lok suit, $2000 bow, my deerview mirror or my ozonics.
One of my most exciting "hunts" was when I was checking a camera after a morning sit and a small 7pt came to investigate the noise (during the rut).I heard a noise, got on my knees, saw the deer, nocked an arrow and got him at 20 yards from the ground hiding behind a tree.
One of my most memorable hunts, other than the giant 10 I rattled/grunted in at 15 yards and shot over him.
I personally feel most of the people you see on TV like the Drury's, Lee & Tiffany Lakosky and so on are nothing but shooters. They show up at Outfitter after outfitter, he puts them in the hot stand and they just sit there and wait for the big buck to come by. They do none of the leg work in the offseason except maybe on their own property and even then I don't think they're doing any of the work. Too many people think that's the way hunting has to be but that isn't even hunting that is literally sitting over a food plot or bait and waiting and shooting. I would be more than happy to trade places with those guys for a fall and I can guarantee I'm going to have the big bucks and they'll be lucky to get anything. There is a reason you seldom them see them off in the public land looking for a deer on their own because the truth would come out they probably aren't that great of hunters.
I too hunt in northern wi and see baiting a big problem. Baiting causes to sit over bait and wait. Hunters become 'shooters' NOT hunters. I think this the way most young hunters are being taught. Just go out drop some corn under your tree stand and wait!
I really wish they would ban baiting all together, or at least during the month of November.
BTW, i believe many of the states mentioned below have banned baiting.
Reason Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska have better deer is less hunters, alot less hunters. It helps when the whole state is pretty much rural areas and the population is 1/4 of what Wis has. Not aware of antler restrictions in those states. Try as a non resident to get a tag in Iowa, gonna cost you$600 and might get an archery tag every other year. Hunter restriction would go alot farther than antler restrictions.
In my 34 years of hunting both private and public I never ran into any idiots in the woods on the public lands in the north.
I have on many occasions run into far to many on the private lands I have hunted.
I never had any bullets wizz by me on public. I have on private.
Sure the deer numbers are down on our public lands in the north and so are the hunter numbers.
Can you kill a really big buck on our northern public lands easier than you can kill one on good private land... no. But you could consistently get one if you put your time in and some guys do.
Quality of a hunt means so many different things to people.
What it is killing it for me is that alot seem to want easier to kill bigger and bigger bucks. We don't need antler restrictions if that happens I am done. Our best times in Wisconsin are yet to come with the lower Hunter numbers.
One big reason for the bigger bucks in these other states is the antler restriction rules they have. Even a 3 point on one side rule here would let a lot more bucks grow up. I know it's been proposed many times at the spring hearings but it always gets shot down. I had hunted public land for 50 years and couple years ago we bought our own land or else I would be done gun hunting. There is no comparison between public and private land hunting. Gun hunting on public land in the north is a almost a joke now compared to years ago. The amount of deer is about 10% of years ago but still a lot of idiots in the woods!!
It is sad that the people of Wis. have come to this. Read thru these posts and you see a lot of how easy it is to shoot a big buck in Iowa, Ill., ect.. Wisconsin isn't TV hunting! It is hard to get a 140+ class deer in Wis., but when/if you do it means something. To the guys that go to other states and shoot big bucks every year good for ya, but does it mean anything to do it the easy way. It seems people got lazy and don't like hunting anymore. They just want to shoot a big buck with as little effort as possible. For me, shooting is the end of the hunt, the true hunt is what leads you up to the point where you shoot. Spend 10, 20 or more years trying to get a big buck on Wis public land, when the day comes you succeed the feeling is a great one. In 32 years of hunting WI I have 1 deer over 140", but I am prouder of that deer that any +170" deer I could take in a week long hunt out of state.
Loss of my private land is a big part for me and having to deal with the dip stick wanna be hunters who infest the public lands which has become even worse with crossbows now because all that did was make every moron in the state a "bow hunter" and I use that term loosely. The poor management by the dnr is another factor for me I mean seriously how many different seasons do we need it's never ending. I now spend more time out of state where they actually know how to manage a herd. I shot my buck and doe early with the bow here went out of state for the rut filled my buck tag and didnt even waste my time for gun here
True, Iowa is great. There is a big difference though. Nonresident is very restricted and I am not sure Iowans are as crazy about shooting a deer. Iowa has much easier winters than northern Wisconsin. As for rifle hunting the rut. I will say it again. There is almost noone hunting way up north anymore. You will see a few more hunters if we start gun hunting earlier but a recipe for disaster is not the case at all. If anyone wants to try big public land hunting, I would suggest finding a big piece of public land with no roads for several miles and scout all spring. You will need to put on 50 miles of scouting . By the time you are done you will realize why it is so lightly hunted and a good chance you will not come back and for good reason. It is that tough in so many areas out there. I am willing to bet there are square miles with about 5 deer on it. Many places are better but it is the toughest hunt being a mile back off the road and finding a buck.
I'd be against the earlier gun season. Guns in the rut with Wisconsin pressure is a recipe for disaster. I actually prefer Iowa's way of not having guns until December. There is a reason everyone wants to go there to deer hunt and it's not the timing of the seasons.
Yes, very serious, and to all these guys that think they are going to come up to the big woods , scout out a 40 and be on a buck has a lot of learning to do . Very likely their first season up there will be their last. As a matter of fact , I wonder what the big deal is about the traditional gun season starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We could open gun up a week earlier in Wisconsin . Gun season some day will play second fiddle anyway with all the crossbows and compound bow hunters getting bucks before the skeeters are even gone. Michigan season starts on Nov. 15. That is two days earlier than Wisconsin is on the earliest opening. Kentucky and Missouri starts the week before Wisconsin does. Minnesota starts 2 weeks earlier and keeps the northern part open for 3 weeks.. Northern New York starts Nov. 1. but the southern unit starts the same day as Wisconsin. There is no mad dash to hunt the Adirondacks , that is for sure. Silly charge? Not at all. Also, I will try not to anger you by stating that if baiting was made illegal , you could hunt northern Wisconsin the whole month of November and still not shoot as many bucks as they do up there with bait. I know JC is an avid supporter of baiting. I would love to hunt northern Wisconsin 2 week earlier with no bait in the woods. Just saying, not trying to start a pssssinn match about baiting.
"There is a real fast fix to older hunters calling it quits. Make the gun season 2 weeks earlier north of HWY 8. Many say it will kill off all the bucks . It wont cause there are so few hunters up there anyway and so many are bow/ crossbow hunting in the gun season anyway"
Serious? I, along with multiple thousands of hunters, would gladly drive north of HWY 8 to hunt, and if we didn't get lucky we would partake in the regular season down here. That should solve the "few hunters" dilemma if a silly change like that was made 
