My brotherinlaw has a farm in northern Michigan of about 450 acres of corn that is still standing. He recieved crop damage permits to shoot deer but that isn't enough. It isn't a big buck area but it's so full of deer it's unreal. He would not turn down anyone to hunt there. At night it's nothing to see 100+ deer in the still standing corn. He has 5 seperate corn fields. This year it would be a big help if he could get some hunters in to harvest some of them. He has a lodge to stay in. I'm not trying to solicit for the lodge. He don't care if you want to stay there, get a motel in town, or camp on state land. I thought I'd mention this on this site because the hunters here seem to be the most desireable bunch. The area is just south of the bridge. If anyone is interestd let me know.
Sounds like it could have some action packed hunting. I'd be interested to know a little more about it.
Wow, I definatly wont be able to make it soon. I just started a business and can't afford the time off,( the wife would shot me!!). Is there any chance of hunting up there this fall? I have family in Coloma and would love to head back to the UP. A buddy and I were contemplating a trip to MI, then family in IL, stop by Dads in TN and then a friend in SC. That would be a epic trip for sure.
Caligator, YES that what this is about. His crop damage permits expire soon so there would be no hunting until this fall. He is a farmer so he will have corn. The deer don't really hit the corn until food is scarce. The land is much like the U.P. with many cedar swamps.
Pheonixarcher, I can e-mail you about the particulars. It's strate east of you in Presque Isle county.
Not a farmer so just curious why would you not pick your corn in the fall? Seems like 450 acres of corn still standing would draw every deer within several miles for the winter. Doesn't surprise me that you would see over a hundred deer a night even in Presque Isle county.
PM sent Brian.
Not surprising that deer would congregate in corn fields that were left out so late in the winter.
Wow sure sounds like a great opertunity. I would be very interested as well. I would like some details. Thanks so much for the oppertunity. :campfire: :pray: :archer2:
Thanks Don
I could go for some of that action too...I'm 100 mi S. of the Bridge.
Eric
The corn harvest has to do with moisture content and how it is to be stored, not exact dates.
Yep, I know about the moisture content and I realize some folks don't have a means to dry their corn and the elevators pay less for high moisture content or charge to dry it.
As hard as this winter has been, I'm surprised there aren't more deer than that there. Curious as to why he would leave all that corn in. The deer numbers are way down around where I hunt(ionia county), and I can't imagine how many deer would be devouring that much corn if it was still up.
Sent ya a PM thanks.
Not to throw a wet blanket on this but.....just because it's a tough winter and the deer have yarded in the corn doesn't mean they will be there in huge numbers in October. Deer will travel miles to yard if they have to. Have seen it here in New York for years.
I'm with Ron on this one, never been a fan of crop damage permits
Just sent ya a couple PM's
Hello Brian, i sent you a p.m. thanks gib
Yeah, totally agree standing corn is pulling them in from miles away and to kill them now with crop damage permits is a crying shame...
PM sent.
Not only that, but don't expect a welcome from other hunters who live and hunt in the area. Just because one farmer wants deer out of "his" land doesn't mean the oveall area isn't hunted by others who will view any coming in to do his dirty work as interlopers.
Whats an interloper?
For those who may be ignorant of the situation, the deer in question are in the TB area of Michigan and any large number of deer over 100 that congregate isn't a good thing. Depsite 2 decades of very liberal antlerless tags, some area hunters are refusing to fill any more antlerless tags in protest of fewer deer seen, thus thwarting the DNR's attempts at lowering herd numbers, thus hopefully reducing TB rates in deer, that then get into cattle herds.
As far as interlopers, much of the vacant land in northern Michigan has, for decades and decades, been owned by downstate folks who bought the property mainly for hunting. Most hunters "up north" have always been landowners from down state and their guests.
This is an area known as "club county". My guess is, the majority of deer hunters in this area are not local landowners or even locals, but instead landowners and guests from the metro-Detroit/SE Michigan area, and have been since the 1950's.
For example, Presque Isle only has roughly 13,000 residents, yet has 10,000 deer hunters. While a higher percentage of rural residents hunt, it's not remotely high enough to make up the majority in that county.
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/Munsterlndr/zones-1.jpg)
Mojostick is right.
Im pretty sure that he doesnt mean lureing all the deer in right now in winter and dropping a bomb on them. I think he means in the fall and hes posting on a bowhunting thread not a gun one so Im sure they dont want a slaughter just some deer taken especialy if its costing someone theyre income.
This will be the last post on this subject. The corn was not harvested in the fall do to the high moisture content. It can't be harvested now because of the deep snow. The crop damage permits require a lot of red tape to sign someone up as a shooter. The area has an above deer population year round. My daughter killed her first deer during the youth hunt in a field that had 45 deer in it when she finally had a deer close enough to shoot. Anyone interested in hunting there in the fall can send me a private message. But do to the negative responses, I am just going to drop the subject.