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Ohio vs. Wisconsin Public Land

redheadshooter

redheadshooter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2011
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Location
West TN
Which would you choose? I hunted OH last year. Had a 120" 8 at 15 yards the first day and that was the biggest I saw all week. I will more than likely be bowhunting but would entertain a rifle hunt in Wisconsin (not Ohio way to many hunters). So what would you do?
 
Ohio. While never hunted there public or private, I have tried Wisconsin public land. It's incredibly over hunted, and the majority of people I met that we on public land were inconsiderate a-holes.

Now that was down in the SE part of the state. I lived 15 minutes from Kettle Moraine State Park, which was supposed to be loaded with deer and I saw 0. I've herd of guys going way to the NW part of the state and not having any issues.
 
I know nothing about Wisconsin, but a buddy from Ohio sent me these pictures just a couple days ago. They were killed on the farm that's next to his house. The farm is adjacent to some public land. Killed February 3. Last day of the bow season. I think he said it scored 217, but don't quote me on that.

IMG_2949_zps6e79aa40.jpg


IMG_0429_zpsbb2cdb72.jpg
 
The big 8pnt that i posted is from a ohio lease that im on,we just leased it from a paper company in june of last yr but it had been public hunting land for the last 40 yrs.We killed 7or8 bucks off it and 4 grossed over 140 all with bows,and probably have a dozen or more picts of other bucks 140 and over,and it all used to be public land that was hunted to death.
 
I've hunted private and public land in Ohio. Private land is some of the best hunting I've ever experienced.

My limited experience hunting Ohio public land....I'll just say public land hunting is public land hunting. If you only plan to archery hunt you'll probably be OK. If you go on a firearms hunt don't expect to sit in a stand and not have multiple hunters walk by you. They don't do much stand hunting up there during firearms seasons. They do more deer driving/jumping from my experience.
 
redheadshooter said:
Which would you choose? I hunted OH last year. Had a 120" 8 at 15 yards the first day and that was the biggest I saw all week. I will more than likely be bowhunting but would entertain a rifle hunt in Wisconsin (not Ohio way to many hunters). So what would you do?
Click to expand...
I use to travel to the Chrysler Kenosha Wis. engine plant at my old job and my contact at the plant said they close the plant on opening day of deer season. He said they tried to keep it open but about 95% of the work force all deer hunt. I've heard it's pretty crowded and over hunted in the public areas.
 
I will be bowhunting. It wasn't that busy in OH last year. But also the weather kept a lot of hunters out (it was poor at best). That is probably where we will go again I just wondered what people thought.
 
I am from Wisconsin. Good hunting land is up north. By black river falls. Jackson county to be exact. Get on the paper land. It's all hunt able and the deer are huge. But, the out of state license will set you back a truck payment or two.
 
Funny how some hunters whine and complain about TN's long gun seasons that allow hunters to "slaughter" young bucks, and then champion WI and OH, two states where hunters really do slaughter the yearling bucks far more than hunters in TN do.

Of course, both WI and OH have long histories of producing some whopper bucks, which goes to prove trophy production has little to do with how many yearling bucks are being killed and everything to do with habitat quality.
 
BSK said:
Funny how some hunters whine and complain about TN's long gun seasons that allow hunters to "slaughter" young bucks, and then champion WI and OH, two states where hunters really do slaughter the yearling bucks far more than hunters in TN do.

Of course, both WI and OH have long histories of producing some whopper bucks, which goes to prove trophy production has little to do with how many yearling bucks are being killed and everything to do with habitat quality.
Click to expand...

I agree completely! The one week that the gun hunters get in Ohio, ALL deer get hammered. That's why I only bowhunt up there.
 
redheadshooter said:
BSK said:
Funny how some hunters whine and complain about TN's long gun seasons that allow hunters to "slaughter" young bucks, and then champion WI and OH, two states where hunters really do slaughter the yearling bucks far more than hunters in TN do.

Of course, both WI and OH have long histories of producing some whopper bucks, which goes to prove trophy production has little to do with how many yearling bucks are being killed and everything to do with habitat quality.
Click to expand...

I agree completely! The one week that the gun hunters get in Ohio, ALL deer get hammered. That's why I only bowhunt up there.
Click to expand...

Wisconsin is the same way, 10 days is all you get with a gun I think. You see tons of fork bucks being killed with everyone complaining how there are no more big bucks left in the state. The last year I gun hunted WI, 2011. The property behind ours killed 8 bucks not one over 2 1/2 years old.

There are really only a few counties you can really expect to see nice deer on a regular basis, but it costs alot to hunt there, namely Buffalo Co. You can get some good ones in the SE part of the state if you can find someone that will let you hunt some of the wooded urban areas that are crawling with deer.
 

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