We all know there are some great bucks around. Every year we hear of a 150-plus taken down in Jackson or Hillsdale County. Every hunter has dreams of bagging the buck of their life each time we pick up the gun or bow and head into the woods. So is there a way to actually target trophy bucks in Michigan? The answer is a resounding “Yes”, and we have some video to prove it. Here is where one needs to start if you’re gunning for a trophy buck this year
One key is finding an accessible sanctuary. Every area that has decent cover has a dominant buck around our state. Some bucks are certainly bigger than others, and some habitat is pressured differently than other areas. One of the biggest issues a trophy hunter needs to look for is a sanctuary area. It is estimated that Hunting Trophy Bucks in Michigan
Michigan has approximately 7 bow hunters per square mile while Iowa has less than 1 hunter per square mile. This kind of pressure makes anything with horns a hot commodity. In our search for a trophy buck, we found several sanctuaries that offered very little pressure, had good thick cover, and instant sightings of quality bucks. There is no gun hunting in our area. We love it that way. Why? During the earlier goose, pheasant, deer youth hunts and other shooting seasons, buck become very aware of where the action is and isn’t. Our area is a tremendous morning area as all of the deer are out in the fields during nocturnal hours, and return to their sanctuary in the morning. By late afternoon they are headed back to the fields again. There are many areas like this around the state, but it takes homework to find them.
One of the best places to look is various neighborhood associations. Many have agreements for no gun hunting. Church properties are also wonderful places as they often own 10 to 20 acres but do not allow anyone to hunt with guns. A friend of mine gets access to a beautiful area with his bow with the promise that he will donate the venison to the church and he will always close the gate. My friend is blessed with a trophy almost every year!
Is it possible to make your own sanctuary? That probably depends on many variables. One of the biggest is how many neighbors are hunting the area and if they are on the same page when it comes to managing the local herd. I have some great property at my house. A great woodlot, next to a nice field of switch grass planted through our local PF chapter. I have a few pheasants, a nice flock of turkeys and a few deer but very few trophy bucks. My neighbors hunt for meat plain a simple. I can respect that. They are all busy folks and often do not get a lot of woods time. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to convince them what some hard core deer management would do to their deer hunting as well, but I am convinced that it probably wouldn’t work anyways as it is pretty tough to hold off on that 6 pointer knowing you won’t get back to the stand for another week. I only hunt my place for a day or two even though it holds deer. During the gun season I am still bow hunting the sanctuary and just switch hats from camo to orange. The bucks pour in even more during rifle season. It is a great place to be.
So how does one find that special sanctuary? My partner in video journaling is Steve Lovacz from North Branch, Michigan. Steve and I film each other’s hunts a great deal and he is a tremendous deer hunter. He has become a very good videographer as well and is one of the few folks that can film birds flying without making the viewer dizzy.
Steve’s big claim to fame though is bagging big bucks. He is a true student of the game and spends many evenings out scouting. He has many great sanctuaries lined up through many discussions with landowners. This takes talent as well these days. To present as an honest person that will not damage the landowner’s property is a challenge that is often overlooked. Steve also isn’t afraid of getting in a stand a 5am and sitting for the day, and he shoots his bow all year long. His 2008 dandy buck was first shot on video in July, and he harvested that same buck on Thanksgiving weekend. A whole lot of bucks passed beneath him through October and November. He knew what he wanted and waited. He really received a great reward for his hard work and didn’t have to go to Iowa or Kansas to do it.
Good luck in the pursuit of your trophy buck this year.
