Michigan archery opener Tuesday; Wisconsin youth deer hunt Oct. 5-6
IRON MOUNTAIN — Michigan’s archery deer season opens Tuesday with a high in the seasonable 60s expected — a bit cooler than recent days.
A mild winter should translate into better fawn recruitment and more young deer in the woods, but some older bucks, too. Wildlife biologists suggest looking for edge habitats, thick brush lines between food and bedding areas, and forest openings.
Archers interested in hunting on designated parcels within the city limits of Iron Mountain and Kingsford can learn more at https://www.cityofironmountain.com/559/Deer-Hunt or https://www.kingsfordmi.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=119.
Wisconsin’s annual youth deer hunt takes place next weekend. Hunters younger than 16 — both residents and nonresidents — can participate under the supervision of a mentor.
Any time a firearm deer season is taking place in Wisconsin, including the youth deer hunt, at least 50% of all hunters’ clothing above the waist must be blaze orange or pink. This requirement applies to archery hunters and small game hunters as well. Waterfowl hunters are exempt.
More information on the Oct. 5-6 Wisconsin youth hunt is available at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/99191.
Wisconsin, it should be noted, offers free and accessible options to test deer for chronic wasting disease. A summary is available at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/99416.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is partnering with The Nature Conservancy to ask people what nature means to them and how it enriches their communities. The input will guide the Michigan the Beautiful initiative, which is an effort to improve the quality, health, and care of nature, officials said.
An online survey is underway and webinars are scheduled for Oct. 7-8.
Links are available at https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2024/09/26/what-do-michiganders-want-in-the-outdoors.
The DNR reported this Upper Peninsula activity:
Little Bay de Noc: Anglers were fishing around the Escanaba River for coho salmon. Those fishing the river mouth were casting or trolling minnow-like baits to trigger bites, with rattle baits proving somewhat successful. Some coho salmon anglers in the river were drifting spawn or beads, with limited success. Walleye anglers reported fair to good fishing. Areas in which anglers reported success were “black bottom”, Escanaba River, and the reefs in the upper bay. Smallmouth bass anglers reported good fishing when targeting fish that were on the bottom of drop-offs.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers were catching mostly lake trout this last week, along with increased numbers of salmon in the bays. Most successful trips were while trolling, however jigging for lake trout continued to be reliable.
Manistique: Pink salmon were reported to have been plentiful in the river. Anglers were drifting beads and casting reactions baits for pink salmon, while those targeting Chinook salmon reported slow fishing and were awaiting a push of salmon in the river.
Marquette: Lake trout were caught consistently with the most successful anglers making their way out towards the clay banks west of Granite Rock. Upper harbor still seemed to be the popular choice to leave from among anglers on days that the weather cooperated. Excellent numbers of lake trout were caught jigging or trolling around the northeast side of White Rocks and out towards Granite Island. Anglers reported catching a few salmon out by Granite Rock and creeping up in the rivers around Marquette. Watermelon and fire tiger colors worked well, along with green and orange Spin-n-Glos or green/silver flasher fly presentations for lake trout. Chartreuse and silver jigs worked well around the northeast side of White Rocks, especially with a little cut bait. Trolling between White Rocks towards Granite Rock or the clay banks in around 130 to 160 feet of water was a popular depth range.
Au Train: Lake Trout were caught by anglers jigging in approximately 160 feet of water north to northeast of Au Train Island, especially with cut bait. Most anglers trolling reported lake trout being caught while trolling in waters around 130 to 180 feet north to northwest of Au Train Island in the flats or out towards the Laughing White Fish Clay Banks. Wonder Bread, multicolored glow spoons or green/silver flasher flies were good color combinations. A little bit of cut bait jigging or trolling with Wonder Bread or chartreuse cowbells produced very well at deeper depths of 130 to 180 feet of water.
Ontonagon River: Anglers fishing in the early morning hours reported catching an occasional walleye.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Fishing from these ports was reported as great over the past week. Angling efforts remained strong, and lake trout were caught in good numbers. Reports suggest that anglers found the most success when trolling in deeper waters.
Black River Harbor: Angler reports show that recent catches consisted of lake trout in respectable numbers. These fish were caught by those trolling in deeper waters.
Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Entry Canal: Anglers trolling and jigging for lake trout reported that the fishing was consistently good. These anglers were focusing their efforts in depths of below 120 feet of water to above 70 feet of water. Anglers also found salmon while trolling in cooler water. Expect fish to begin moving closer to shore while temperatures cool and water temperatures drop off.
St. Ignace: Fishing pressure was high at Nunns Creek. Salmon anglers were wading out between 50 and 70 yards from the mouth of the creek, and were casting spoons, spinner baits, and spawn.