Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Michigan U.P. hunting opinions

Down to the last stages of the interview process for a job in Norway, MI and am wanting to find out about the hunting in the U.P. What's the good and bad? Thanks!

Norway is a decent area. Gets much less snow than areas closer to Lake Superior, but is also a bit colder as a result of being away from the lake.
Grouse and woodcock hunting are excellent and the deer hunting isnt too bad either, although you won't kill many big deer in the UP. Great fishing is close by as well

Norway is a nice area. I grew up in Kingsford, just a few miles away. Good hunting and fishing, good folk. Downside would be winter I suppose if you're not used to having them. Sometimes it takes awhile for people to warm up to outsiders but its worth the wait. What kind of work do you do?

I am a pastor interviewing at a church in town.

I hope you enjoy snow for about half the year.

No way. Norway doesnt get that much snow...sheesh, it aint the Keweenaw.

Good luck Dan. If you like the outdoors, its a great place to live, IMO.

I can only think of one place in the world I'd rather live than the UP and I'm already here.

Dan,
Dunno if you're a native Arizonian but the cold/snow can take a bit of getting used to.

That's a really nice area. And, opportunities abound for a man of the cloth - don't know too many parishioners in my neck of the woods that wouldn't welcome the pastor to hunt their ground.

Sounds very enticing!!! We lived the past 6+ years in Idaho so we do have experience with snow and negative temps. Any moose up there?

There are indeed some moose in the UP. Unfortunately (as far as I know) there is no hunting season for them but I know it was discussed a handful of years ago.

Grinning- ran out of wood last year in April and couldn't get in the woods...down on the Muskegon River...

Our camp is by the Keweenaw but we hunted down by the WI border for twentyish years--there certainly are more deer on the Lake Michigan watershed. It is beautiful country there, too.

We had hopes for a moose season at one time and you could see them come out to a bog by camp, but I don't think that it is going to happen anymore.

The camp we hunt out of is not far from Norway and the actual owners live in Norway. This will be my dad's 55th year in camp. I make it up every other year due to my work schedule. Big deer but not a lot of trophies to be had. What i've noticed over the past 10 years is that it seems like less and less people hunt every year. Last year i don't think we had more than a dozen cars even pass by. Grouse populations are cyclical but when the numbers are up it can be fantastic.
Lots of talk regarding the effects of the wolf population on the local deer herd.
Great people up north but i guarantee it will be like nothing and nowhere else you have ever been.

Michigan's UP is one of my favorite places. Lots of wild land, good hunting and fishing.

I can't speak specifically to the Norway area, but the UP has some excellent bear hunting. There are also guys who do well on bobcats and coyotes. We will be hunting wolves again in 2015.

Norway is also near Iron Mountain, home to Tom Izzo and Steve Mariucci!

405wcf

Steelhead and Salmon with in easy reach, deer and bird hunting should be fine, the hard part is just finding one to shoot!

My first 12 years of deer hunting were in the UP, near Gwinn and the surrounding area. As others have said, you wont see many deer but the deer tend to be heavier, and mature bucks can be HUGE. I good friend had a camp near Foster City/ Felch. Every few years someone in their camp would connect with a very nice buck.

As said before Grouse can be plentiful and it pays to have a dog. Also as others have said this area of the UP does not get the heavy snow cover that the Lake Superior shoreline and is generally referred to as the "Banana Belt". The turkey hunting in the lower half of the UP can be pretty good as well. Trophy brook trout still exist for those that work hard or are just damn lucky.

We make our annual trips to the UP and I make it a point to either wet a line or get out for a walk in the woods each time. It is amazing county with amazing people. Buy yourself an Stormy Kromer, learn to like pastys, Cudighi sausage, and Trenary Toast and you will fit in just fine.

You have been blessed to have been called to a congregation in the UP, and you will soon understand why Yoopers are pretty serious when they refer to it as "God's Country".

Congratulations.

I lived near Mqt and hunted as far south as Gwinn for 6-8 years.

There are quite a few wolves there now and a deer out in the open is a rare occurrence now (at least in the north anyway).

you may be far enough south to still have decent deer numbers, but in the north there are no where near the numbers they had in the lat 80's and early 90s.

great place though, still one of my favorite places to have lived!

The last few winters have really had severe negative effects on the deer herd of the lake superior watershed. Last year we had snow on the ground until June and fawn survival was very low.
The wolves havent helped either.

I don't know if its because I used to listen to Da Yoopers or because I like to watch Escanaba in da Moonlight but I really want to get up to the UP for some hunting some year.

Mike,

If you're coming to chase deer, bring some plywood for a blind, a couple hundred pounds of corn, beets or rutabagas and you'll fit right in.

Sounds like a plan.

When I used to hunt in the U.P., my strategy was to locate several long-running bait piles and sit a swamp between the two.

The sounds of four-wheelers in the distance on their way in generally meant I'd be seeing deer shortly.

Robert Traver is mandatory reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Madness...77&sr=8-6&keywords=robert+traver

A quote: �I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly. Because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape. Because in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing what they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion. Because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed, or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility, and endless patience."

No moose season. No wolf season this year. Deer season isn't what it was in the late 80s and 90s but still better than the early to mid 80s when I started hunting deer. Norway is in the "banana belt" their winters don't seem as bad as the west end and the keewenaw, what I'm familiar with. Overall a nice place to live if you enjoy the outdoors. Little bay de noc is a good walleye fishery.

Just some random thoughts.

You all are getting me excited! I should hear sometime this week if I am the guy they want.

Are there any tree squirrels to hunt? I grew hunting them with my dad in AZ but haven't done it in years. Sure would like to do that again.

We have good populations of grey squirrels (both grey and black color phases) and a few fox squirrels here in 'da UP. Red squirrels are very common. The past couple of winters have done a number on the deer herd but there are still enough to hunt.

Bear hunting is good but tags are by lottery only. I doubt if there will ever be a moose hunt. The moose are mostly north in the Lake Superior watershed.

Grouse hunting is good in the up years and fair in the down years. Waterfowl hunting is spotty. Fishing is decent, depending on where you go and what you're after.

I live about 50 miles from Norway and would be happy to be of service if you move here.

The winters are long and cold, but there are lots of warm people here.

Pretty much this.

Family is from the UP, it's the only place I've ever really deer hunted (a little in Wisco but not much).

Little Bay de Noc is an outstanding walleye factory and it, combined with Big bay is better than most for smallmouth too.

If you can get in the fields, goose hunting can be outstanding too.

Deer numbers are down and I doubt with the wolves that they'll be back to where they were when I was a youth. In the 90-2000's there were nights when I'd have as many as 20 to 25 different deer in front of me at any one time. Now 6 is doing pretty good but the deer are still here, just have to work harder.

A UP deer camp is simply like no other. Living in Wisconsin but hunting MI I've seen both and you'd think they'd be the same but they're not. It's not better, just different.

Hunting style is different.

Haven't seen a woodcock in the woods in a long time but I did jump a rooster pheasant last weekend. Grouse numbers are decent at times. Coyotes are plentiful - just that I can't shoot them for some reason as a non-resident which makes no phugging sense.

(1) Deer season in DA U.P. starts around July 4th. , or whenever the freezer runs out of deer meat.

(2) The woods is empty Opening day of deer season because everyone got their deer the night before.

(3) Teal is right, Wisconinsin deer camps are different than U.P. deer camps . U.P deer camps really are like Escanaba In Da moonlight when the warden walks in.
(3A) Deer hunting sucks in many cases cause everyone baits and can really ruin the hunting. There is a writeup on a U.P. deer camp in the NRA Rifleman magazine.

(4) Yes, there are parts of Da U.P. where there is still snow on Memorial day.

(5) Pastys suck.

(6) The people are frindly though.

We go there every year. It is some of the most beatuful land you will find but it is better as you go north. Along Lake Superior is unreal . Here are some pics of DA U.P. It may not compare to Idaho or AZ. though. And I was wondering about you Dan, and if you got a job. You don't post very often. [URL=http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/ihookem1/media/family%20fun/100_1082.jpg.html]http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv4%3C3%3C%3Dot%3E33%3A5%3D829%3D346%3DXROQDF%3E26657%3A89%3A7255ot1lsi

Still waiting to hear on this position. Should hear sometime this week or next. Lots of interviews but no hires at this point. I am working in the sporting goods department of our Walmart right now to keep some cash coming in.

Da UP is as close to heaven as I've seen in the lower 48.

...and heck yes, lotsa squirrels.

Hope ya love Favre though. Might wanta rescind yer ap if you don't; you'd be more qualified if you weren't too sure about the virgin birth .

Spent the day in the UP preparing for opener next Sat.

Saw 13 does in 300 yards down the road.

2 8 pointers, 2 10 pointers on the cameras, as recently as 730 this morning. Might actually turn out decent.

Also saw a 150 class buck standing in the ditch just 200 yards south of Naser's in Powers. He was there watching cars go by. Damned near wrecked mine trying to get a better look at him.

damn - calling for 8-12 inches of snow across much of the UP by Tuesday am. Could be a great hunt next weekend.

Dad's heading up to Camp, off the Foster City Rd on wednesday. Bet he doesn't even take a gun-he'll just keep the everyone company in camp-sort out the worlds problems over a few PBR's

I hunted the east end of the UP a few years. Very odd experience, especially seeing the pallets of carrots and beats at the gas stations. Sitting in a cold blind for hours staring at nothing made me want to turn the gun on myself...might be ok if I was actually seeing deer, haha.

I got Escanaba in da Moonlight on right now!

Dad and two of the uncles are on their way now, should be making the required stop at the rapid river pub about now.

Sure would rather be there than here at work.

All yous flatlanders, cheeseheads, trolls and appleknockers best stay where yer at. No need for yous guyz in da UP, there aint no deer dere anymore!!

Dad and two of the uncles are on their way now, should be making the required stop at the rapid river pub about now.

Sure would rather be there than here at work.

Nope - own land in the UP, been there over 100 years.

Brother's been hunting this week with the bow. Confirming some things we were seeing on camera. He missed a good 10 point today with the bow but that's only 1 of 3 different 10 points we've seen on the property, along with 3 different 8 pointers and a pile of spikes/forks - could be a good season.

Spoke with a representative of the church this evening and they want to have one more interview to clarify a few things but was told I was at the top of the list.

The interview is Tuesday evening.

You will probably get here just in time for the temperature to drop to 30 below zero every night for a month and a half. That should give you something to look forward to!

Good luck with your interview.

Even by U P standards Norway is a very nice town. Four days before the opener we had a two-day long storm that left 30" of snow at camp. I've been snowshoeing in to hunt on a daily basis, because I hadn't got any water in there before the storm.

Well, I found out tonight that they decided to go with someone else. I know God has the perfect place for us but I am sad I won't have the chance to share a hunting camp with those of you who offered to show me around.

Sorry to hear that Dan; there are hospitable 'fire members all over the country & I have no doubt there'll be a welcoming committee no matter where you land!