The winter of 95-96 we lost upwards of 200K deer up there. And then the next year we got hit hard again with long lasting snow. Deer can handle it for a while, but when there's still a couple feet on the ground in April there's going to be substantial deer kill. The UP deer populations have never recovered IMHO. Throw in unchecked wolf predation and you can see why the numbers stay low. The only strong populations are over by the WI border in Dickinson and Menominee Counties. These counties don't get the lake effect snow that the Superior shore receives every year and have a more agriculture. The east end has agriculture too, but doesn't see the deer numbers like they do.
There is a migration. We used to hunt it when the conditions lined up with the season. There's a well worn migration trail east of Seney crossing M28 where the lowland bogs give way to the hardwood uplands. I've hunted most counties in the UP and can't say one is better than the other. Most of the camps are west of M35. A lot of these camps have blinds with only one 15 foot wide, 50 to 100yd long shooting lane through the cedars where at the end lies a huge pile of bait. They stare out the blind window until a racked buck shows up. The guys that hunt public are usually a little bit more mobile. There are some very good hunters who do the spot and stalk thing. The get on good bucks most years. My favorite hunting was usually solo, later during the muzzleloader season - cut a set of big tracks in a foot of fluffy snow and stay on them until it's fruition. Didn't work out very often but the hunts were spectacular. Got a couple on the wall that way too.
I saw the biggest buck I've ever laid eyes on, dead in a trailer, outside the Tally-Ho in Curtis about 25 years ago. 5 X 8 bed with the rack propped up in front and the back legs hanging out the back. It had to be 300+ on the hoof. It attracted quite a crowd. Saw it again when it won big buck night on a Michigan outdoors show.
Teal sums it up well. There's more to the UP than just bagging a buck; the camps, the camaraderie, the fishing - trout, walleye, whitefish, smelt - the hiking, atvs, the pasties, the smoked fish, Trenary Toast, Yooper Dome, snowmobiles, the Packers, Mighty Mac and on and on. And the freedom. Haven't lived up there in years, but I'm dying to get back.
post script: As of 12/1/20 the bridge count is down 33% for the season.
