Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Michigan Opener

Tomorrow (11/15) is the opening day of Michigan deer season. For the first time in nearly 40 years I'm not going. Our area has weather forecast of 25mph sustained winds at daybreak with gusts to 45 mph. Supposed to accelerate during the day. This makes those big trees just too damn dangerous (lots of big trees and dead limbs).

I'm kinda responsible for setting dad (age 85) up and BIL. None of us are happy about it, we have all been fortunate to kill a lot of deer. We are just going to postpone for a day or two.

For those of you going out, best wishes, and be safe.

405wcf

Always smart to be safe. I will be giving a shot in the morning though, we will see how it lasts

I wish I would go. My dad and I promised we would go in 1993. Dad is gone now and I still have not gone.

Good luck to you.

Hunted in winds today up to 55 mph. It was sporty.

I sat in my elevated deer blind (house) until noon. I heard but a few isolated shots. One of which was a neighbor who bagged a deer. Good for him!

I just came in from helping my wife put all her chickens in the coop. The wind is gusting to 40 or 50 mph.

I managed to take a 9 point with the revolver first thing before the wind ramped up. Took the afternoon off with the wind being what it is. Back at it tomorrow morning.

Right now blowing 24 with gusts to 37. Supposed to back off to 15 overnight, dad and I going out in the morning.

I'm from Michigan and I still never go back to hunt. I should, relatives ask me if I want to go every time I see them. I just never get around to it.

First time in over 25 years I am not going to deer camp in Alcona County. I am of an age that makes me a prime candidate for Covid 19. Lot of guys from different parts of Michigan and even out of state. I just cannot take a chance,.
I cannot bring something home to my wife. It has been on my mind every waking minute, I am really depressed. But what can I do. I think about being alone in my blind as I have for last three decades and I know that is safe. But
then it is back to the cabin with all my long time friends who are younger. The drinking, the cooking and chatting up deer stories in front of the big stone fireplace. Their is no way to distance and no one is going to wear a mask.
Damn Covid, it has taken away what I have waited all year for. I don't have all that many deer camps left. I just want to see my friends and talk about the good old days and maybe shoot a nice buck.

Sad in Michigan, 300Savage

I hear you 300savage, it's not the same here too, have guys from Ohio and down state, we are trying to stay 6 ft. Or so but hard to load deer ect. Some of the guys past this year, just not the same. I'm a bit bummed, I hit a nice buck this morning but didn't find it. Back at it tomorrow tho!

It blew like hell all day. My stand was a' rockin'.

Similar to 300 Savage, I’m missing the second opener in 37 years. The other one I was deployed. I’ve been traveling for work and I’d be in close contact with a number of high risk older folks that I care about. I’m not going to take the risk of giving it to them. Thought about hunting locally, but I’d never seen thunderhail and didn’t want to sit in it.

Old70

I wish you peace with that.

For so many of us the family and friend component is the part of hunting we truly value. In October of 2018 I was at a hunting dinner with two buddies and talk turned to the upcoming deer season and deer camp with dads. The dad of one of the guys didn't make it to opening day. The other guy lost his dad the following year. I am sure I can count the opening days left with my dad on one hand. I want to appreciate every minute.

The good news is that after season last year he had me drive him to Randy's Guns in Bad Axe (the starting place of the 450 Bushmaster in the Ruger bolt action). Dad bought a new new Ruger Hawkeye, walnut with a 24" stainless barrel ( I believe not cataloged by Ruger). His comment was "I don't know if I will live long enough to use it, but I have it!" Well he's going to hunt with it in the morning.

405wcf

I was out in the 50 mph gusts in the UP, and connected with a nice 8 point that was chasing a doe. The 143 ELDX did its job in the Gusty cross wind at 190 yards!

Hope your dad gets a big ol buck!

I took a nice 7 pt. Yesterday, had a good inch of snow, on the ground was nice day to Hunt.

Pretty windy and wet Sunday morning. Saw 4 does, a spike, and a small 6 Sunday night. Connected with this 10pt yesterday morning just before 8

I did not see a deer on the opener.
Saw a couple traveling at warp7 speed as passed by Mon.
Tues saw nothing again. Came home.
Nephew and I have adjoining 40s between White Cloud and Big Rapids.
With public land on touching three sides and neighbors doing a lot more hunting
it is not the great spot is was 30 years ago. The public land is hammered by local baiters during
archery season and with no acorns this year the deer were even more desperate for the bait piles.

I will go back up but just for day trips as the season progresses.

Also two of us in the woods for 3 days, we saw zero squirrels----no acorns or beech nuts.

Good luck Tim, you’ve had your share of bad luck!

Got up at 4:30am looked at the weather 25-30 mph with 50 + mph gust and rain when back to bed...way to dangerous to be in the woods....

30 some years ago in the western UP had a front moving threw winds in mid-after noon were gusting in the 50 + mph decided it was time to head back to camp....got back to my 4 wheeler backed up to turn a round a gust came threw blew down a 18" in diameter 40' maple landed right where I was parked....

I love to deer hunt...hate to die....