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Navarino Wildlife Area

Hi All,

Anybody have insights to share on the Navarino State Wildlife Area as it applies to bow hunting?

I have some family that lives in Waupaca and it looks like I will be spending some time in the area this fall. I quickly eyeballed the map and spotted Navarino not to far away and it looks like a nice sized chunk of land where I can sneak off to for a day at a time to hunt.

I can certainly find information about it online through the DNR web page, and I've read through that data. But is there anything anybody here may be able to provide outside of the usual stats I can find online? Areas to avoid? Places to check out?

thanks-

I know guys that used to bow hunt there and would see deer. It is challenging to hunt because there is so much pressure from waterfowl hunters. There are a lot of them and they come in from all directions to access their favorite duck spots. Pretty hard to pattern deer with much consistency.

There are better places to try right in the Waupaca area in my opinion.

One of my friend bow hunts just a week of the rut every year. In the last 20 years he has shot 2 pope and youngs and one boone and crocket. Deer sightings are few but he's done better than I have with trophies than I have hunting great private land. He does say it used to be much better though. Now lots of guys and not many deer

It's a big area and it holds a good number of deer. I hunted it a lot growing up and it is better deer hunting than waterfowl, if you get away from the flowages. Hunt off the beaten paths on the big oak ridges and you will do ok. The property gets pounded during gun season

There are better public land options in the county for deer, the Mukwa Wildlife area gives up some really nice bucks every year.

Good Luck, Hunt Safe!

Navarino get hammered hard during the gun season, and get a fair amount of hunting pressure during the archery season too. Your going to have to put boots to ground and find a place kinda to your self. Good luck.

Ive been hunting pretty hard in the Nav the last few weeks and getting really frustrated. Im a new bow hunter, but ive put in time reading and scouting. Found a decent area, found a couple of scrapes early, set up a good stand location, and have only seen one deer in seven sits. It was a decent buck, but didnt have an opportunity for a shot. What frustrates me the most is that there is sign everywhere, scrapes, rubs, tracks, all over the place! But yet i cant even buy a doe, starting to wonder if i shouldnt find a new chunk of public to hunt, but a big part of me wants to figure this place out. Im not sure what i should do, but ill keep plugging along and hopefully it works out. Any advice from anyone?

Not familiar with the track of land you're mentioning, but I'm assuming it fairly large. If you've sat the same stand 7 times, you might consider moving. You might have alerted the deer to your presence. Put in some miles and find more fresh scrapes and rubs. The time is now.

When i say the Nav, I mean Navarino. It is a very big chunck of public land, with a fair amount of pressure. I did move once, only 150ish yards tho. I saw that buck last sunday at 8am in my original spot, he came from the east and left to the east. He had a couple scrapes that direction already so I decided to try and cut him off. I can understand not seeing that particular deer but I havent even seen any does or fawns, that is whats bothering me the most. There are tracks and trails everywhere in the area I am in, which is also a bit of a natural funnel. In my late summer/early fall scouting (and from what I found last year) it seems as though it shouldn't be very difficult to pick a spot and see a few deer here and there. I guess maybe I just need to vent my frustations a bit, there are deer there and I just need to figure them out. It is definitely not easy though!

From what I remember about Navarino, there likely isn't much for good food available there right now. Guessing no acorns this year, leavess are gone...,

Focus on a food source that is being actively used and work back.

There were an abundance of acorns last year, does that mean no acorns this year? I need to brush up on my botany!

Most oaks in the state froze in May this year so there are very few acorns anywhere. Fyi-botony is plants, dendrology is trees. Forester in me had to clear that up. Lol.

Trees are just really large plants though, right? lol, Thanks for the lesson!

I know every area of the navarino wildlife area. Just a heads up, you are hunting the (in my opinion) the most educated deer heard in the country. I've gotten many deer out there, it's work, put your time in, be smart, & patient...

Any tips for out there? Im planning on finding the thick stuff this weekdend and see how that works out. I WILL shoot a deer out there with my bow, I am determind to!

What road you going off of.

I am hunting east of HWY K almost dead center, near the big water.

I was going to suggest staying away from K. That and McDonald rd are the most pressured by far. Deer hunters, bird hunters, squirrel hunters, & bird watchers. There are a many smaller roads with less pressured access.

Starting to think the same thing. I am pretty invested now to make a change, but i will definitely be exploring different areas for next year!

Take K north. Turn right on townline rd. Then right wildwood rd. There's a parking spot a little north of where you are walking to.

Best advice I can give is find the spots they heard up to in the winter (jan, feb) thats where the monsters stay all year.

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