Lower Wisconsin river way
Wisconsin
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I was wondering if anyone has tried hunting the Lower Wisconsin river way near Sauk City.
I was looking for public land and realized there's a ton of open land on both sides of the river. I've hunted river bottoms before and i know it can hold some good deer.
anyone hunted it before?
I imagine you are talking about the area between Sauk City and Spring Green. Yep, a "ton" of land available to the public and a "ton" of deer also. A lot of the area is low land and difficult to hunt. Often very thick marsh grass with small trees or dense brush. Difficult to hunt, difficult to access, some areas with severely restricted visibility. Some deer trails actually become tunnels in the vegetation. In some areas it would be difficult to get even a five yard shot. Sometimes you can hear the deer walking in the water as they approach, other times it is dry. Depending on whether the chutes in the dam are open or closed (upstream, just north of Sauk City, in Prairie Du Sac) the water levels may or may not allow access to hunting spots. We tried hunting along the river on the south side near Spring Green. Saw deer. Never got one there however. Did tag (this was years ago) a few on the north side of the river between the swamps and Hwy. 60 west of Sauk. Only tried hunting there for two years and then we moved into the bluffs north and west of Sauk City. Lots of deer in the area you are talking about, not easy to hunt. Were I to try it again I would try to gain access on private land (that tends to be a little higher and drier) along the river. Getting such access however might be harder than actually shooting a buck. Good luck in your efforts.
This is close to one of my dream trips.
Put a canoe in at hwy 23 and hunt and canoe all the way to Prairie du Chien. Taking as long as it needs to take.
casekiska- Thanks for the info! I assumed it would be very hard to hunt, which also means there's probably good deer! There are a ton of maps that the dnr has that shows land cover/type. did you use the river to gain access? I know there are some points you can get to from a road but i was planning on just using a canoe to go down river.
I don't think I'd use this as a place i'd hunt all year, but it'd be a nice challenge!
When we hunted the south side of the river out towards Spring Green we went in from Hwy. 14 and actually parked just off the highway. There was a public parking area there, then we walked into our hunting spots. I think that parking area/spot is still there. Not certain however.
When we hunted the north side of the river we went in through private property, and parked on that private property, then we walked south toward the river to our public land hunting area. The uncle of one of my hunting buddies owned the farm through which we gained our access. This was back in the 1970s and I don't even know if I could find the exact spot again where we went in, I remember it was just a rough farm road off Hwy. 60, a number of miles west of Sauk City.
I never did, and I do not know anyone who did, use a canoe (or some sort of boat) to gain access to a hunting spot off the river. I know that sounds like a really good idea but I have two concerns with this. #1. If you access land from the river side it might be very easy to accidently trespass onto private property. Do that, get caught, and you might be creating real problems for yourself. From the river side, I do not think all private property areas are well marked. #2. If you access property from the river and use a canoe it might be difficult to fight the river current and get back to your original put-in point, or to even locate it after dark after an afternoon hunt. (Maybe these are not issues, I don't know, but they are two concerns I would address prior to making such a hunt.)
I know the idea of floating down river in a canoe and hunting and camping where one desires is an attractive idea. Maybe it is my age talking and I am overly cautious, but I do think there are practical considerations to be dealt with prior to making such a hunt. It could be quite an adventure, and successful, if the proper advance planning is done.
With today's GPS and mapping , accidentally trespassing shouldn't be an issue.....
It would be a team effort. Would go down river a few daya or a week, camping on bars and have someone meet us at a take out point and then taxi back to the first vehicle. My biggest concern would be spoiliage.
This sounds like a fun adventure. If it were me doing it I'd go with a johnboat instead of a canoe and small outboard plus a trolling motor just in case. With a johnboat you are more stable and can carry a lot more weight.
I am an excellent swimmer but would not risk using a canoe in strong currents in cold weather especially before light and after dark by myself. That is inviting trouble imo.
Jon boat makes a lot more sense, can haul more gear and the deer you get. Take a deep cycle battery along and a good spot lite in case you need to boogie out after dark. I have not hunted there but I have hunted river bottom swamps where the brush was so thick you could only see maybe 10 yards looking down a deer trail. Ground is sometimes not very stable and you need to take some plywood with you to stand on so you can get good footing and then not move because that jiggles the ground and the deer feel that. I could hear deer chewing and not see them. Had to stand the whole time in a position where I did not even have to shift weight from one foot to the other. Intense hunting but fun.
It can be done you just have to take precautions and set limits. 40# trolling motors will push a lot of gear quietly upstream and only cost $100.
I did get my truck & boat trailer towed away by Suck county for parking on the highway right of way. I had permission from the land owner but one wheel was a foot onto the right of way yet. That is 33 feet from the center line. Pricks. Imagine coming out wore down & thirsty & wondering where your truck is.
I live in Sauk City right now and just looked on maps and thought about doing this two weeks ago. If you look at Pearl Road (that heads south off of 60) there's a farm down there that would give you good access, IF you were able to gain access with them. Otherwise, the parking lot previously mentioned would be good. I'm moving close to Spring Green this Fall, so maybe next year I might have better info to give you.