I'm planning on doing some BWCA grouse hunting this weekend near Ely. I was up there a few weeks ago and one morning I had to break through a tiny patch of ice, but the temps rose into the 50s.

Does anyone have first-hand info on whether there is any ice on the smaller BW lakes?

Its firearm deer opener, I'd avoid grouse hunting in Minnesota this weekend and next. Its a short drive to either Wisconsin or Michigan to get your grouse hunting fix in.

Sorry I don't have info on what you're actually asking for.

I’m a deer hunter who is desperate for tracking snow. (Which, BTW, there is zero hope of for the opener across most of the Arrowhead.) I spend a fair amount of time monitoring NWS forecasts and data.

You can monitor current conditions and review past reports for locations across the BWCA here:

NWS Hazards/Observations

I was up last weekend. Lakes are open. That said, water is getting colder day by day. Some ice in shallow bays forming and a creek I paddled out had ice along the edges. With the forecast, look for below freezing temps at night and calm winds.

I once was camping in November when it was in the 20’s and there was a strong wind. Lake was wide open. During the night, winds died down, temps dropped into the teens and the lake was froze over by morning. Scared me to death. I had to crash ice for 2 full miles. To get out.

Not too many hunters in the BWCA but plenty on the edges. IMO not a good place to hunt. I see more bears and moose than deer.
Tom

Considering the current conditions & weather forecast (lows just above freezing near Ely for the next 7 days.) I think the lakes & ponds will still be open/paddleable.

I'll be doing day trips and looking for grouse and not deer.

My reference to deer hunting was only to explain my intense interest in mid-range forecasts. You can get a quick and dirty hunch by looking at the systems depicted at the links on this page and then deducing the source of the air for northern Minnesota on any given day:


NWS Weather Prediction Center

gravelroad: "My reference to deer hunting was only to explain my intense interest in mid-range forecasts. You can get a quick and dirty hunch by looking at the systems depicted at the links on this page and then deducing the source of the air for northern Minnesota on any given day:



NWS Weather Prediction Center "

Yes, I appreciate your link. My comment was directed toward YaMarVa.

We’re at the point now that a calm cold night will freeze some small bodies of water. I don’t think it should be a problem with the forecast we have. I’m on my way back from chasing roosters otherwise I’d have a firsthand report.

YaMarVa: "Its firearm deer opener, I'd avoid grouse hunting in Minnesota this weekend and next. Its a short drive to either Wisconsin or Michigan to get your grouse hunting fix in.

Sorry I don't have info on what you're actually asking for. "

Does anyone actually deer hunt in the BWCA? In all of my trips up there I've never actually seen a deer in the BWCA.

MN deer harvest map

The link attached takes you to the MN DNR deer harvest stats, with maps that show harvest by area. It gives some idea as to the numbers taken out of the BWCAW region.

There are definitely people that hunt the BWCA. There are deer there but don’t waste your time if you haven’t done your homework. There are many square miles with no deer. The people I know that do it have some good years and some bad ones.

Years ago there were more deer and more hunters in the BW. Stu Ostoff was a big advocate of deer hunting in the BW. He even advocated the FS for changing the deer hunt so people could use rivers and lakes to access prime hunting areas before freeze up.

I saw the part that said “near Ely,” there will be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend with rifles. Firearm deer hunting is a short season, grouse season is long. For my own safety and out of respect to the deer hunters, it’s a good time for a break from grouse hunting. Michigan closes for grouse hunting during their firearm deer season. CBS reports over 500,000 people will deer hunt this weekend in MN, that’s crazy.

Good luck either way, grouse hunting is a lot of fun.

YaMarVa: "I saw the part that said “near Ely,” there will be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend with rifles. Firearm deer hunting is a short season, grouse season is long. For my own safety and out of respect to the deer hunters, it’s a good time for a break from grouse hunting. Michigan closes for grouse hunting during their firearm deer season. CBS reports over 500,000 people will deer hunt this weekend in MN, that’s crazy.

Good luck either way, grouse hunting is a lot of fun. "

There will not be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend. There will be people but it’s not crazy like other parts of the state.

Finnboy: "

YaMarVa: "I saw the part that said “near Ely,” there will be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend with rifles. Firearm deer hunting is a short season, grouse season is long. For my own safety and out of respect to the deer hunters, it’s a good time for a break from grouse hunting. Michigan closes for grouse hunting during their firearm deer season. CBS reports over 500,000 people will deer hunt this weekend in MN, that’s crazy.


Good luck either way, grouse hunting is a lot of fun. "

There will not be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend. There will be people but it’s not crazy like other parts of the state. "

I’ll be out tomorrow for the day and I don’t expect to see anyone but I’ll let you know.

I had to break some ice this morning but I had a great day. I shot five grouse and I didn’t see a soul.

Leave the axe. Take the cooler.

“Dry and mild conditions are forecast for Thursday and Friday, with highs climbing into the mid-40s to lower 50s which is 10 to
15 degrees above normal.”

NWS Duluth Forecast Discussion

YaMarVa: "I saw the part that said “near Ely,” there will be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend with rifles. Firearm deer hunting is a short season, grouse season is long. For my own safety and out of respect to the deer hunters, it’s a good time for a break from grouse hunting. Michigan closes for grouse hunting during their firearm deer season. CBS reports over 500,000 people will deer hunt this weekend in MN, that’s crazy.

Good luck either way, grouse hunting is a lot of fun. "

The 1000's might be an exaggeration, but I agree with the sentiment. Out of respect for the deer hunters - I would not go wander around in the woods hunting grouse during firearm deer season.

I’ve grouse or duck hunted almost every year around the edge or inside the Boundary Waters during deer season. Be respectful of others as always. There are plenty of places for everyone to do their thing without crowding and interfering with each other. I try to find a place with only one access point so I know I won’t run in to someone else. I have the benefit of living there for over 30 years so I have a few places that work.

Speckled: "

YaMarVa: "I saw the part that said “near Ely,” there will be 1000s of people in the woods around Ely this weekend with rifles. Firearm deer hunting is a short season, grouse season is long. For my own safety and out of respect to the deer hunters, it’s a good time for a break from grouse hunting. Michigan closes for grouse hunting during their firearm deer season. CBS reports over 500,000 people will deer hunt this weekend in MN, that’s crazy.


Good luck either way, grouse hunting is a lot of fun. "

The 1000's might be an exaggeration, but I agree with the sentiment. Out of respect for the deer hunters - I would not go wander around in the woods hunting grouse during firearm deer season."

I'm not sure what special respect I need to give to deer hunters. I have every right to hunt the woods as any other hunter, hiker, camper or biker. If anything, I think deer hunters are the ones that need to exercise respect and caution. I was near a bike trail last week and I saw several bikers. They have no idea that the following weekend there will be at least 8 deer hunters in the area. Also my parents already had several deer hunter trespasses last Saturday on their property. But I don't mean to impugn all deer hunters.

I hunt in places I'm almost 100% sure I won't see other people. I'll stay away If I see other cars in a parking lot. I did walk a hunting trail last weekend where there were no other cars in the lot. I saw one hunter in a stand and steered clear of him. I then passed two other deer hunters walking the trail. Both arrived after me.

I wish we could have this conversation in person, so you could hear tone and see facial expressions, as I don't mean this in any negative way...just a discussion we're having.

For me - Deer Hunters have such a relatively short window to deer hunt and being out there where you're coming across deer hunters as happened to you last weekend. There's a posability that you're spooking deer from that hunters area. Your smells and sounds travel further then we maybe think. I just give the grouse a break during deer season...some years i'm deer hunting myself and other's, i'll take the opportunity to clean and store my gear for the year and in others i've gone out and did a little late season fishing.

I kind of see it the same as fishing; Someone's trolling or casting a shoreline, courtesy is you don't cut in front of them. You may have every right to fish wherever you want - but you don't do it.

In fact I can speak to knowing you personally don't do it. We were on the same lake for a day trip a couple years ago, we got there first and were trolling and catching eyes along the windblown west shoreline and you stayed over on the North to North East side - well out of our way. I recognized you and sent you an e-mail afterwards and we chatted about the lake and a few others in the area.

I hope to bump into you again someday. May the grouse always fly across the trail and fish find the end of your line! Enjoy the remainder of the season!