I am starting to plan a BWCA bowhunt for deer for the fall of 2013. I plan on making a scouting trip the spring of 2013. I have never been to the BWCA and was wondering if anybody could help me out with a little information. Is there one area that may have a larger deer density over another? How far in would I have to go to get away from any other bowhunters? I am thinking the last week of October, any pros or cons for that week? I see people talk about the BDUB what is that and where is it? Any information is greatly apreciated. Thanks!

quote umlor: "I see people talk about the BDUB what is that and where is it? "

BDUB: a colloquialism for BWCA. B-W as in George DUB-ya Bush.

I have been on 19 trips and still have not seen a deer, so hopefully someone can tell you where the deer are at. BWCA northeastern Mn.

I do not recall ever seeing a deer in the bdub. I have seen them around the bdub while driving to ep's but never inside the bdub.

I have seen more deer in the BWCA than I wish to count. Look in areas that are regrowing from past fires.

quote housty9: "I have been on 19 trips and still have not seen a deer, so hopefully someone can tell you where the deer are at. BWCA northeastern Mn."

same here, on the other hand, outside it you will have trouble not running into one with your car

it is a large area, logging is not permitted so it is a mature forest except where there has been recent fire

IMO, it really isn't a place to hunt, unless you are an experienced traveler there (hiker, snow shoe, paddler) and understand where game is likely to be. It also requires knowledge of wilderness travel which is made more complex by hunting gear and how to deal with it.

Has there been any fires in NW portion of BWCA in the last few years?

There was the Ham lake fire several years ago. I traveled through part of that burn area this summer. Its getting pretty well grown in but no large trees yet. Walking through it is possible but there are lots of downed trees. Its going to be hard to walk through it while being quiet at the same time.

Hard part will be getting someplace where you can gain a vantage point to see over the low brush.

Are you planning on bringing a tree stand of any sort? If not you may find it hard to see very well. If you do bring one you may be able to set up on the edge of the fire area where large trees still remain.

If you have never been to the BWCA before I'm not sure I'd recommend tackling a hunting trip as one of your first trips. There is a lot that goes into these trips and even for experienced outdoorsmen there is a learning curve on how to travel up there. I know on my first several trips I wouldn't have wanted to deal with the extra gear involved in hunting. Also you will need to haul the animal out so plan on having another 75-100 lbs with you on the way out.

It's tough. I've gun hunted it twice. Once was a trip over 6 miles from the road. So far, I've seen 3-5 deer. I do know guys that are sort of nuts and shoot a dandy here and there.

Not sure I'd wanna try a bowhunt...could be a long week. I walk a lot when I'm gun hunting the area, so it's not so bad. I usually see quite a few moose.

That said, I'd stick to paddling lakes. The terrain around a lot of rivers in the BWCAW is more moose habitat. There's a lot of black spruce swamps etc within a 1/2 mile of the rivers usually...unless there's rapids.

On a side note, I'm getting more and more into bow hunting again, just because of the solitude. So, I'm unsure if I'll ever be back to deer hunt the BWCAW.

I know the area south of the BWCAW has quite a few more deer though....like 20 DPSM compared to 6 DPSM.