Although there aren't a lot of recent threads on here about BWCA rifle deer hunts I know a lot of people do it. A buddy of mine and I are in the process of planning a trip this fall. We are thinking about the western side of the BWCA south of Ely north of Lake Vermilion. Does anyone have any tips/tricks for this area? Does anyone know if there are concentrations of aspen or dog wood in the area? I'm not asking for your hunting spot, I just want to make sure I'm looking in the right area. Thanks for the help.

South of Ely and North of Vermillion? Ely and Vermillion are roughly on the same east/west line so not really possible to be both south of ely and north of vermillion at the same time. Or did I just read that wrong?

One thing you may want to keep in mind is the regs for his year. The west side is a lottery zone and the east side is a hunter choice zone this year. So if you want the option of a doe and don't get a lottery permit for 118 then you may want to head east to 117 where its hunters choice.

Another thing to consider is try looking for a map of areas impacted by storms this summer. There will be some areas with a pretty thick mess of downed trees. I'd avoid the areas as it would be a mess to get a deer out of them but you could look to area near by hoping to find a greater density of deer that might displace out of their normal range due to the blow down.

Yeah I just saw the new regs came out. Back to the drawing board. The blow down is a good point. I also thought about looking around the fire area from a couple of years ago. The new growth should produce some good food sources.

quote Silverback6: "Although there aren't a lot of recent threads on here about BWCA rifle deer hunts I know a lot of people do it. A buddy of mine and I are in the process of planning a trip this fall. We are thinking about the western side of the BWCA south of Ely north of Lake Vermilion. Does anyone have any tips/tricks for this area? Does anyone know if there are concentrations of aspen or dog wood in the area? I'm not asking for your hunting spot, I just want to make sure I'm looking in the right area. Thanks for the help."

Depending where you are exactly going-if in the BWCA read Boundary water Journal and Stu hunted that area last year.
I also know people who hunt that area-recent years hunting has been tough and they might get 1-2 deer for like 8 guys(they been hunting there for 20 plus years.

quote Silverback6: "Yeah I just saw the new regs came out. Back to the drawing board. The blow down is a good point. I also thought about looking around the fire area from a couple of years ago. The new growth should produce some good food sources."

Areas that have seen fire would be another area to key in on however there seems to be a sweet spot for how long after a fire the hunting can be good. The first year or two would probably be the best as it offers the most new growth for the deer to chow on. After a few years the undergrowth can get pretty thick and when it gets to be about shoulder height it can be real tough to hunt as you have no line of sight through it and there aren't many trees to set up a stand to get above it. You may need to rely on natural elevation changes to get higher up so see down more effectively.

No matter what even on a good year the BWCA is a real tough hunt. Deer density is relatively low, the terrain and dense forest conditions will limit your options, and then there is always the work involved in getting to your hunting area and then getting back out hopefully with a big deer in tow. Also add in the fact that you may be camping in less than ideal conditions. Last year would have been a great year to hunt the BWCA as the high temps were in the 40's and 50's during rifle opener but the years before that the temps had been in the single digits in the AM and warming up to maybe the upper teens to low 20's during the day with some off an on snow. All of that makes for a tough hunt that isn't for the fair weather hunter. I've personally wanted to do it for several years now but none of my hunting buddies is willing to subject themselves to the rigors of that kind of trip.