Looking to do a 7 day longbow hunt, fishing, and wilderness camping trip here in Michigan come the second week of October. I'm sure there is a lot out there. But I'm having a hard time finding one that isn't to populated on government land and doesn't have a bunch of fishing regulations. A river or a area with back waters. Willing to drive anywhere here in Michigan. Did the Escanaba river last October for 4 days. Was a beautiful area and a nice trip. But wasn't long enough and seemed pretty populated. Anyone with experience in a area, your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for looking at my post and I'm looking forward to reading future post!

I'm looking for an area on government land. I did not word it right in the post.

What do you have for a canoe?

River and "wilderness" is a fantasy. People like rivers and think it's a good place to place a house, play or go hang out near. The Grand or Muskegon are the longest if you're looking to spend 7 days in a tent. I think the Grand has better fishing. You can do a good float on the Manistee and you'll see fewer people but if you plan on seven days you'll have to stop often.

Weekend Canoeing in Michigan by Doc Fletcher is a good book to help you get started.

I've been looking at the Sylvania Wilderness area in the U.P. Seems like a lot of regulations though.

the U.P has lost about 80 percent of it,s deer herd. Very remote but deer in the U.P are hurting in numbers.

Go to Minnesota instead?

Can't beat the BWCA.

There are areas in Minnesota that are not in the Bdub, but are in National and state forest lands, that have canoe remote access campsites. The deer numbers are higher south of the Bdub. There are map websites that have these marked, along with access points, trail heads and portages. Some of the flowages in Wisconsin also have these possibilities, but I am not familiar with them, even though I use to live in Wisconsin.

Been looking at the Boundary Waters. I will end up there eventually.

Gooooooo sounds like a good adventure

Skip the canoe and walk in somewhere in the LP. Any where you find water you will find people and Michigan doesn't have 7 days worth of public land along a river. Not to mention most all northern rivers have salmon and steelhead fall runs meaning the water and banks will have a lot of people. You cant shoot does in the UP with a bow, so that really takes the shine off that place. And they have APR's across most of it. So your deer targets would be incredibly low at best.

I've thought about the EXACT same thing for years. Studied maps and researched a lot of land. Its not easy, the lower peninsula isn't remote. And where our state is remote there isn't any game.

One free tip :)

Stay north of Gaylord and you might have a chance at your goal.

If the canoeing part isn't all that important go to North Manitou Island. Odds are you'll be the only one there during bow season and you will actually have to hunt deer since no baiting allowed. You can kill was many deer as you can get close to, buck or doe and no APR. The place is over run with squirrels as well plus there's good fishing at the lake in the middle of the island. I'm not sure what population is currently, there have been 100's of deer on the island and there have been few. Regardless it's a great trip.

You might want to look at the Paint River near Crystal Falls. We used to canoe the area west of CF - lot's of smallmouths. You have to line or portage your canoe through Hemlock Rapids. Don't know about deer populations, but pretty remote.

Bowmania

I was on north Manitou 3 years back and deer were scarce at best. I agree the fishing on Manitou lake is awesome. It is wild and odds are you will see nobody. One major issue for me, zero campfires allowed ever.

Unfortunately, the best places to arrow a deer on a canoe hunt are not the places that will offer wilderness and a week's worth of camping in solitude.

If good hunting is the top priority, I'd take a good look at the Maple River flooding area north of St. Johns.

Rod

There was a great article in TBM a few years back about a couple of guys that did just what you are talking about. It was in the U.P. but they disguised the real name of the river. The difference was that they canoed quite a distance and set up a base camp in a very remote area and hunted from that. Great article. I know that Steve Turay( Northern Mist) used to do that as well. He said he would go days without seeing another hunter. Down side; deer numbers in the U.P. will not come back for years.

I live in the up. If I was set on doing that here, I'd go with sylvania wilderness. But make no mistake it's gonna be tough to slap a tag on an animal between not being able to shoot does and the apr's. Good luck I've thought about doing this as well. I'm interested to hear what you come up with

Get ahold of Steve Turrey, Northernmist bows, he use to do the canoe hunt in the UP, he may give you a good tip and a price on his bows.

You never got to watch Deliverance did ya?Or maybe ya did.I found a short (so called) horse bow can be shot whilst seated in a canoe easily.Great to stalk animals with.You just line up your canoe with your prey and drift into them.Be cautious though my York tracker went through Rapids after a capsize .It was found 200 yards down stream relatively OK .I never had any bad experiences with hillbillies though.Ha Ha.( "squeal like a pig"Good luck on your trip. OSR

When I was a young man I did just what you are talking about, only in Wisconsin. Three weeks with my bow, camp, game, and the woods. A great adventure. September, mid-sixties.

From one jarhead to another, I hope you find your piece of remote solitude. It is there, keep looking. Your adventure may lie just beyond your farthest ambition. Remember it does not have to be perfect to make a memory that can last 50 years, like mine. Good luck. Semper Fi.

Try the Manistee River. Start around Grayling and float to Medick. Maybe not 7 days worth, but close. Surrounded by public lands.

I canoed from US131 to Red Bridge a couple of summers ago. It took us 4 days and 3 nights with a big portage over the Hodenpyle Dam.

Keep us posted.

Chad

I was also going to recommend the Paint up by Crystal Falls. Lot of game along the river and some good fishing. Shot a bear within a few hundred yards of the Paint last Sept but we also saw coyote, deer and wolf on the trail cam. As recommended, contact Steve Turray at Northern Mist. He may give you some insight. He lived about 50 miles north of Crystal Falls. Steve was also in the Marines. Semper Fi and have some fun.

The UP has not lost 80 percent of its deer herd that is nonsense, and I am in Iron County.....I would forget the Sylvania, pretty area, but not many deer in that area, most of it is old growth forest,,,,,,,,

Its another good winter for the deer this year,,,,,, I will send you a PM, on some ideas I have for you

Dead-man's Swamp

Ever since the mention of that name back in the Summer of 1942, I have had an obsession with finding out more about "Dead-man's Swamp."

Dead-man's Swamp is a particularly inhospitable tract of real estate, originally 12 miles X 18 miles, in the heart of central Northern Michigan. It has historically been singularly resistant to the seemingly inexorable inroads of man, and, in fact, has exacted a high price from many who were willing to test their mettle against its harsh realities. It did not, after all, get its name coincidentally! A number of people attempting to learn its dark secrets lost their lives in that quest.

I spoke with Papa Ruhlig, who was ninety-seven years old, and who had lived his entire life around, and often in, Dead-man's Swamp. He spoke knowingly about several loggers and hunters who entered Dead-man's Swamp and who never returned. They could have been killed by bears who still survive there, they could have drowned, they could have sunk from sight in seemingly firm ground that yielded to bottomless mire. Whatever happened to them we will never know. We can only surmise. They have become part of the mystique of Dead-man's Swamp.

I inquired of Papa Ruhlig why anyone would venture into Dead-man's Swamp. He shook his head; and then tried to explain. "It's a feeling you get there like nowhere else on earth. Maybe it's the danger, the foreboding, the sense of overpowering solitude that makes it almost a compelling place to visit." He continued: "I went there often, but always in daylight. I never went there at night...for I was sure that, if I did, I would not return." And then he added with animation: "Only a fool would enter Dead-man's Swamp after dark!"

I asked Papa what made Dead-man's Swamp so especially dangerous. He mused upon it for a moment, then replied: "biggest thing is getting lost. First you get lost, then you lose your head,...then you are dead...d-e-a-d!"

"But," I protested, "all you really need is a good compass...and you'd be all right."

"Haarumph," he retorted, eyeing me as though I were an imbecile. "Hell of a lot o' good a compass'll do you in there! So much iron in the water the damn thing'll spin like a maple seed in a whirlwind!"

"Oh," I mumbled contritely, and hastily changed the subject. "Tell me about your most exciting adventures in Dead-man's Swamp."

"Actually had two close calls...make that three. Stepped in a sink hole one time, and, if there hadn't been a stout cedar within reach, I'd a been his-try." His voice trailed off, and he shuddered involuntarily before continuing. "The other two times involved bears. Went in there deer hunting one time after a light snowfall. Wounded a forkhorn and started trailin' him. Hadn't gone far when a big Blackie cut in on the trail."

I waited for him to continue. He didn't. "What'd you do?" I asked cautiously.

"Went home!"

I got the message.

"The other one was a real doozie...my fault really. I stayed in the Swamp too long. It was almost dusk and I was tryin' to get out before nightfall. I wasn't payin' close attention. Before I knew it, I had managed to get between a cub and its mother. Oh boy! The ole gal let out one woof and came for me. It was her or the water. No choice! By the time I got out'a the Swamp I was covered with mud over every single square inch of my body. I was damn lucky!"

Having heard Papa tell about his harrowing experiences in Dead-man's Swamp, I wondered if there might have been a humorous episode in his lifetime affair with the Swamp. No sooner had I inquired, than a snicker escaped his lips. I sat back, certain I would enjoy the tale I was about to hear.

"I had taken a friend, Jess Thompson, in there hunting.

He set off in one direction, me in another. I hadn't gone far when I spotted a doe and her fawn out in a big marshy clearing. I stopped to watch them awhile. Suddenly I was distracted by movement off to my right. As I looked over, I saw what I first mistook as a large man in a black fur coat standing sniffing the air. It was, of course, a good-size male Black Bear winding. He dropped from sight and I went back to observing the two deer. A moment later the bear burst from cover and bore down upon the deer. They bolted and were able to elude their pursuer. The bear kind of shrugged and sauntered to a big black cherry which he proceeded to climb and began cramming cherries in to his mouth. It was about then that I hatched this plan to enable Jess to bag that bear."

I leaned forward attentively, wondering what possibly could have happened.

"I'd once heard that, if you caught a bear up a tree and tied your coat around the trunk, the bear would't come down. My plan was to get my coat around the tree and go and fetch Jess. So I started crawling through the tall marshgrass toward the cherry tree. I got about half way to the tree when I ran out of cover. I could't see any other alternative but to run as fast as I could to the tree and get the coat around the tree before the bear could climb down. I bolted for the tree running over rough, boggy ground. Well, that bear spotted me the instant I broke cover and started shimmying down the tree. The closer I got to the tree the closer the bear got to the ground. I saw he was gonna beat me so I grabbed my old single-shot 22 magnum and fired a round in the air hoping to stop the bear's descent. The shot however so startled the bear that he jumped out of the tree right next to me. He lit and took off full tilt scalping the ground with his paws as he raced in one direction; I in another. When I looked back, he had covered more than twice the distance I had! So poor Jess didn't get his bear after all...and I never tried to test that coat theory again!"

I asked Papa about other interesting people he had known who had also linked their destinies with the Swamp.

"I've known quite a few at that," Papa mused. There was Art Layton a hunter-trapper who accounted for some one hundred and fifteen bears in his lifetime. Shot the biggest Black Bear ever taken in Michigan--live weight over seven hundred pounds. Shot that bear eatin' a smaller one he'd caught in one of his traps!"

"Whew," I exclaimed.

"However, the most interesting one of all," Papa continued, "was an ancient Indian who spent his whole life in the Swamp. I don't think I ever heard his real name--everyone just called him `Crawdad.' Seems Crawdad had a special fondness for bear meat. Always kept a pack of bear hounds at his place. One afternoon he let his three best dogs: Prince, Duke, and Queenie loose. Why that Queenie was darn near big enough to look a man straight in the eye. Had a head on her like a cinderblock! Leastwise the three of 'em began runnin' a big Blackie. Kept at it all afternoon and all night. Next day when Crawdad went back to find his dogs there was Prince stone dead on the coat he had left. Looked like he had been hit by a freight train. Crawdad backtracked Prince and came to a clearing that looked like the aftermath of Custer's Last Stand. In the middle of the clearing lay a dead bear. It weighed three hundred seventy pounds. And there was Queenie lying on top of him. She had nothing more than a chewed ear and a few cuts. Crawdad began searching for Duke and, when he couldn't find him, went back to begin skinnin' the bear. When he rolled the bear over he found Duke under the bear; dead. That Swamp," Papa mused, "sure has taken its toll over the years...on both dogs...and men." His voice drifted off without the slightest trace of anything...save awe.

"What do you think about the talk of cutting a road through the Swamp and setting up oil rigs?" I braced myself. Papa scowled for a long time before answering. "I think it'd be a crime!" he said forcefully. He abruptly got up and stiffly walked away.

I have thought a lot about Dead-man's Swamp and Papa Ruhlig since then. Papa died before they put the freeway through, before the oil rigs, and before the multiple access roads.

In a way Papa's luck held. He was one of the last to know Dead-man's Swamp as it was in the beginning: sinister, darkly beautiful, captivating.

Some times at the dark of the moon I lie thinking about Dead-man's Swamp and its meaning for modern man. What will happen to us when there are no more places like that: places where we can go to test ourselves...to know deep down what stuff we are really made of? Where can we go to learn the virtue of humility? What will happen if we can't restore our souls in wilderness? I shudder to think how impoverished we all might become in a world without Dead-man's Swamp!

The real name of the Swamp in this story is "Dead Stream Swamp;" so named because of the lack of current in the main stream of the five tributary rivers which meander their way through the Swamp: Cold Creek, Willow Run, Dead Stream, Addis, and Hay Marsh. While Dead Stream is its proper name, many local residents utilize its equally-appropriate version: "Dead-man's Swamp!"

Moreover, compass readings are not affected in the Dead Stream Swamp, as they often are in the swamps of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Other than that, the events depicted in this narrative are authentic; only people's names have been changed.

Me and my oldest son are doing the same thing this upcoming season. We will be in The West end of the Yoop.

I’d say the UP is your best bet. I wish there was a moose bow season offered on Isle Royale. Plenty of camp sites, fishing, and moose. Best of luck planning your trip!

Ron, enjoyed your stories about "Dead-mans Swamp". It reminded me of a huge buck that I had seen about 20 years ago in a swampy area along the Manistee River. It was the biggest white-tail I had ever seen, may have been bigger than the Rompola buck.

Some folks say he's in there still. 8>)

Dont have any suggestions..... but I sure like the idea....ALOT!! ??

Hey Mark maybe this time we should paddle up and down green Creek then go back to my house and start a fire. The deer hunting will be better and we won't have to figure out how to pack in 7 days worth of beer.

I would also recommend contacting Steve Turay. He used to tell me about his canoe hunting trips. He knows the U.P. well. I think Sylvania would not be a good choice. Very strict regs. and a very small deer herd. A better choice would be McCormic(sp.?) Wilderness. Less regulated,larger area, and better deer numbers. You would also have a pretty good chance of seeing a moose which is pretty awesome in a wilderness setting. Call Steve. He'll give you the low down.

http://www.mccormicktract.com/

Windwalker, that's the article that got me wanting to do a canoe trip hunt . It just looks like it would be a blast.

Great thread and cool story Ron.

Mr LaClair has stirred a great interest for me in that swamp ?? I might just have to visit that place ??

What the h. you wanna go mess around with that river for ?

Cause its there.

Its there alright. You get in there and cant get out, you gonna wish it wasnt.

Plenty of land and solitude UP here as well as a tangle of streams/swamps.

Great story Ron, well written, thanks! Nick

One thing you might want to consider is a small canoe,,,, I use a 10 footer, with a dry bag and pack,,,, the deer come out,. broken down .....I can get into some small streams with it,,, its easy to use, when you got to go over sweepers and dams,,,,,

A big heavy canoe, is a pain, if you are solo..... small canoes are not cheap or easy to find...... I like the solo discovery, but there is a guy in western Wisconsin, who makes the best I ever saw....

they make a 10 footer, with a square stern, if you want it, stable, wide in the middle, you can stand up in it, very light 35lbs, price is 900.00 they are custom made,,, he will build bigger also,,,,,,

It is always on the truck, great for trapping too,,,,

This is a 12' wood and canvas that was custom built. I loved that canoe but I sold it and have regretted it since.

now your talking Ron,,,,, she has one at luckys bait shop in Iron River, but she will not sell it, I try all the time, ha ha

I think them Louisiana Alligator people are headed up there.

LOL

I've got a Old Town 119 Guide canoe. Its a great small canoe. Would like to thank everyone who commented on this. It gave me some good ideas and places to start.

This is a buddy and I in my birch bark canoe when we traveled with Verlen Kruger for a day on the Grand River when he led an expedition the length of the river in 1990

http://www.worldcat.org/title/grand-adventure-the-journey-of-grand-river-expedition-90/oclc/24428568

You may surprised at how much more space and weight is involved with loading a canoe with hunting stuff compared to loading a canoe with BWCA tripping stuff. The Wenonah in the picture would be my choice. My hunting canoe is a Mad River top of the line kevlar Explorer. They do not make that model any longer. I use a long kayak paddle for open water when going solo. I had a Wenonah Prism, 9 by 9 Egyptian canvas tent, a tent stove, heavier clothes, all of hunting gear, plus one 140 pound deer and my 230 pounds, wouldn't you just know it, the one piece of bigger water had 25 mph hour wind on it and there I was with not enough free board to take on the waves. Filling up with water is not an option when the water temps are under 40 degrees, dumping on the edge of a loon sh#t swamp is not a much better option. There are lots of places in the Wisconsin flowages and areas south of the BWCA where canoe hunting is totally viable. I do not think the BWCA has enough deer to expect much action, get a ways south into the river/lake systems that are state and federal forest lands, the deer numbers are much higher. You need enough canoe to handle the lake waves and the rough water on some of the rivers, always portage if in doubt.

jarheadusmc, I am ex-navy and that picture simplify the meaning of jarhead, good hunting.

Ya know jjs,,,,they got the name Jarhead from being on a Navy ship ; )

The USS Constitution,,,(aka Ole Ironside),,,,ya see them early Marines were all tall men and when the drums beat to muster they all couldnt wait to make the grass grow(a Marine knows what i mean by that)so theyd jump up grab gear and run for top side,and Jar there heads on the ships bulkheads Hence,,,Jarhead ; )

Thought you guys might like that picture. That was just before floating the Escanaba River 2yrs ago. Did a 4 day trip. Not much paddling, mostly camping on that trip. Ive got the old town guide 119 for hunting and maneuvering in the local river here at home. Its a good canoe for that. The Wenoneh is my tripper canoe.

Thought you guys might like that picture. That was just before floating the Escanaba River 2yrs ago. Did a 4 day trip. Not much paddling, mostly camping on that trip. Ive got the old town guide 119 for hunting and maneuvering in the local river here at home. Its a good canoe for that. The Wenoneh is my tripper canoe.

I found a birch bark rotting away in Quetico, years ago. Went back to check on it a couple of years back. About all that is left is bits of lashing around the ghost of what use to be the gunnels and thwarts and parts of the stem and stern that are suspended by the tar pitch.

Most of my interesting canoe tripping finds, I am accompanied by only a bag of flushable wet wipes and my trusty old friend The Poop Scoop Interprise- and it's continuing mission to seek out distance ridges, to explore hidden valleys, to find lush sunlit glades with blue berries, to go where no man has gone before and a good pooping long doesn't hurt either.

Been thinking about this for a while. The Manistee river is looking like a good run for me. Lots of miles of river, lots of federal land, and fishing restrictions stop after CCC bridge by the way I'm reading the fishing guide. As far as deer hunting, there is antler restrictions and not many doe tags given. I do know people in the area with cabins that can help with drop off and pick up. Think it will be a good first time solo trip to cut my teeth on.I picked up a book, Canoeing Michigan Rivers by Jerry Dennis and Craig Date. This book is very detailed and helpful. October is aways off yet. We will see what else comes along. Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions. Please keep them coming. Mark

Escanaba River

Ron tells of Dead stream swamp, My Dad and I took a canoe back up in their for three days we had a square stern and a 2 horse motor we went up in the head waters a long way ran out of Gas and paddled out. You get up in there and water and marsh goes on forever the channels and tributaries run in big S curves and go in all directions. The worst is it has very little current and what it does have does not "run" like a River it also goes every which way. We didnt use a compass much and at that time a GPS was not even though of. The first day we thought we may have to sleep in the canoe there is high ground but you cant always get to it to much brush not Cattails but Brush! Im almost 50 now and would like to go back in there But you can be damm sure I would take a GPS.

Fall Grey, how is the fishing on the stretch you described?

I have fished it a lot, Jon, and was far from impressed. I spent three summers packing it and camping it. We caught several under-sized planter bows one year on streamers and hoppers and maybe two smallmouth bass otherwise. I know some of the jet boat guys get some walleyes farther towards Red Bridge in the deeper, slower pools. And, the truth is I have seen maybe 5-6 total fishermen in all those years. That's usually a good indicator as well. I have went in the spring through fall and it never mattered much, fishing wise that is. The amount of tubes and kayaks floating it is insane. Makes the Au Sable look like child's play.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here