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Old 09-15-2014, 11:34 AM
 
17,273 posts, read 9,491,863 times
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I've been working on the Ice Age Trail. Started at Lapham Peak, moved onto the Mauthe Lake area. I need to start back up, it's been weeks since I've been hiking but my last jaunt ended by Butler Lake. I think the hiking is good. Get some good hills, don't really come across other people too often, peaceful in the woods.
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Old 09-15-2014, 12:24 PM
 
Location: WI
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i too tend to recommend both Gov Dodge and Devil's Lake parks; as when i'm "hiking" it is for the purpose to see some views and have some nice photo opps. Same as i did back in SC, while some of the parks in the mountains there had serious trails, i was happy finding ones that had spots to stop & see the views/waterfalls and wasnt that into the 'exercise' part of it.

And as we head into fall color season, many of the parks/trails in WI will offer up some beautiful shots in the waiting.
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Old 09-16-2014, 10:12 PM
 
Location: Mequon, WI
8,276 posts, read 23,004,060 times
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I might be going up to the Alvin area, any good hikes up there I also just picked up a Delrome. Problem is that I know nothing about hunting and where and when people hunt. I happen to go hiking once in a hunting zone during bow season and got screamed at by a hunter to get the F out of here, I couldn't see him but I hit it!

I love to hike off trail but I sometimes wonder if I am just asking for trouble if a city guy like me goes to the northwoods and starts wandering around. So from what I gathered nothing to worry about when it comes to wolves, cougars and many black bears just run away from what I have been told. Then I heard of mexican cartels setting up growing fields in the state forests up there and just my luck I would probably wander into one. Do I have to worry about wandering onto some private property nut who protects his land with a shotgun? maybe I should just stay on trail.
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Old 09-17-2014, 02:31 AM
 
Location: Caverns measureless to man...
7,588 posts, read 6,581,441 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post


I love to hike off trail but I sometimes wonder if I am just asking for trouble if a city guy like me goes to the northwoods and starts wandering around. So from what I gathered nothing to worry about when it comes to wolves, cougars and many black bears just run away from what I have been told.
Wear a "Brewers" ballcap and you've got nothing to fear. They prefer to eat people from Minnesota - if you're from Milwaukee, you're too tough.

Nah... seriously, you'll have no problems with the predators. You'd be very fortunate to see a wolf in the wild, and a cougar is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you do catch a glimpse of either animal, its usually only for a second or two while they decide which is the best direction to run away from you. I do, however, carry a Colt .45 for bears while I'm hiking up in the Chequamegon. It's extremely unlikely I would ever need one, but I just feel better having it. Especially in my tent at night.

And more importantly, it makes my wife feel better to know that I'm carrying. She's a city girl from Jersey; she don't know from bears.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post

Then I heard of mexican cartels setting up growing fields in the state forests up there and just my luck I would probably wander into one.
That's even more rare than cougars. It's usually locals who set up small grow operations; the Mexicans don't do much that far north, because they stick out like a pack of hyenas at a sunday school picnic. The locals who grow in the forests know better than to kill hikers, because they know that when someone goes home dead from a hiking trip (or turns up missing), people with uniforms and no sense of humor usually come along to ask questions about it.


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Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post

Do I have to worry about wandering onto some private property nut who protects his land with a shotgun? maybe I should just stay on trail.
Nope. Every couple-three years, you might read about some crazy, but that's very rare. Rural cheeseheads only tend to kill people they know; most murders in the boonies are crimes of passion, and stranger murder almost never happens. It just wouldn't occur to them - not even the democrats.
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Old 09-17-2014, 08:37 AM
 
17,273 posts, read 9,491,863 times
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Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post
I might be going up to the Alvin area, any good hikes up there I also just picked up a Delrome. Problem is that I know nothing about hunting and where and when people hunt. I happen to go hiking once in a hunting zone during bow season and got screamed at by a hunter to get the F out of here, I couldn't see him but I hit it!

I love to hike off trail but I sometimes wonder if I am just asking for trouble if a city guy like me goes to the northwoods and starts wandering around. So from what I gathered nothing to worry about when it comes to wolves, cougars and many black bears just run away from what I have been told. Then I heard of mexican cartels setting up growing fields in the state forests up there and just my luck I would probably wander into one. Do I have to worry about wandering onto some private property nut who protects his land with a shotgun? maybe I should just stay on trail.
I would stick to the trails. Not because you're a city guy or coming across a pot field or wild animal is likely, it's just a better idea to stick to trails. I did come across a hunter on a trail in Kettle Moraine. He was just sitting there, RIGHT ON THE TRAIL w/his gun waiting for a deer. I don't see how a public recreational trail is considered an ideal place for a hunter to be.
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Old 09-17-2014, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Milwaukee
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Originally Posted by thefragile View Post
I would stick to the trails. Not because you're a city guy or coming across a pot field or wild animal is likely, it's just a better idea to stick to trails. I did come across a hunter on a trail in Kettle Moraine. He was just sitting there, RIGHT ON THE TRAIL w/his gun waiting for a deer. I don't see how a public recreational trail is considered an ideal place for a hunter to be.
I agree - but some people love the freedom of going off-trail, so it may be worth the potential danger...which wouldn't be from predators, but from people or getting too far off-course or something like that.

Know little about the Alvin area - Forest County is a really quiet area, even on trails you'll likely see very few people.

I've seen a LOT of trucks pulled over on the twisting northern unit roads during the hunting seasons. It's kind of the only contiguous forest region anywhere near the area, so I can understand wanting to use it, but sitting on the trail like that is BS. And probably stupid, considering hiking trails and roads are the areas deer are going to avoid whenever possible.
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Old 09-17-2014, 04:31 PM
 
Location: East TX
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Bearskin Trail based out of Minocqua is great if you want flat and easy. Chequamegon also has lots of area West of there towards Park Falls.

Best hiking almost in Wisconsin is the Porcupine National Forest in the UP. Lake Superior views, literal mountain slopes that are same slope as Rockies (just not as tall) and the fabulous views of Lake of the Clouds. Go in peak color and it will be a highlight you talk about for years.

Also think that Perrot State Park north of La Crosse is often overlooked as a hiking spot. Really beautiful views of the river and some great opportunities to canoe the backwaters as well.
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Old 09-18-2014, 08:17 AM
 
Location: SE WI
739 posts, read 824,120 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post
I might be going up to the Alvin area, any good hikes up there I also just picked up a Delrome. Problem is that I know nothing about hunting and where and when people hunt. I happen to go hiking once in a hunting zone during bow season and got screamed at by a hunter to get the F out of here, I couldn't see him but I hit it!

Do I have to worry about wandering onto some private property nut who protects his land with a shotgun? maybe I should just stay on trail.
If you are not on private property, you have every right to be hiking there. I hike through hunting zones all the time. Bow season is nearly 4 months long in our state and the fall presents some of the best hiking weather.

And yes, you have to not stray onto private property. It is your responsibility as a hiker (and for hunters) to know your bearings, and what is public or private.
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Old 09-18-2014, 09:37 AM
 
Location: Milwaukee
3,450 posts, read 4,498,439 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rynldsbr View Post
Bearskin Trail based out of Minocqua is great if you want flat and easy. Chequamegon also has lots of area West of there towards Park Falls.

Best hiking almost in Wisconsin is the Porcupine National Forest in the UP. Lake Superior views, literal mountain slopes that are same slope as Rockies (just not as tall) and the fabulous views of Lake of the Clouds. Go in peak color and it will be a highlight you talk about for years.

Also think that Perrot State Park north of La Crosse is often overlooked as a hiking spot. Really beautiful views of the river and some great opportunities to canoe the backwaters as well.
Porkies are great, but so are the Huron Mountains north of Marquette. Or Brockway Mountain area of the Keweenaw. Trap Hills aren't bad, either. UP hiking is next-level. My first trip to see Lake of the Clouds in the Porkies was, not to overstate this here, but it was a life-changer. I'd stopped doing "nature stuff" for many years after growing up camping/hiking/skiing/fishing, and standing up there as an eagle soared and screeched at eye level made me want to experience that feeling again, and as much as possible. I also realized that while the West is Grand, we also have many beautiful areas in the Upper Midwest and I want to see them all.

I would say that hiking in the Driftless is consistently better than anywhere outside some of the biggest northwoods vistas (big hills/small mountains near Lake Superior & Copper Falls come to mind) or Door County. Anywhere along the Mississippi works. So does anywhere along the Kickapoo (Kickapoo Valley Reserve & Wildcat Mountain) or Lower Wisconsin. It's surprising that so few go to the area for its nature. Makes me kinda want to leave these quiet destinations off a public forum like this, but...try Spring Green Preserve, the "Wisconsin Desert" for starters. Historically it was a giant sand prairie, but farmers irrigated away 90% of it. The Preserve has done a great job restoring this area. You can hike below amongst tons of cacti, wolf spiders, snakes, and other odd (for Wisconsin) dry/desert creatures, or hike the forest to the top of the bluffs to overlook the (very beautiful) region. Cacti bloom in late July, and offer fruit for the next couple months.
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Old 09-18-2014, 10:05 AM
 
Location: WI
3,961 posts, read 10,969,949 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TRlaura View Post
If you are not on private property, you have every right to be hiking there. I hike through hunting zones all the time. Bow season is nearly 4 months long in our state and the fall presents some of the best hiking weather.

And yes, you have to not stray onto private property. It is your responsibility as a hiker (and for hunters) to know your bearings, and what is public or private.
agreed. I've been on both sides, bowhunted and also enjoyed a nice fall walk in the woods as well. Frankly if i had to hunt public grounds, i wouldnt be set up anywhere near marked trails to avoid human contact (and most times a deer isnt taking a stroll down a path either). And on the flip side, if i was hiking i'd stick on or close to the marked trails. But i'd definitely recommend to any hiker, wear bright clothing. I've watched walkers go by wearing neutral or dark clothing, and sorry to say that could be asking for trouble. Stand out and don't blend in.
And yes know where you are at all times regardless of why you are in the woods, follow markers or take a gps with you. Ignorance is no excuse for trespassing.

just my .02
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