Can you hunt in the boundary waters

We had a short canoe trip from our entry point and then had really good access to get to several other areas via canoe. Even in a wilderness area as big as the BWCA, there is still a chance you will run into other people and need to alter your plans.

Again, hunting public land nearly always requires having a back-up plan, and most likely several different plans. Choosing a Canoe Outfitter if needed. There are hundreds of outfitters to choose from when looking to embark on a trip into the BWCA. So, there are plenty of resources out there to help you narrow down your search.

Just make sure you pick an outfitter that services the entry points you plan on using. As I found through my research, not all of the outfitters cover the entire wilderness.

What is great about the majority of these canoe outfitters, they make a trip into the wilderness possible for nearly anyone. You can typically rent pretty much anything you need from these places. Some even offer fully guided trips where they send you off with everything you need for your trip, including food! Or, like in our case, you can rent what you need a-la-carte.

I will give you my unsolicited recommendation: Piragis Northwoods Company! These guys and gals were absolutely top notch to work with! We were able to get everything that we needed from them to make our trip as comfortable as possible. Kevlar canoes, paddles, life jackets, a wall tent and a wood stove mid-late October in Northern MN can get cold , portage bags, paper maps and more. They also have a store where you can stock up on any last-minute items you forgot like back country meals, fishing supplies, GPS units, survival kits, souvenirs after your trip, etc.

You name it, they probably have it. They were also a big help in finalizing our route and giving us some solid fishing recommendations for the lakes we would be near. Most importantly, the gave a couple of outstanding recommendations for our final meal before heading into the wilderness and the always important and anticipated exit meal from a trip!

If you plan to head to the BWCA for any type of trip, you need to look these folks up. Regardless of who you choose for your trip, just make sure you do research and pick the outfitter that will work best for your needs. I will give you a quick rundown of what we brought along with us as a group outside of your typical hunting gear.

I had a hard time finding any resources for gear that would be helpful for this type of hunt. It was pretty easy to find a plethora of info on what to bring for camping and fishing, but not so much for archery hunting. I would highly recommend planning as a group where not everyone is bringing the same thing. For many items, we were fine with just 1 or 2 and did not need to bring 4.

This can really help cut down on weight and clutter when you only have a canoe to pack in. I will also let you know what NOT to bring, at least from our experience. Keep in mind, this was for an archery whitetail deer hunt towards the end of October. There were 4 of us on the trip and 3 of us were hunting. What we Brought:. Good base layers and a layering approach to our camo systems were a good option for this trip.

A good packable puffy jacket was also a valuable layer to have for those frosty mornings by the lake. Having quality rain gear can be a life saver. When you are getting in and out of your canoe non-stop, the water is oven shin deep and would go over a pair of hiking boots every time. There was also a lot of mud and mucky areas where we were hunting that the rubber boots performed well in.

We also all used hiking boots as we did quite a bit of hiking around in search of deer sign. One of the guys had hip waders which were a nice option, but the knee-high rubber boots were more than sufficient. We were also able use them as day packs. You will be making portages with your canoes, some of them long, so you want to have to make as few trips as possible. Having a backpack that could handle a bunch of gear was a great option.

He purchased his small game license and was able to provide several grouse to our menu! If I could go back and do this again, I would in a second. There were ample opportunities at grouse on this trip and it would have been great to have some more meat in camp. We fished A LOT and often just had a line in the water when we were paddling from one spot to the next.

We were going to have to go find some deer and not wait for them to come to us. We took 2 saddles and 2 sets of climbing sticks between all of us. All they did was take up space and weigh our canoes down. They just took up space in pack and were added weight. It was awesome to have a big tent that we were able to heat and stay warm. We had plenty of room for our gear and were able to dry out wet clothes and boots. However, we could have done this trip with just our small backpacking tents.

The wall tent and stove were also heavy and took up quite bit of room in our canoes. This was a splurge item for us, but we could have survived without it. You live and you learn. Mark Kenyon on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook. Hunting in the backcountry requires extreme amounts of knowledge.

Two very basic things that anyone going into the backcountry should know about are, water and fire. Without fire warmth will be hard to maintain, making it incredibly hard to stay comfortable. Water Basics Staying hydrated in the backcountry is critical.

Severe dehydration can lead to heat stroke and hypothermia; mild dehydration My dad always liked that old Napoleon quote about how an army marches on its stomach. For sure, he and Napoleon understood something elemental Learn more at ruffedgrousesociety. As an avid hunte r from Minnesota, fall is without a doubt one of the best times of the year. There is always that one day each year that kicks off the fall season. It brings a certain smell and chill to the air that announces itself as subtle, yet as unmistakable, as the sound of a deer creeping through the woods on the opening day of hunting season.

This year, I want to try out something new: grouse hunting in the Boundary Waters. I have spent a small bit of time in the autumn woods chasing grouse. That said, I did a little research and reached out to a few pros to get an edge before I make any trips. Successful BWCA hunter and Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters supporter, Jacob Bendel, will often bring a 12 gauge on his trips so that he can take advantage of both waterfowl and grouse opportunities.

We saw a ton of ducks that trip, but I was struggling to cleanly knock them down with the 20 gauge. With that, I encourage you to use non-toxic shot when hunting in the Boundary Waters. There is simply too much water around and the potential negative impacts of using lead shot are too risky. Also, it is illegal to take waterfowl with lead shot, or while you have it in your possession.

For clothing, standard BWCA backpacking clothing and equipment will work just fine, but consider wearing durable outer layers if you plan to spend time off-trail looking for those pesky birds. Ruffed grouse and woodcock hunters are required to wear at least one visible article of clothing above the waist that is blaze orange. This could be a hat, jacket or hunting vest.

Finally, consider packing knee-high rubber boats to keep your feet out of the cold autumn water, as recommended by Bendel. Thick patches of wilderness with no logging makes finding birds a daunting task, even for those with experience.

One of the most important steps you can take to maximize your success is choosing areas that have the highest odds of holding healthy and huntable grouse populations.

I spoke with Bob St. Pierre, VP of Marketing and Communications of Pheasants Forever, and asked what he would look for in terms of prime areas to focus on for a hunt of this nature. He suggested focusing on successional forests, with 10 to year old aspen being ideal. The Border Route is typically less trafficked by people, resulting in less pressured animals and safer hunting conditions.