With the weather being near perfect, I was thinking of heading up to Devils Lake this weekend. What do I need to know now that it's hunting season? Would it be wise to wear blaze orange? Are any areas closed?
It looks like most of the climbing is in areas closed off to hunters. The DNR page is pretty informative and has a decent map of what's open and what isn't. That being said it wouldn't hurt to bring some blaze orange with. There are still a quarter million trigger happy hunters in the woods.
Jeremy, here is a direct link to this year's map . You want to avoid East of the Quarry (incl. the Old Sandstone, where we regularly see hunters using the climbers' trail), Steinke Basin, and especially the South Bluff bouldering. By next weekend there will be a lot less hunting pressure, if you want to visit any of these areas.
Thanks everyone. I think we're going to hit up Box Canyon and maybe Balanced Rock Wall tomorrow. It's near to the lake and fairly deep into the closed area.
By Ryan Williams Administrator From London (sort of) Nov 18, 2012
Red Tagger wrote:
I'm still baffled as to how someone can mistake a human for a deer and shoot them.
That doesn't happen that often. But depending on the state law, deer hunters are probably using high powered rifles. If they miss, the bullet can go for a LONG way.