How many deer do you shoot?

[fishorgolf]

I was in no way trying to come across as disease being a pointless fear it is just something I know very little about and have never heard of it being a problem in my area. Hey I am all for shooting allot of deer and to be honest I probably should as the population is high in my area and could use some thinning. Maybe I could give more away to friends etc. after I do all the butchering of coarse

[Eric Wettschreck]

This year our party of 10 took 8 deer. We would have taken 10 if more of the shots hit their mark. Season is not over, however, and we'll be back out there trying to fill the last 2.

The DNR sets the harvest goals and lottery numbers. Not me. They know a heck of a lot more about biology than I do.

If I have a tag, and an opportunity, I'm going to fill it. That's why I'm out there, and yes, we butcher and eat everything we kill.

[Mark Christianson]

Holy hanner.

We havent taken 30 deer off our land in 15 years I dont think.

Fun problem to be dealing with.

[MattL]

DRH,

If you and your party feel that there is an adequate population, you should be able to hunt considering you aren't filling the other hunter's tags. (Which it doesn't sound like you are)

I feel that it is up to the hunter/hunting party/landowner to decide how many deer need to be taken off their property because they know the herd best. Of course the DNR sets the guidlines such as 1, 2, 5, or even more. I hunt in both lottery and managed areas and if it were legal I would take several deer off the lottery property yearly due to the population of that particular area. (River bottom land around Mankato). In the managed areas that I hunt it seems like I shouldn't be taking two a year. So I usually take 1 a year on a few alternating properties.

What I am getting at is that the people that know the herd best should decide how many deer to harvest, considering it is kept within legal DNR standards.

Also, I process and eat all of the meat myself. It definately helps out on a college budget!

[snapcrackpop]

MattL, sorry your scope is too small. Deer don't know property lines.

Saturday night I saw at least 4 different bucks chasing does, about 12+ deer for the night. Sunday evening I didn't see a one. Now if I had not gone out on Saturday I would have thought the township was void of deer.

The "people" definately don't know more than the DNR about managing "the herd" numbers.

[Roofer]

Yep, there is a difference between killers and others. It's called harvesting a deer. Killers who just give it away to anonymous people are just out to kill, and hopefully get something to be proud of.

Just my opinion, but I don't have time for people who are just out to kill.

[MattL]

Ha! This is exactly why I do not post very often on internet forums. Things tend to get misunderstood and turn into big arguments.

First of all, I am not saying that the DNR doesn’t know how to manage deer populations. In response to the original post to the thread, I was trying to say that they, as a group, should decide how many deer to take, considering other factors, such as neighbors and any others that hunt the area. From the information above, they are allowed up to 20 deer. The DNR is likely absolutely right in making a 5 deer/person limit in the area. The part I am disagreeing about is the hunter and deer densities of a particular permit area.

Everyone can think about this from their own perspective. Say, for example, you own 200 acres in an intensive harvest area and there are 8-10 guys in your party that hunt that land. Legally you are allowed 40-50 deer! Could your land support the maximum bag limits?

The DNR sets these regulations thinking about the permit area as a whole, and I believe that it is up to hunters and hunting parties to make an educated decision about how many deer can be taken off the property and surrounding areas, as long as everyone is within the bag limits.

In the end, yeah, my scope is very small, but I think every hunter needs to make educated decisions based on the area. I scout virtually year-round, use trail cameras, talk to as many people in the area as I can, and hunt 3-5 days a week from September to January. That is how I base my decisions on an area.

Sorry if this got a little long, I just wanted to clarify myself as much as possible.

[rcook72]

[PoorWordUsage] yeah Im a killer... Love meat, but the wife and I (no kids) both work 10-12 hrs a day. So needless to say we eat on the run, or when we are off together go out for a steak. I dont have the room in the freezer for a deer and probably wouldnt eat one in two years. I do love hunting not just killing. i scout, hang out in the woods, pass up deer, take pictures, take videos of bucks sparing. But I dont like venison sorry... Wish I did then I wouldn't be classified as a killer and not a hunter. I fish 20x's more than I hunt. I am catch and release all year long except for one trip when I keep the fish and thats at Red when we go to JR's and cook them on the spot. Same thing if I kept the fish they would get freezer burn before I would eat them. So what should I do leave the deer to waste? I am a pretty ethical guy. I love pheasant hunting with my dogs. Oh yeah dont eat pheasant either. For me the donation program would be the route to go if I didn't have family in a rural area where I hunt, and give the deer to people who love it. At least I would not be wasting the deer which I have respect for even though I dont eat it. I Only took 1 deer this year. Call me a killer, really could care less what you call me I am happy with myself and How I treat our resourses.

[fishorgolf]

Ha! This is exactly why I do not post very often on internet forums. Things tend to get misunderstood and turn into big arguments.

First of all, I am not saying that the DNR doesn’t know how to manage deer populations. In response to the original post to the thread, I was trying to say that they, as a group, should decide how many deer to take, considering other factors, such as neighbors and any others that hunt the area. From the information above, they are allowed up to 20 deer. The DNR is likely absolutely right in making a 5 deer/person limit in the area. The part I am disagreeing about is the hunter and deer densities of a particular permit area.

Everyone can think about this from their own perspective. Say, for example, you own 200 acres in an intensive harvest area and there are 8-10 guys in your party that hunt that land. Legally you are allowed 40-50 deer! Could your land support the maximum bag limits?

The DNR sets these regulations thinking about the permit area as a whole, and I believe that it is up to hunters and hunting parties to make an educated decision about how many deer can be taken off the property and surrounding areas, as long as everyone is within the bag limits.

In the end, yeah, my scope is very small, but I think every hunter needs to make educated decisions based on the area. I scout virtually year-round, use trail cameras, talk to as many people in the area as I can, and hunt 3-5 days a week from September to January. That is how I base my decisions on an area.

Sorry if this got a little long, I just wanted to clarify myself as much as possible.

Very well put. sometimes I see on this forum "if the DNR says I can do it I am going to do it". (mostly relating to fishing) I totally respect the DNR but there is no way they can manage every acre of land and water in this state. Sometimes we need to restrict our harvest because it is just the right thing to do for a particular land area or lake.

[hhguide]

I'm suprised more people dont shoot does and fawns right away during the year ( intensive and management zones) for the simple fact that after rutting and everything if you shoot that doe its a waste of a bucks good genes. In our party we try and shoot the does and fawns during the archery season then we shoot bucks and whatever else is left. we don't always fill all our tags but I think were doing something right when we shoot does and fawns early. I think we have seen alot of deer over the years.

[BobT]

I'm not sure it really matters that much, hhguide. A buck isn't limited to breed with one doe and he'll service as many as he can. At least I would suspect that the difference is quite minimal.

It could even work in the opposite. While the lower class buck was servicing the doe you took, maybe the upper class buck got more opportunity to service other does.

Bob

[hhguide]

BOb T thats what im saying if I buck takes the time to breed with a doe and then next week you shoot it well during that time he was with that doe he could have been breading with another instread? lets say he breeds with 10 I have no idea how many that actaully do but lets say your hunting party shoots 5 of those deer well thats time he could have spent with other does. this way if you shoot them before he doesnt have a chance to breed with that doe and waste the time. even if it was a lower class buck or not, thats just my opinion though who knows

[BobT]

Your point is taken but it also works in reverse.

On the one hand, if I understand your point, we take does early so the bucks can spend more valuable time servicing the does that survive. Okay.

On the other hand, by not taking the does early, what percentage of does do you think go unserviced? My guess is that most, if not virtually all, of them get serviced anyway. There are plenty of bucks out there to do the job.

Here's another possible consideration. I'm going out on a limb and suggest that the bucks that are taken early are going to be the ones not smart enough to avoid getting taken. In other words, like pheasants, we take the dumb ones. The smart ones know how to avoid hunters and these are the ones we want to be passing on their genes.

Just food for thought.

I just think you might be trying to manage a herd using a tactic that won't provide much ROI.

Bob

[snapcrackpop]

Ha! This is exactly why I do not post very often on internet forums. Things tend to get misunderstood and turn into big arguments....

Sorry Matt, I thought for a moment you started this thread.

Absolutely a land owner has the right to dictate what is harvested off his/her land.

But I still feel that unless that "property" is huge (+800 acres, maybe more) that the deer will be wondering on and off too much to control the numbers. Unless the neighbors are all "on board" with a similar game plan.

[slimngrizzly]

I usually shoot zero. Maybe a doe here and there. Get my fill of tag soup every year, Mmmmm good. If i worked as hard at hunting them as I do scouting them id probably have a wall full!

Ive been a shed hunter for 15 years now and I get far more satisfaction from finding their antlers than I do shooting them. But the really big ones still get my heart rate going... and then I miss..... and then there i sit with a nice fancy bowl of tag soup again

I love antlers!

[jkcmj]

I usually harvest 3-5 each year, but we could harvest the limit probably on our farm. We have neighbors now that shoot very few, so we have more fun! We eat what we kill, but I can't say the family is all that happy about it. They would like something other than venison once in awhile, and apparently the black bear I started getting a few years back isn't what they had in mind! I mostly enjoy killing deer, and having to eat only venison is a result of my over zealous appetite for the hunt, not the meat! I of course pass on many deer, enjoy watching them, and all of that, but if someone wants the meat, I usually will give them some and go kill myself another.

[BuckKiller]

I agree witht jkcmj I just enjoy the hunt and if i happen to see a deer i usually wont pass it up. there is always sombody that will take the meat off my hands... I mostly just want the antlers anyway. The whole purpose of hunting is to make the deer pop smaller the DNR wants the deer to be shot.

[paul pachowicz]

what is in a word? Harvest/kill/take/shoot. Personaly, I KILL. I aim, squeeze & kill. The animal is dead. Farmers harvest. I kill for the freezer, horns don't cook well. PC has entered the hunters world. I also hit the kill button on some machines, I kill time when I feel like it, I kill chickens once a year, I set out poison & traps to kill mice. I spent 30 years in the military, guess what I had a hand in doing? Can't remember ever being told to go out and "harvest" the enemy.

[Roofer]

You don't eat the enemy either.

Yes, you kill mice and bugs and weeds and time. Harvesting an animal that you hunt is not a right fellas.

[Eskimoman]

A little off track here but people are saying if the dnr says that I can kill five deer in my area I will and so will my whole party. The population couldnt sustain this. When the dnr sets their limits they dont count on everybody filling out. Shoot wjat you and your family can eat. I dont mind people giving away meat to relitives but when they just donate it so they can shoot more deer is wrong. I like the whole experience, from scouting and anging stands to hunting and harvesting to butchering and eating. People that go out and shoot deer and donate them so they can shoot more are killers.

[Wanderer]

I hunt, therefore I kill. But I also call it harvesting - about 10% of the deer I've seen so far in MN. Less than 2% of the deer seen in SD.

There are some people I know that are thankful for the extras that come their way.

In fact, I hope to harvest again yet this weekend. Maybe Monday too.

Does 10% seem too blood thirsty?