The Good Old Days

[delta dude]

Thought about this today. When I was young in the late 70's-early 80's it was real important to our whole camp to fill the tags. As the 90's rolled around getting a deer seemed to fade in importance. Granted the herd took a hit , but just being at deer camp and in the woods became the number one reason to go North. I can remember seasons of cold deerless days, but that did not matter because we were all at deer camp. Now in the new century a few old faces are no longer at our camp. But the memories of those gone and past seasons seems the most important of it all. Watching the sun rise out of a stand or just enjoying a nice November day in the woods now seems the trophy for our camp. Sure we like to get a buck. But the real trophy we all have is being able to make memories, remember past ones and watch the young ones finally start to realize this. Well time to clean the duck gun boys.

[BobT]

I've always hunted the former Zone 1. I began deer hunting in 1971 at the age of 12. I had a doe standing broadside about 10 yards in front of me but couldn't take it because it was bucks only. We 12-year olds didn't get special privileges then. I remember there was no season but I don't recall the exact year. Maybe 75? I recall going three consecutive seasons without even catching a glimpse of white flag. I finally got my first deer in 1982 at the age of 23. Throughout that entire time period it was bucks only and the season was 9 days instead of the 16 days we've enjoyed for the past 20 years.

[rbs]

I first went along with my dad in 84'. We hunted near Redwood Falls in the MN river valley. That year we had 13 people and we got 11 deer. The first year I hunted (85') I got my first deer, a nice doe. The year after that we started going up north. My dad is from Newfolden (north of Theif River Falls) and had hunted Agazzi Wildlife Refuge since he was a kid with my g-pa, relatives and friends. Deer numbers were so high on the refuge back then that I saw 41 deer in the first morning (no lie) I got my first buck a little forker and I was happy. Had great years the next 10 years until 96 and 97. In 97' we saw only one deer track the whole time we were up there. The winter had been so bad the last couple years and the wolves were having a hayday with the deer. We started hunting with slugs again down near Redwood Falls again for a couple years until the population came back. In 2000 we went back up north and we have been doing well every year since. It used to be that we were after meat to put in the freezer but as we get older it is more for the enjoyment then the meat. Deer camp is one of my favorite places to be that is for sure!

2 years ago it was my sons first year to carry a rifle. He got a couple chances but he just couldn't make it happen. Last year was his year tho....here is the pic of his first deer-

[BobT]

In contrast to my early years, since about 1987 we have experienced above 60% success rate and haven't been skunked. Oh boy, I did it now! My daughter got here first deer on opening morning of her first hunt ever at the age of 12. Same for my nephew. Both were bucks. Daughter's was a 180# 8-pointer and nephew's was a 205# 10-pointer. Did I mention both were on the same day and a week later my brother took a 200# 11-pointer out of the same stand his sone used?

Oh, and by the way, this is on the iron range, is not a QDM area, there is no food plot, and we don't provide bait or feed. The only thing we do as an attractant is my brother likes to use scent.

[ANYFISH2]

I believe we are still in the good old days! Started in 92' near Leader. We have usually shot 2 deer (group of 5-6 hunters), had some misses, and let deer pass. Only once in the past 15 years have we shot more than two, last year was the first time we shot none. That ok with us, it is about deer camp and really only three of us hunt hard. Sightings are starting to fall off but we still see deer and its still better better than the mid 90's when we shot everything we saw and still got 2 deer.

[bigbucks]

I'm quite sure whoever said it was 71 there was no deer season was right. It was 70-72 somewhere for sure.

I started hunting in 80 I believe. Doe permits were golden. Back then we'd normally get anywhere from 1-5 for 8-9 guys, many years we were happy if we at least got 3. We'd always be talking that Saturday after they came out on Thursday & Friday about the third week in October to find out who got one. We had a year where we got zero & only one person saw a deer, a doe, all weekend. That was in 89 or 90. I shot my first deer in 87, my second one 45 minutes later. They were the 2nd & 3rd of the three we got in a two day season. As long as some one had a doe permit you didn't question what the deer was. If you could see a deer & it wasn't way, way out of shotgun range, assuming it was safe to shoot, you shot at it. Thinking back on that when people say they never shoot at a running deer just makes you laugh. Chances are the only deer anyone ever saw were running.

Since then times have changed a lot for the better. There's less deer over all in our area then say 5 years ago, but still so many more than when we started it doesn't compare. When I started bow hunting in 92 I just hoped to see deer, probably didn't anymore often then 1 out of every 2 or 3 hunts. Now the hunts I don't see deer are just a few out of 30 or so hunts. You never passed on deer, now I pass on them about every other hunt. In 5 archery hunts this year between WI & MN I've shot 2 does & passed on probably 5 or 6 shots.

[Steve Foss]

I didn't start hunting Minnesota until 2003, when I moved to Ely. Before then it had been N.D. and Wisconsin. Wide open farm country in N.D. and semi-open farm country in Cheeseland. Lots of deer all over the places the years I hunted that country.

What a difference, hunting deer up here in the big forest, where a fella really has to concentrate on areas of recent logging to get the best chance at numbers.

Now, after a harder winter or two, the unit I have hunted for several seasons and taken quite a few deer out of has transitioned from managed to lottery, and I don't have an antlerless tag.

But I'll be out there looking for a Mister, and may do a bit of hunting near the family lake cabin over by Bemidji, where I could also get a bonus antlerless tag to go along with my primary license.

Best times I've ever had deer hunting were at the family deer camp near LaCrosse, Wis. That kind of camaraderie can't be overvalued.

[luckey]

I really enjoyed reading all the hunting stories. I started around the mid 60's. I remember the first years being cold and very few deer sightings. After returning from the service I started hunting in the same area I hunt today. I have only pictures and memories of the hunts between 1974 (the year I shot my first deer)and 1984. I started keeping a log (sketchy at first) of the hunts starting in 1985. Things were tough during the late 80's as 5-6 of us would get 3-4 deer each season. Things picked up quite a bit in the 90's usually filling out for the 6-8 hunters. From 2000 - 2005 we added some land and hunters. During this time we would get around 8-9 deer every year including one good buck and a number of small bucks. Due to high deer numbers a liberal doe tags we starting QDM in 2006. Since that time we still get around 10 deer (7-9 hunters) however, this usually includes 2-3 really good bucks, one nice one and the rest does. For the record, we saw half the number of deer in 2008 than we did in 2007. I don't know if this is the start of a down trend. The next few months will tell.

[harvey lee]

I remember way back when a deer shot in south central Minnesota was a big deal as there were next to no deer.

I have enjoyed the best deer hunting of my life in the past 10 years. I have been chasing that big ol buck for close to 40 years.