Archery/Rifle Regulations question.

[coffee]

My question is a variation of the post earlier today by B. Amish* "Deer tagging question". The difference is, it involves Archery and Rifle regulations. If I tag a doe in a lottery area with my Archery tag, and then purchase a Rifle license and hunt in an Intensive Harvest zone - can I legally take a buck with the rifle?

[picksbigwagon]

I honestly don't know, but I am sure that Lou Cornicelli from the DNR will be here to answer these questions for us...

[coffee]

I hope someone responds with the real deal. I have been told by a DNR employee that it is legal. I also received a response to an e-mail to DNR headquarters in St. Paul saying it is legal. Some of the people I have discussed this with say that it would not be legal. I can't find a definitive answer in the Regulations Handbook.

[johnsd16]

If I tag a doe in a lottery area with my Archery tag, and then purchase a Rifle license and hunt in an Intensive Harvest zone - can I legally take a buck with the rifle?

Absolutely 100% you can. Plus, you answered your own question when you got a response back from the DNR saying it was ok. If you ended up in court, that'd be a tough one to make stick when you have an e-mail from the DNR HQ telling you you're good to go. I don't put much stock in what the guy up at the corner cafe says, or the guy at the hardware store. Way too many Joe Blow sportsmen have misconceptions or innacurate understanding of the laws.

Another way to look at how the tags work is that in MN you can only ever tag ONE buck in a year. If you shot a buck with your bow in lottery/intensive/managed and then bought a rifle tag you could not shoot a buck with your rifle in any area, and only take a doe in a managed/intensive area or a doe in a lottery area only if you were drawn. So, if you forgot to put in for the rifle lottery, or were not drawn and you shot a buck with your bow, you flat out could not rifle hunt in a lottery area unless you were part of a party. You would have no valid tag for a lottery area with having no lottery privledge and no buck tag.

I think MN needs to go to what WI does. You can take max of two bucks/year. One with archery and one with rifle/muzzle loader. Not two with any method and not one with rifle and one with muzzle loader.

[mrklean]

thats always a great way to look at it no matter what 1 buck only and you can legally tag up to 4 doe depending on the zone you are in intensive zones

[lcornice]

My question is a variation of the post earlier today by B. Amish* "Deer tagging question". The difference is, it involves Archery and Rifle regulations. If I tag a doe in a lottery area with my Archery tag, and then purchase a Rifle license and hunt in an Intensive Harvest zone - can I legally take a buck with the rifle?

It is 100% legal.

Here's the background: Up to about 3 years ago you could not fill both your archery and rifle licenses. It didn't make a lot of sense to have areas around the state that allowed for multiple deer bags and then not allow people to fill both their licenses in those areas. So, in 2006 (or so) the change was made that if an area allows for multiple deer, then you can fill multiple licenses. The caveat is obviously lottery areas only allow one deer and you can only kill 1 buck per year period. But if you have access to multiple areas you can most definitely fill both tags (or all 3 if you add muzzleloader now). Since licenses are basically statewide now, you are free to move around to fill tags ...

[picksbigwagon]

there you have it, thanks again Lou!

[coffee]

Thanks to all for good clear information. Hats off to FM - Great HSOforum.

[Bear55]

I think MN needs to go to what WI does. You can take max of two bucks/year. One with archery and one with rifle/muzzle loader. Not two with any method and not one with rifle and one with muzzle loader.

It would kind of be ncie but no thanks! We don't have enough mature bucks as it is, letting some people shoot two will only hurt our buck population even more.

[johnsd16]

I agree bear, I should have added antler restrictions would be nice to go with that two buck system. Remeber in WI a buck has to have 3" of antler to be an "antlered buck" so over there you can shoot spikes under 3" and slap a doe tag on them, so they really pile up the young bucks.

Somehow WI still produces huge numbers of P&Y and larger bucks every season, even with a two buck system and letting antlerless tags go on spikes with no one antler greater than 3". So when you look at registration for WI there are thousands more bucks (not buck fawns) that are in the antlerless total.

[Bear55]

I think a larger number of Wisconsin hunters have a let them grow mentality which leads to more and larger bucks.

[chris63]

I purchased my rifle tag first and applied for my antlerless tag and received one.On the antlerless tag it states only one deer per hunter per year.(I'm not in an intensive harvest zone like you though.)I will still get my bow tag and if a bag one with the bow I will just drive/party hunt for the brothers boy.He still has yet to shoot a deer.(Hopefully this is his year!)c63

[USDA3]

It is 100% legal.

Here's the background: Up to about 3 years ago you could not fill both your archery and rifle licenses. It didn't make a lot of sense to have areas around the state that allowed for multiple deer bags and then not allow people to fill both their licenses in those areas. So, in 2006 (or so) the change was made that if an area allows for multiple deer, then you can fill multiple licenses. The caveat is obviously lottery areas only allow one deer and you can only kill 1 buck per year period. But if you have access to multiple areas you can most definitely fill both tags (or all 3 if you add muzzleloader now). Since licenses are basically statewide now, you are free to move around to fill tags ...

[lcornice]

So, If I am in a lottery deer area, I can only shoot one deer per year no matter which weapon or season or if I have a doe permit?

Yes. That's almost exactly what it says on page 67. Remember, the point of lottery areas is to limit deer harvest not allow various exceptions to kill extra deer. It the goal were more deer, the area would be managed or intensive.

[bigwegs]

Here is another question. I think the answer is still yes, but I thought I would throw it out there.

What if you shoot a Buck in a managed/intesive area with your rifle, can you still shoot a doe in a lottery area(if you have a doe permit) with your muzzleloader?

[lcornice]

Here is another question. I think the answer is still yes, but I thought I would throw it out there.

What if you shoot a Buck in a managed/intesive area with your rifle, can you still shoot a doe in a lottery area(if you have a doe permit) with your muzzleloader?

Yes