Ripley Stories

[ANYFISH2]

vister, with all due respect, not sure what you mean by a "great big pen" but Ripley is fair chase and is not high fenced at all. Just ask anyone who drives county RD 1 in Morrison County Please don't dimish this archer or his beautiful animal.

[buckhunter21]

"already getting a lot of buzz and no doubt will be plastered all over the place once the word gets out. Buck was taken at Camp Ripley this morning by Scott ----- of South Haven, and was one of the first deer registered today. 32 points (yes, that correct I verified it)! Beats the 30 pointer taken in Wisc earlier this fall..."

"This deer was not that old. Inspection of the teeth suggests the deer was about 5 years old +/-. Weighed in at 192 pounds."

This was taken from an e-mail sent by Beau Liddell, DNR area wildlife manager in Little Falls, yesterday.

Not that old? I wish every deer in this state could get to 5 years old . Either way no matter how old thats a monster of a deer. Im most surprised by the weight, usually most deer that come out of there are pigs. Anyways congrats to the guy that arrowed that beast!

[Spearing Machine]

+1 I lived 3 miles south of there for 20 years and also worked out there. IT IS NOT A DEER PEN!!! That little rock fence on part of it doesnt even deter a raccoon from getting out! Its fair chase in there if not harder with the impact areas and number of guys hunting pushing the deer around.

vister, with all due respect, not sure what you mean by a "great big pen" but Ripley is fair chase and is not high fenced at all. Just ask anyone who drives county RD 1 in Morrison County Please don't dimish this archer or his beautiful animal.

[MOSSY]

It was shot at ripley my two boys and i were there we saw the picture when we registered ours today. both of the boys shot one

my 16 year old shot a 201 pound 8 point my 14 year old shot a button buck.we saw a dandy in the impact range driving by.all in all it was a great 2 days

[Farm_Kid]

Ripley is NOT a big pen. I lost my deer yesterday because it left the camp boundaries, while I was on the south end. Don't talk about something unless you know for sure you have the facts straight.

[Jameson]

Thursday and Friday I was in stand(s) for 14 hours at Ripley. Snow and rain, but the wind wasn't bad . No deer sighted while on stand.

....And for Ripley being a pen LOL... It is just an area with sufficient sanctuaries and isn't over-hunted, unlike almost all the rest of the state.

[vister]

hey, i've got two friends that are there, and they said its fenced. they told me the entire complex is fenced, not just the hunting boundary. i could care less if its fenced or not, it is a nice deer. didn't you read my compliments?

[redlund]

but remember ripley is a great big pen!

This is the far from the truth! Don't take away from this guys trophy! You have either never been there, or you are trying to hide a good spot with trash talk.

[Neighbor_guy]

ALL military complexes are Fenced to some extent. Thats just how it is. I'm not saying it is a big pen, but it is definately fenced, all the way around.

Thats why they started the Ripley hunts. The resident deer were traped on the complex when they fenced it. Like anything else you have to hunt the population a bit or they will get over run. The area is big enough that it would not be considered your standar "high fence" hunting situation. But like it or not, it is. (last I was there you had to go threw a gate in a 12' fence to get in the place, perhaps that has changed.....)

For how big the place is, all those deer have ample chances to get very very big. Congrats to those who got a deer. For those who diddn't, I hope you enjoyed your hunt. Let me make it very clear, I am not taking anything away from anyont who tagged a deer.

[NELS-BELLS]

You are correct about the fence. There is a waist high fence on 3 sides of the property and a river on the other. Nothing that can contain a deer or any animal for that matter. Same as you would see bordering most properties in Minnesota.

I've hunted Ripley for many, many years. I really enjoy hunting there although its usually a lot of work. No pre scouting or hanging your stand up the week before. Expect to be busting thru the brush, carring your stand and everything, in total darkness, and trying to get set up before it gets light.

The chance at shooting a huge buck like that is what keeps most people coming back. I don't have the luxury of hunting a prime piece of private property that is managed for big bucks, like some people.

It's my turn in 2 weeks. Cant wait!

Nels

[redlund]

Ripley has river on the north and east but no fence. the west has a fence that is no taller than any farm fence in Minnesota. So as far as traped in, NOT A CHANCE. The deer come and go as they please. It's a very large area that is not over hunted. They started the hunt to manage the deer in that area because of its size, and that it didn't have any hunting pressure. Because of it's size the deer don't have to leave but can if they want.

[vister]

yes, because i have access to hundreds of acres of private property with dandy deer , makes me one of the last guys to be jealous! so why would I rip that guy apart for shooting a sweet deer? I'm not. I've just always understood ripley deer are not eligible for record books, because of the lack of fair chase.

No, i've never hunted there, nor have I driven by it. So i don't know if indeed it is fenced or not. but, when i've got buddies going there year after year, always talking about fences and gates, one can only assume its fenced, right?

[redlund]

(last I was there you had to go threw a gate in a 12' fence to get in the place, perhaps that has changed.....)

That fence is only around the main compond at the south end and is not part of the hunt area. They line you up in that area and then let you OUT through a gate to the north.

[redlund]

Minnsota only allows fair chase, as far as record books Morrison county used to have the most entries in pope and young in the country, before Iowa and the other midwest states had their boom (documented in several hunting magazines) with Ripley providing most of those entries. Just trying to clear up the myths about Ripley for those who haven't been there.

[vister]

so even if i had driven by ripley and saw a 12 foot high fence, you can bet i would assume it is fenced off! the place is huge, and if i were to only see a part of it, and it was fenced, well, you know what i would think! My opinion wouldn't matter whether or not just the hunting area is fenced, when the entire place is. that is if i saw a 12 foot fence anywhere there. why would they have a 12 ft fence in one spot, and nothing in another. i mean, 12 feet means they are trying to keep something out, or in.

[Big Buck Buster]

yes, because i have access to hundreds of acres of private property with dandy deer , makes me one of the last guys to be jealous! so why would I rip that guy apart for shooting a sweet deer? I'm not. I've just always understood ripley deer are not eligible for record books, because of the lack of fair chase.

No, i've never hunted there, nor have I driven by it. So i don't know if indeed it is fenced or not. but, when i've got buddies going there year after year, always talking about fences and gates, one can only assume its fenced, right?

I have been drawn for three of the past four years. I haven't been going for many years, like some of you. I can say this in my experences up at Ripley, It is fair chase. And for the gates, there are many "gates" that you will travel through. These gates are just to close the roads off, and do not have fence all around.

Vister, You should at least try hunting Ripley in the future, just to see what it is like. You will see that there is a Large fence on the south side of the complex, but if you travel up the west side of the property, the fence is no more than a line fence like you would see on many of the farmland around hear.

Try it sometime, you won't be disappointed.

[redlund]

Vister, Just clearing up about the fences and fair chase. Now you know it's not a pen. You know what they say about assume. Have a good weekend and hunting season.

[Spearing Machine]

Ok guys. Lets all grow up now since that idea is resolved and get back to the topic of the thread. Lets here your story from the stand or see some pictures of the one you harvested.

[vister]

don't get me wrong, i'd like to try it sometime. but thats the thing, is i am NOT a fan of the whole public hunting thing. i refuse to hunt deer on public land, just because of the fact that i like my seperation! even if im on private property, and i can see the neighbor in a tree on his property 500 yards away, i feel to overcrowded. i guess i like knowing im the only one in the area.

but back to the topic, my buddies never saw a deer at the ripley hunt. at least not one worth shooting anyways.

[maros91]

I sat in the bad weather both days. Rained pretty much the whole time with the exception of the first morning when snow was mixed in. This is my 6th time here and the worst season yet. One deer seen and it was running about 200yds away. I was in stand all day both days. Just because it was my worst doesn't mean it was the worst for others. I was just in the wrong spot this year I guess.

I also seen a buck still in velvet getting weighed at the station. Kinda cool.

[Jim916]

A story from the Brainerd Dispatch had an 11 year old doe with a radio collar that would travel north to Staples during the summer and then come back to Camp Ripley in the fall. The doe did this 2 years in a row.

Another doe, collared as a yearling and two-and-a-half years old when shot by a hunter in 2001, traveled from Camp Ripley to north of Staples, a distance of 33 miles.

That would be pretty hard to do if they were fenced in!

I used to hunt the west side of the property and I could have walked in and out of the camp. There was just a horizontal pole blocking the tank track.

As for us hunting we were 1 for 3. A doe was shot thursday night. Definitely slow.

I heard as we were leaving last night only 176 deer were shot for both days.

Good luck to everyone hunting the 2nd season.

[FatDan]

hunted thrs and fri, passed up a 5 pointer the first half hour of the hunt seen alot of deer many fawns without mom around kinda sad to see them little ones alone the look so lost we did see a guy dragin out a monster 10 pointer that was cool to see. All 3 guys in my group passed up deer we were looking for the big one,maybe next time, still fun watching the deer.

[Wanderer]

Geez, away for a few days and I come back to 5 pages and maybe 3 stories.

Jim 916, thanks for that tidbit. I think it's really interesting. But enough of the fence debate! Only the areas around the base that need security have high fences. Period.

We hunted an area midway to the north and toward the west side. It was a full half hour drive to get there. The Camp is huge and has so much variety in terrain and cover you can pretty much find whatever cover or contours you're used to hunting any where in the state - including bluff country.

The only thing you won't find is Ag fields. Just prairie grass fields.

At the end of day one there were 129 deer registered and a 236 pounder was the heaviest at the scale. Now that's big! I didn't check the day two stats since we tried to break camp before even more rain came.

Our turn at the Camp this year left us wondering if we were going to put in again or just take the two days and make a long weekend somewhere else.

It's raining...snowing...raining again and we have to go out because you only get two days. You beat feat hauling gear for an all day sit. You come back at night and put your truck somewhere in line that could be a mile away from your camper. Then try to dry gear for 3 guys in a tent trailer. Then get up and slog through the mud to do it again the next morning. It's not for everybody.

But hey, there's no in deer hunting!!!!

So that's some of the negatives. I asked the guys to look back on the two days and 4 seasons we've hunted that same area.

This year the three of us did not see one mature buck. A basket 8 was the best, and we saw 25 deer on stand which was lower than average. Two shots taken with one arrow high and mine low. I missed an easy 30 yarder. [Today's practice told me that when I stumbled in that hole and cracked my knee on my bow - it was my sight that I hit, not where the riser and limb come together. That stunk and hurt like heck!]

So, with those cruddy stats, I have to say this was my FIRST time not seeing at least one 10 pointer or a massive 8. Something changed in that area. So we looked for some new stuff Friday afternoon and found a couple new spots to try.

We all agreed if we would have seen at least one nice buck like in years past the tune would change so we'll give her another go next year. Everybody gets an off year.

Two seasons of rain for us now. We're bound to get a nice weekend next time!

[Chuby Minnow]

sticknstring.

If you know the individual that shot this great buck, could you please have him contact me seperately?

Vister,

If you could, please ask your buddy if he can contact the hunter and email me seperately?

It would be greatly appreciated. Contact me at [email protected]