MN Deer Hunting Licenses

[haverhunting]

With all the different combinations of licenses to use this is a confusing matter. I am wondering if you can tag 3 deer during rifle season between lottery and management areas? Which tag should be used in etheir area?

[BucksnDucks]

yes

[vister]

no you cant! lottery areas allow the harvest of one deer. buck or doe. doe only if successful in the anterless lottery. if you harvest a deer in a lottery zone, that license no longer has a tag. the only additional tags you can buy are bonus tags, which would be one for a managed zone, and 4 for an intensive zone. if you use the tag that comes with your license, be it archery, rifle, or muzzy, you can no longer shoot a deer in a lottery area, unless party hunting. if you hunt lottery zones, you can only shoot one deer. if you hunt managed zones, you can only shoot 2 deer. if you hunt both zones, you can only shoot 2 deer. if you hunt intensive harvest zones, you can shoot 5 deer.

once you shoot a deer and tag it with the tag that comes with your license in a lottery area, you no longer have, nor can you get a valid tag for a lottery zone. make sense?

i may be wrong, but i believe this is correct. i am going to research it a bit more, and make corrections if i need to!

[Musky Buck]

Good thread and haven't done this since the multi-zone buck days. ? is can I hunt rifle in zone 2 and zone 1 for a buck only correct ? The other question is if I get a buck can I still buy a muzzleloader license which then would have to be antlerless. My buddies asked me this one last night, on their side of the highway none of them got a doe permit, across the highway it's a 3 deer area and they were wondering if they could hunt their to take a doe. I told them I believe if they were to look at their tags it would say for a buck or a doe where they are at. I'm confused just reading what I wrote.

[bigbucks]

My understanding to the way you asked that question is no. You can tag three deer between those areas, but not all with the same weapon.

Only one bonus tag may be used in a managed area & none in a lottery area, that's one deer. Once you use your main firearm tag that's two deer, but you have no other tag to use, unless you have a muzzle loader or archery tag. Those you could use in the area you haven't already shot the max # of animals in, ie: 1 in a lottery, 2 in a managed area, but of course only the bow license would be valid during firearm season.

[vister]

i looked into it a bit, and now i'm a bit confused! if you can purchase 2 bonus tags in a managed zone, then yes you can shoot 3. but i think you are only allowed one bonus tag in a managed zone, plus your original tag. once that original tag is filled, you no longer have a tag for a lotto area.

I guess the question is, can you have 2 bonus tags in a managed zone? I dont think so, because you can only have two tags total for managed zones. your original tag plus one bonus equals 2!

[bigbucks]

You can only use one managed tag, but if you have more than one main license, ie: bow, ML, firearm, as long as you shoot them in the right areas & seasons, you can shoot two total in managed & one total in lottery.

lcornice clarified this a while back, it's hard to figure out though. I believe he said he thought less than 10 people do it in the state every year. My goal this year is to be one of them, but if I don't get a shot at a good buck I most likely won't be. The bonus tag in the managed area's already filled.

[vister]

haverhunting. i'm about 98% sure you can only shoot two total with a rifle. buy a bonus tag for the managed zone. if you shoot a doe in a managed zone, put your bonus tag on it. then you have your original tag left, for either managed or lotto, but regardless, it is buck only, unless you were successful in the anterless lotto.

[Bear55]

They way I read it is you can take a combination of 3 deer in a lotto and managed area. So for example I could shoot a buck in the lotto and then shoot two does in a managed area. Or I could shoot a doe with a permit in a lotto area and two more does in the managed area but not too many people would want to burn their buck tag to shoot a doe in a lotto area. I may be wrong about this.

[haverhunting]

Thank You All

My father needed to read this to understand it. I had talked to a lady from the DNR yesterday to get the answer but I couldn't get it through my dads head. He needed to read it several times to understand it.

P.S. Your are only allowed to register one bonus tag in in management areas. My phone call confermed this.

[lcornice]

Thank You All

My father needed to read this to understand it. I had talked to a lady from the DNR yesterday to get the answer but I couldn't get it through my dads head. He needed to read it several times to understand it.

P.S. Your are only allowed to register one bonus tag in in management areas. My phone call confermed this.

Post deleted because UGH, I was wrong. See post #2041964, which is correct

[vister]

Sooooooo, what yer sayin is i can get 2 bonus permits in a managed zone, on top of my original buck/doe tag. thats the info i couldn't find. i am aware, though, that i can only shoot 2 deer regardless in a managed zone. my original tag has to be burned up in a different zone though in order for this to work? what, now im confused!

[lcornice]

Sooooooo, what yer sayin is i can get 2 bonus permits in a managed zone, on top of my original buck/doe tag. thats the info i couldn't find. i am aware, though, that i can only shoot 2 deer regardless in a managed zone. my original tag has to be burned up in a different zone though in order for this to work? what, now im confused!

Post deleted because UGH, I was wrong. See post #2041964, which is correct

[BucksnDucks]

Thanks Lou!!

[luckey]

My head hurts.

[bigbucks]

Page 64 of the regs book, I just copied the Bonus Permit section:

Bonus permits

• Bonus permits are available to archery, firearms, and muzzleloader

hunters to take antlerless deer in designated areas.

• One bonus permit may be used per year in a managed deer area.

Up to four bonus permits may be used in intensive deer areas and

some special hunts.

• Bonus permits are valid for archery, muzzleloader or firearms, but

hunters must have the appropriate regular license for the area,

season, and method they are using.

• Bonus permits are not valid in lottery deer areas or youth only

antlerless areas.

I understand that we can shoot two deer in a managed & one in a lottery, but it would have to be with at least two weapons, as there's only one regular license with any one weapon & you can only use one total bonus between the two types of areas per this reg.

[coffee]

OOPS! I'll have to go with bigbucks on this one.

[haverhunting]

Just to make sure, I'm allowed during rifle season to register one buck in a lottery area and purchase two bonus permits for a management area to be able to register two antlerless? Or do the bonus permits have to be for two different management areas???

• One bonus permit may be used per year in a managed deer area.

This came from the regulation book. This leaves the question on buying management tags in two different areas. It just states that you can use one bonus tag in A managed area not managed areas like it states for intensive harvest areas!!!!???

[Jameson]

It doesn't say we can't use two does it?

[lcornice]

Post deleted because UGH, I was wrong. See post #2041964, which is correct

[vister]

it seems odd only .17 percent, thats right, less than 1 percent of the hunters opted for 2 bonus permits. in managed areas. sounds like an unclear regulation handbook to me!

[lcornice]

it seems odd only .17 percent, thats right, less than 1 percent of the hunters opted for 2 bonus permits. in managed areas. sounds like an unclear regulation handbook to me!

I know it but I'll fix it next year. See, this board has value

[NoWiser]

Anyone else want to vote Lou the Most Valuable Member of this forum?? Seriously Lou, thanks for taking the time to check in here and answer questions, we all appreciate it greatly. I know most (if not all) of my questions have been cleared up just by reading this forum. I can't even imagine trying to write the regulations so that everyone understands them, and overall I think you did a great job. Thanks again!

[haverhunting]

Thanks again Lou. You got my vote!!! No reason to beat anyone up just yet as long as you get this through to your enforcement officers. Keep up the good job checking on us nitpickys and we will do our best to keep questioning the rules..

[lcornice]

Thanks again Lou. You got my vote!!! No reason to beat anyone up just yet as long as you get this through to your enforcement officers. Keep up the good job checking on us nitpickys and we will do our best to keep questioning the rules..

This is exactly why I accepted the offer to post on this board 6 years ago. I've found it extremely worthwhile and full of good information. Trust me, I've turned down similar offers on other sites. I like the fact that people ask good questions and I'm happy to admit my mistakes and work to fix it next year. I already sent word to other folks and we'll huddle up soon to get it squared away.

I'm just glad I no longer have to explain the all-season license!