Bemidji Area

[Fishfanatic]

This year has been very tough to find deer on public land.

I have dozens of hours on stand to only see 3 deer.

One of them didn't make it.

Are you experiencing the same thing? What are your thoughts?

Is the population WAY down or is it just me?

[Bear55]

Pretty slow in the northern part of the state from what I hear. We hunt north of Grand Rapids and it was very slow, between our shack and the the two neighbors we got 3 deer, that is 35+ hunters in the woods.

We were a managed area for about 5 years, probably only should have been managed for 2-3 years at the most. It seems like the DNR was a little too giving with doe tags in the northern part of the state the last few years. I knew the population wasn't as high as they thought so I don't shoot any does up north, glad I held back now.

[InTheSchool]

Same for us fishfanatic. We're just south of Blackduck. Very tough. What's really concerning me is no fawns. We have found three kills in the woods retrieving our deer. Don't know the cause as all there is left is hair, blood, and bones. Also, I've heard more shooting during Muzzle-loader season than I've heard this year.

[Gofishleech]

Im a bit south of Bemidji and a deer is hard to find. The paulbunyan forest is tough hunting this year as it was last year. Too many years fo bonus tags. Any of you hunt paulbunyan this year??

[Meat-Run]

My brother hunted PB forest and it was horrible 2 deer seen over three days and they were fawns.

mr

[Muskie456]

Gofishleech,

We were in there and surrounding areas and we found the same thing. We also talked to a bunch of deer camps in the area and it is the same story across the board.

[Matt Breuer]

I don't hunt rifle season, but I've been seeing plenty of deer while driving around, or while out grouse hunting. Friday I counted 16 deer and 6 grouse on my way home from work, nearly all South of town. Also spoke w/ 2 hunters that day down near PB and they had shot one and saw 3 others. Down by the PB I've seen deer, but they're all going Mach-3 across the road... There are plenty of deer around, I think a lot has to do w/ the weather.

[leechlake]

Gofish, four of us hunt the river area between Oak Lake and about across from Vinces' store in Benedict. It was terrible this year. More rubbing and scraping than I've ever seen which would lead me to assume there are less does and the bucks have to travel more to find them and therefore leave some more sign than normal.

Also have 5 buddies who hunt along 64 about three miles south of South Kabekona Drive, they managed two spikers and they hunt hard.

I just got back from South Dakota and we saw about 70 deer a day including a lot of bucks that we'd shoot in a hearbeat in MN that there are passed on (125-140"). Brought my 11 year old there instead of MN to start him with a positive deer hunting experience not just to watch nature and hang out with buddies. I realize our area in MN is never going to be where you see 20 plus deer a day but three deer sited in 4 days is pretty poor. If we didn't always hunt there have a cabin there and grandpa there we'd be hard pressed to continue banging our heads on the wall.

[Bear55]

It kind of reminds me of our ecomony, we just went through a boom cycle up north with lots of deer over the past 8-10 years (housing market) . The DNR started playing fast and loose with doe tags (lenders) and the population took a beating (stock market). Might take 2-4 years to recover if the winters are mild. I know last year was pretty slow for us too, next year or two we will probably see more of the same.

My only suggestion is to take up bowhunting and hit the managed and intensive harvest areas and get a doe. I don't think I could tear myseld away from the bigwoods for rifle season, too much tradition and I just love the woods up there.

[bogwalker]

I don't suppose we should bring up the increase in wolf population as part of the decrease in deer numbers. Must be the increase in bonus tags everyone in filling.

[Bear55]

Bog I think we can let that subject die, sure the wolves eat deer, and there should be a hunting season on them. However they can't some close affecting the population the way that winter and hunters do. I don't think they are even close to takeing out as many deer as vehicles do.

[Musky hunter 82]

My Dad hunted around this area, they filled out. 1 9 pointer 2 8's and the rest does. that was all opening weekend by 9 am on sunday.

[Musky Buck]

My neighbor 96 hours of hunting the Paul Bunyan and he never saw a flag or a deer or anything.

[Bear55]

You have to put in your time and sometimes get some luck. I passed up 4 bucks this season, never found what I was looking for but that is hunting. I saw a few does but we didn't have any doe permits. I also spend a lot of time scouting and take a week off of work. Most of the guys I hunt with didn't see anything but that is what happens when you only hunt two weekends a year and sit on the stand closest to the shack.

[Jmnhunter]

Golffish & Musky Buck --we hunt the PB also, 4 of us hunting Sat-Tues we saw 2 deer. Very slow year, warm weather didnt help and there was alot of pressure until i left on tuesday...

[Steve Foss]

I opened on public land in unit 184 NW of Bemidji and shot a 9-pointer on opening morning after missing a doe. I saw 15-17 deer in three days of hunting.

[bogwalker]

Bog I think we can let that subject die, sure the wolves eat deer, and there should be a hunting season on them. However they can't some close affecting the population the way that winter and hunters do. I don't think they are even close to takeing out as many deer as vehicles do. I think you are right. I also think the seriousness of wolf overpopulation should not be downplayed.

[Bear55]

I would agree the wolf population could use some trimming down, and we should have an open hunting season. However with the deer population down the past couple of years the wolf population won't be far behind.