Have any of you seen this before?

[titelines]

Wobbbler

Titelines,

Yes that is my place. We built our new place all Spring and Summer. My dad owns it and he owns the side from where our old shack used to be (still a group hunting there) to the end. Lots of private property down that road you mention. Once that 80 goes next to us they will more than likely shut that road down to everyone but property owners down that way. My dad actually owns the beginning of that road. It is not really a road but a "trail". We shut down the other road "trail" because people were messing with our deer stands and stuff while we had it posted. That other side of the tracks by us no access is allowed by those owners and they do not hunt. Do you deer hunt down by that private land? The million dollar place and the Topper deer stands shoot only 8 points or better like us. The grouse population took a beating out there this year as I'm sure you shot your share like everyone did. I live 5 hours away and don't get out there as much as my dad and brother. If you see younger kids they are mine out there. I take them one weekend in Sept. and I hunt MEA W-Sunday. I have been to the river but not the lakes either and I have hunted there 25 years since I was 12. Small world! Anyways at least you saw the same signs!!! Now if you could have seen the Caribou then you could have answered all my questions!

Hey Wobbler - Yes, small world. I know what you mean, seems like there's more and more private property down there every time I'm there. That's a nice hunk of land for sale there, wish I could do something about it!

The last time I was there I actually just walked the road as I didn't want to chance being on someone's property. I haven't crossed the tracks, and now I guess I won't. I'm very cautious about land as we share some private property too and seem to be always chasing someone out of there. I'm not a deer hunter, just grouse. I actually just got 2 out of there this year, but I saw many more. I'll give a wave if I see anyone, but sounds like I'll have to spend more time in one of the other 20 spots around that area

[Musky Buck]

I read the Montana outdoor mag last night and research from MN claims that each wolf will take down between 19-24 deer per year with a rough guess of 3,000 wolves in MN. My math says that is roughly 65,000 deer a year. They were protesting the wolf and there estimates were they have 500 wolves plus they have elk, mulies to run down, although bears kill more new born elk calves than wolves they say. We have 6x that many wolves. Interesting. They allow the taking of 75 wolves a season in Montana then they'll see what impact it has or not or what, I think 2008 it said was the first year for permits. I think it wouldn't hurt for MN to have a similar tag available, just need the feds to let state have control. Give that article in Montana outdoors a read if you can, think it was the oct/nov issue. It was interesting.

[Wobbler]

Titelines,

That land is nice for grouse hunting although deer hunting it would be tough unless you cut trails and made openings. It is also half of that land a swamp and it not good for grouse so for that price it is tough for anyone to pull the trigger. Many have looked but nobody is buying so there is a reason. I did not go that way all grouse season. I actually took some other trails and like you mention there were a lot of birds. You can walk that land that way a good long mile on the trail side of the tracks until you hit private land. That is until that 80 goes then who knows what will happen. No way would I try closing that trail off to those who use the lakes although it is mostly private all the way down that road/trail getting to them now and is a matter of time before people start shutting it down. Like I said, we did not want to close the road where we were but it is all private down that road and once someone messed with our stuff, it ruined it for everyone else.

[Lunker]

Not surprised, that research could be legitimate research or "research" aka reducing a problematic pack. If it's the DNR I'd say the first, if the feds probably the latter. As for the caribou, I guess it is possible because of the ones in canada but unlikely. When a pic gets floated around you never know.

Not to get of subject, but FYI

The MN DNR(along with some caribou conservation groups) was working on proposal to re-introduce caribou to northern minnesota in the mid 90's. It was never executed. I did some research on the subject when I was back in school, and I believe they thought survival rates would be to low as a result of dispersal(spreading out and not reproducing), the brain worm parasite and from predation from wolves and bear. Apparently they did a re-introduction out east and had trouble with black bears taking down calves.

Re-introductions interest me, and I sometimes wish we could sustain more elk/moose/caribou type species of the past. Darn brain worms...

[Arctic]

I read the Montana outdoor mag last night and research from MN claims that each wolf will take down between 19-24 deer per year with a rough guess of 3,000 wolves in MN. My math says that is roughly 65,000 deer a year.

Yup, that's about right and matches estimates I have read for Minnesota. So, if our wolves only kill about 65,000 deer per year it's no wonder that deer increased like wildfire in both Minnesota and Wisconsin over the past decade.

The biggest controls of the deer herd are human hunters and tough winters.