4 day youth deer hunt state wide during teachers convention

[laker1]

in October. I think it is absolutely crazy. I think somebody fell out of the tree to think of this. I can see much corruption going on and having this about two weeks before regular season. Does that mean youth can not hunt during regular season than if he shot a deer. Come on now hunting suppose to be about being with nature and family. That youth should be hunting with the group during regular season. I suppose Dad would have a excuse to stay home. Mea is suppose to be the week you took your kid pheasant or grouse hunting ? Also a bill to allow any age to hunt. Now I can see two(2) year olds going hunting deer with dad to go early season hunting. The system is not broken so leave it alone.

[laker1]

I meant dad would have a excuse to leave the kid home during the regular season than.

[hockeybc69]

Can you enlighten us a little more??

Where did you see this?

[Mike Wallace]

One of many proposals in today's Star-Trib.Outdoors section.

Youth hunting numbers have been declining. I assume this would be an attempt to get more kids in the field deer hunting.

Two benefits to the youth: 1. It's during the Education Minnesota (formerly MEA) break so they don't miss any school, and 2. Now that boy or girl gets 100% of the attention from their dad/mom/family during that time instead of the adult worrying about their own harvest.

I have mixed feelings about it from a management perspective - only because I don't know much about management and am not going to pretend I do. What it should do is give more kids a chance to have a good experience that is about them, whether they get their deer or not.

The system may not be broken, but there has been a decline in the number of youth licenses being purchased and in the number of young hunters enjoying the outdoors. All this proposal seems to be is another opportunity to get kids hunting. I don't think it is meant to ruin your personal experience.

Mike Wallace

[Jameson]

Their is also something about this on the DNR HSOforum.

I am strongly against this.

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

It's during the Education Minnesota (formerly MEA) break so they don't miss any school,

Chances are pretty solid that most kids in hunting families or friends that hunt, are already using the MEA weekend to hunt a variety of other things.

I dont support this one bit.

So I assume this means hunter orange will be required for archery, and whatever else too?

[bottom-bouncer]

The only good thing about this is the any age to hunt minnesota needs to catch up in this department many states have no age restriction. As far as letting them have october terrible idea. The youth can hunt with everybody else if a parent or gaurdian is to self absorbed in there own success or failure Thats there problem. I can tell all of you archery hunters this if this goes thru you mite want to start saving your money for out of state hunts Because bow hunting here will be done. The past few years they have had the youth hunts in zone 3 in the south east part of our state after those two days. You dont even see deer anymore.This is bad bad bad!!!

[rayguy]

Deer camp is about being with the family and hunting. Part of camp is enjoying when a young one has luck and showing them the reason we hunt is not always to fill our tags but to enjoy the outdoors. There is no need for a youth hunt. Include them in the opener, and teach them there.

[jentz]

Youth Duck hunt cuts into my deer archery now another? Why cant they hunt the regular season as I grew up doing.

At first I thought the duck hunt was OK cause the teal & woodies were here and not spooked yet.But Hunting archery and getting close to the rut and before firearms,These special hunts sure put a stop to me going out,I hunt marsh/sparce woodland.

I personally dont like it!

[dillrodd]

I see no reason whatever for a youth deer hunt. I do think the youth waterfowl day is a great idea though. I don"t feel one bit bad though if you think one extra day in the duck slough for my kid spoils your 3 and 1/2 month archery season. give me a break.

[dogs]

Wisconsin has one for years and I see no negative affects. If the Indian tribes can do it for months, why not a few kids.

[JimmyJames]

Terrible idea, almost as bad as some a these posts.

[bottom-bouncer]

I see no reason whatever for a youth deer hunt. I do think the youth waterfowl day is a great idea though. I don"t feel one bit bad though if you think one extra day in the duck slough for my kid spoils your 3 and 1/2 month archery season. give me a break.

I have no problem with the youth waterfall day I actually think it can get the deer up and moving same with pheasant hunters. But the deer know when they are the target and it affects deer movement.

[laker1]

The proposal to have a early deer season and any age hunting I think goes to far. Whats wrong with the parent taking the kid bow hunting during MEA or the traditional up north grouse hunting or preparing for the traditional deer opener. What about the bow hunter hunting a certain area like a field and working a big buck. Now opening day of the youth hunt it is shot at 200 yards by the youth or the mom or dad(especially if no age limit) What happened to the menotoring system of bringing the kid up starting with a 410 and grouse or squirrel hunting. Is it now more of for the quik fix and the kill only. Make yoy comment known by going to the meeting or a comment starting Feb.21 on the DNR web page.

[96trigger]

Let the youth hunt, no party hunting, no drives, no cross tagging. Their presence in the woods will be minimal. However, I think if they let them push and pressure, the effects will be felt.

A lot of people that bow hunt in October know that there seems to be a lull in October at that time. I don't think we will notice the kids in the woods. I don't even know how successful they will be or the number of kids that will get involved.

I don't see it as a bad thing. However, I don't know if they need this. Should be interesting to see what develops. I never had any of the opportunities that these young kids have. I never thought about quitting. I do know that the kids know about and are fired up about it. That is never a bad thing.

[CANOPY SAM]

I haven't personally read this proposal, nor have I seen it in the paper. However, in it's defense, I'd like to add that my eldest son and I have had two wonderful years hunting deer together during the youth season, with just him and I, and virtually no one else around for miles.

The regular firearms deer hunt we participated in last year was an absolute circus, and my now 14 yr. old son was frankly astonished at what he witnessed other hunters doing afield. I spent two youth seasons training him on the do's and dont's of deer hunting, and how to successfully and cleanly bag a white-tailed deer. Then he moved up to the "big show" and was sorely dissappointed with the experience.

Many of you may have private land, and semi-controlled hunting areas where you can focus on your kids, and their experience during the regular firearms season. But most of us don't have that luxury. We either need permission from land owners to hunt, which is hard to come by during the regular firearms season, or we seek out public land that's often over-run with hunters during the regular season.

Add to that the likelyhood of inclement weather during regular firearms and it can be pretty tough to keep a young kid happy for more than a few hours. This is essential, as it sets the foundation for future interest in the sport. If they're miserable the first couple times out they're not likely going to want to go out again.

As a non-landowner, I'm nervous about taking my kids out during the regular firearms season in MN. The youth season offers an opportunity to hunt private land, when land owners are much more likely to give permission to take one nice doe, as well as exponentially less hunting pressure for a more safe, and pleasureable hunt. The weather is typically warmer and dryer for a young hunter as well.

I'm looking forward to taking my daughter out this fall for her first deer hunt during the youth season, and she's equally excited to participate - whether we fill a tag or not. She's been asking about it for two years now!

How would this "interfere" with the bow hunting season? A bow hunter has from mid-Sept. to the end of Dec. to hunt, and one can be in stand with a bow throughout all seasons as long as they're wearing blaze orange - correct? Even if I'm wrong, the bow season runs thru 3 1/2 months, minus a few weeks in the middle for rifle hunting. I love bow hunting for deer as well, but I can't imagine spending 100+ days in stand.

Youth season, only two days long, can be pretty short. If we get foul weather for the two days it's open, the seasons over, and the opportunity is gone. I'd fully support extending the season a couple more days. I think it's the right thing to do to show more young hunters the joy of deer hunting. Our bowhunting friends can afford to share two more days with a few young hunters. As a long-time bowhunter, I'd gladly do this for the kids, and MEA weekend is a perfect time to do it.

[Riverratpete]

Its official..The state reps are a bunch of dopes. what a bunch of hooey.

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

How would this "interfere" with the bow hunting season?

More like it interferes with duck hunting, pheasant hunting, grouse, etc.

The southern third of the state is going to have pheasant hunters out in big numbers.

Northern third of the state will have grouse hunters.

Toss in the duck hunters. Are they exempt from the hunter orange rules?

Archery will surely have impact. Every year we take the MEA 4 days to go up and bowhunt hard. Now I may have people rifle hunting around me. We have very few bowhunters around us, so its a nice time because the woods are pretty quiet over that long weekend.

I have 2 kids, and dont see any need for this at all.

[mrklean]

gotta say im not a fan of this at all

[schmoe147]

I'm all for getting the youth involved in hunting but this is ridiculous. It is going to make many bow,pheasant,duck and grouse hunters very unhappy. I was brought up that hunting is more than just shooting animals, it is about spending time with family and friends and just having a good time. sounds like some people will be buying there kids a license and doing the hunting themselfs. The DNR alreaday has trouble keeping up with all the complaints and problems with baiting et.... Sounds to me like there will only be more. I'm totally against this and will be telling everyone I talk to that they need to contact there legislative rep about this. TERRIBLE IDEA in my opinion!!!

[bottomdweller]

We have it here in wisconsin, sorry minnesotat will be following suit. I dont like it at all. Its too easy, deer get pressured, I dont really think its fair chase. My couple of pennies.

[CANOPY SAM]

The majority of people I know are unhappy if their ice-cream is too cold! And that's not an exaggeration. Most of them also believe they're so smart if they sit in a bowl of ice cream they can tell you what flavor it is.

I've seen some pretty selfish statements in my life, but some of these really take the cake.

Where in all of this do you read baiting will be more prevalent? How do you interpret that people will be buying their kids licenses and doing the hunting themselves? Grouse and Bear hunters are already in the woods. How could a couple more kids, mentored by caring adults have that big an impact on the millions of square miles of fields and forests in this state?

I suppose Take A Kid Fishing Weekend should be banned because of rampid poaching as well? Yea, those 8-12 yr. old kids really take a big bite outta the walleye population of this state in two days!

Yep. Anything that might benefit kids, but somehow takes away from MY opportunities can only be authored by idiots.

The point of the youth deer hunting season is about spending quality time with their Dad's, Mom's, Uncles, older brothers, etc. It's not about killing animals. At least it's not to me.

It's about getting a kid outdoors and teaching them hunting ethics, in a safe manner, without the throngs of people who are out there, during the regular firearms season, who will stop at nothing for the chance to kill an animal.

Some of these comments give Fishing Minnesota, and MN sportsmen in general, a bad name.

[hockeybc69]

I didnt have youth seasons, and I turned out just fine.

[winterwalleye]

I agree hockeybc69. I hunted in the 70's and some years didn't see a deer,but still continued to hunt.If you're introduced to hunting and fishing and taught that its ok to not always be successful you'll still enjoy the outdoors and family times together.

[heat checker]

It's a good thing to get more kids interested in the outdoors. An October season is not the way to do it IMO. The impact it would have on anyone bowhunting the area would last far longer than the two days the kids would actually be afield. I really wouldn't care for another "hunting season" messing up the deer activity in the area I'm trying to hunt.