Liberal limits Itasca State Park what a joke!

[jentz]

Maybe you could search online,Maybe send a email and ask.There.s just too many people in the state for personal messages.You have to read online or ask!

[Pinusbanksiana]

Yea, the 50 bucks you spend on deer hunting in that area pales on comparison to the money that area sees from summer tourists from all over the world. I personally applaud their management techniques. Course I am a forester so my opinion is slightly biased.

[bobbymalone]

Also to inform the many hunters who think that there are tons of deer in the park because of the liberal limits(most common people think if the limit is high there are many deer and that is not the case in Itasca-they just don't want any deer)

I guess I don't understand why you would automatically assume that liberal limits = tons of deer.

Easy to blame the DNR when it doesn't work out your way.

[germanshorthairs]

Easy to blame the DNR when it doesn't work out your way.

Who else is there to blame-they are the regulators???? I guess I could blame myself for not knowing that the park doesn't want any deer there?? I should have known that how???? Oh-the banners that they put out during the season that say shoot all the deer we don't want them!!Give me a break. Thanks for your opinion though!!!!

$50 dollars a year to hunt deer- I pay almost that in DNR licenses a year-get a clue. If you would hunt the park you would see all the revenue that comes in from hunters. All I am saying is once the hunters truly realize that the park does not want any deer they will not come back. Maybe they could work with the hunters by having them bud capp trees etc.. Or better yet put a fence around the park-that would be real nature i guess. Thanks for your opinion as well.

[SkunkedAgain]

Wow. You need to chill out a bit and realize that your mostly at fault here for not researching the area you want to hunt. It appears that you find it easier to rant on a forum and blame the DNR and park managers instead of being actively involved and knowing the area you intend to hunt.

Re-read all of your posts. They smack of entitlement more than anything.

[winterwalleye]

If you were to hunt an area and on one side of the road was lottery and the other was intensive harvest where would you think the most deer would be pinusbanksiana? The lottery area of course not.Let mother nature take care of the land . I see plenty of pine trees in the park. Maybe some tourist would like to see a deer also not just the mississippi headwaters and trees.Deer hunters splend plenty of money in the park areas and when they see the reality of no deer it will hurt the businesses in the area come fall and the deer season when they find a better place to hunt as you suggest.Park passes and park campers for hunters also helps the parks with money

[Pinusbanksiana]

Skunked said it, everyone thinks they are entitled to something and if they don't get what they think they should get it is someone else fault. Then they bring out that "hurt the locals when we leave" card. Let me tell you, I am a local and I don't need your money up here. Most of us don't in fact. Germanshorthairs, think back to what you spent this year and let us know how much was spent actually up here and brought up from the cities or from mail order Cabelas catalog. In fact, all you guys from the cities, please add up what you think you spent up north just for curiosity sake.

Hunting deer should not be done from a computer screen looking at areas where dnr is allowing multiple deer tags it is done on the ground looking for deer sign and deer habitat. It is nobodys fault but your own.

[germanshorthairs]

Pinus-if you don't need our money up here then tell your legislators that you don't want any tax money for the park as well. Then you locals can pay the employees that work there-get real!!!! I got my answer when I was given the dnr link and found out there plan is to rid the park of deer.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Your welcome to come hunt in my area Germanshort hairs. Plenty of deer sign and I will even give you some pointers on where to set up. And no, we don't need your money up here.

[caseymcq]

.... Course I am a forester so my opinion is slightly biased.

I would never have guessed with a scraggly conifer name like that

[TRZ II]

Saying rural areas don't need the money of people from the cities is VERY narrow minded. I know of several businesses in my hunting area that depend on those weekends to keep them afloat. My party spent hundreds of dollars in the area this year on gas, food, liquor, licenses &some gear. Not to mention the 1200$ I spend yearly on taxes to support schools I obviously don't use and to keep your roads from falling apart. My 80 acres is on a low maint. road and gets graded every few years. Without tax money from recreational property the roads, schools and other infrastructure in rural minnesota would resemble rural Mississippi. As a forester i assume you have a federal or state job which is paid by these taxes also?

[Pinusbanksiana]

What I am saying is that we don't sit around on our hands waiting for the rich city folk to come spend their pocketsfull of cash up north. We have thriving local economies that run independently of outside dollars. Sure, we have the local taverns and hotels too that need your money, but please don't look at us as poor with our hands out. The majority of us who live up here really don't get exited when fishing season or deer season open. We know that we have to just deal with it for a few weeks and then things will get back to normal.

I hear that so often, if we don't bend the rules for the city folk to insure they have a good time, they threaten to not spend their money here. Well, this is not the wild west up here, there are rules and laws too. The Park is managed by professional people who base their plans on science and careful thought, not the whim of hunters who didn't see a deer or two.

Please be respectful when you go north and realize that you are coming into our neighborhood.

[TRZ II]

I find that many of us "citiots" are more respectful than the locals. Especially in terms of dumping and poaching. I think we see more law enforcement in our areas and respect game laws much more than some rural people who never see much law enforcement. Of course there are always exceptions.

[Pinusbanksiana]

True, there are some folks up here that dump their trash in the woods. I can't answer to the poaching aspect of your post.

[pulleye16]

Skunked said it, everyone thinks they are entitled to something and if they don't get what they think they should get it is someone else fault. Then they bring out that "hurt the locals when we leave" card. Let me tell you, I am a local and I don't need your money up here. Most of us don't in fact. Germanshorthairs, think back to what you spent this year and let us know how much was spent actually up here and brought up from the cities or from mail order Cabelas catalog. In fact, all you guys from the cities, please add up what you think you spent up north just for curiosity sake.

Hunting deer should not be done from a computer screen looking at areas where dnr is allowing multiple deer tags it is done on the ground looking for deer sign and deer habitat. It is nobodys fault but your own.

Next time I go head up north to the cabin I'll buy all my groceries and gas down here and wont help the ma and pa shops up north. When I build my garage and update my septic, sewer and siding I'll bring a crew from the cities as well. Maybe all us city guys should pay our cabin taxes to our counties down here.

WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT>>>WE ARE ALL MN!

[winterwalleye]

I agree oldendays I also own land up north and pay taxes and spend money not only during the deer season but year round. If PINUSBANKSIANA doesn't think he needs our outstate money maybe we should get a tax refund .Maybe we shouldn't support the local business people and see what they think then.Pinusbanksiana are you paid by the state? If you are then where do you think your check comes from? IF your local economies are thriving why are there so many businesses for sale in the park rapids areas? We just want the DNR to be more up front about hunting in the park and not make it look like there are too many deer by making it intensive harvest.

[pulleye16]

And another thing, I'm sure the original poster probably did scout and just didn't sit on the computer and look for managment areas thinking easy deer for a "city guy."(cause ALL city folk are lazy and have all the money and therefore shouldn't have to work hard and should have everything handed to them right?) The point is, regardless of scouting and hunting skills, it sounds like alot of people aren't seeing deer when a person can take 6.

Oh- and alot of your city folk came from small towns and would probably rather live somewhere up north but either job wise or financial wise they had to move to the cities, so they've probably come to enjoy the great outdoors even more then someone thats around it 24/7!

[Pinusbanksiana]

I can see that my argument rebuttal will fall on deaf ears here so i am checking out of this thread. I wish shorthairs good luck finding the game he needs and if he would contact me I would point him towards a better area to find deer to shoot.

[Craig_S]

The park is managed just fine. Yup they do not want too many deer. If you do not like that, do not come back. Thank you.

Stay Jack Pine. You are the rare voice of reason here.

[winterwalleye]

Craig s we won't. Just wished the DNR would be more informative about the deer population in the park and that they don't want deer there.I also think they should have a special season so people can't say they shot a deer in the park but really didn't. Don't allow huntimg during the regular rifle season in the park would solve a lot of problems.

[Craig_S]

There's two things that really bother me about this thread. First is the park. Itasca is one of the premier state parks in the entire country. It's built around the Mississippi headwaters and a quality native plant community - pine forest. In order to improve the plant community park mangers invited hunters to control the deer population. That's right. Invited you. Most parks don't allow any hunting at all. You've been invited to help. They didn't try and hide any of this from you. Those that are upset are behaving like a bad house guest. Don't be surprised if you aren't invited back. Believe it or not, some hunters enjoy hunting in a beautiful environment with the chance of shooting a truly trophy buck. Those folks will be back.

Second is the entitlement attitude. The "generation y" whine is loud and clear. Newsflash - the park is just fine without you. It isn't managed for you. If you had a tough hunt at your spot in the park, did you bother to look at a map? There's maybe a hundred thousand acres of public land within spitting distance of the park. You could move? Maybe if you tried harder, you would be rewarded.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Craig_S, well said. I like the generation whine saying, think I will use it if you don't mind!

[germanshorthairs]

Thanks to the posters that pointed me in the direction of Itascas management plan. I have been in contact with the operations supervisor there and I am getting my questions answered. I guess some people are "really bothered" by this thread-sorry, try not to lose any sleep over it!

[summit090706]

Very interesting post. I have hunted Itasca for 25 plus years. Deer numbers have gone up and down. What I think is very interesting is not the number to tags you can buy but the DNR's pilot of APR in this area. We have had this for 4 or so years. I take the survey every year they send it to me. I speak to the Park Rangers during my 4 days of scouting up there every year. They even have not seen the larger bucks that this APR is suppose to be growing. I agree that deer population is low...wolf population is high and growing... I like the post on registering, because I guess I give to much credit to sportsman doing the right ethical thing..and I guess I am naive has this year I had a bag of clothes stolen, a sd card from my camera, my dads stand when I left for lunch and came back....The rangers stated that on opening weekend there were 200 vehicles with estimated hunters of 500 in the park. I am venting, but more important I am disappointed in the hunters in Itasca right now...(p.s. if you are one of the people that stole our parties stuff, I do have you on camera and when I find you next year we will have a chat:) )