New regulations

[schmoe147]

Anyone now when the new 2011/2012 hunting regulations come out? Thanks

[Powerstroke]

LOL. I think the is the earliest this has been asked.

Regulations come out around Aug. 1st.

Sometimes specific changes are made public earlier than that since they are decided by the legislature before summer, but the full regulations are not released till around Aug 1st.

[Jameson]

Sure hope a govt shut down won't delay the regs.

[LightningBG]

Sure hope a govt shut down won't delay the regs.

If the govt shuts down, you can just do whatever you want

[Jameson]

...like shoot a couple of six point velvet bucks off of a bait pile in the middle of the night with a crossbow and night vision equipment in August from a vehicle in a state park and than track them with a dog to than sell the antlers and dispose of the carcasses at a WMA ...

[Musky Buck]

The government has been shutdown for years, I am happy to report we're finishing our 3rd year of frozen wages with 2 more left only. My take home pay matches my checks from 1997-1998 now. Things are looking up ! :)New regs I'm with Jameson !

" I'm all for stimulating the economy, but my dental,medical,dues,insurances,taxes,gas,propane and then some need to stimulated a little less "

[toughguy]

...like shoot a couple of six point velvet bucks off of a bait pile in the middle of the night with a crossbow and night vision equipment in August from a vehicle in a state park and than track them with a dog to than sell the antlers and dispose of the carcasses at a WMA ...

lol.

[Jameson]

No excuses lcornice, lets have those regs out on time. Early would be nice. Thanks.

[Jameson]

Deer licenses on sale Aug. 1; regulation changes announced

(Released July 29, 2011)

Minnesota hunters will be able to purchase 2011 deer licenses starting Monday, Aug. 1, the same day the state’s hunting regulation booklet is available online at www.mndnr.gov/buyalicense. Booklets will be available in mid-August.

This year’s archery season opens Saturday, Sept. 17. The general firearms season opens Saturday, Nov. 5. The deadline for lottery permit applications is Thursday, Sept. 8.

“We’re looking forward to another good season,” said Lou Cornicelli, big game program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “Deer populations are at or near goals throughout much of the state.”

Cornicelli said hunters will discover several new regulations for the upcoming deer season. The changes, he said, reflect the agency’s interest in regulation simplification and the protection of the state’s deer from Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

Significant changes for 2011:

· A new CWD management area, called Deer Area 602, has been established in southeastern Minnesota surrounding the area where a CWD positive deer was detected last fall. The new CWD management area will feature a 23-day firearm season. Submission of samples for CWD testing will be mandatory for deer harvested in this area, and there will be carcass import/export restrictions. Detailed information can be found in the regulations book and on the DNR HSOforum at www.mndnr.gov/cwd.

· A new “hunter choice” deer management designation has been established that will allow hunters in certain areas to take one either-sex deer per year in one of these areas. These areas function like lottery areas, with the difference being hunters do not need to make a lottery application or possess an either sex permit to take an antlerless deer. In hunter choice areas, the license is automatically valid for an either-sex deer.

· Bonus permits are not allowed. If a deer is taken in one hunter choice area, a hunter cannot take another deer in another hunter choice or lottery deer area. The designation was created because the majority of deer permit areas are within their established goal ranges, and DNR managers believe one either-sex deer without a lottery would allow those areas to stay within goal without going back and forth between lottery and managed areas. Hunter choice was not created to increase antlerless harvest rates, but rather to make it simpler to take one either-sex deer in the area. Overall, 30 percent of Minnesota’s 127 deer permit areas are designated hunter choice this year.

The DNR still uses the lottery in areas where antlerless deer harvest is restricted and managed and intensive harvest designations when additional antlerless deer harvest is needed. This year, 27 percent are managed and 17 percent are intensive areas.

Firearm and muzzleloader lottery either-sex permits

Hunters may once again apply for either-sex or special hunt permits in both the firearm and muzzleloader seasons. In a change from previous years, hunters successful in the lottery can use their permit in either the firearm or muzzleloader season, provided they have a valid license for that season. The deadline for lottery and special hunt applications is Thursday, Sept. 8.

Although a hunter can be selected for both licenses, successful applicants still can only take one deer. In the case of special hunts, a person may draw both a firearm and muzzleloader permit, in which case they must adhere to the bag limits established by each special hunt.

This year’s lottery deer areas are: 103, 108, 119, 234, 235, 237, 238, 250, 251, 252, 253, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 288, 289, 290, 291, 294, 295, 296 and 299.

Other changes

Because deer herds are largely within goals, there will be no early antlerless deer season this year, and no youth-only antlerless areas available this year. The DNR will continue to monitor harvest and population size, and may use these designations in the future. Also, the 16-foot height restriction for permanent deer stands has been eliminated.

Cornicelli urged hunters to familiarize themselves with 2011 regulations before the hunting season begins. Due to delays created by the state shutdown, the hunting regulations booklet will not be available until mid-August wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, but hunters may access an online version of the regulations at www.mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting.

Deer hunters are also encouraged to review new deer hunting regulations, permit area designations and boundary changes before the Thursday, Sept. 8 application deadline for either-sex deer permits in lottery areas, and for all special hunts.

Additional information about the 2011 deer season can be found at www.mndnr.gov/deer

So, no youth-only lottery areas this year, and no early-antlerless hunts. Two-thumbs up. The new Hunters Choice areas should also be a nice addition.

[picksbigwagon]

I have to admit, I didn't anticipate the no youth and early seasons this year. It must have been a really hard winter down in SE MN (346 and 349 where I hunt in MN). Thanks for posting that Jameson

[Jameson]

I didn't anticipate those changes either. I was already planning for the EA season, as it is(was?) marked on the DNR's calendar. I was planning on hunting that weekend with the bow, so now it may just mean not wearing orange, and not hearing others shooting. Are the 346 and 349 areas in the new CWD zone?

[picksbigwagon]

no they aren't in that zone, but I was thinking about doing EA with the shotgun and then adding the meat to our Iowa hunt grind.....Oh well

[lakevet]

Thanks for the posting. Good to see simplification/reduction of the lottery system by returning to either sex in a larger area of the state, just like they had back in the 1940's,1950's, 1960's. They finally are returning to some of the older, simpler, straight forward regulations. Also helps shift hunters away from the "gotta shoot a buck, any buck" mentality created by the lottery system started in the 1970's, and back towards the traditional shooting of an "any sex deer" as an acceptable harvest.

If you want people to pass on little bucks, don't tease/belittle them about shooting a doe or fawn!

Would prefer a return to pick a season, firearms or muzzleloader, especially in lottery areas with low deer populations. Getting to hunt a 9 to 16 day season in areas with low deer populations instead of 9 to 16 days PLUS another 16 days of muzzleloading for a total of 25 to 32 days of hunting seems reasonable to me. DNR has blamed muzzleloaders for over harvest in SW Minnesota. Returning to pick a season would simplify the management of the deer herd and accompanying regulations, and is , without question, a proven regulation that completely eliminates over harvest by muzzleloader hunters in Minnesota, even after severe winters.

lakevet

[Jameson]

..., and is , without question, a proven regulation that completely eliminates over harvest by muzzleloader hunters in Minnesota, even after severe winters.

lakevet

What if we make the regular firearm's season after muzzy season, make muzzy season 23 days and firearms 2 days, have regular firearm's be antlerless only, and made it so everyone could get a doe permit during muzzy season...than would pick a season completely eliminate over-harvest by muzzleloader hunters in MN? No, but a tag lottery for bucks and does would.

....

...patiently waiting for the new regs...

[lakevet]

Jameson,

My understanding of the situation in SW Minnesota is that abuse of antlerless permits for youth during muzzleloader season resulted in over harvest in the eyes of the DNR. Thus the DNR eliminated doe permits for muzzleloaders in those areas. Having a lottery did not prevent overharvest, so the lottery was eliminated.

MN deer regulations are like MN weather, don't like it give it a little time, it'll be different

lakevet

[Jameson]

My understanding is that when we went to all-season tags we allowed muzzy hunters either/or in lottery areas, but held shotgunners to the lottery. This resulted in over-harvest in SW MN. Abuse of youth permits during any season wouldn't help.

.

It's like xmas eve today...

[psepuncher]

It must have been a really hard winter down in SE MN

It was bad all over.

From the Rockies to points East. This past winter the Northern Hemisphere was totally held with a non stop wether pattern that resulted in a high SWI.

this is from NoDAK

"Declining deer numbers are indicative of three successive difficult winters resulting in high deer mortality and extremely low reproductive success," Kreil said. "This, combined with nearly a decade of aggressive deer management when large numbers of antlerless licenses were issued in many units, lowered the state's deer population down to, or in some units below, management goals."

Then theres reports just the same from the Wasatch in both UT and Wyo, and up to MT.

NODAK I believe is selling less tags?