ATTN: Deer hunters

[kern]

I personally would love to see the gun season moved back later in the year. With so many hunters in the woods and the bucks on their feet the vast majority of the day, odds greatly improve for the average hunter to kill a deer. I personally think moving gun season back would allow a)more of the bigger deer to breed and pass on the genetics, b)more bucks would have a chance to make it through til next season since they wouldn't be on there feet as often and c)colder weather will keep some hunters in the house and out of the woods allowing more deer to survive. APR is something, in my opinion, should not be enforced. I believe a trophy is in the eye of the hunter. If your trophy is a small buck that puts some vension on the table, so be it. In a lottery area, you can't shoot a doe for meat so it becomes the issue of what would you rather have, a troghy or meat. Plus there are alot of year and a half old 8 pointers that get shot every year. Basically for me it boils down to personal preference. And a once in a lifetime buck shouldn't be shot every year by every hunter in the woods. It would be nice but not expected

[C10]

move the gun season to thanksgiving week.

bingo

[nwhunter]

move the gun season to thanksgiving week.

This was brought up in another thread... not going to happen with Wisconsin already in line for that week. Too much money to be lost with out of state tags if there were competing seasons. Having said that, I would be all for it.

[CC Hurl]

Great topic and educational as well,thanks. Trophy is in the eye of the beholder as stated. I agree with that statement first and formost. I hunt for meat first and have ever since I started Bowhunting. I don't like gun hunting...to many folks messing up the pattern is why I quite years ago. Not to mention the addiction of Bowhnting set in after my first year out.

With that said I am blessed to have land in the SE to hunt for the last seven years and I hunted in central MN for the last eleven years. Both are private but the SE 80 acres is all for me to hunt and no gunners allowed. The 160 in central is open for three gunners but all mine until they come in and change it all up for me.(Thanks)Lol I was so happy to see the early antlerless hunt done away with for the year and to see them implement APT in the SE 80 starting last year for a three year period. So far this year this is how I see it on my camera's and my time in the feild for the DNR'S efforts. I have seen less deer families and have never seen a wall hanger in my central spot,great place to put meat in the freezer and close to home. I expect the herd size to increase in the central spot if they keep the early gun season out but feel I will never see nothing there other than a plaque rack. They shoot them before they mature and I think they always will with no regs in place. I used to take them myself early on because it was my personel trophy at the time.

SE spot after year #2 of APR. My camera's show some dandy trophies and have never failed me in 7 years. No I have not got one yet, Lol Still trying and thought I had him last Friday morning but thats another story. What I have noticed is many more six points when I am out there and on camera. We all know what they will become in the next couple years because they will live to see it. I am getting much closer to these big boys undetected so I can't wait to get one of them monsters.

To make this long post short, Lol I love hunting for meat in the north spot and it did used to include small bucks before I changed my outlook on APR. My favorite is the SE due to much more mature deer and the APR is in place and showing results in it's second year. Most important though is to enjoy your own hunt however makes you go back and please be safe. Wear a safety harness and good luck.

[B. Amish]

buck lottery would be more effective and fairer.

[hockeybc69]

Get rid of party hunting.

And dont give me that song and dance about being at deer camp for a week and not wanting to shoot a deer on day one and have nothing to do all week.

[InTheNorthwoods]

buck lottery would be more effective and fairer.

This is what I'd like to see, along with a no party hunting rule. It would limit the number of bucks (and does) that can be harvested in any one area while still allowing people to shoot any deer that THEY want, but it wouldn't allow one person to shoot more than one little buck, thereby giving a few more young bucks a chance to grow.

In the past several years I have had some experience hunting in North Dakota and I have really liked how they manage the deer herd. MN, in my opinion, takes a shotgun approach to management (if you can call it management at all). I don't know how you can effectively manage a deer herd when you allow an unlimited number of licenses to be sold in any area.

[gurkster]

The antler craze is the demise of hunting for the average joe.

Agreed

[mrklean]

i have always been a fan of no party hunting, when your tag is filled your DONE.

[Jameson]

buck lottery would be more effective and fairer.

+1

This pdf webpage is old stuff to some, but thought it would provide some humor and insight for others. Page 3 is pretty funny, page 13 insightful.

[Musky Buck]

SPlit the season up also, deer are 99.9% nocturnal after opening day in my area as every 5acres has a fishouse on it, I think road kill is controlling the pop in my area better than us nowaday thanks for making zone 4 zone 2, that hurt my area bad not just for me but all of us that used to be split up more. I would love a later deer season, would change 0 about nocturnalism, but are you bow hunters ready for another 75,000 of us joining you ? APR does work in a sense, the 1 swamp I hunt basically no one shoots yearlings that I'm aware of and in the last 6 years the a state record was shot there, a like 188 typical last year, I saw another at least 160" bow shot 2 days before rifle opener, I got a 14 pt. 4 years ago, and a nice 10 last muzzy season, and neighboring parties always get a few dandy bucks so in a way we are doing that and the payoff is we have older bucks to be patient for, we just have to realize it won't be an every year for everybody occurrence. Take a few does to add to the meat pile, mix in 100 pounds of beef and you're good to go.

[bigbucks]

I do not want a buck lottery. I'd be fine with moving the season back. I'd be okay with no party hunting, but it would sure take away a lot of the camaraderie for us. Not a fan of apr either.

[Bear55]

This pdf webpage is old stuff to some, but thought it would provide some humor and insight for others. Page 3 is pretty funny, page 13 insightful.

Page 7

[Jameson]

That's the page I meant, not page 3.

[Laska]

If it wasn't for party hunting I would have gone quite some time withou venison I buy a tag to fill my my freezer for my family regardless who shot it for me I think if some of you would see that there are some that still depend on venison for food for the family because that's wha helps out the most ad its not just for summer sausage and jerky I hunt to feed my family and sorry to say but some of you should think of the roots behind deer hunting and y it started it wasn't for tgrophies it was for what I still do today deeply offended by guys who think its all about bucs bucks bucks what about the guy who is trying to just simply put food on the dinner plate? Why should my family starve when someone has the oppurtunity to help me get food? Sry if I'm a downer but gotta put my 2 cents in from my situation can't say that I didn't make sense either. Party hunting is the way of life for lots of people...

[Hoyt4]

Hunting shouldn't be about status but about hunting with family and friends. If you want to hold out for a deer to put on the wall good for you. I will never hold that against anyone or will I be mad at someone for taking a spike. I love to hunt with my dad and friends. If we get a deer that is a bonus.

I do agree with better managing of the deer herd not for trophy status but for a healthy deer herd. Moving the gun season can help because you are not right in the middle of the rut. Could be other options moving to shotgun only could help out so your not shooting 300yds and taking a spike and thinking it's a doe. Heard that story too many times.

This will always be a topic and will go back and forth.

[InTheNorthwoods]

If it wasn't for party hunting I would have gone quite some time withou venison I buy a tag to fill my my freezer for my family regardless who shot it for me I think if some of you would see that there are some that still depend on venison for food for the family because that's wha helps out the most ad its not just for summer sausage and jerky I hunt to feed my family and sorry to say but some of you should think of the roots behind deer hunting and y it started it wasn't for tgrophies it was for what I still do today deeply offended by guys who think its all about bucs bucks bucks what about the guy who is trying to just simply put food on the dinner plate? Why should my family starve when someone has the oppurtunity to help me get food? Sry if I'm a downer but gotta put my 2 cents in from my situation can't say that I didn't make sense either. Party hunting is the way of life for lots of people...

Please note, I understand that there are many great reasons to want to eat venison or to hunt that don't revolve around "big bucks", and that for some people, hunting doesn't cost much money (walk out the back door, etc.). But in general, I find it an extremely weak argument to say that someone needs to shoot deer to support their family because it is the most economical means of doing so.

If someone is so hard up for venison, why even buy a license? Just shoot one. Or, pick up a fresh road kill. Or get venison from a food shelf, a donation program, or a friend. Or, if it is simply the need for protein, buy beef, pork, turkey, chicken, etc., at a grocery store. All of these options are less expensive than to buy a tag, buy all of the ancillary items, take time out of your day that has earning potential, and to go out hunting. As it stands in today's world, hunting for your own meat is simply not the most economical way to feed one's family. The reality is, deer hunting is changing, and it has been for a long time; just like the world we live in.

[swamptiger]

Quote:

The only thing stopping MN from having more trophy size bucks is the age structure of the herd. If you disagree, why are so many big deer killed in Canadian provinces that are not in ag land? It is because of the age structure, bucks simply don't grow big antlers without first surviving several hunting seasons.

I agree with this, but wouldn't taking about a month off the archery season, and going to a 7 or 9 day rifle season statewide accomplish the same thing?

[goblueM]

Please note, I understand that there are many great reasons to want to eat venison or to hunt that don't revolve around "big bucks", and that for some people, hunting doesn't cost much money (walk out the back door, etc.). But in general, I find it an extremely weak argument to say that someone needs to shoot deer to support their family because it is the most economical means of doing so.

If someone is so hard up for venison, why even buy a license? Just shoot one. Or, pick up a fresh road kill. Or get venison from a food shelf, a donation program, or a friend. Or, if it is simply the need for protein, buy beef, pork, turkey, chicken, etc., at a grocery store. All of these options are less expensive than to buy a tag, buy all of the ancillary items, take time out of your day that has earning potential, and to go out hunting. As it stands in today's world, hunting for your own meat is simply not the most economical way to feed one's family. The reality is, deer hunting is changing, and it has been for a long time; just like the world we live in.

So, to sum up, you're saying that instead of hunting for food, he either A) illegally poach, lean on charity C) lean on the government, D) buy meat at the grocery store (btw that is MORE expensive than hunting)

and the kicker, you're saying he (and all the other people that don't trophy hunt) should do this because some folks want to shoot a bigger buck. DISGUSTING.

If you're going to try to refute an argument, at least do it in a logical and compelling manner

[goblueM]

also, folks - keep in mind how good deer hunting is in MN. Have any of you hunted in many other places? Most states would KILL to have the quality bucks that MN does.

[96trigger]

Hunting for the meat is not very economical. Especially not at $3.50 gas and the equipment and time. I don't care what anybody says. Its just not. You can try and make it economical but for the amount of meat you get off a deer. There are cheaper alternative to feed your family.

As for bow hunters taking a week off. It is statistically proven year in and year out that the bow hunters take a very insignificant number of mature bucks a year compared to firearms and muzzle loader. Taking a month off during the bow season would do nothing.

We have the genetics and we have the nutrients. The only thing lacking is the time.

[Getanet]

Great points goBlueM.

I would also venture to guess that a good percentage of folks that are for expanding APRs also complain about the expanding role of government in almost every other area of their lives - but apparently this one's OK.

96Trigger, for people that live outside of the cities hunting can be very economical. $3.50 a gallon doesn't cost much when you only have a travel a mile or two to hunt. My uncle practically lives off venison and it basically costs him the $27 for a license and a box of shells, what every 5 years or so. It's like anything else in life, you can spend as much, or as little, as you want to.

[goblueM]

Hunting for the meat is not very economical. Especially not at $3.50 gas and the equipment and time. I don't care what anybody says. Its just not. You can try and make it economical but for the amount of meat you get off a deer. There are cheaper alternative to feed your family.

you don't need much other than a weapon to harvest a deer. Most folks that are poor and hunting for food aren't buying a new bow/rifle every couple years, traveling long distances, and buying the latest scent-lok clothing. If you have a place to hunt that isn't very far away (and I'd wager a LOT of folks that hunt for food do) your transportation costs are minimal. And like getanet mentioned, annualized cost of weapon + ammunition are not much. It can be VERY economically efficient to hunt for food. Saying it isn't is disengenous.

[bowhunternw]

I think that deer hunting is not so bad, but I would like to see a couple of changes. No party hunting make everyone shoot thier own deer. Also pick one season and one season only, I think that this would spread out the numbers a little as well as take away the oppurtunity for tagging multiple bucks (for those that don't register thier deer). Minnesotas deer herd is heavily pressured that is why they are largely nocturnal in certain areas. I got to hunt a piece of property that was not hunted for a few years and was secluded from the roads. It was awesome, the deer moved early and in high numbers.

[96trigger]

I would say the majority of the people have to drive a little bit to get to a place to hunt. I'm not saying they are driving 80 miles. I hunt 12 miles from my house, its a 15 minute drive, but I do it 20 times a year. Not economical. I think many people do this, and they are kidding themselves if they don't believe it. Yes, there are people like your uncle that do it on the cheap. I understand that, I'm just saying that they are very few and far between. I know 100's of hunters and maybe 2 are really reliant on deer. Not even because they can't afford anything else, its just what they prefer, and I am in small, farm town Minnesota.