Confused About MN Regs. Help!

[DonBo]

Haven't spent much time hunting Minnesota. I'm considering gun hunting with a friend up in zone 156. It is a managed area:

Managed Deer Areas - There is no drawing for permits. If

you hunt in one of these areas, you can take a deer of either

sex with your intial license. You can use any combination of

licenses or permits to take up to 2 deer.

I've already taken two deer here in the metro area where tags are unlimited, one was a buck. Can I still shoot two antlerless deer in zone 156, knowing bucks are now off the board?

[jay83196]

I believe you cant take anymore unless you hunt intensive harvest but check with dnr to make sure.

[nofishfisherman]

I'm not 100% sure but I thought you'd still be legal to take 2 deer from a managed zone since the first two were taken from an intensive/no limit zone.

Once you take 2 from a managed zone then you'd need to go to an intensive zone to take additional deer. You're basically just doing it in reverse, taking deer from an intensive zone and then going to a managed zone. As long as you are within state bag limits logic would seem to say you'd be legal. But don't always assume logic is being used when creating regs so you may want to check with the DNR on this.

[NoWiser]

Pretty sure you are good to go! It wouldn't hurt to send the DNR a quick email or give them a call, though.

[Bear55]

Yep you should be able to shoot two does.

[bigbucks]

I'm not the DNR, but I'm sure you're correct.

As far as I know they haven't changed the law, so it's also ok to take two in a Managed Zone & one in a Hunter's Choice area or lottery depending on permit draws. The Hunter's Choice just has to be your main tag, so if you shot a buck as one of two deer in a Managed area with your bow. So could still shoot a doe in a HC area, with either your rifle/shotgun or your muzzle loader. I think if I shot the buck with my bow in the HC area, I could shoot two does in the managed area both with my bow on two management/bonus tags, as far as I know or one or both with another weapon.

[gurkster]

I also beleive that you can still take 2 does, 0 bucks in zone 156.

[jay83196]

I emailed dnr your question, after I thout about it more I was curious below was reply I got.

Good luck

Jay

Yes he can purchase two bonus tags and take two antlerless deer in 156, a managed area.

Kevin

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 11:12 AM To: Kyle, Kevin K (DNR) Subject: Fwd: License

[tlbigstump]

I'm pretty sure you can't take anymore in a managed zone. Because you can only take up to the maximum for the area your hunting. Unless the 2 in the metro don't count for some reason. Example lets say you shoot 2 deer in an intensive area, and then want to hunt a managed area you have already shot your maximum for the area your hunting. This is how I have understood it read. Not 100% sure, but at least 99%

[DonBo]

I emailed dnr your question, after I thout about it more I was curious below was reply I got.

Good luck

Jay

Yes he can purchase two bonus tags and take two antlerless deer in 156, a managed area.

Kevin

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 11:12 AM To: Kyle, Kevin K (DNR) Subject: Fwd: License

I also sent an email and haven't heard back yet. This is the answer I was hoping for. Thanks!

[DonBo]

I'm pretty sure you can't take anymore in a managed zone. Because you can only take up to the maximum for the area your hunting. Unless the 2 in the metro don't count for some reason. Example lets say you shoot 2 deer in an intensive area, and then want to hunt a managed area you have already shot your maximum for the area your hunting. This is how I have understood it read. Not 100% sure, but at least 99%

All the deer I've taken have been in an intensive area. Haven't taken ANY in a managed area. That's the question here.

[Cheetah]

Now Don, what are you gonna do with more venison? You must have had to buy a new freezer by now with all success you have had this season.

[mainbutter]

Yup you're good to go!

Hope you have luck, I'm hunting 156 (archery at the moment) and things aren't as hot right now as I was hoping. Other than spooking a few deer going into and leaving the woods, all I've seen is a pair of this year's fawns, and although they came close they never even gave me a shot.

I passed on a doe with two fawns (maybe the same ones I saw yesterday?) in tow 3 weeks ago, she was small but I'm kicking myself now for not taking the shot.

[401TE]

Also, depending on how good of a buddy you have you can shoot his buck, too, since you're technically party hunting. Just have to use his buck tag.

[NoWiser]

I'm pretty sure you can't take anymore in a managed zone. Because you can only take up to the maximum for the area your hunting. Unless the 2 in the metro don't count for some reason. Example lets say you shoot 2 deer in an intensive area, and then want to hunt a managed area you have already shot your maximum for the area your hunting. This is how I have understood it read. Not 100% sure, but at least 99%

I think you might be reading it the wrong way.

[Mr Special]

If the DNR said its ok then you are good to go.

Kinda, funny but i had to email the DNR regarding our ever changing and confusing regs as well

btw,

if i was a Deer, i'd be scared of ya lol

[Jameson]

...I've already taken two deer here in the metro area where tags are unlimited, one was a buck. Can I still shoot two antlerless deer in zone 156, knowing bucks are now off the board?

Yes.

Use two bonus tags.

Or

use your firearms main tag and a bonus tag.

Or

use your muzzy main tag and a bonus tag.

Or

use your firearms main tag and your muzzy main tag.

The two deer taken in the metro don't count toward your 5. That limit includes only deer taken in lotto,h.c.,managed, intense areas. (Pretty sure on this detail, please correct me if I'm wrong.)

As you know, the buck taken in the metro does count toward the statewide limit of one buck, though.

[snapcrackpop]

Page 69.

[bowhunternw]

Sure not I how I interpereted the rules but I guess maybe I am wrong. So I have harvested a buck in a lottery and a doe in a managed area. Thought that would be the end, but you are saying I can fill another bonus tag in that mangaged area then buy 2 more bonus tags jump to another managed area and get 2 more to complete the 5 deer limit. Have no intentions of doing that but that would be legal?

[NoWiser]

Sure not I how I interpereted the rules but I guess maybe I am wrong. So I have harvested a buck in a lottery and a doe in a managed area. Thought that would be the end, but you are saying I can fill another bonus tag in that mangaged area then buy 2 more bonus tags jump to another managed area and get 2 more to complete the 5 deer limit. Have no intentions of doing that but that would be legal?

No.

You can shoot one more anterless deer in a Managed Area. If you want more after that you would need to move to an Intensive Area or Unlimited Area.

[tlbigstump]

I don't know guys it doesn't make much sense to have the buck count and not the doe in the metro area. My example is that you couldn't take 2 deer in and intensive area and then still take deer in a managed area, because your total harvest equalled or exceeded the quota for the area you are now hunting. Hard to explain. The part I wasn't sure about was the anterless deer taken in the metro area if it counted towards harvest totals or not.

[nofishfisherman]

If you take 2 deer in an intensive area but are still under the state bag limit of 5 you are legal to go to a managed zone and take 2 more deer.

Basically as I understand it you are allowed 1 deer from any one of the lottery or HC zones (tagged with your main tag), 2 more deer from any of the managed zones (does only using bonus tags), and then 2 more from any of the intensive zones (does only using bonus tags), for a total of 5 deer. It doesn't matter what order you hunt the zones in.

The unlimited zones are a little different because they do not count toward your bag limit with the exception of the 1 buck per year rule still in effect. The only thing I'm unsure about is whether or not you need to use your main tag to tag a buck in an unlimited zone. If so then you wouldn't have your main tag available to hunt in a lottery or HC zone. YOu could still hunt managed or intensive with bonus tags though.

[hockeybc69]

Gotta love the clarity to it all... and to think they(DNR) simplified the rules a few years back.... LOLLL

[matchset]

If you take 2 deer in an intensive area but are still under the state bag limit of 5 you are legal to go to a managed zone and our bag limit with the excepton of the 1 buck per year rule still in effect. .

Don! You are good to go! Just dont tag another buck!

[TruthWalleyes]

I also beleive that you can still take 2 does, 0 bucks in zone 156.

correct. I can't believe the first couple of people to respond did so without a clue on the law...