Biggest change you've seen?

[Musky Buck]

Sorry about the rant olden days the ? was about the changes you've seen well not too many jumped on here disputing the post you didn't like. Ask the locker plants and look at your meatpole pictures, mine date back to the 60's so I have 50 years of all the proof I needed to see. Trailcams and wintering herds/sheds, more proof yet, we knew it was coming as the small dairy farms became hunting grounds, as land sizes shrunk, as large crop farmers bought out or rent the field land, etc. There's still plenty of big deer in MN, not even close to how many there used to be, unless you got QDM or like Hillview, it takes time for any deer to grow large, that happens with less frequency today that's it in a nutshell.

[Double D]

Maybe it was more than 5 years, but one big change is no longer hunting in the snow.

DD

[ClownColor]

Private land owners not allowing access for hunting. Almost every place we'd go growing up would allow us to hunt a track or do a quick drive. This year not ONE private land owner granted us permission. Thank goodness ND and SD are nicer!

[HooknHorns]

Seems like texting during the hunt has gotten popular cause my buudies are making me jealous when im stuck working. " just had a doe blast by with a shooter hot on her tail, couldnt get a shot". Blahh blahh blahh.

[Boar]

yea that blows my mind, sitting in stand suffing the web yo pass the time, texting ect watching videos. That really is a major change. its crazy. I almost feel guilty doing it myself. Gota kick myself for doing it tho, I text to much an when it comes time to call for help geting a bear out im outa power. my own bad. gota just turn it off an hunt.

[hockeybc69]

I wonder how many deer we have missed while focusing on the phone yappin' with friends.... LOLLL

Its kinda fun really. My wife texted me last weekend about 5pm Saturday and informed me the 8 pt was in the neighbors front yard.... and she gave me the big "LOLLLLL"... Sometimes I dont like texting... HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[PackerBacker12]

Biggest change I have seen is more logging and more wolves. We hunt Cass County public land and they keep logging and logging. Also we have seen less deer within the past 5 years because so many wolves have moved in the area. I used to see 10-15 deer in the morning and another 5-10 at night, now I am lucky to see 5 all weekend!

[muskE]

LOL Nobody said they were posting to this thread from a stand...I'm shocked!

[muskE]

Maybe it was more than 5 years, but one big change is no longer hunting in the snow.

DD

+1

[lakevet]

Reading through the above posts there seems to be a couple trends.

1) Hunting was more of a group effort and had more social interaction afield in the past, but now it is a solitary individual hunting experience afield

2) Hunting was more of a outdoor pursuit activity (walking to make drives, tracking, still hunting, walking to go stand out in the open weather, no shelter, no heat, entire focus was hunting) but now it is more like an indoor leisure activity (ride on four wheeler to heated box stands, heated pop up blinds, easy chairs, munching on food, and electronic entertainment because hunting is boring unless you are looking at a deer).

Deer and wolf numbers will go up and down, but the above trends for better or worse likely will continue.

lakevet

[Pinusbanksiana]

Lakevet, you can add in that Cass County is logging their timber more too. With the mill in Sartell closed it will be harder for loggers in that area to sell their timber. I read somewhere that the amount of cords logged per year by Cass County LD. was about equal to the amount of cords that the mill used per year. Without a market for timber, logging may be the issue we talk about when asked what has changed the most 5 years from now.

[CANOPY SAM]

Road hunters. This is the second year I dared venture out during the regular firearms season since moving back to the NW, and I'm just amazed by the number of road hunters out there.

By 10:00 a.m. seems the majority leave their stand, hop in the pickup, and drive around aimlessly looking for deer to shoot at. At times it looks like a parade of people in pickup trucks wearing bright orange clothing.

Overall, it appears people are simply getting more lazy.

[niterydr]

Sorry Olden days but that is the biggest change, smaller venison overall, I didn't say it was bad but it aint good in my book, slaughter em then, that's why they're getting smaller. People can use a dowel nowaday to hang them, we used to need railroad ties. The positive side is easy dragging. I'm sorry I like large deer like in the "olden days". What's wrong with having or wishing for more mature deer around ? No it's not about the harvest but apparently it is for many or these deer would grow larger. The years I don't tag one are just as rewarding because I let small deer have a chance to see another birthday and I get to hunt longer. I just like the thought and the chance that there's a few big ones around, they're very very few and far between today. I burned many a tag when there were plenty big boys around, but you always had that optimism the next year indeed, today, that's a different story.

We as a hunting population need to agree to self-regulate or allow the DNR to impose even tighter antler and limit restrictions to bring back the “glory days”. However, how much of the decline in deer age been hunter pressure, and how much natural causes and overall human pressure? People by and large are spreading out more and more, which means an increase in deer to car collisions, changes in limits to appease the insurance companies, etc.

I think the “big boys” are around still, just not everything is “big”. Increased projectile technologies (in both slug, rifle, arrow, and muzzleloader), better scent covering technology, better clothing technology so the average Joe can stand out there longer, and adjustments in DNR regulations have contributed to the increase in harvest.

Saying you pass up smaller/younger bucks is noble and something I admire.

[Timber]

I have hunted deer for over 50 years, starting in the 50's, missing only one year, 1971 when the season was closed because of low deer numbers. I am nearly 70 yrs. old, and feel very fortunate to be able to hunt now, because I don't remember it being any better. When I first hunted, you were lucky to see a deer. If someone were to tell me then that I would be able to shoot more than one deer in a year, I would have said they were crazy. Let alone four deer. Hunters today just don't know how good they've got it. Over 50 years of hunting, these latest years are the best. There are hunters who complain about the lack of deer, but consider there are approximately 500,000 deer hunters. The average success rate is around 30%. That would mean 150, 000 shoot a deer, and 350,000. don't. Even if the success rate were 50%, that would mean 250,000 didn't shoot a deer. That is more than enough people to complain about the number of deer, the DNR, the weather, or whatever. And with communications the way they are today, the complainers have a large and immediate audience. Quit looking for excuses why you didn't shoot a deer, and enjoy the hunt.

[CANOPY SAM]

Amen to that!

[Musky Buck]

In a way yes there's definitely some great deer around just likely spread out among the masses of hunters nowaday or to groups that have the food,water,cover and they can manage their own herd. However, it isn't even remotely close to when I first started hunting the volume of mature bucks and does in the area. You just simply saw them in bachelor groups, now the bachelor groups are very dominated by 1st rack bucks and the dozens of trail cams prove that also, sure they don't catch every buck but you bet they get most of them or somebodies does and we share our intel. I don't need nor likely will the glory days return, I'm just glad I got in on it in the 80's and part of the 90's. How exciting were those days to go with dad or uncle the week before opener and see roughly 8-10 bucks per night of travel that would all dress over 2 bills, talk about sleepless nights going into the hunt, monster non-typicals, free flowing rut activity, and get home and realize you never saw another vehicle on the route. Mom see any ? Yes, 117 and 26 were bucks, some were chasing does mom. Have driven the same route for 29 years and this year 1 doe and 2 fawns mom. Last year a 6 pointer and a lone fawn, not that they're not there but they're much more nocturnal even before the hunt today.

[TRZ II]

I have hunted deer for over 50 years, starting in the 50's, missing only one year, 1971 when the season was closed because of low deer numbers. I am nearly 70 yrs. old, and feel very fortunate to be able to hunt now, because I don't remember it being any better. When I first hunted, you were lucky to see a deer. If someone were to tell me then that I would be able to shoot more than one deer in a year, I would have said they were crazy. Let alone four deer. Hunters today just don't know how good they've got it. Over 50 years of hunting, these latest years are the best. There are hunters who complain about the lack of deer, but consider there are approximately 500,000 deer hunters. The average success rate is around 30%. That would mean 150, 000 shoot a deer, and 350,000. don't.

Even if the success rate were 50%, that would mean 250,000 didn't shoot a deer. That is more than enough people to complain about the number of deer, the DNR, the weather, or whatever. And with communications the way they are today, the complainers have a large and immediate audience. Quit looking for excuses why you didn't shoot a deer, and enjoy the hunt.

100% right! Many of the young hunters got spoiled in the late 90's early 00's with insane amounts of deer, half the stae being able to shoot 5 deer! I did it one year just to say that i did! What a change fron the oldendays. A friend of mine hunted the area I hunt now in 67' he tracked a fawn in the snow for 6 hours and over 6 miles and never crossed another track. He got the deer and was a local hero! Look at the harvest numbers people! Many years in the 50's - early 80's harvets numbers were under 10k for the whole state! Heck the season even closed a few years! So if there were more than 30,ooo hunters then, success rates were lower then. Of course there were bigger deer then, much more undisturbed and unhunted land. We are very lucky to have the deer numbers we have now and can put meat on the table every year, I'm not a tophy hunter, I'm a DEER hunter. I have got a deer 12 yrs. in a row. That would have been a miracle in my area 30 yrs ago.

[MJ1657]

Excellent post timber!

[Musky Buck]

True enough olden days, my first year in 1983 the season option was 3 days bucks only the 1st weekend or 2 days lottery for a doe the 2nd weekend which meant if you didn't get a precious doe tag you were a buck only guy, and that was the best tag, those flat metal ones, in 1984 they put a big metal ball on the end of it and it no longer could fit comfortably in your wallet and you could wear red. 1984 brought about 2 days doe lottery 1st weekend or 4 days doe lottery the 2nd weekend. Farming practices also weren't 1/2 as efficient as today, my grandpas couldn't plow in November back then, I look across the road today and it's being plowed under. According to the forecast they can plow for another week or more. Biggest differences are plenty, but not having to defrost my windshield to go deer hunting anymore or rarely is a difference, never got away with that until roughly the mid 90's, maybe up north is a different story but in central MN it's been pretty mild out there the last 15 years ish or so.

[mainbutter]

I was just reading an article about how farming and ranching has provided food and (in many cases, most importantly) water sources for kangaroos in Australia. Apparently in the past century there has been a huge boom in roo populations, particularly opening up millions upon millions of acres of land that otherwise was too hostile for them.

Human influence on the landscape in Minnesota does negatively impact wildlife habitat in certain ways, but with specific regards to whitetail deer, I have to imagine that food sources in particular are more abundant than when this land was uninhabited by people. Not only are food sources abundant, but they are also CONCENTRATED, which helps sustain larger numbers of deer in a smaller area.

[MUSKY18]

For me and the people that I hunt with i would have to say the inability to adapt/change to the deer from year to year. The number of deer that we have been seeing from year to year has been decreasing, I have pushed for mature buck and mature doe harvest only. Let the young does and bucks get some age to them. But the mentality of BROWN IS DOWN reigns and now they get frustrated when they aren't seeing the numbers of deer as before. You keep shooting all the breeding does and fawns, of course the numbers are going to decline.

[JBone]

Better times, more enjoyable hunts, same amount of deer

[Jaron_K]

Musky I know where you are coming from. I have the same issue with the area I hunt. The 3 other sides surounding my area are on board with manage hunting and it has definatetly showed from 3 years ago when i talked to them. We pass on 2 1/2 -3 yr olds every year. My only problem is the small area of state land that butts up next to mine. Year after year there one or more small baskets, forks or button bucks that get shot and it bothers the heck out of me. The BROWN ITS DOWN mentality is absolutely dominant. Granted i only see groups of 2 or 3 ppl out there (knock on wood) but shoot a doe if you are hunting for meat. It's not like hunters are hunting for starving kids in Africa. WE HUNT FOR SPORT NOT LIFE SURVIVAL.

[Getanet]

I love the "you don't need to hunt for meat" argument. You're right, most people don't need to hunt for meat these days.

But with cable/satellite TV, the Internet, video games, and a bazillion other distractions, you don't need to hunt for entertainment, a hobby or leisure activity either.

As long as the hunter is going to make use of the animal they shoot, why is one person's standards any better than someone else's? Any buck that gets shot would have had a bigger rack the next year, so let those 10, 12 and 14 point bucks go so I can get my 20 pointer, would ya please?

[Pinusbanksiana]

I love the "you don't need to hunt for meat" argument. You're right, most people don't need to hunt for meat these days.

But with cable/satellite TV, the Internet, video games, and a bazillion other distractions, you don't need to hunt for entertainment, a hobby or leisure activity either.

As long as the hunter is going to make use of the animal they shoot, why is one person's standards any better than someone else's? Any buck that gets shot would have had a bigger rack the next year, so let those 10, 12 and 14 point bucks go so I can get my 20 pointer, would ya please?

yep! My thoughts too.