Question for Zone 3 Hunters

[muskiemanAD]

Have you seen a bigger average size buck in the field and on trail camera? Do you think that APR has helped the buck herd increase in size? Were you and your party for or against it when it started and have you or hunting party changed your view after 3 years?

We have seen more bucks and bigger bucks in the field and on camera, it defiantly has helped the buck herd. My 2 groups that I hunt with one at a private farm the other a group in whitewater. The farm was for it before and still are. The whitewater group was mixed however they are all for it after seeing the results in Whitewater the last few years from our party and bucks seeing from stand.

[96trigger]

Our group was much like yours. A lot of the same concerns about APR. I was talking to them last weekend and they have completely changed their tune, much like a lot of the people I have talked to. A little success has changed a lot of minds this year. We shot 5 nice bucks this year, 3 of them were personal bests by quite a bit. Many of the guys that were against were old timers, like my dad and uncles, they are all for it now. First time in years my dad has not shot a deer. He was holding out for a very mature buck and he usually shoots the first legal deer he sees. I was surprised when he said he liked APR and that he still thought he had a very good season because he saw deer every night and saw some very nice bucks but was never close enough.

[Laska]

My group hates them, meat hunters is all. They are a driving crowd and makes it pretty difficult to count pts with deer running full speed. They have been driving for 30+ yrs- why should that have to change their hunting methods, because of trophy rack hunters....Ive already stated my deer #'s on the farm I hunt in the APR thread, its pathetic the amount of alien ugly nasty racks that have been able to reproduce and that I have personally had to pass on, one is 3.5yo and is 5pts... He spawned... Maybe one of the kid hunters will get him this year or his spawn so I can post pics!- And hopefully next year regardless of APR I cant end him if the little ones dont..... Thats the big buck view on it. And I have already stated my dislike for it for prohibiting my wife and grandpa from successfully killing there first deer with archery equipment. 2 years running now... Please read my other comments in that thread regarding there hunting efforts before posting something negative. TY

As for there stated purpose of producing more mature bucks in the area, I have agreed with trigger that APR's HAVE made a difference in age group, but has sadly decreased deer kills and doe counts-which are badly needed on my land....

Overall Im out for the experience, and meat. Ive switched over from meat to rack hunting starting this year, and I seriously may have a different opinion on their overall goal for bigger deer next year if some of these not so good bucks turn around.... But I will never change my stance because it truly limits hunters from the roots of hunting whitetails- THE MEAT.

Walleye- Thx for posting Steve's Letter. It summed up my frustration pretty well.

[james_walleye]

I love them. Loved it from the beginning....love them even more now. And no problems here or with anyone else I know putting meat on the table. APRs have not hampered our efforts to put meat on the table at all. As far as bad racks running around? In all my years hunting I don't think I've ever seen a deer that I thought was 2.5 or older that wouldn't have been legal with APRs. I tell you what I really love though. Countless text messages of 14.....15 year old kids with a 125" 8 pointers or 10 pointers with smiles a mile wide. Many of which would have never happened without APRs.

[HandGunner]

even tho yes my poppa shot what ppl are saying a booner (have not scored) out of straight luck, that buck has been discovered there 2 years ago and ppl have been hunting him hard. Other than that NO there is no difference whatsoever in our area. Everyone there agrees the land and food source plus genes only makes for lots of deer but not quality rack deer. Instead the DNR should remove it in our area but go ahead in others that would agree to still have it. Past years when APR first came to zone 3 I shot a spike as I was 17 (2010), at 18 (2011) got stumped so did everyone else population must have dropped came home with one 8pt from me poppa, at 19 (2012) came home with a success of me poppa nice 12 another 8 and a doe, I got stumped only seeing spikes and forks in my stand, same as others. So in all the deer that come and go never really change size when it comes to antler size, cmon me uncles small 8 being the same size almost bigger than me poppas 12 booner? old deer young deer mature deer whatever the age they can have any size rack possible were we are

[james_walleye]

Handgunner....maybe you aren't aware....but the majority of people were in favor of implementing APRs before they were put in. Certainly from the people I've talked to the support is only growing after people have seen the results. People in zone 3....the majority that is...want APRs.

[Spike76]

I don't think the majority wants APRs. They should be on private property only. Deer hunting is for all deer, not just 8 points or more. Every year big bucks are shot by hunters who don't need other hunters to be kept from shooting smaller bucks. Is a deer hunt only measured by your size of a deer? Everyone is free to shoot what they can legally shoot. You should have to be great,or lucky to shoot a large deer, not have all deer large. I'm glad our deer shack isn't in zone three.

[muskiemanAD]

So Spike you don't hunt in zone 3? Have not seen the results first hand but think that most people are against it? I only say this because I believe zone 3 would be the only place APR would work in the state. If you are against it that's fine, but that's why I was asking zone 3 hunters the ones who hunt it.

[Spike76]

No I haven't seen any results or care to. I'm a deer hunter and could hunt zone 3, I choose to go elsewhere. If I lived in zone three and hunted there I would be real disapointed in having rules only to make bigger deer for those who need them or can't get a big deer without this help. If you want bigger deer, work harder for them.Deer hunting is fun if I get a fawn, or spike, or forkhorn, or nothing. I hate to see rules that deprive some of what they want, so others can have what they want. If it has to be bucks only for a good reason that is different,but with one polished three inch antler. Sorry, muskiemanAD, I just think being I can hunt statewide, I could have a say. I don't want this to spread to other zones.

[james_walleye]

Spike feel free to look up the results of the survey done before APRs were implemented. As much as you don't want to believe it you will indeed see that yes....the majority were for APRs.

[engfish]

I have hunted in Zone 3 in the Cannon Falls area for the past three seasons on private land, and my trail cameras and hunting this fall show evidence that APR is providing more bucks and bigger bucks on the property. I supported APR before it was implemented and continue to support it for Zone 3 as do the majority of hunters who choose to hunt in Zone 3.

I have followed the threads over the years and have refrained from posting comments because of the negative reponses from those who oppose APR. Ironically, many of us who support APR also support the right of other hunters who choose not to support APR and choose to hunt in zones where APR is not in place and, in all likelihood, will not be put into place. It's not my intention to ask for or support statewide adoption of APR.

I'm always amazed by the amount of paranoia and distrust directed at the DNR, as though the agency is out to ruin all of our hunting and fishing experiences. It's the same polarization that plagues our politics where everything is Democrat or Republican, black or white, right or wrong, conservative or liberal, etc. Those of us who support APR are labeled "horn hunters" or "trophy hunters." I'm neither. But I sure like seeing mature bucks more frequently, even if I never have the opportunity to harvest one. In fact, I haven't harvested a "trophy buck." The encounter last season with "a trophy buck" was memorable--Trophy Buck 1/Me 0. But so was the doe that fed under my deer stand for 30 minutes less than five yards away that brushed my ladder twice.

Personally, I'm appreciative of what we have in Minnesota when it comes to the great outdoors. Go live in Texas for a few years and try to find a place to hunt or fish, and you'll know just how good we have it here in the Midwest.

The bottom line is this: if APR disappeared tomorrow, I'd support the rights of those who effected that change, but I'd still opt to follow the APR practice in Zone 3. If I hunted in northern Minnesota or western Minnesota, I might opt to shoot a buck that didn't follow APR, but it would be my choice and I wouldn't justify my actions to anyone. If the law allowed it, my conscience would be clear.

For those who don't want APR in other parts of the state, let your voice be heard at the meetings held by the DNR. There's a reason it's not in effect statewide. For those of us who support APR in Zone 3, let us continue to follow APR in Zone 3 until it becomes publicly unpopular among those of us who HUNT in Zone 3.

My .

[HandGunner]

I have no idea what the forest is called that we hunt but if I knew I'd ask to remove it there if its all for state land only then just put em in the forest that the majority wants it there. NOT saying APR does not work but I am saying in some forest it does not work like ours, as stated if you want a big boy, better have some luck or hunt hard for them. One thing I know is yes theres some big ones in our forest but yet obviously its so hunted they know the to do's and the not to do's so that is more of a hunt them hard or go somewhere else.

the survey ask for zones that would like for APR but do they ask for what forests that the majority of ppl are hunting in?

[zepman]

Been hunting Zone 3 for 15 years now...love the APR restrictions and especially love the limited harvest levels the DNR is setting for some of the zones in this area. There is no reason a single person should be allowed 5 deer per person/season.

IMO, land access is the most pressing issue in this area the last 5 years. People, groups, and investors are buying up all available land and letting it sit idle for all but 2 weeks of the year. It's a dramatic change of scenery in this part of the state since I started hunting it. The APR's are only encouraging the continuation of this trend.

Private property hunting pressure in the 3B season is almost non-existant while the public land is being over-run by everybody and anybody. The bucks are going to get huge in this part of the state in the next few years...count on it. I mean (180+) HUGE! The land values will follow...it's well documented that this trend has already started.

The average "Joe" is going to lose all hunting priveleges that they once had in the past on private property as the the big $$$ will eventually win out. The land will simply remain idle except for those who are willing to pony up the big $$$ to hunt it. Like I said, I love the APR's and what they're trying to accomplish... however, I believe the end result is not going to be in Minnesota's best interest.

I see a trend in SE Minnesota that is both good and bad...I'm afraid that the bad is inevitable and that the way we used to hunt in this part of the state is changing before our very eyes.

[HandGunner]

I agree with zepman about land access... I was dumbfounded when I heard about WIA hunter choice stuff trying to increase land access yet to find out more land was sold in our area!so your telling me that the DNR are wanting to increase public land hunting but yet they go and sell half the public land we hunt on since 20 years ago? My elders say 20 years back this was all public now half of it is private, how sad. And yes I do anticipate more of it will continue to be sold to whoever will fork out the money just so they can have a section all to their self when really having other hunters around actually helps increase your chances of seeing more deer in our area.