APR's good..I gotta ask...(?)

[surewood]

It's rare that I get pics of the same summer bucks in October/November. Usually it's a whole new group. If I have ten summer bucks on a cam I might have one that stays in the area come mid-october through November. All big woods hunting. Makes it's hard for any type of patterning.

[Sorgy]

I also think that the "managed" farms in Iowa, Il, KS ect all give the bucks the chance to reach that 4.5 to 5.5 year old range. I have watched many of the Drury outdoors videos over the years and they intensly manage their farms. Terry Drury talks on several of the videos about how he has to pass on Marks young "stud deer" with incredible antlers for a 3.5 year old.

In Northern MN around the Cook area where I have grown up hunting(since 1977) we have many issues that challenge the bucks to get to that 4.5 to 5.5 year old class. 1) Bucks only mentality- In the 70s and 80s it was almost strictyl bucks only. With the added managment tags and hunters choice it is really easy to shoot those 1.5 to 2.5 year old bucks.

2) Wolves- I saw my fist wolf in the deer woods back in 1979 and very rarely saw tracks and such. Now we see them every year with sightings almost every year in our group.

I may be way off base but I figure every deer has "X" number of encounters with wolves each year. Eventually they screw up and become dinner thus also challenging the chance of a buck to reach that 5.5 or older range.

I consider my Northern MN hunts tradition- but if I truly wanted chances at mature deer every year I would work my BUTT off to get in with a group in the zone 3 region.

I truly respect the Drury's, the Lokosky's, Kisky's and all of the other hunters who Sacrificed their way into the successes they are enjoying now. They truly practiced what they preched back in the 90's. They ended up expanding some of their efforts because their "buisness's" took off. They needed more and more land to put these true giant's on the ground.

Good Luck to all the remainder of the 2012 season and better luck in 2013

Steve

[engfish]

...Our hunter numbers combined likely = Iowa,ND, and SD combined.

284,000 in those three states from a table Deer Hunting in the United States 2006-10.

[matchset]

when I did an interview for D&DH hunting a couple years ago; I was asked how I have achieved such immense success at such a young age?

I simply said, hunting these days is different than the days of Grandpa and the back 40. I have taken what I learned from them, and adapted it to todays world.

i'd like to see change statewide; but until then I guess my small group of buddies will just have to do our best to manage our whitetail herd for age.

maybe my dad's generation is rooted in tradition and change won't soon come to Minnesota. but I think it won't be long till a new generation is the majority of hunters and change will be inevitable and overdue.

[nonteepical]

Exactly what these t.v shows do, teaching the younger generation you don't have to shoot the first deer you see and being selective. APR's are for the middle aged and older generations who think it's about how many deer they kill, the kids are allready starting to pass younger deer and their elders look at them bewildered and ask why didn't you shoot it. I think the future of deer hunting in minnesota looks really good with this generations decision making of what they want to shoot but i feel i'm running out of time to see good deer hunting in minnesota, without taking a new approach to our deer management.

[muskiemanAD]

when I did an interview for D&DH hunting a couple years ago; I was asked how I have achieved such immense success at such a young age?

I simply said, hunting these days is different than the days of Grandpa and the back 40. I have taken what I learned from them, and adapted it to todays world.

i'd like to see change statewide; but until then I guess my small group of buddies will just have to do our best to manage our whitetail herd for age.

maybe my dad's generation is rooted in tradition and change won't soon come to Minnesota. but I think it won't be long till a new generation is the majority of hunters and change will be inevitable and overdue.

I think you hit the nail on the head. As today's younger hunters grow up it will be a different mentality, for good or bad but the young people today don't need the meat to get them through the season. They like getting together with buddies and hopefully shoot a nice buck, if not they will let small ones go and shoot a doe. So many of the older generation need to shoot a buck every year...

[Spike76]

Why isn't a spike a quality deer? I think they are nice deer. When people think something has to be big to be quality or nice, they will probably never be happy with what is. The D.N.R. has no business having regs. that impose others meaning of quality and nice on hunters and fisherpeople. Slot limits for deer and northerns, only to have them get larger is wrong.

[james_walleye]

Don't worry spike.....the dnr isn't going to implement these regs where you hunt. You can continue misidentiying your target and keep shooting spikes that you thought were does. Someone else in your party will have a buck tag.

And yes they do have business instituting regulations. Maybe you should look up why slot limits are put on lakes for northerns. THERE IS A BIOLOGICAL REASON FOR IT. Go ahead....investigate the biological reason for the dnr to protect the size northerns they do and why the dnr wants the smaller fish taken out of the population.

As far as APRs. Give us some biological reasons that letting some 1.5 year old deer make it to 2.5 is bad. I know I know.....tell us about alllll the bucks that your uncles'friends' cousin see that are 6 pointers without brow tines. I have news for you....if you hunt zone 3 and you put ANY amount of time in the field you haven't had a problem putting meet in your freezer. You have 3.5 months of season to put meet in the freezer. If you choose to ignore bow season and muzzy season that's your fault. If you choose to get the shotgun out 363 days after putting it away. If you walk into the woods for the first time this year on Saturday morning reaking of alcohol....choosing to hunt st spot X because uncle Joe shot a forkhorn there back in '82....even though the wind is bad. Hunt until 9am....wonder where the deer are.....and start walking around then wonder why the neighbors are shooting all of a sudden. That's your fault you didn't get a deer. It's not my fault. It's not the dnrs fault. It's not APRs fault. Even with APRs the vast majority of deer in the zone 3 population is legal. Get out there and work harder. It is NOT hard to put meet in your freezer with APRs. You talk about instant gratiification. Doesn't that describe the hunter that wants to shoot the first deer they see vs the guy who let's deer after deer walk while eating tag soup quite often?

[not_nuf_time]

You must sit at the right hand of the higher power. Thanks for thrusting your opinion down our throats. I'm now enlightened, this is like the elections, scream loader, it really works.

[james_walleye]

What's the matter....you don't like steriotypyes? That's all I see on here is stereotypes of "horn hunters". Or is it that the truth hurts....

Don't like being told to work harder? That's a standby for anti Apr guys to use. Why can't I use it. The legal deer are out there.....you just have to work a tad harder for them.

[Spike76]

james, I wish you could guarantee the regs not to be pushed on us. I know there is no reason other then to have bigger pike on some of the lakes with slots. They call them experimental slots to increase the size of northern pike. If we need bigger fish biologically, close the lake until it is corrected. Don't change regs so some get more while others get less.

[james_walleye]

So you would just rather close off the opportunity rather than limit the opportunity? Part of your stance is you don't want to be limited......but now you throw out an idea that just shuts the opportunity off?

Make sure as well....if APRs are implemented where you hunt....that you let the big 10 pointer walk by when it does. Since your not interested in the benefit of more mature deer.....let that deer walk to someone who is interested in it.

[flipper]

Just let it walk. You hypocrites that say you want bigger deer for the health of the herd and then they are the deer you target to remove from the herd. Just backward thinking.

[james_walleye]

Hey flipper.....maybe its beyond you.....but in MN.....the 1.5 year old 4 pointer probably has the same great genetics as the 140" 10 pointer. Just so you know......

"You hypocrites". Lol more stereotyping. Can you point to a post in this thread or the other on going thread where I stated I wanted APRs because of herd health? I want APRs because I get a rush out of seeing a big buck....that nothing else gives me.

[flipper]

So everyone else should pattern the way they hunt and the way they think after you huh?

Some of you guys watch too much TV and have forgotten what hunting is about.

[james_walleye]

Lol now I've forgotten what hunting is about. What a joke. Got news for you.....not shooting a big buck makes me a lot less mad than if you can't shoot a forky. Who doesn't know the real meaning of hunting? I guarantee you that the person who hunts zone 3 and wants meet has been limited more by themselves than by APRs. I could have shot at least 20 legal deer this year. I've had a great season and I haven't shot a buck. Tell me again about the real meaning of hunting? And tell everyone how often you hunt zone 3.

[flipper]

Hey flipper.....maybe its beyond you.....but in MN.....the 1.5 year old 4 pointer probably has the same great genetics as the 140" 10 pointer. Just so you know......

"You hypocrites". Lol more stereotyping. Can you point to a post in this thread or the other on going thread where I stated I wanted APRs because of herd health? I want APRs because I get a rush out of seeing a big buck....that nothing else gives me.

So if you don't kill him then a lot more people will get that thrill of seeing him won't they, or is that too far beyond your comprehension level there son.

[james_walleye]

If he's killed at 1.5 then no one gets to see him son......comprende??

[flipper]

They use to say that about fishing too son. Let the little ones grow up. Now they realize you should keep the smaller fish to eat and let the big ones live. Get it son?

[james_walleye]

Lol you really don't see the difference? That's funny.....

[Big Dave2]

Why isn't a spike a quality deer? I think they are nice deer. When people think something has to be big to be quality or nice, they will probably never be happy with what is.

Good point Spike76. These are probably the same people who all had to buy a new bigger house and a new bigger boat and new bigger vehicles all on credit and caused our economic crisis.

[james_walleye]

Lol. Wow.......

[Big Dave2]

Lol now I've forgotten what hunting is about. What a joke. Got news for you.....not shooting a big buck makes me a lot less mad than if you can't shoot a forky. Who doesn't know the real meaning of hunting? I guarantee you that the person who hunts zone 3 and wants meet has been limited more by themselves than by APRs. I could have shot at least 20 legal deer this year. I've had a great season and I haven't shot a buck. Tell me again about the real meaning of hunting? And tell everyone how often you hunt zone 3.

1st of all, who cares about genetics? I guess only people who measure their success at hunting on whether or not they can brag about their kill to other hunters.

2nd of all, who cares if flipper hunts zone 3 or not? If he does not hunt that zone he should have no say about what is done with this state's resources? I only hunt zone 3 for opening weekend then I hunt elsewhere, should I only be half as concerned as someone who hunts all season here?

[PurpleFloyd]

And yes they do have business instituting regulations. Maybe you should look up why slot limits are put on lakes for northerns. THERE IS A BIOLOGICAL REASON FOR IT. Go ahead....investigate the biological reason for the dnr to protect the size northerns they do and why the dnr wants the smaller fish taken out of the population.

If you accept that logic then what you should be advocating for taking the spike-8 point bucks and letting the 10+ pointers walk. That would give us more pretty deer to look at and have bigger, stronger animals to breed the females and build herd quality if that is what you are looking for. What you are advocating is actually the opposite and I wonder how many Muskie enthusiasts you could talk into letting the 18-40 inch fish swim away and taking the 40 inch plus fish home and hanging them on the wall.

[james_walleye]

How on earth do you quote that post and turn it into me being someone who measures my success by bragging about my kills to other hunters??? Are you kidding?

So many people who have opinions on zone 3 APRs base their stance on what they see on the other part of the state. It's not even close. If you put any amount of time in the field in zone 3 APRs are not going to stand in the way of filling your freezer. I know that's probably not the case elsewhere and I'm not going to pretend I know what hunting is like elsewhere.