Opening Deer Season at Friday Noon

[lichen fox]

SF: 1393

Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 97B.311, is amended to read:

97B.311 DEER SEASONS AND RESTRICTIONS.

(a) The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe restrictions and designate areas where deer may be taken, including hunter selection criteria for special hunts established under section 97A.401, subdivision 4. The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe the open seasons for deer to begin no later than noon on a Friday within the following periods:

(1) taking with firearms, other than muzzle-loading firearms, between November 1 and December 15;

(2) taking with muzzle-loading firearms between September 1 and December 31; and

(3) taking by archery between September 1 and December 31.

[Musky Buck]

Which legislator hunts only opening day and is afraid of the dark ? So a shotgun start at high noon with a 478,000 person opening day deer drive. Wouldn't it be fun if it was old zone 4 with a 2 day season and cranking things up at high noon lol. Must be plenty of cocktails being drank the last few years for some of these bizarre deer hunting ideas.

[NoWiser]

Don't they have better things to do than this?? Sometimes I think they make laws just so that they can look back and say "I did that". Just let the DNR do their job! I personally could care less if it opens Friday at noon, but I'd like to see the reasoning behing this. I like Musky's theory of one of them being afraid of the dark!

[InTheNorthwoods]

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Which legislator hunts only opening day and is afraid of the dark ? So a shotgun start at high noon with a 478,000 person opening day deer drive. Wouldn't it be fun if it was old zone 4 with a 2 day season and cranking things up at high noon lol. Must be plenty of cocktails being drank the last few years for some of these bizarre deer hunting ideas.

North Dakota starts all its deer seasons at noon. It works well for them.

I can't say it provides any specific advantages, but it may help people who hunt public land in situations where you show up opening morning to your stand in the dark and see a guy a stones throw away from you. It makes it harder for kids to go to school, and means more people would take Friday off from work.

My opinion of this change, "whatever".

[nubbin]

I think you guys all missed the most significant change to the bill.

SEPT 1 to DEC 31 muzzy season.

[mnguy152]

i like the dnr having the power to do what they think is right. Not some knuckelhead from stpaul thinking what we need for a limit of rules to follow. bad enough now got to have a rule book every were just to fish.

[lichen fox]

Nubbin, that is not a change...the only thing changed is underlined The dates just mean that the DNR can set the respective seasons anywhere within those parameters...This is just the first paragraph of the bill...it also includes opening fishing seasons at noon on fridays, but that's a different forum...

[Kdog10]

The key word in this is all is MAY, that also means may not. So even if it were to pass the commissioner could choose to keep everything as is. It would open the door for the DNR to have the option for a noon start.

[lichen fox]

That's right...and other than the author we really don't know who else may have lobbied for this bill to be introduced today...Personally, I really don't think it would be that big of a deal...it has the potential to add about 5 hours to your deer season and I really don't think it would make alot of difference in total harvest one way or the other...I wouldn't mind seeing it tried, but it really doesn't make any difference to me one way or the other.

[paceman]

Personally, I really don't think it would be that big of a deal...it has the potential to add about 5 hours to your deer season and I really don't think it would make alot of difference in total harvest one way or the other...I wouldn't mind seeing it tried, but it really doesn't make any difference to me one way or the other.

[Jameson]

Quote:

The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe the open seasons for deer within the following periods:

Quote:

The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe the open seasons for deer to begin no later than noon on a Friday within the following periods:

Doesn't the change make it so it must start on a Friday at sometime between sunrise and noon?

[skee0025]

It's confusing, but I think it gives him the option of a noon opener not requires that it start then.

[MinDak Hunter]

I would like to see a noon Friday (day after Thanksgiving day)start to muzzle-loader season. I typically only get to hunt one or two weekends a year so this would be a nice way to kick it off!

[JeffB]

So is this a done deal, or just something proposed and needs to be voted on.

[lichen fox]

Just a proposed change...it should get it's first reading in the legislature today and then we'll just have to wait and see where it goes...if it begins to make it through the motions, be sure to let your reps know how you'd like them to vote on it, should it get to that point.

[Musky Buck]

To me since my record is clean I'll have the woods to myself opening morning that friday sounds good, will I or won't I pull the trigger if I see him before noon, you be the judge but if I take him I'll be sure to fire a round at 12:01PM just to save my bacon, my shot at 7:45AM will be wink wink at a coyote that I missed. I hunt way off the road and unless the CO has chest waders he won't get to me in time nor will I have my blaze orange on until the season is legal, I'll go lay low in the dense blowdowns until noonish. Would I actually do this no, will somebody no doubt about it. Are all the church bells going to go off at high noon signaling the season is open, I might be 1/2 done guttin by then. Must be some heavy drinkers needing morning recovery time, 1 of the legislators must really soak the suds and missed an opening morning or 2. Here's the cure. Reality though, I should be in favor it's been at least a decade since I last got an opening day deer.

[candiru]

There is something magical about opening morning that would be lost with a noon start time.

[mrklean]

There is something magical about opening morning that would be lost with a noon start time.

+1 hearing the first shot opening morning is always a rush

[Gordie]

Just like duck hunting use to be, on October 1st regardless of what day it fell on.

[fr0sty]

Couldn't agree more.

There is something magical about opening morning that would be lost with a noon start time.

[candiru]

Just like duck hunting use to be, on October 1st regardless of what day it fell on.

I think we can agree that opening the season on Oct 1 no matter what day of the week it fell on was not a smart thing to do. It took how long to get rid of the noon duck opener, now we want a noon deer opener?

Opening day is special and we should make that experience available to as many as possible. If I couldn't get away from work on Friday, it just wouldn't feel the same going out for the first time on Sat. morning thinking that the deer were already on high alert. I could also see my self sitting there and wondering what kind of monkey business went on around my property on Fri while I was at work.

[picksbigwagon]

I have only been a MN resident for 17 years, is there some history to a noon start? like back in the 50's or 60's? I have learned over the years that the MN legislature likes to keep things traditional and to move things back to traditional ways. Is this another "we used to" things?

[candiru]

North Dakota has a noon Friday deer opener. This just seems to be a case of copying them. Different hunting style, different terrain, and lower hunter numbers. Just because one state is happy something it does not mean it is best for another state.

[Jameson]

...Opening day is special and we should make that experience available to as many as possible. If I couldn't get away from work on Friday, it just wouldn't feel the same going out for the first time on Sat. morning thinking that the deer were already on high alert....

Many folks have jobs that are not Monday through Friday. By having opener on a set date it spreads the pain of having to take days off of work to everyone.

If the Friday opener gets us one more day of hunting I'm for it. If it doesn't, I see no reason for the change. Would rather have it on a set date, say November 4th each year.

[candiru]

Part of hunting is passing the heritage down to the next generation. Letting young hunters experience the magic of opening morning is a great part of that.