Opening Deer Season at Friday Noon

[SmellEsox]

Yeah, I can see it now, the giant buck is coming by your stand and its....ugh!!....11:55! Now what? Enforcement nightmare.

[Musky Buck]

That's what I was getting at SmellEsox and if you just have to walk out the back door and head to your stands would you really honor a noon start, seeing the wall of shame and reading through the cuffs and collars at deer season time, there must be plenty that wouldn't. So we'd be helping that minority of hunters. Bet yer field stands would be productive with a noon start.

[Gordie]

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?

Picks waterfowl season was Noon on October 1st for many, many years then it was switched to the weekend closest to before Oct. 1st but still held the noon opener then the weekend was a pick and the season opened at 9am now its a half hour before sunrise on opener.

Never understood why the noon thing was implemented and like candiru stated it took forever to get it switched to like it is now and I believe it to be better .

deer opening on noon the Friday before is not IMO the smartest thing to do for the sport.

[harvey lee]

I have no issue at all with the season opening at noon on Friday.

North Dakota has done this for as long as I have hunted there for archery, rifle amd ML season.

I have no idea why they do it and I see no advantage.

Guy just gets a extra half day of hunting.

[lichen fox]

$28....and we'll give you an extra half a day...I see no draw back unless you're just totaly worried about somebody..."jealosly"....getting the..."jump"...on "you"...Are You greedy? The type of person that wants "all" the odds in thier favor? As far as the "poaching" side of it"....what stops those &^%*$##:s from doing it on the day before now? It would not make an eye-ota of difference, unless "all" of the folks that hunt your area are a bunch of outlaws....

[SmellEsox]

I suppose you could bring your bow with you for that first half day.

[Gordie]

I would hope that if they did do a Friday opener that it could be considered a recognized state holiday

[TylerS]

Yeah, I can see it now, the giant buck is coming by your stand and its....ugh!!....11:55! Now what? Enforcement nightmare.

They've had a noon opener in Nodak for decades. Sure there are early shots. But I've heard early shots Saturday morning too. Idiots will be idiots and break the law regardless.

I've passed on hundreds of deer just minutes before noon on Friday.

But I'm usually done by 1 p.m., so it's all good

Personally, I love the noon opener. If luck has it, I shoot my deer Friday, spend Saturday helping the rest of my party fill their tags, then go home. Spend all day Sunday butchering my deer. Call it a season, and get back to what's really important: Bird hunting.

[Musky Buck]

You've passed on hundreds of deer just minutes before opener at noon, really now. Hundreds ? No wonder it doesn't matter in ND if hundreds of deer are hoofing around at 11:50 AM, 10 minutes wouldn't make any difference. Sounds like deer numbers are out of control in ND.

[TylerS]

You've passed on hundreds of deer just minutes before opener at noon, really now. Hundreds ? No wonder it doesn't matter in ND if hundreds of deer are hoofing around at 11:50 AM, 10 minutes wouldn't make any difference. Sounds like deer numbers are out of control in ND.

Hundreds over the span of the 10 years I've hunted here. Cumulative. Typically people start moving around 10 minutes before opener to get set up for their deer drives. Guess what? They bump deer. A LOT of deer. I sit in my little spot in the woods and wait. I've had herds of a dozen or more pass right in front of me not 5 minutes before noon.

Of course, I saw a lot more like that maybe 5-6 years ago when the deer numbers really were "out of control." Not so much any more since they tanked. But without a doubt, come 11:50, I'll have a big rutting buck chase a doe past my spot on opener. Murphy's Law, I guess.

[Musky Buck]

Right on talked to a good ND friend and that's what they do wait for high noon and drive em drive em drive em. Shelter belts etc. Slough holes and the like. He said when you get a farm to hunt it might be a thousand acres or more. He said they usually are done also pretty quickly each year.

[TylerS]

Yup, sounds about right. Whole different ballgame up here. Lots of walking and driving, driving and walking.

People move for deer, but not me. I sit for venison, and walk for birds. It pays off, too. I bet deer drivers don't see 10 percent of the deer they actually push. Most are running past me by the time they've taken a dozen steps into the cover.

I can't deny their success. People get deer that way, which is alright. But I've found a strategy that works, and it's paid off every year. Never had tag soup.

[Gordie]

Tyler you are doing what some of us do wait for the people and plan your hunt. We do the similar; at about noon everyone is headed in for lunch and if you stay on the stand or know where to be at that time you can cut off a deer easy enough just have to plan on people. It does work

[Musky Buck]

I just hope if this is serious in any way that they realize how poorly that Friday will be attended at schools all over the state. I recall having a Friday night hockey game in Detroit Lakes one deer season the night before opener, a Bantam game at 7:00, with daylight savings not happening now like it used to there'd be no way to hunt the night shift and make the game, with or without daylight savings. A cafe owner I talked to didn't like this idea, he said people wouldn't be as likely to come in to eat as they are now because a lot don't want the hassle of dishes/breakfast etc. they like to eat and get out of dodge because of time issues. Then he said the 2nd morning Sunday breakfast has been a bust kinda he thinks usually because people are pretty tired out come that 2nd morning and would rather not drive to town for a full breakfast because they likely did that the morning before, so a few donuts and off to the stand. Anyway.

[skee0025]

. know where to be at that time you can cut off a deer easy enough just have to plan on people. It does work

+1. I have a parcel of woods across the road from the land I hunt. It's gets pushed every Sunday morning at about 8am during the firearms season. Every year I'll have a 8 to 10 deer come right to me without fail.

[TylerS]

I just hope if this is serious in any way that they realize how poorly that Friday will be attended at schools all over the state.

Many of Nodak's rural schools close Friday of deer opener. State holiday, don'cha know?

[helpme]

Here is the state statute they are referring to when they say "special hunts".

Subd. 4.Taking wild animals from game refuges, wildlife management, and other areas. Special permits may be issued, with or without a fee, to take a wild animal from game refuges, wildlife management areas, state parks, controlled hunting zones, and other areas of the state that the commissioner may open for the taking of a wild animal during a special season or subject to special restrictions. In addition, an application fee may be charged for a special permit. Local units of government may charge an administrative fee in connection with special hunts under their jurisdiction. Fees to be collected shall be based upon the estimated cost of conducting the special season or administering the special restrictions.

[Musky Buck]

Sorry I missed that earlier Tyler close schools.......then I'm game ! Selfishly speaking, however I always get skunked opening day/morning anyway but I sure prefer to do the gut job in the daylight lol, have had a few kinda messy moments with the flashlight on those waning moments of daylight jobs lol.

[paceman]

I am for sure all for it!