If you could make one change......

[muskiemanAD]

If you post your private land, you can not hunt public land.

I see many who keep their hidey holes private for their "buck" season, only to fill their doe tags on overhunted public land.

Yep those darn land owners, stay off the "public" land.... Might as well have people that own cabins on lakes stay on their lake as not to overcrowd the public waters that I fish!

[DonBo]

Yep those darn land owners, stay off the "public" land.... Might as well have people that own cabins on lakes stay on their lake as not to overcrowd the public waters that I fish!

[maros91]

I know I picked one already but I wouldn't mind charging non-residents what their home state charges non residents. I can't remember what they charge but if North Dakota charges $220 for a non res tag then it's $220 for ND residents to hunt here.

[dirtymike]

I know I picked one already but I wouldn't mind charging non-residents what their home state charges non residents. I can't remember what they charge but if North Dakota charges $220 for a non res tag then it's $220 for ND residents to hunt here.

Charge all you want but I don't/won't hunt in Minnesota. 220 is pretty cheap to chase nice mulies and whitetails.

[nonteepical]

To Summarize what has been posted... and I will mention if you put two or three things in I tried to pick your most passionate and I consolidated a few categories because there were so many.

No Party Hunting 4 votes

APR/Buck Age rest 4 votes

Gun Season Later 3 votes

Buck Lotto/Earn A 2 votes

Adjust zones/limits 2 votes

All of the following only had one vote:

Lottery for All Tags

Baiting

One License for all seasons no matter the weapon

More Special hunts

Deer drives illegal on public land

Choose one gun season

Standard punishment for violations

Recover habitat lost

No APR

this tells me the overwhelming majority is looking for a way to balance the buck age structure.

[nonteepical]

a regristration option on the tag for yearling buck so we know(can prove to the nonbelievers)what % of yearlings are harvested.

[Jameson]

this tells me the overwhelming majority is looking for a way to balance the buck age structure.

Do you really think we represent the public? Sure the overwhelming majority of us are, but do most think it's bad enough to do anything about?

[tipup]

a regristration option on the tag for yearling buck so we know(can prove to the nonbelievers)what % of yearlings are harvested.

I know in the past when I have either took my deer to a game station or registered it by phone/computer, I have been asked "Adult male, Adult female, Fawn male, or fawn female"?

[pikehunter]

Rotating usage of the most-traficked WMAs. One year, these pieces of public land are open to small game, the next it is only open to big game hunters. (Or something like that.)

I understand this is probably only helpful to those of us near the metro, but it sure would be nice to have select parcels of land available to bow hunt that wouldn't be run over by the small game contingent. It also would help those parcels, I presume, recover year-to-year.

[nonteepical]

I know in the past when I have either took my deer to a game station or registered it by phone/computer, I have been asked "Adult male, Adult female, Fawn male, or fawn female"?

[Jameson]

I know in the past when I have either took my deer to a game station or registered it by phone/computer, I have been asked "Adult male, Adult female, Fawn male, or fawn female"?

Fawn = deer less than 1 years old.

Adult = deer older than 1 years old.

yearling = deer that is 1 year old (1.5).

The DNR does not tract yearlings, only fawns and adults. Adult is not to say the same as mature, most folks would say truly mature is 5-6 years old. Much like an 18 year old kid is not mature, but still an adult. A one year old deer is an adult.

Been marking your tags wrong?

[surewood]

If I had to pick one from the group probably move gun season back.

[muskiemanAD]

"No, I don't have a problem with landowners hunting public land. I do however have a problem with them not letting others onto their property, then applying for crop damage, while they take does from pubic land to save "their" deer for their own private shoots."

100% agree....

[candiru]

a regristration option on the tag for yearling buck so we know(can prove to the nonbelievers)what % of yearlings are harvested.

How is Joe Schmoe supposed to know that a buck is 1.5 years old?

[bowhunternw]

That is simple they are the spikes, forks and small 6-8 point bucks. And they are the second dumbest deer in the woods following the fawns. So they are an easy target and move quite readily during gun season. I think I remember reading that 70% of the bucks get taken at that age. If people are happy taking them more power to them I guess, however I have harvested a fair number of deer and have become more selective. Not super high standards but at least 2 1/2 and older.

[sticknstring]

Quote:

Originally Posted By: nonteepical

a regristration option on the tag for yearling buck so we know(can prove to the nonbelievers)what % of yearlings are harvested.

How is Joe Schmoe supposed to know that a buck is 1.5 years old?

Exactly. Most "casual" hunters think a fawn is a yearling and certainly don't know whether a buck is a yearling or 2 yr old. It would be great to have this data, but no where near reliable.

[Bear55]

That is simple they are the spikes, forks and small 6-8 point bucks. And they are the second dumbest deer in the woods following the fawns. So they are an easy target and move quite readily during gun season. I think I remember reading that 70% of the bucks get taken at that age. If people are happy taking them more power to them I guess, however I have harvested a fair number of deer and have become more selective. Not super high standards but at least 2 1/2 and older.

Fawns might be smarter than a 1.5 year old buck. Once they get out on their own and a little testosterone in their blood they are in trouble. I've been busted by more fawns than 1.5's.

[Getanet]

I think I remember reading that 70% of the bucks get taken at that age.

You probably read that on this site by those that want to push APR legislation across the state. They get that statistic from old QDMA reports (2007 & 2008 it was supposedly 67%), but conveniently don't site the same statics from more recent reports that put the statistic at 41% in 2009. There is no data available for MN more recently than 2009.

[mainbutter]

No one else wants to fling darts with atlatls?

You guys are boring

[sticknstring]

You must be familiar w/ Bob Perkins out in MT eh? Crazy guy!

[candiru]

Create more deer zones. That way the designation of lottery, managed, or intensive could accurately reflect the habitat and deer numbers. For example, I do most of my hunting in 277 and 283, in both zones you have good deer habitat and lots of deer in the northern portions and big black farmland and low deer numbers in the southern portions - so they make the whole zone lottery.

Or at least redraw the zones. I am in an area in 277 that probably has too many deer right now. You go to some other areas and folks say there are very few. Fortunately they issued more doe permits this year.

[TruthWalleyes]

Same story with 348. The east side that butts up to 347 is wooded and filled with good habitat. As you head west the zone turns into farmland line in SW MN. Left side should be lottery, east side should be joined with 347 as managed. Two years ago 348 changed to lottery solely because of the west side of the zone. I hunt the east side of 348 and let me tell ya, there are plenty of deer there. I didn't even hunt it that year because i wanted to save my lottery zone deer for SW MN back on the home farm.

[Jameson]

Some areas of Wisconsin have an alloted number of antlerless permits that are issued first come first served, one per customer per day. Would that work better then what we have in our Lottery areas? The parts of the area that has too many deer and has hunters willing to shoot them could have hunters with multiple doe tags.

[Deet]

My ONE change:

Make all license-buyers pass the test of "What is an Area?" and "What is a Zone?"

Three Zones over the whole state. The small, three-digit areas are called just that - Areas.

I guess I'm very happy that I hunt a state where the above is my biggest concern.

[phorn]

My one change:

Go back to the bucks only season and the doe season in the southeast.