Lottery deer gun & ML

[harvey lee]

The area we hunt is in the Sheyenne river bottoms along the Sheyenne national Grasslands and we have felt the drop in deer numbers but not like others have. We have very little CRP and a lot of wooded acres along the river.

With that said, without the CRP, all wildlife will fell it and the numbers will drop.

As much as I like the CRP for wildlife, I am not sure I really care for the program itself.

[UMC]

First, he addressed my concern over high priced NR waterfowl licensing. It turns out I was correct about some increased pricing, but I was mistakenly including the cost of the NR Upland Hunting tag as well. To my surprise this was not required for a non-resident to hunt waterfowl. I was certain this was also required to hunt waterfowl as a non-resident, but we may have simply purchased these additional tags the last time we went out to our family farm? I just don't recall exactly.

They separated the small game and waterfowl about 5 years ago. Used to have to have both as an NR but the waterfowl was only like a $10 add-on. If your kids are under 16 and from MN I believe they can buy a small game license (which would include waterfowl) at the resident rate.

I understand that it can get expensive, but most trips are no matter what you're doing. Go to a Twins game for a weekend, Wisconsin Dells, etc. $100-200 for a license is not out of line IMO. Not to mention that money goes to maintain habitat and manage game. If it's something you really want to do, save for it. Many spend more for a night on the town.

[CANOPY SAM]

Yep. I agree completely UMC. My original concern, now that you brought this up...

"They separated the small game and waterfowl about 5 years ago"

...was in regard to the mandatory purchase, for non-residents, of an upland game license to also hunt waterfowl. I thought I was somehow remembering this was required the last time we went out! It is no longer a requirement to purchase an upland game license along with the waterfowl tags to hunt waterfowl in ND as a non-resident.

My original math included this tag, which was putting our license cost up around $280-$300 (for each of two of us) to simply hunt ducks and geese. This might not seem like that much money to everyone, but when considering I'd have to purchase this X2 + my son-in-law's licenses, and my youngest son's licences, I was staring at something like $900 just for licensing for the four of us to hunt this fall....for only a few days hunting ducks and geese. For me at least, that is a LOT of money, and that doesn't include all the remaining ancillary costs of the trip.

Again, the license requirements have changed, and my original math was wrong. I'm more then happy to admit my mistake, and I'm even happier to know that I can afford to take all of us out there now!

The regulations from state to state can be pretty confusing. I'm no brain surgeon, but I'm no fool either. It's been 5+ years since we returned to North Dakota to hunt. There have been some positive changes, and obviously some negative changes as well.

I, for one, am glad for the help I received from NDF&G. Thanks to everyone here for setting me straight as well!

[iffwalleyes]

Guys until the Feds step in the CRP program is going no where. Last winter in our wildlife club this was a big discussion. It's not always that Farmers are taking the land out of CRP. The guys I spoke with are not farmer but still had farmland from the families. They actually wanted to re-enroll their CRP but were told they could not do it cause there wasn't money to pay them anything anymore. The NRCS is short on funding in a bad way. Other guys were told that if they wanted to re-enroll they would have to break the grond and reseed the CRP which I understand as it would allow for perhaps thicker stands of CRP. However it is hard for someone to turn land and then pass up putting in a cash crop that will provide more income for them. CRP payments have gone unchanged for awhile I believe they for sure have not kept up with other crops.

As far as the non resident license deal it kind of stinks. We used to have a crew of 11 guys get together and hunts. Several college friends right now those days are gone as not enough of us residents can draw tags to hunt together with. I didn't get a tag for two year and this year I did draw one but will end up hunting a different area because I don't have as many to hunt with. I personally having been a former MN resident am luck as I bought a lifetime license there prior to leaving MN. So even my years I don't drawn a ND tag I have the ability to at least get out. I wish ND would do something similar but with the lottery system that is in place and shortage of tags for residents I don't see it happening.

[candiru]

A few mild winters could make a difference, but things will never get back to the way they were with the current habitat situation. It is not just CRP. Pastureland is getting plowed up and tree rows are coming down. I see it every Fall when I get around. Maybe the current lower crop prices will help.

[harvey lee]

Until the prices for row crops drop and they are, the GOV will not pay enough compared to row crops for CRP. Yes, CRP is needed for all wildlife but Mother nature can wreck havoc even with the CRP.

The low deer population as I see it, is mainly from the high deer populations from 10-12 years ago, a lot of crop[ damage from all the deer and car deer accident's. There were to many deer for the food supply also in the vast majority of the zones.

So, the G&F as they needed to, decided to cut the herd size and then after 5 years or better of cutting herd size via doe tags, we got hit with 3 very hard winters and here we area.

Give it some time and we will see good populations of deer again but never as high as it once was not long ago as the G&F have stated that they will not allow that to happen again.

far as the fee increase for NR hunters, I wonder how the ND residents would react to a 40% increase to their MN NR fishing licenses? Sure no one would be happy about that either.

MN should get together with ND and set some fair pricing for either NR fisherman and hunters for both states, but I do not see that happening anytime soon.

All sportsmen and women would benefit from a reciprocity agreement for licenses like they do for college students.

[creepworm]

far as the fee increase for NR hunters, I wonder how the ND residents would react to a 40% increase to their MN NR fishing licenses? Sure no one would be happy about that either.

ND residents would react by going to Devils Lake, Sakakawea, Fort Peck, Oahe, Sharpe, Francis Case, NE SD, anywhere in Canada, and the list goes on.

The thing with fishing is, just about every state has great fishing opportunities. The same can not be said about hunting. ND has great deer and duck hunting. They can charge large sums for licenses because people are willing to pay for it. Much like SD can charge an arm and leg for a pheasant license because it is good enough that people are willing to pay it. Minnesota fishing on the other hand, is not good enough compared to surrounding states to charge a large sum for a non-resident licenses. There is too many outstanding opportunities everywhere else.

[harvey lee]

Let them go elsewhere then. if they were going to go to those places, then they would not be here in MN with their lake homes. The Fergus and DL areas are full of ND residents so they are going to still be fishing in MN.