Deer regs 2015 gun season

[minky]

I hunt some in zone 2 and see plenty of deer.

I was even able to pass on some small bucks to let them grow last year.

I also hunt in zone 1 by willow river and still feel I have good hunts.

I don't see as many deer but still think I have a good chance of seeing deer each time.

Should a person have a chance to kill a deer everytime out, I don't think so.

I like having to work a little to get a deer.

[lichen fox]

2014 Deer Hunt

Information for the 2014 season will be available on Tuesday, July 22 on the DNR HSOforum...

[smsmith]

Should a person have a chance to kill a deer everytime out, I don't think so.

I like having to work a little to get a deer.

A chance to kill a deer every time out? Probably not.

Seeing a deer and killing a deer are two different things. I don't think its unreasonable to expect to see a deer each time out hunting.

Try to keep a young or new hunter interested in the sport when they sit for days without seeing a deer. Pretty tough

[mntatonka]

2014 Deer Hunt

Information for the 2014 season will be available on Tuesday, July 22 on the DNR HSOforum...

And that little blip on the HSOforum took pressure from MDHA to get the DNR to do something. How can they wait this long to release the regs?

[laker1]

For the last 30 years regulations usually came out on August 1.

I would like it earlier,but it is more for curiosity. It is fine as it is now.No problem.

[Jameson]

The book has usually come out about August 1st, but for a while Lou C. was treating us with posting the regs online at the DNR's site about July 15th or so. If they get posted online before they are printed it even might be an opportunity to catch some errors before they are printed. I suppose someone without internet was complaining that it wasn't fair, or that convenience stores had too many books to recycle and it thus was going to cost the DNR money in advertisement revenues.

[nofishfisherman]

If the paper copies were likely sent to print long ago so posting online to help catch errors won't do much good at this point.

A print job of that size is going to need more than 2 weeks to get through the proofing/print/distribution process. I design a lot of small run jobs at work generally under 10,000 copies and 2 weeks is a typical time line for that type of project. The regs book probably has hundreds of thousands of copies printed and then they need to be mailed to all of the license outlets across the state.

As a print designer I always cringe when I flip through the reg books. They are horribly laid out with seemingly related info scattered randomly throughout the book. As a reference book it doesn't function at all. The only way to get your answer is to read the entire book and hope its addressed somewhere in there.

[Jameson]

... As a reference book it doesn't function at all. The only way to get your answer is to read the entire book and hope its addressed somewhere in there.

Or as we have seen recently, it will be addressed in there somewhere in two different spots with two different rules saying the opposite of each other.

[smsmith]

And that little blip on the HSOforum took pressure from MDHA to get the DNR to do something. How can they wait this long to release the regs?

Yessir...and if you (or anybody else) has contacted their area manager to find out what their unit is going to be designated as for 2014 and were met with no answer or a "non" answer Bob Lessard would like to hear about it. He can be contacted at [email protected] Bob serves as a liaison between the sportsmen and women of MN and the DNR commissioner. Letting him know what you think about your area manager and the MN DNR deer management (mismanagement) plan would be a good idea. I sent him an email about my area manager (Beau Liddell) earlier tonight...I hope many other concerned deer hunters do as well. Unit management designations for 2014 have been available to area managers for at least two weeks, yet they keep publicly available information hidden from the public. Total B.S. IMHO

[Jameson]

For those who want to contact their wildlife manager but don't know who it is here is a map (.pdf)with name and telephone number: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/wildlife/wildlife_managers.pdf . If you want the email address try entering the state employees name here: http://mn.gov/white_pages/Lookup .

And please let us know what they tell you for your area's designation this year.

[ts_hunter]

The file is on the DNR site in this LINK

[mntatonka]

The file is on the DNR site in this LINK

Edit: found the map too: 2014 deer map

looks like they moved the early antlerless south a bit, that's no fun.

[smsmith]

Those of you who've been saying "there's too many deer in the SE" or "There's plenty of deer in the SE, we have nothing to be worried about" got what you wanted...two Intensive harvest zones and early antlerless....enjoy

Whack the cr@p out of 'em boys...do the DNR's bidding

[mntatonka]

Those of you who've been saying "there's too many deer in the SE" or "There's plenty of deer in the SE, we have nothing to be worried about" got what you wanted...two Intensive harvest zones and early antlerless....enjoy

Whack the cr@p out of 'em boys...do the DNR's bidding

We fully intend to. Haven't been able to keep up with the population in much of 346 and 349 for a decade.

[smsmith]

We fully intend to. Haven't been able to keep up with the population in much of 346 and 349 for a decade.

That's what I'd expect of someone who thinks there are too many deer.

I hope you fellers in the SE experience what hunters in central MN who had Intensive (in an area where aerial surveys showed 7.2 dpsm last winter) the last few years did. An influx of folks looking for places to hunt who think the herd is "out of control" and who are more than ready and able to shoot as many deer as they can. Road hunting, poaching, and trespassing complaints to boot...yeehaw

[certified jumbo]

I have no idea what will happen in the far south east. But I know my buddy just invited a couple of us down to winona so we can shoot a doe. It'll be my first time hunting down there.

[mntatonka]

That's what I'd expect of someone who thinks there are too many deer.

I hope you fellers in the SE experience what hunters in central MN who had Intensive (in an area where aerial surveys showed 7.2 dpsm last winter) the last few years did. An influx of folks looking for places to hunt who think the herd is "out of control" and who are more than ready and able to shoot as many deer as they can. Road hunting, poaching, and trespassing complaints to boot...yeehaw

Other than 2012&2013, we've been intensive harvest at least since 2006 (that's as far back as I can find regs for). Remember as well, that these areas are mostly broken into small parcels of private land, which makes it harder to trespass without someone knowing you're there. It also makes it harder to get away with road hunting (especially with the enforcement crew around here). It's still a problem, but won't be any more of a problem than it always has been.

[smsmith]

Other than 2012&2013, we've been intensive harvest at least since 2006 (that's as far back as I can find regs for). Remember as well, that these areas are mostly broken into small parcels of private land, which makes it harder to trespass without someone knowing you're there. It also makes it harder to get away with road hunting (especially with the enforcement crew around here). It's still a problem, but won't be any more of a problem than it always has been.

Fair enough, I hope you're right. Keep in mind though, during that time frame there have been other Intensive harvest units throughout the State. Now...if a hunter wants to head somewhere where the DNR has "advertised" there are too many deer they only have 2 choices (outside the Metro)...far SE MN and the Duluth area. Those guys from the Metro who used to head to 222, 221, 227, 225, etc. will now have to "target" one end of the State or the other.

I won't be surprised to start hearing about guys who lose their leases in the SE because somebody came in and offered more.

[mntatonka]

Fair enough, I hope you're right. Keep in mind though, during that time frame there have been other Intensive harvest units throughout the State. Now...if a hunter wants to head somewhere where the DNR has "advertised" there are too many deer they only have 2 choices (outside the Metro)...far SE MN and the Duluth area. Those guys from the Metro who used to head to 222, 221, 227, 225, etc. will now have to "target" one end of the State or the other.

I won't be surprised to start hearing about guys who lose their leases in the SE because somebody came in and offered more.

Also been happening for years, although large amounts of leasing hasn't really taken hold in much of the area.

[smsmith]

Any thoughts on Intensive in the SE and CWD being found across the border in IA last winter?

[mntatonka]

Any thoughts on Intensive in the SE and CWD being found across the border in IA last winter?

Although they are planning to do sampling, it doesn't appear to me that is part of the reason for intensive harvest, otherwise 348 would be intensive as well: "Due to the discovery of CWD in Northeast Iowa (Allamakee County), DNR will be conducting surveillance in deer areas 348 and 349 starting with the opening day of the firearm season."

[PurpleFloyd]

Yes Wisconsin has more deer than central MN but look at their habitat of rolling hills with woodlands and pasture land. If you look at the number of licenses ND and SD are issuing their deer populations are below that of MN. MN could support more deer IF we had more habitat in the farm areas. There are multiple deer drives in just about every wood lot in farm country that the deer cannot survive - they have no place to hide. We have what we have in central and southern MN farm country due to habitat and nothing the DNR would do would change that. You can't shoot a deer that the land cannot support. Funny that this exact same story can be played out with the pheasant - it is all about habitat.

This ^^^^^

[smsmith]

Yes Wisconsin has more deer than central MN but look at their habitat of rolling hills with woodlands and pasture land. If you look at the number of licenses ND and SD are issuing their deer populations are below that of MN. MN could support more deer IF we had more habitat in the farm areas. There are multiple deer drives in just about every wood lot in farm country that the deer cannot survive - they have no place to hide. We have what we have in central and southern MN farm country due to habitat and nothing the DNR would do would change that. You can't shoot a deer that the land cannot support. Funny that this exact same story can be played out with the pheasant - it is all about habitat.

Your description of WI (while far from accurate across the landscape, I lived there for 46 years) sounds very much like my area. Your description of multiple deer drives in wood lots again sounds very much like many areas of WI. In the transition zone of MN the habitat is every bit as good, if not better, than many areas of WI. The land here can support many, many more deer than it currently does.

[certified jumbo]

I'm not sure I buy that central mn is lacking habitat. I guess it depends what you consider central mn. Areas like Litchfield and Hutchinson west lack whitetail habitat and can only support ex number of deer. But st cloud to Princeton to Cambridge through Mora up to McGregor and over toll Brainerd is incredible deer habitat. In fact these areas supported almost a decade of 5 deer seasons. With some of these areas 7 deer limits including early antlerless seasons.

I think number of hunters and liberal deer quotas had far more to do with deer crash then habitat dod in central minnesota.

[mntatonka]

I'm not sure I buy that central mn is lacking habitat. I guess it depends what you consider central mn. Areas like Litchfield and Hutchinson west lack whitetail habitat and can only support ex number of deer. But st cloud to Princeton to Cambridge through Mora up to McGregor and over toll Brainerd is incredible deer habitat. In fact these areas supported almost a decade of 5 deer seasons. With some of these areas 7 deer limits including early antlerless seasons.

I think number of hunters and liberal deer quotas had far more to do with deer crash then habitat dod in central minnesota.

Winters and cold Springs had far more to do with the deer crash than the harvest or habitat did.