Camp Ripley 2nd weekend

[maros91]

Just had a fork chasing the doe and fawn. Running all around, under my stand , everywhere. No clue I was here. Hopefully mr. Big shows up.

[archerystud]

Go Get-em Biff!!!

WOW those numbers are horrible. May have been during the hey days but I remember one guy seeing 5 big ones the first morning (probably 30 years ago)!!! Almost sounds like they need to take a year off from the bow hunt.....

Good luck guys!!

[Wanderer]

We left somewhere around 3 pm today and were told 17 so far, for a grand total of 57. I'm sure more came out after that but breaking the total from the first season didn't seem as sure as I thought it might.

I saw a doe and a button buck (separately) today but no shots for me. One buddy had plenty of opportunity to take a 4 pointer but let him walk. The other buddies went home and did yard work.

I'd be shocked if next year was an either sex hunt by way of management permits. And I can say Archerystud was the first to post what my buddy and I talked about on the way out: will there even be a season at Ripley next year?

[ANYFISH2]

Just got home, hunted till dark. I did not see a single deer today!!

For the weekend I saw 1 deer, Derek saw 1, and Chad saw 6. Most people we know that this weekend saw less than 5 deer for thier groups and no one harvested any.

It sure feels like it will be long road back to what it used to be.

After all the frustration, over the years my expectations have lowered, but every year the anticipation to spend the weekend in camp is still great. I'll be back but I will no longer target does in there, I'll be happy to wait for the Mr.

[laker1]

Be interesting the final total,I believe Camp Ripley reflects how the regular firearm season goes many years. Will see.

[hockeybc69]

It will be a very long time before I apply for that hunt again. There is no end in sight for the continued mismanagement of that area. So sad.

You couldnt hunt that place 10+ years ago without seeing several deer daily for the average hunter.

Beau Liddell has single handidly ruined Ripley. What a shame.

[maros91]

I saw three deer today. Fork and a doe and a fawn. Fork was chasing the doe. All three gave me shot opportunities multiple times. Scouted some areas that looked good on paper but was void of deer sign in person. Talked to a bunch of hunters both from the north and south sides and many hadn't seen a deer all weekend or very few sightings. I don't know about giving it a year off but maybe bucks only.

[monstermoose78]

Well I seen one for the weekend. It was a small six pointer and it was 50 yards away and running. Seen one group of turkeys. I did see something I never seen before at Frogs hundreds of them jumping through the woods headed to the River. My dad saw one buck also and it was a big 9 but it was to far. We never seen much for deer sign.

[Cheetah]

I won't be going back for a couple years I suppose until report and harvest numbers get better. Last year was rough, but we had a little spot that had good sign and a food source that could hold a few in the area. The deer just weren't in the area this year though.

[eyeguy 54]

Frogs hundreds of them jumping through the woods headed to the River.

smallies are smiling

[Walleyehooker]

Yes it was pretty poor. Only saw a couple deer for 4 of us. One thing I noticed is you don't even see much for deer tracks or sign as you did even a couple years ago. Definitly not the premier spot to hunt anymore and more like hunting anywhere else in the state. Turkeys are sure doing well though.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Good thing you guys don't hunt the north woods. Man, I'd be pretty stoked with the action over 1 weekend reported here. Been on stand around 8 times and have only seen 1 deer that I jumped on way to stand in September.

[mnguy152]

well i was up there this last weekend. my group saw one doe sat afternoon ran by was new spot we found. and nothing sunday morning. Did see 4 deer on the way out sat night one right but the dirt goes to tar and 3 by the sharp turn going into camp. But the way I look at it fun hunt something diffent look at other than the home woods and cheap too. And meeting new people always a plus. I will still apply since it is a fun hunt. Too bad the numbers are low but it is what it is. You cant blame for the 2 deer limit since very few did fill it. Maybe they cut back on the management tags on there to bring it around. But they want the deer out of there so who knows which way they going to go.

[sticknstring]

More of the same for our group of 4 - pretty poor. By far the worst I've seen it up there. We saw a few does from stand and bumped a few more walking in, but sign was minimal. Hunted 3 different areas and scouted out another. Same result everywhere. I won't be applying for awhile.

[monstermoose78]

I thought about bring the fishing pole with me, but did not bring it next time I will for sure. I bet some of the lakes and ponds have some big gills in them.

[mnguy152]

saw one guy pulling a boat around camp

[monstermoose78]

he was thinking

[elkhuntingfan]

It will be a very long time before I apply for that hunt again. There is no end in sight for the continued mismanagement of that area. So sad.

You couldnt hunt that place 10+ years ago without seeing several deer daily for the average hunter.

Beau Liddell has single handidly ruined Ripley. What a shame.

I'm not sure what Beau Liddell did to ruin Ripley all by himself. I agree the hunting was terrible this year and last. I was there both years. My feeling is the last couple winters played the biggest role in the demise of the herd. Obviously the wolves don't help any. I'm sure they ate well the last two winters with the deep snow and the herd in rough shape by spring. I agree the ability to use bonus tags doesn't help any, but I'm guessing the number of does taken in the last 3-4 years isn't having near the impact on the herd that the tough winters and wolves have had. While it's pretty hard to defend what the DNR has done over the last 10 years or so, I don't think they are the only cause of the current state of the herd.

[certified jumbo]

Elk. I couldn't agree more with you. Some fault falls on DNR, no doubt. But there are many other contributing factors. I spent much of March, April and May fishing steelhead in northern mn and wi. I also fed deer in and around the cloquet area during these months weekly. The amount of deer we found dead was incredible. Not even chewed on. Frozen like a board perfectly in their bedded position. It was actually eire. The past 2 winters were the nail in the coffin. However, we found way more dead deer this past winter than the previous.

Lets hope more than anything for a good winter and limited doe harvest.

[Wanderer]

I'm with you two.

The management tag option wasn't the best idea for Ripley this year but aside from that, Ma Nature is the biggest influence. Heck, deer are down generally over the entire state.

Some say we shot too many does; and maybe we did in some areas. But my thoughts are if the climate killed a bunch of deer last year due to starvation and predation, what makes us think having more deer going into the winter would've made a dramatic difference this year? Wouldn't that many more just be dead?

I really believe the net gain would've been marginal at best.

[SmellEsox]

Sorry, I can't agree with you guys. I think hunters absolutely knocked the population down. Adult doe harvests increased dramatically the last several years. Is hunting the only reason for low deer numbers? No, of course not. But combined with winters and wolves, it's had a major impact. What deer are best equipped to survive brutal winters? Adult does. And when you shoot the dump out of them, well, we get what we got.

[laker1]

We had two very tough winters on the deer,with fawns being hit very hard and does reabsorbing fetuses for nutrition that is number 1 reason for decreases.

Throw in the hunters probably over harvested too many years in a row with record harvests about 6-8 deer/sq mile plus(more if you look at deer habitat only). Than your wolves probably took about 2-3 deer/sq mile.

Its a combination of things,throw out any of them you will have some increase.

How much habitat been altered over the years?

It has been very tough winters with very late springs at the most critical time.

[hockeybc69]

If numbers are so bad in Ripley because of weather and wolves, then maybe the hunt should be canceled a couple years and focus on making Ripley the destination to shoot the deer of your dreams like it used to be.

Or is there no intent to make Ripley anything of a special hunting experience any more? There is the big question....

[monstermoose78]

Lets really think about it Camp Ripley gets hunted really hard for 4 days a year. The other hunts a very small and don't put out the numbers like the 2 archery hunts. I agree with Wanderer that harvesting does last year was a wise thing to do. Why because it allowed the remaining deer to eat better before the winter set in. That lets those deer that lived to be in better shape to make it through the winter.

With the reduced herd and coyotes and wolves will have a hard time this winter. That should reduce their numbers come spring. I hope that allows the new born fawns to make it. They used to let hunters take coyotes and porcupines, but I seen somewhere that you can not take those anymore, but I could be wrong.

Something that was talked about with others was it seems most hunters now want millions of deer and a monster buck behind every tree. Well they call it hunting for a reason, but other wise it would be just killing. Yeah it was a slow weekend of seeing deer for me, but will I keep hunting Camp Ripley. Yes indeed, because it is about the crazy things you see and hear about. Forgetting a deer stand at home driving to St Cloud to buy new on Saturday morning, but only then to get it set up and drop your bow and destroy the sights (yes this happened to one of the guys in my group). Watching some people get pulled over by the MP's for speeding around. Laughing and having a good time with everyone back at camp. Sitting outside meeting people that make me sound normal.

[eyeguy 54]

maybe I should hunt there again some day... it would be good to feel normal . heehee