MBRB Results!!

[rkhinrichs]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if anyone else got picked for a hunt??? I got drawn for Cleary Lake Primary hunter!  

[DonBo]

First time I did NOT get drawn for a hunt  

 

[pumper317]

I got drawn for a Brooklyn Park hunt, Northwoods, as a primary as well.

[Walleyehooker]

Got drawn for Vadnais as an alternate # 2 so have to wait and see

[PFUNK]

Selected as a primary for Baker Park. Never hunted it but it is one of the closer drives for me so we'll see how it goes. Anyone ever hunt it?

Hunted cleary last year and it was FRUSTRATING. Had hunted it in the past, but with MBRB dividing it into zones and selecting stand locations in order of your rank it changed things a bit. Lots of folks not seeing anything and not many deer taken. Maybe 12 or 13? There were a few guys consistently seeing deer though and after talking to others who had hunted it in the past, it sounds like it was definitely a down year in terms of activity.

Edited August 25, 2015 by PFUNK

[rkhinrichs]

Selected as a primary for Baker Park. Never hunted it but it is one of the closer drives for me so we'll see how it goes. Anyone ever hunt it?

Hunted cleary last year and it was FRUSTRATING. Had hunted it in the past, but with MBRB dividing it into zones and selecting stand locations in order of your rank it changed things a bit. Lots of folks not seeing anything and not many deer taken. Maybe 12 or 13? There were a few guys consistently seeing deer though and after talking to others who had hunted it in the past, it sounds like it was definitely a down year in terms of activity.

Jeez that does not sound very promising.  Do guys pre-scout areas? Than look for the zone that has the area they would like to hunt right? 

[DonBo]

12 or 13 deer taken on a hunt is poor? There's 26 hunters, that's 50% success! Sounds pretty awesome to me.

[PFUNK]

12 or 13 deer taken on a hunt is poor? There's 26 hunters, that's 50% success! Sounds pretty awesome to me.

There weren't 26 hunters last year. I think there were 36 primary hunters if I remember, plus they bumped it up to allow some alternates to hunt so there were around 38-40 I believe. I'm not saying it was terrible across the board, but pretty tough for some. That's hunting though. Some guys killed multiple deer, so if you're in the right spot it can be real good. Some guys saw 0 or very few deer. It is by no means a bad hunt, but if you are unfortunate to not have a high priority it might be tougher as you're last to pick your zone and last to pick your stand location. 

Jeez that does not sound very promising.  Do guys pre-scout areas? Than look for the zone that has the area they would like to hunt right? 

No, you aren't allowed to scout prior to the orientation meetings. At the meeting you will pick the zone you want to hunt in order of rank. Then you are given a park pass that allows you to scout over a certain date range until you hang stands. Stand location was also done in order of ranking. Once stands are set the scouting ends in order to let things settle down prior to the hunt. It was nicely organized and run really well. I do, however, wish they'd allow scouting prior to having to pick which zone you want to hunt. For people new to an area it is hard to know much without putting boots on the ground. 

[rkhinrichs]

There weren't 26 hunters last year. I think there were 36 primary hunters if I remember, plus they bumped it up to allow some alternates to hunt so there were around 38-40 I believe. I'm not saying it was terrible across the board, but pretty tough for some. That's hunting though. Some guys killed multiple deer, so if you're in the right spot it can be real good. Some guys saw 0 or very few deer. It is by no means a bad hunt, but if you are unfortunate to not have a high priority it might be tougher as you're last to pick your zone and last to pick your stand location. 

No, you aren't allowed to scout prior to the orientation meetings. At the meeting you will pick the zone you want to hunt in order of rank. Then you are given a park pass that allows you to scout over a certain date range until you hang stands. Stand location was also done in order of ranking. Once stands are set the scouting ends in order to let things settle down prior to the hunt. It was nicely organized and run really well. I do, however, wish they'd allow scouting prior to having to pick which zone you want to hunt. For people new to an area it is hard to know much without putting boots on the ground. 

did you hunt the first or second weekend?

[PFUNK]

did you hunt the first or second weekend?

Both. I couldn't make the Fridays due to work but hunted both weekends. I wouldn't get too terribly worried though. As I said, some guys had good success and I talked with several people who have had lots of luck in the past. There just weren't a ton of deer moving around in the park last year, though if you were in the right spot you had success. I think one guy in our zone tagged 3 of the 13 deer harvested over the two weekends. I think the lack of sightings and deer activity is probably why they decreased the number of hunters selected.

[rkhinrichs]

Both. I couldn't make the Fridays due to work but hunted both weekends. I wouldn't get too terribly worried though. As I said, some guys had good success and I talked with several people who have had lots of luck in the past. There just weren't a ton of deer moving around in the park last year, though if you were in the right spot you had success. I think one guy in our zone tagged 3 of the 13 deer harvested over the two weekends. I think the lack of sightings and deer activity is probably why they decreased the number of hunters selected.

yea!!! it is like a high school dance... ask enough girls to dance..... sooner or latter on will want to tango!!!!!:)

[Powerstroke]

Remember that the goal of the hunts is to harvest deer, not generate hunter success. 

My experience has been that most hunts will have boom or bust stand sights, but the coordinators are pretty good at spreading out the success. Having a large hunt group actually makes it harder to control.

For those that dont' know. MBRB took over many of the Three RIvers Hunts last year so there will be some growing pains and changes to be expected. Overall, I think the harvest was down, but I've hunted CLeary several times in the past and the spot I pick I always have to myself. Most guys gravitate towards a certain part of the park. I was successful every year I hunted it. 

As far as this year, I did not get drawn for the first time. Despite MBRB adding several new hunts, they also added many new hunters who were directed to MBRB by Three RIvers. I also know several people with several years of MBRB experience who didn't get drawn, including the guy who runs the lottery drawing. Just in case anyone here still thinks its rigged. 

Hopefully this will be a good year. Good luck to you all. I will be hunting my old haunts. 

[RiverHunter]

I also got drawn for Cleary, Zone 2. All the deer sign looks promising, kicked up 6 does while scouting so there are at least 6 out there . 

So far I have been impressed with the coordination of the hunt. 

Deer or no deer, it beats sitting on the couch! 

Good luck!