preffered deer hunting areas and luck

[USPENAMC]

Hi,

im interested in knowing how much success you hunters have had in past deer seasons this for me is the first i dont own land and am looking at a few options Carlos Avery, and the Minnesota National Wildlife refuge rapids lake area near carver. Any of you hunted these areas and if so did you have any luck. dont want specifics or anything like that just to know if its worth it trying these places or head on over some where else. I would also like to know if any of you are farmers, ranchers, land owners, or outfitters and could give me a price on a hunt. Im not looking for the amazing buck of a lifetime that will come with time. I will settle for a doe. I just want to get my first deer under my belt to develop confidence. Thank you and have a great day. email me at [email protected] if you want to keep it private.
thanks in advance,

david

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[Grabs]

Something I would suggest trying would be to drive around to some of the farms in permit area 337, most of these places have deer coming out their ears and would love for you to come out and take a few off their property. I would simply stop by, introduce yourself and maybe volunteer some time helping around the farm in exchange for some hunting land. Also in this and other Intensive harvest areas, you could take up to 5 deer, if they allow you to hunt be sure to offer to shoot a deer for them if they are interested in the meat, and at minimum if you are successful and have some processing done, be sure to stop back around the holidays and give them some of the sausage or meat from your successful hunt.

I'm sure there are farmers with some extra land to hunt on, and you'd be surprised how many deer one small tract of woods holds once the corn comes down. Another good permit area with a lot of deer and a lot of farms in 157, that might be worth a shot to, but I'm not certain where you live.

Good luck!

[irvingdog]

There is not enough blaze orange in the world to get me to hunt in Carlos Avery....

[Fisher Dave]

As others have stated above .. Carlos Avery is not a *safe* place to hunt... with the exception of waterfowl (no problems this far).

The Carver Rapids area the last I knew was achery hunting only .. I may be wrong but check it out. There are some deer in the area and I have had success in the past while archery hunting in the direct area.

If I were you I would highly recommend heading *north*. Search the DNR sight for state forest, wildlife management area's, county land, etc. There are lots of places out there to hunt other than private land once you get far enough from the cities.

I would highly recommend looking closely at the *recreation compass* at the dnr site to find areas closest to the cities. There are several that recieve little hunting pressure.

[USPENAMC]

Thanks,

You gentlemen always come through thank you for the information and tips. I im going to go check the minnesota wildlife management area rapids in carver since it says it is open for slug hunting. Thank you for the great info on carlos avery i will attempt to find somewhere else. WHAT ABOUT ITSACA NATIONAL FOREST I think thats what its called. and about the private hunting in farmlands im going to have to get out and do that any more people with information and tips be sure to post or email [email protected]

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[barebackjack]

You guys hit it right on the head again, I have had a chance to hunt in both carlos avery near the twin cities and 157. Carlos avery, couldnt of said it better myself, as far as hunting in area 157, there is alot of deer, also alot of hunters to match. My suggestion would be to explore northern less obvious places. My opinion would be that those areas with intensive harvest permits are going to have their fair share of hunters only there for that simple reason. Good Luck.

[Fisher Dave]

uspenamc...

National forest and state forest are all open to hunting unless otherwise posted, and private partials of land within the forest that are individualy posted. Each state forest varies greatly on hunting opportunities. Most state forest offer alot of hunting ground, while others (Chengwatana near pine city) is mostly privately owned in the southern portions.

Your best bet is to try join, or form a hunting party. I'm a bowhunter personaly... The success of my early season archery usually dictates if I join the *anarchy* of the rifle season. I also hunt public land.

[walleyeking#8]

How far are you willing to travel? Ever heard of lac que parle game refuge? This is public land that is open to bow season and some areas open to slug hunting. I myself hunt this area with bow and it is the best public land I can say I have ever hunted. I very seldom have any competition where I hunt.It is a very large area.

[Mark Christianson]

...or enough body armor.
I gave up on Carlos years ago, after I got sprayed with a shotgun in the back of the head by some morons shooting at tweetie birds. Close enough that it gave me 2 scrapes on my ear that were bleeding. Darn lucky I was facing away from those idiots. Now being there with a bunch of people with slugs. No way.
PS- that goes for any deer hunting on public land in my book.

[Fisher Dave]

USPENAMC .. check your email

[USPENAMC]

HEY,

I WENT OUT TO THE PARK RAPIDS AREA FROM WHAT I COULD SEE IT HAS THE CAPCITY TO HOLD SOME DEER. SURROUNDED BY LOTS OF FARM LAND IN AREA 337 WHICH IS INTENSIVE HARVEST. A LAKE IN BETWEEN ALL THE WOODS. SINCE IT WAS WET I DID FIND MANY TRAILS WITH PRINTS ON THEM SO THEY ARE DEFINETELY TRAVELING THAT AREA. I DID NOT SEE A SINGLE DEER BUT WHAT DID I EXPECT WITH ALL THE NOISE I WAS MAKING AND BEING THERE FROM AROUND 10 AM TO 12 PM 2 HOURS ISNT ENOUGH. ITS A NICE PLACE.
FISHER DAVE ILL CHECK MY MAIL IN A SECOND AND GET BACK TO YOU.

THANK YOU ALL AND KEEP POSTING GENTLEMEN.

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[HUNTINGBAILEY]

Have you guys tried looking on the DNR HSOforum. There is a thing called recreational compass, I've used it to find public hunting land (WMA) down south near shokopee and a little further south. There might be more closer? Check it out.

good luck

[USPENAMC]

HMM, WELL I WILL BE GOING TO LOOK AT MILLE LACS AREA AND THEN MAYBE, SHERBURNE, AND THEN SEE WHAT ELSE I DONT HAVE A STAND SO I JUST PLAN ON KIND OF WALKING AROUND AND SITTING AROUND AND COUNTING ON LUCK AND KEEPING MY SCENT DOWN. MAYBE SOMEONE WILL CHASE A DEER MY WAY OR ILL CHASE SOME TO DEER HUNTERS WAY. BUT MY BEST BET IS MILLE LACS. ALTHOUGH FOR WISCONSIN HUNTING IM GOING TO A 40 ACRE LAND OWNED BY MY COUSINS BOSS IN ALMA MINNESOTA SO IF NOTHING IN MINNESOTA ILL HEAD TO WISCONSIN.ILL DO SOME RESEARCH ON ALMA WISCONSIN. BUT IF ANYONE HAS GOOD SPOTS FOR MILLE LACS OR ANY INFO LET ME KNOW

[smoley]

Hi, I hunt Itasca State Park north of park rapids. There is a lot of land up there and a lot of deer. It is part of the intensive harvest as well. The park is only opened for Deer hunting with the gun and there are some areas off limits if you do plan on going up. Around the park there is also a lot of state land.

Hope that helps a little.....good luck

[Guest]

I've hunted sherburne many of years. It can be crowded but I have learned how to get a nice section of land for myself. Flashlights! Get out early and put a lot of flashlights along your trail. Keeps the hunters away. Also, remember on opening day on public land you don't have to hike back far. I've takin many of deer (bucks) within 100 yards from where I park. All the die hards will hike far back. They move the deer all morning. Just sit tight and you'll see deer.

[USPENAMC]

the sitting down near where i park part i like and it kind of makes sense ill go in there a few hundred yards and sit tight and hope no one gets to close. I have some common courtesy hunting questions while on public land.

1. If i shoot and wound a deer can anyone else pop it again I mean even if its a good shot the adrenaline might keep him going giving someone else the opportunity.

2. What i would do i guess i might shoot it and then wait for someone to go claim it and let him do that kind of not making him walk to long. Unless he decided to let me have it.

[Ruttin' Buck]

Here's the way the rules work in MN. If you're bowhunting and bowhunter #1 arrows a deer (draws first blood) no matter where the shot is placed and bowhunter #2 puts the second arrow in it and finishes it, by law it is bowhunter #1's deer.

Firearms is quite the opposite. If gun hunter #1 shoots a deer and it goes off and gun hunter #2 finishes it, it is gun hunter #2's deer.

If you administer a lethal shot to a deer, it won't matter how much adrenaline it has. Most heart/lung shots from a shotgun or rifle result in blood trails less than 100 yards in length. Many of the deer I've taken through the lungs with a rifle dropped in their tracks or a few steps from them.

I did have an interesting circumstance happen a few years ago. I was hunting a clearcut on public land in north central MN. It was opening day and I had got into my stand real early not a few hundred yards from an area that I had spotted a nice buck 2 weeks prior. Well 6:30 comes along as does some clown in blaze orange tromping across the clearcut. He cut into the woods about 80 yards out in front of me and proceeded to look around. Well, his old tree stand that he failed to check before the season was in shambles. In fact, I put up my stand knowing nobody would be hunting the one he stared dumbfoundedly at...I guess I didn't think the guy would be stupid enough to assume his birch branch fabricated stand would have lasted another year.

Well, instead of ethically moving out of my sight, the guy proceeded to sit upon the hill-top no more than 70 yards behind me! I stared at him furiously for 10 minutes as I had done my homework on the area and set up accordingly. Well, I held my ground and at about 7:30 I catch movement out on the edge of the clearcut 80 yards in front of me. It was an 8 pointer, head down, on the scent trail I layed down when I walked in. I knew I had to shoot before this guy saw him and I had to make it good because of the law stated above. Instead of waiting for a broadside, I went for the shot most bow hunters call a spinal tap. The shot is made when the animal is facing you with its head down. If you aim for the vitals, dead center, it is likely you'll hit the spine in the process dump the deer in its tracks...PS, it's a risky shot particularly with a bow. I rattled off a round and as it turns out, I missed the spine by an inch! I took out an entire lung with my 7mm Rem Mag and the buck went on the run. It headed to the strip of low land between me and "captain walks in late"! By then, I had another round in my gun and could have easily fired it as the deer passed within 20 yards of me. However, I noticed that the entire side of the deer was covered in blood and there was no sense in making swiss cheese out of him. I just stared at the guy over my rifle as the deer passed between us. He never raised his gun.

Had that guy shot and hit that 8 pointer, it would have been his. Not only would it have been unethical, but it would have been dangerous as well. I put a lethal hurt on that buck and he bled furiously for the 80 yards he ran.

My opinion is that most guys will not sit where the can see another hunter. If this is the case, and it should be, you should be able to put a deer down before it gets to another hunter if your shot placement is correct.