All-Season deer license interpretation???

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks Metrojoe! That article answers my question that yes you can shoot three deer with the all season licence if you purchase the management tag with it. Mayfly, anytime the regs drag on for 30 pages, theres bound to be lots of questions! I would encourage everyone to call the DNR if you still have questions.

[Mark Christianson]

For the last couple disgusted guys, here is my first post on this topic:

<I have a few questions about it, and I know the right place to go is DNR law enforcement, but I thought it would be interesting to get other view points to see how wide the opinions vary on this topic.>

Don't bother reading the post if all it does is annoy you. The fact remains that you may think its simple, but I bet you anything, that there are regs somewhere in the book that you are misinterpretting.
Don't even think of telling anyone they shouldn't be in the woods with a gun, just because we are trying to do the right thing and understand it 100% before we go in the woods. The people that "think" they know it all are probably the ones causing more problems than the people trying to do the right thing before we go in the woods.

[korn_fish]

I feel everyones pain on this topic.

Here is what the Big Game Coordinator wrote me this morning:

I tried to register on the forum but it never emailed me a password.
However, there's enough confusion out there that I'll go ahead and send
you what I hope to be the definitive answers to what the all-season
license allows.

All-Season Deer License buyers will need to declare a deer permit area
at the time of purchase. This information is needed because the hunter
may be immediately authorized to use the antlerless portion of their
license to tag a deer with a firearm, depending on the area they select.
The license allows a hunter to kill a buck AND an antlerless deer.
Archers and muzz hunters have the greatest flexibility as they can fill
the antlerless tag STATEWIDE during their respective open season. The
permit area declaration is only for the firearm season, which comprises
the bulk of the deer harvest. So, here's what you can do with the
various weapon types:

Firearms:
o Lottery - Must apply through the regular drawing by Sept. 4,
2003. If successful in the lottery they will be authorized to take a
second deer, which can be antlerless only. If unsuccessful, an
antlerless deer can be taken during the bow or muzzleloader seasons.
o Managed - If the permit area they declare is in the managed
category, they'll be given authorization to kill a buck and 1 antlerless
deer. They can also purchase an additional deer management permit for
the selected deer permit area for one-half the cost of a regular
license. All-season license holders can kill 3 deer in a managed deer
permit area.
o Intensive- If the permit area they declare is in the intensive
category, they'll be given authorization to kill a buck and 1 antlerless
deer. Additionally, they can purchase up to 3 intensive harvest
permits for one-half the cost of the regular license.

Archery/Muzzleloader:
o Can use the license statewide and harvest 1 buck and 1
antlerless deer.
o Will be able to harvest antlerless deer in 2 managed deer permit
areas. They can do this by harvesting one with the antlerless tag that
comes with the license and another by using an intensive harvest permit
in a different managed deer permit area. Firearms hunters cannot do
this.

The confusion comes from hunters who mix-and-match (archery hunt in one
area and gun hunt in another). Basically, firearms hunters will be
restricted to the area they declare when they buy the license and
arch/muzz hunters will be able to go statewide. However, it's important
to note that all-season license holders cannot kill deer in more than 2
managed areas and one of the deer must be killed with a bow or muzz.

I've also noticed some confusion with the 4A lottery and 4B managed
permit areas. Here's what you can do if you're a FIREARMS hunter. If
you declare a lottery permit for a 4A hunt, you cannot buy a management
permit for the 4B hunt. The 4A/4B split is designed to break up hunters
so you'll have to make a choice. If I were interested in maximizing my
firearms harvest, I would declare the 4B hunt at time of purchase, which
would allow me to buy a management permit during the firearms season. I
would simply be forced to buck hunt during the 4A season. Basically,
you'll get an 'extra' deer if you declare 4B.

Finally, to put it all in perspective, I'll give you an explanation of
what I will do this season.

I'm going to purchase an all-season license and declare PA235. I will
also purchase an intensive harvest permit at the same time. On the AS
license, I'll get a buck tag that's good statewide (except 3B) and an
antlerless tag that will be valid only in 235 if I use a firearms OR
statewide if I use a bow/muzz. I'm an archer, so the intensive harvest
permit will allow me to take a doe early in the season somewhere in the
state. That way, I won't burn my AS antlerless tag, just in case I use
a gun in 235. If I don't kill a doe during the firearms season, I'll
fill my AS antlerless tag with my muzzleloader.

There's a lot of flexibility with this license and it also provides
some tremendous opportunity. I hope I've cleared up some of the
confusion and this makes sense to your members. Good luck! Best
regards, Lou

Lou Cornicelli
Big Game Program Coordinator
Minnesota Dept. Natural Resources

this is Korn again now,,,,,hope Lou's statements help. He also sent me a pdf file that lists some frequently asked questions regarding the all season license and also sent me a link to the DNR web site which is great additional information that walks you through the buying process. the link is http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/deer/2003/index.html

If anyone wants me to send them the pdf file, I can. Just email me at [email protected]

I'll be the first to admit that I had some misconceptions to the rules, thanks to Lou, my questions are answered. Hope all of yours are too.

[This message has been edited by korn_fish (edited 08-29-2003).]

[BLACKJACK]

Boy, this thread really petered out! Everybody must have gotten their questions answered! Thanks Lou C. from the DNR!