All season License

[JEV]

Well it looks like I'm back in the same boat as the rest of the state. Living in NW MN I have had the privelege of being able to tag a buck with both my rifle and bow for quite a few years now. Well this year I decided I'd take up muzzleloading and expand my options a little. What I was unsure of was what license I needed. I figured I would need a regular archery license, and an all season license. I was under the impression I could tag a buck with my bow, as in the past, and then I could tag ONE buck by firearms or by muzzleloader. I assumed this would be fine, as I live in the two buck area of the state. I assumed wrong. I emailed the DNR and they called me back today. Turns out, that if I intend to hunt with a muzzleloader, I can only tag one buck a year. I do have to buy the archery license and the all season license. The lady I talked to said they didn't take into account muzzleloaders when the experimental law was adapted. Bummer. Well, just looks like I'll have to pick my shots this year. Still looking forward to trying that blackpowder gun...

[Lip RIPPER!]

That is the same question I had too. What if a person buys 3 seperate licenses (archery,rifle,muzzleloader rather than an all season) does it make any difference then? I don't understand what the difference is if I take one with bow and one with a gun. Did the DNR give any explanation of why that it is?

[bigbucks]

You can't buy a separate muzzle loader license if you have a firearm license, it's one or the other. The only way you can hunt regular firearm season, & ml, is with the All Season license.

[Royce Aardahl]

?? Can you use a blackpowder as a rifle during the regular firearms season?

[Mark Christianson]

You sure can eyeguy.

During normal firearms season, you can also have a scope on a muzzleloader.

If you use that same muzzleloader during the ML season, you MUST take the scope off. No scopes are legal during ML season.

[JEV]

The DNR gave no real reason as to why I couldn't take a buck with either the rifle or muzzleloader if I had already taken one with the bow. All she said was that the muzzleloading aspect of it was not taken into consideration when the law was written. She also did mention that you can't just buy the 3 separate licenses. If you intend to hunt with all three weapons, you need an archery license and the all season.

From what I recall, I do believe you can hunt with a muzzleloader during the regular firearms season. I would double check though.

After thinking about this while typing I have thought about something. I believe what the lady at the DNR told me is incorrect, or doesn't make sense. She said if I intend to hunt with all three weapons in my area I need the archery license and the all season.

I reread the regs and from what I can tell, all I should have to buy is the all season, as it is good for archery, firearms, and muzzleloading. If I can only tag one buck anyways, I should have never bought my regular archery license. I use to have these regs down pat. Seems like they are getting more confusing...

[bigbucks]

You're correct, with the All Season license you didn't need an Archery license. The license agent you used isn't a very good one. She should have known that.

Yes, what biglake said about using a ml during firearms season is correct. Just yesterday I was considering taking mine with & having it in the stand for if I had a lone doe walk right in or something & just using the ml for the fun of it. We'll see if I want to mess around with that, probably won't happen. I plan on shooting that & the slug gun at long range this weekend. If the ml is a lot more accurate at say 150 yards, I might take it with.

[Mark Christianson]

If you went to a license agent and tried to buy an All Season and an Archery license, the latter of the two you try to purchase would get rejected by the automated licensing. The computers are smart enough to check to see what you may have already purchased, and it will just reject an overlapping license.

[paceman]

In the NW part of MN you can tag a buck with your archery and with your firearms tag. But if you only have an all season tag. What would you use to tag your second buck? The agent might be correct. I use to live in Warren Mn 12 years ago before the all season tag and I remember buying both licenses (archery/firearms). I then had to go to the courthouse and get a form for the second buck. But that was a long time ago and I'm sure the process has changed.

[JEV]

Oh great. That's not what I wanted to hear. Having already purchased an archery license I may have to put the old muzzleloader away for a year. What about bonus licenses? Could I take an anterless dear during the muzzleloader season if I was just caring a bonus tag or do I need the all season for that also?

[Lip RIPPER!]

I am in the same boat being I already bought an archery license too. Maybe a person can just party through rifle season and be the camp cook.

[Mark Christianson]

You can buy:

Archery and ML

Archery and Firearms

All-Season

Those are your options. If you have an Archery already, you can buy EITHER muzzleloader OR rifle as well.

You CANNOT buy archery AND all-season.

Now, I have never hunted the NW zone, so I could have something incorrect, but I believe you are no different up there for the types of licenses.

[JEV]

As the law is now, in NW MN, if you shoot a buck by archery you tag it with your archery license. If you shoot a buck by firearms, you tag it with your firearms license. Simple.

The confusion is when I mix the muzzleloading in.

In order to hunt both the firearms season and the muzzleloading season, I would need to buy an all season license. But, the all season license is also good for the archery season. Sooooo, that would mean I could only tag one buck. Either by bow, firearms, or archery. But having already bought my archery license I can't get an all season now. The DNR rep was wrong or misleading. I'm not sure which ( I need to make another phone call ). She stated I need an archery AND all season. Seems they are confused as I am....

[Mark Christianson]

I see your pain......

Cripes

[JEV]

Alright....I made a phone call and got what I believe is the correct info.

I can buy

An archery and firearms

or Archery and muzzleloading

or an all season.

Even though I live in the two deer area , if I plan to use muzzleloader, I can only take one buck.

Having bought my archery license already, I can now only buy a firearms OR muzzleloader. No all season.

Looks like I'm up the creek having already bought my archery. I can't pass up hunting with the old '06 so I'll have to put the muzzleloader away. It doesn't make sense being I live in the two deer area that I can't use either my firearms or muzzleloader for the second buck. It's still only two bucks. But then again what do I know....

[Lip RIPPER!]

You took the words right out of my mouth. It doesn't make sense to me. I would think it would be a little more difficult to the fill the muzzle buck tag but what do I know too. Maybe it is something they can reconsider for next season.

[leechlake]

I was going to be the first to post on this one. Because I love hunting I find myself nearly memorizing the hunting regs manual. I was in the middle of posting, read the NW deer section and decided I was confused for one of the first times on a rule. The previous post is correct though from my interpretation of the manual and common sense.

My question is why in NW Minnesota can you shoot two bucks if you buy the correct combo of licenses? Just curious. I'd love to have too many bucks in my area. Must be sugerbeets or something!

[Lip RIPPER!]

A number of years ago, the DNR implemented a 2 deer 2 year experimental season in 5 counties in NW MN due to a high population of deer in the area and it has continued ever since. Not sure about the sugar beet thing because they aren't planted for miles from where I hunt. I can smell them though to the south and west when the wind is just right.

[bigbucks]

leechlake, you & I share the same brain on this one. I pretty much memorize the regs too.

I'm not trying to rain on the parade of you guys fortunate enough to hunt in that zone, but it makes absolutely no sense that you can shoot two bucks. It's an outdated rule that should be changed.