Just how many deer does one man need?

[dkhntr]

With all these seasons and states. I know a guy who used to live in MN but moved just across the boarder. Big time hunter, loves it just like me, you , everybody else.

This guy, I dont know if it's the whole state, lives in the "earn a buck" section of WI. He had last year, 2 archery tags (2 does, 2 bucks). A regular season tag (shoot a doe first to shoot a buck), and a muzzle loader tag. So if I am correct, he could have potentally shoot 8 Wisconsin Deer.

Now his family mostly lives here in Minnesota. I know he bought a Reg season tag and an Archery tag. That's 2 more deer. Plus the 8 from Wi = 10

I know he only got two last year, but what if he filled all 10. He definatly wanted too. When I questioned his ethics, he said " I have a big family " Which it's a family of 5, not that big.

What I am trying to get at is, is this guy going overboard or am I the crazy one? Would others do it, if they had the option?

[cyberamish]

I would tend to agree with you. We have a party of 7 guys. Last year we could have legally taken 5 deer per hunter in our area (extensive harvest area) We chose to stop hunting after we had bagged 8 (one for each guy and one to cut up and give to a local widow). Could we have shot more? Definately, but we chose not to. I know groups around us took twenty or thirty deer for similarly sized groups and I know they will not waste any of them. We talked about it as a group and we can all remember those real lean times back in the late 70's and early 80's when we were lucky to get one or two deer for the group. Everyone has to make that determination for themselves, that choice between what is legally right and what is the right thing to do to maintain a healthy population.

[tripper]

If all the meat is being put to use and the herd needs thining were he hunts I would say no.

This is one reason I don't like the earn a buck idea. Some people only hunt big bucks, can only use one deer, and do not have food shelves around that will take any extra he may shoot so he is forced into taking a deer he does not want before he can hunt the way he(she) likes to.

[dkhntr]

I know he would have put them to good use. But my thought was, one guy eligable for ten deer? It just seems a little out ragous. As for the lean years, I can understand saving a tag or two just so the next year isnt a bust. I mean, with all those tags ,to me, is just like hunting them out to real low numbers.

[barebackjack]

Tripper made a good point about a person being forced to take a deer he/she may not necessarily want or need to just get their chance to shoot a buck, luckily for them this program has been dropped as of this past Wednesday. As for the amount of deer taken per person, I am in agreement with as long as there is no waste I do not personally care how many deer a guy takes, I myself have used as many as 10 deer from one year and all the meat was used long before the next hunting season.

[iffwalleyes]

If he bought the licenses and leagal takes the deer I have no problem with that. There is a reason why the state allows us so many tags. If it isn't wasted I sure don't have a problem.

[BLACKJACK]

I'm with IFFWALLEYES, if the guy is using the deer and not wasting them and DNR has the limit set high to thin the deer out in area, let him go for it. Part of the problem that the DNR faces in thinning the herd is that a lot of private land is 'locked up', the landowner may shoot 1-2, but then the rest of the deer get to live in a refuge because the owner likes to see deer. As far as deer usage, the sky is the limit. In the past few years I've found myself looking at and trying more recipes for jerky, summer sausage, thinking about canning some venison, theres all kinds of marinades, I like venison. I used to buy a 1/4 beef, but no more.

Back to thinning deer, I think your friend that would shoot 10 deer is the exception. Most people will stop at 1-2. My feeling is that if the DNR really wants to thin out deer, they need to come up with a program where you could take it to a butcher and get it processed for a nominal price if its donated, say $20. Then hunters would shoot more deer. But if they have to pay $70 to donate to a food shelf, no way its going to happen. But I also don't want the DNR diverting habitat dollars to do this.

[PerchJerker]

I'm not sure about WI regs but I think your 10 deer scenario is not correct. My understanding is WI allows you 1 archery tag (1 buck and 1 anterless) and 1 firearm tag (1 buck and 1 anterlesss, license is for the firearm season and the ML season). In many areas of the state the firearm season is 'Earn a Buck" where you have to shoot the anterless deer first but it is not an additional deer. However many parts of the state have bonus tags available.

And as mentioned for MN, in some areas a person is allowed up to 5 deer (1 buck and 4 anterless, or 5 anterless).

Regardless, if someone can legally shoot that many deer and doesn't waste them I have no problems with it. And keep in mind that where numerous tags are available they are primarily anterless tags and are being issued to try to reduce the deer herd. Bonus tags are not available in all areas, and in some areas you still need to draw an anterless permit to be allowed to take an anterless deer during the regular firearms season.

[koWALLEYEski]

Perchjerker you about said it for me!

[kpj5br]

Let the DNR manage the herd, they get paid to do it. If you want to do it, go get a biology or forestry or ichthyology degree and apply for a job at the DNR.

Beyond that, a person should never be questioned on any game they take legally. If he had 100 tags, and took 100 deer, that's perfectly fine. If it' 1 and 1, that's fine too. The harvest limits and laws are set each year by what the DNR, with public input, determines the best for the herd. Remember that legally you cannot wanton waste, either. So if you see any illegal things happening, call the TIP line. If it's legal, it's not up to you to question it, other than give your input to the DNR.

[bigbucks]

I'm in agreement with the other guys. Several years I've shot more deer than I personally need, but have always found other people who weren't successfull or didn't hunt that wanted the venison so where's the issue. The DNR wants us to thin the herd, which is why they've issued the tags. So many people won't shoot antlerless deer, which is what thins the herd, so some others need to make up for that. Wisconsin has too many deer, that's at least part of the reason they've had the troubles with CWD.

[Tripleplay]

From a hunting perspective, I've had years on my lease that we have only had two tags and finished by lunch on opening day and I can honestly say that was probably my most unfulfilling year of hunting. Why? I just didn't get enough time on the stand to solve all of the worlds problems nor enough time to make work disappear! I don't hunt for trophies and really enjoy eating venison or I could have tried waiting longer.

Two years ago my area was extensive harvest and I only took one deer due mostly to weather and operator error! This past year, I filled my base tag with a young buck and then got two good does on the third day and was more than pleased. Now comes my dilemma---I have two kids that will be 12 next year and hunting for the first time and I really wanted them to experience the full impact of my shooting a deer and dressing out, etc. as they were not along for opening weekend. Decided to add an extra extensive harvest tag and did get another anterless deer which allowed me to work through the entire situation with the two kids and make sure that they were up to it mentally as well as the dressing part.

As for the "now I've got four deer" what to do with them situation I can honestly say I stretched out on what I have routinely done with the meat and it has been great. Between brats and country sausage and steaks and hamburger and some sticks, etc. we are more effectively/differently using the venison this year than ever before. I also used this year to bring venison trim to a number of different butchers as a way of experimenting on types of sausage and best flavors. We have yet to buy hamburger and probably won't until July at the earliest.

Do I ever want to shoot four deer again in a season--- probably not as I'm going to have two additional eager young partners along to help. Will we use up the venison if we end up with as much again--you bet. As long as you are flexible in what you want and don't shoot them just to shoot them, it is possible to use up alot of venison.

The other option has been mentioned by others, but I have a relative that loves deer sausage but doesn't hunt for them. We have worked out a system where I either butcher or pay for the butchering and then he buys a pig and takes out some of the select pieces. The rest of the hog goes into the sausage and we split it down the middle. He wins--I win (wife not complaining about costs!)--brother-in-law in Alaska wins (his lease previously)---I win again as he sends moose steak and red/silver salmon in exchange for venison sausage.

If the DNR wants to create the extensive harvest or management tags or whatnot they are doing it for all of the right reasons.

[mntraveler]

With all the discussion on how many deer one can take...I called the DNR for the area I hunt in WI before last season to verify my legality of hunting with only the T-zone tag since the group I hunt with usually only shoots bucks (I know we should look into QDM). They told me I can get another T-zone tag every 24 hrs as long as I had filled the first one. That could amount to A LOT of venison.

[Cooter]

Whack em and stack em!

[PerchJerker]

The last time I hunted in Michigan (several years ago) you could buy 1 anterless permit per day and they were only $1- $2 per permit. That was for archery, I don't know if it also pertained to firearms. Tuberculosis was discovered in their deer herd and they had liberal permits to try to reduce the does and tightened down the baiting laws to try to stop the spread of disease.

[Guest]

I hunt North Dakota and shot 4 with the bow, and 4 with the rifle last year. Gave 6 of the 8 away so there was no waste.The last couple of years there,you could take 1 buck with bow, one buck with rifle and all the does you wanted to buy until the tags were gone.Had a great time hunting all fall and all the meat was eaten.Some might think this is being a pig,but the deer herd is so big in some areas,that they need to thin the herd.This year they will probably do the same thing again otherwise you have the chance of a spread of disease,starvation with a hard winter.Plus the farmers around where I hunt dont like all the damage that a huge herd of deer can do.Whats better, kill them and eat them,or have them starve to death?

[koWALLEYEski]

As long as there is no waste of an animal it is totally fine. This year was one of the worst years for finding dead deer that no body made an attempt to find in my area. If i remember right we found at least 7 deer that were shot and not gutted out or anything. It was sad to see some nice deer go to waste like that. This was on private and public land that I had found deer.

[Mark Christianson]

7 dead deer you found in one year? I find that hard to believe. In 25 years of deer hunting with bow/rifle/muzzleloader I have found 1 dead deer that had not been found by the shooters.

Did you happen to let the local game warden know? If that is true, there are some issues that may be interesting to your local CO. Thats not right.

[dkhntr]

Thanks for the input guys. Like I said before, I had no doubt that he would have used all the venison. Therefore I have no problem with it (for him). It just would be a little excessive for me. To each their own.

[tjm]

biglake

Yea it's possible.We find plenty as well.Cant say 100% how they all died

Area i bow/ML hunt joins a 80acre woods no ones allowed to gun hunt.I would say a good portion of the deer in the surounding area all head for this woods healthy & wounded during the 1st gun season.No one is allowed in the woods period until deer seasons are all closed then we can hunt yotes.I have found way more then 8 or 9 dead deer in jan/feb in this woods.Now are they all from hunters probly not.

Several people have died in car/deer wrecks along the north side of this woods in a prety well travel blacktop.Former Mn twins baseball star (Herby) leases part of this property you probly saw on 1 of his so called hunting shows that is mainly filmed in this area.From 100-350 deer are filmed by his camera crew at 1 time and put on his tv show.This is only an 80 acre woods

2 years ago during the ML season i was filing some doe tags 1 made it 140-150 yards to the edge of the woods.I was not allowed even after dark to retrieve the deer.Had to scratch my head on that 1.So my point is i'm sure this is not the only place is Mn or any other state that has areas like this

[roosterslayer]

If I am correct all you would need to access the area to retrieve is the warden, if the owner will not grant you access.

[tealitup]

I think you are right. Call the CO and inform them that a wounded deer went onto private property. They most likely will tell you to go in and retrive it, however, do not bring in your weapon. Happened to me in Sherburne Nat'l Forest. Shot one - went into the closed area. Called C/O and told me to retrieve it without brining my bow.

By the time I got my flashlight and cased my bow the C/O (Federal) was there and walked me in. This guy even helped me gut and drag it.

[Nova]

Me and my sons last year shot 4 deer, cleaned them ourselves and started eating. We love venison (even the wife does). We will be out of venison by July and wishing we could have shot more. I don't think there is such a thing as "too much venison". In fact, I think I will grill some veni-steaks tonight.

[tjm]

CO has no rights either to retrieve the animal.I made the call the CO went over talked to the farmer.Still a no go

[Eric Wettschreck]

I hunt with a couple friends of mine. One of the guys doesn't like vension but loves to hunt. No prob there, I'll eat it for ya. Last season we shot 4 deer. Between me and the 2 others that eat it, we're almost out. If I could put 10 in my freezer I would. My family would have them eaten before the next season. As has been said before, as long as the animal isn't going to waste, and it's a legal tag, fill it. I'd like to think the DNR knows what they are trying to accomplish when they set the regs.