Legal deer tags?????

[Bassboy1645]

everyone i know hunts deer obsessively with firearm bow muzzleloader. Most of them say its cheaper to buy a seperate liscence for everything( archery liscence, firarms, ect). Is this legal?!!!! I know it would definetly be cheaper than getting an all season liscense. also, if i get a tag for zone 3 can i use it in say zone two more so reffering to the all seson liscence? Thanks for your answers and help!!!!!!!

[Neiko]

The reason I bought the all season tag was when it first came out you were only allowed to tag 1 deer with a bow tag or rifle tag. Well it sucked for me because I would have to buy a rifle tag before bow started if I wanted to get into the doe drawing. Well if I shot a deer during bow my rifle tag was now no good. Having the All Season tag allowed me to hunt both season and possibly the muzzleloader if need be. Now with the extra tags and all for does and new rule for the all season I don't know which way is better. I know 1 advantage is you can hunt other zones during rifle. I was going to go back to individual season tags but I just bought my first muzzleloader so I will give that a try this year. I may use it during the rifle season also. I hope this helped a little bit.

[JEV]

No, it is not legal to buy an individual firearms, archery and muzzleloader. I ran into the situation last year. I had already purchased my archery tag. I then had bought a new muzzleloader and was looking forward to the season. But I was informed by the DNR that, being I had an archery tag, I could now only buy EITHER a firearms OR a muzzleloader tag. Not both. They told me had I bought the all season tag to begin with, I would have been fine. So, you have to make a choice, you buy the all season, which is more, but you can hunt all three seasons. The second and third options are to buy an archery and firearms, or archery and muzzleloader.

JEV

[Bassboy1645]

Jev, so ur saying i can buy archery tag and a firearms tag but the one i get a deer wih first is the one that becomes valid? What about bonus permits for does?

[Mark Christianson]

I am not sure what you are asking bassboy.

One thing to note on this:

If you were to try and buy all 3 licenses seperate(for those that don't know the laws, or want to try and do it); the ELS(Electronic License System) will reject your purchase based on what you have already purchased(if you try to go around the rules that are set).

[roosterslayer]

my question is what happens if you decide at the last minute to by muzzleloader and you have already purchased the archery and rifle tags is your muzzleloader rejected, cause if thats the case, it sucks.

[Mark Christianson]

Exactly Brandon.

I was at Koeps Corner in Clitherall just last fall and 2 guys were trying to buy a ML license and it kept rejecting.

The lady working didn't know what was going on, and I asked the guys if they had already purchased a firearms license. They had. Hence the reason they couldn't get the ML license to go through.

So they walked out grumbling. Their ML season was over before it ever started. Kinda funny in a way...

The ELS is at least smart enough to know who has purchased what licenses already.

[JEV]

I think I understand what your asking. I believe the answer is yes. You are only allowed to tag one Buck per season. If you tag a buck by archery, you can't tag one with your firearms license. As for bonus tags, I don't think it matters. You can use those tags with either archery or firearms. They don't ask you to specify "archery" or "firearms" when you purchase them.

[JEV]

That was the problem I had last year. After researching I realized I was not going to be able to purchase my muzzleloading license after having bought a firearms and archery tag already.

[roosterslayer]

So I really hope I dont get the muzzleloader for my birthday in november cause I wont get a tag for it. oh well maybe a muzzleloader isn't a good idea for me anyway, the guys in my hunting party dont call me two shot for nothing!! LOL!

[bigbucks]

If they always call you two shot is archery the thing for you??? Just a logical connection I'm sure many of us were thinking, I'm mostly just giving you a hard time.

Just buy the All Season license if you think you want to muzzleload, there's never any question about if you can hunt or not. I really don't understand why there's always all the questions on this if you get the reg book from wherever you buy your license or read it at the DNR site, it's all spelled out pretty clear really I think.

[roosterslayer]

I understand the regs, i just dont agree, so if you but the all season and something comes up and you cant hunt the muzzleloader then you just paid for a tag you wont use, now what sense does that make.

[roosterslayer]

I am ok with my bow, and my rifle but those (Contact US Regarding This Word) birds get me excited its almost everytime a rooster flushes that first shot is ten feet behind it. but because of that I will always be two shot, whether i am hunting big game or birds. It's still fun though they could call me alot worst things.

[Mark Christianson]

ML is a full 3 weeks.

If you buy it I would hope you could find a weekend or some days to get out to hunt.

No different if you buy a rifle license, and something comes up.

Its a risk we all take when we buy a license of any kind.

Something could come up, and ruin your chances to get in the field.

Get the all-season, you wont be disappointed.

[roosterslayer]

Well OK you guys talked me into it, but I still have one problem. Can you please talk my wife into it? LOL

[Bassboy1645]

Thanks for your answers guys!!!!! Im just a high skool cheapskate with not enough money to spend as it is. And come to think of it all the ppl i know who got sepreate tags got them before the els came out. But then again i dont have a problem spending money on tags cause i know it goes for a good cause. i dont hunt muzzleloader but im the crazy guy that u find in the woods in december frozen solid bow in hand on those 25 below days. Makes me question my sanity!!!!!!!! Thanks again everyone!!!!!!!!!

[BLACKJACK]

Here's all the 2005 deer hunting info:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/deer/2005/index.html

[bigbucks]

I'm with you, I filled my last tag with about 5 minutes left in the season an New Years Eve this last year. It was really cold & windy going to recover the deer that night, but it was great, what a finish to the season.

[BLACKJACK]

From the regs:

Managed deer permit areas: The bag limit for managed deer permit

areas is two deer, except all-season license holders and hunters tagging deer

with both their archery and firearms license may take three deer. Archery,

firearm, and muzzleloader hunters may not tag antlerless deer using a bonus

permit in more than one managed deer permit area per year.

The way I read it, the only benefit to the All-season deer licence is if you use all three weapons, firearm, bow, and muzzleloader. If you just firearm and archery hunt, I can still legally shoot three deer (two does and a buck) if I buy a bonus tag and its cheaper (firearms=$26, archery=$26, bonus=$13, total=$65) vrs an all season ($78) and bonus ($13) for a total of $91. Am I correct in my assesement, if I hunt managed zones?

[bigbucks]

Yes, I believe you are correct, if you don't care about muzzleloader & you don't want to switch zones during the firearms season. I hunt the split seasons in zone 4 & also wanted to hunt multiple zones, so I was always buying the $45 or $51 or whatever it is multizone, so the cost to me was a wash with added flexibility.

[Mark Christianson]

For me, I don't care one bit about all the tags available or how they all work.

I just want options open so I can go after a nice buck.

All-Season gives me the opportunity that "I" want to bag a nice buck.

(I am not a big fan of bowhunting later in the season, so the all season gives me the chance to chase deer with the muzzleloader during the colder season)

[BLACKJACK]

blb, the reason I've never tried muzzleloading is that a) I like the challenge of the late season bowhunting. I didn't want to invest in a muzzleloader and then have to practice and perfect another weapon to become proficient - when I've already spent a lot of time with my archery equipement. I used to get discouraged and not hunt after he gun seasons, but I've done it enough now to realize you can still take a deer with a bow after the gun season. The plentiful deer herd also helps with that.

My next purchase to accomodate the late season hunting may be one of those Heater Body suits....

[Bassboy1645]

I'd muzzleload hunt if it werent for money holding me back. but most importantly im a meat hunter and if a muzzleloader is that much easier to use than a bow im all for it. Thats why i use a bow during late season, but the nice thing about all season is that i got 3 and a half months to get a buck. I cna pass on those little basket racks and hold out for a bigger buck now knowing that i will see one. Its just getting em to come under my stand is the real issue......thanks for the answers!!!!!

[tealitup]

The new regulations on page 22 might make it worth looking at for those who may want to hunt more then one season if they do not get their deer.

A person who has purchased a deer license and wishes to change a zone, license type, or season options may submit their original license and obtain a replacement licesnse...

If a person submits both an archery and firearms license for replacement with an all season license, the value of both original licenses may be applied. Any replacement license may be issued before the season for the original license opens. A person may upgrade an archery or regular firearms license (or both) to a multi-zine buck license or all season license after the original season has opened, if none of the original tags have been used. The upgrade license is valid immediately upon issue.

[chucker34]

I hunt in the 4A and 4B zone. The main reason I buy the all season license is that I can then hunt both weekends if the first weekend doesn't go well. Sucks to only have have two days to hunt the first weekend or choose for the longer 4 day weekend and hope there are still deer left that will venture out into the open in front of your stand. Not to mention that with the all-season license I can bowhunt Sept-Dec. as well.