Anybody actually have success on a WMA?

[sp700twin]

I recently moved to MN. Going crazy with buck fever right now. The problem is that I haven't lived here long enough to get a resident tag. Next season I hope to go afield. I have been reading, looking at maps and talking to as many people as possible about areas to hunt and it seems everybody hunts private land. Are there good public lands to hunt in MN? Are the few WMAs that the state has over crowded with city slicker hunters? Without having access to private land what are my chances of taking a deer?

[Outdoors_Junkie]

Where about in the State do you live? How far would you travel to hunt? There are lots of places that are not too crowed on state land.

[NorthernMN]

Way up north here there is a load of nice stae land to hunt on. If you archery hunt you almost never have to worry about seeing another hunter. Sometimes bird hunters but not much else. I even hunted on a small WMA right near Warroad on Saturday and took a nice doe with my .44 Mag pistol at 38 yards. Never saw another hunter.

[Eye-lander]

There are some really good deer hunting WMA in Minnesota. I am a big woods guy, so my advise is find the largest, and densest WMA, and do some late summer or early fall homework. My party hunts one, and it has a lot of pressure. But, with a little walking and some pre-season grouse hunting/deer scouting, one can find some nice secluded areas that are very productive year after year.

[echotrail]

Quote:

---

Are the few WMAs that the state has over crowded with city slicker hunters?

---

What kind of critter is them city slickers? When is the season and how much is the license cost? Are they best cooked on the grill or in a crock pot?

[DRH1175]

For bowhunting there are many oppourtunities. I have been hunting public land with bow all year and have been very pleased with my experience. Firearms although can be a different story. However I do know of some that still have had enjoyable hunts.

[sp700twin]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Are the few WMAs that the state has over crowded with city slicker hunters?

---

What kind of critter is them city slickers? When is the season and how much is the license cost? Are they best cooked on the grill or in a crock pot?

---

City Slicker Hunters are considered a nuisance pest, thus they are open year round for the taking. The signs to look for to determine if your secret hunting spot is being over ran by City Slicker Hunters is an abundance of beer cans and Pork and Bean cans laying at the edges of parking areas. Shot gun shells littering the trails into the woods with more beer cans peppered with holes along the trails. As you move into the trees look for initials carved in the bark and various targets from pieces of ply-wood to milk containers left leaning against trees. Open fire pits just out side of view of the parking lot is another sure sign the pest City Slickers are moving in. During the high use times (hunting season) be careful stepping over logs laying over the trails since these species don’t leave the trail to relieve themselves. You know you are on to a big male City Slicker when you pull into the parking lot of a public access hunting area and the sign has been destroyed by gun shots (which usually says ‘no motorized vehicles’) and the trail leading into the woods has atv tracks running down it. As far as eating these critters, they are a lot like carp, some will do it, but I never will.

[sp700twin]

Quote:

---

Where about in the State do you live? How far would you travel to hunt? There are lots of places that are not too crowed on state land.

---

I live in St Michael, NW corner of the metro area. I am open to travel. Althogh a back up location within an hours drive would be nice for day hunting. I black powder hunt. I moved from out west where we usually packed into the wildness area for elk in Colorado and my family has a cabin in Norhtern Utah that has huge mulies around for those willing to explore off the beaten path. I realize MN is different terrain so I am looking for an area that can provide solitude and hopefully a deer or two. My kids are getting to age where I want to introduce them to hunting so I am looking for area that I take them to and hopefully have success at hunting while showing them the wonders of the outdoors and nature.

[echotrail]

Thanks, thats a well worded answer. I recall seeing all of those "Signs" in the past. Especially the one I've had to scrape off my boot sole with a stick! I think I'll pass on trying to bag one however.

[Blaze]

700 - for good hunting on WMAs, think North, waaaay North, and when you get there, go in deep. We had 5 bucks hanging after this weekend: 8pt, 8pt, 9pt, 10pt, & 12pt - all from the same WMA, and there are smaller ones still walking out there that we left to grow up a bit. We are blessed in MN to have great public deer hunting land available to us.

[Outdoors_Junkie]

I am not sure if we can post links here, but this is to the MN DNR. sp700twin here is a link to the MN DNR HSOforum that has info on public hunting land http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/tips/locations.html