What do you think about antler restrictions??

[trophychaser]

I'm wondering what everyone has to think about antler restrictions to increase the quality of the minnesota buck population?

My hunting party has talked about this issue and we would love to see something like this!

I think the DNR has been tossing the idea around. Does anyone know where it stands?

Cory

[Gissert]

In the area where I hunt, there are a lot of six and 8 point bucks that are a year and a half old. Some even have ten points. In this case, having point restrictions would still result in a lot of young bucks getting taken.

IMO, I am not a big fan of antler point restrictions. I think there might be a lot of deer shot and left to lay by unethical folks when they discover the deer is not legal.

[woody1975]

I love the idea. I would love the idea of having a chance to see a trophy every so often.

I would be all for it.

[Code-Man]

good idea but has to be enforced.

[summit090706]

I hunt in Itasca state park and we have had a point restriction in the park now for 2 years. What it has done has in my opinion made people stop hunting the park. It also has stopped the shooting of some does because you can see the entire deer but not the head or maybe the ears are up or something. Also if you put a point restriction on what would you do for the youth? If you made them obey those same rules don't you think a lot of them would stop hunting? Just some thoughts.

[Rost]

I'd much rather see a lottery. That way there is no grey area. You either have a buck tag..or you don't.

I still can't believe that MN has a doe lottery! My MN group (10) has not sent in for a doe tag in decades. Around my area, a lot of groups shoot anything with a rack. People take pride in just saying they shot a buck (even if it is only a little basket rack).

[HC Eye Hunter]

I am all for the lottery idea.

Granted point restrictions may save some forkies and six pointers but there are too many year and a half 8 and 10 point bucks that will still get shot.

[lawdog]

I'd go with an antler restriction AND a lottery in those areas where there are too many deer. Here in zone 4, I don't think either will really work unless the idiotic two day season is eliminated (and the "brown its down" mentality that goes with it), and because I also don't think we have enough deer to really be pushing cutting the population down so I don't know that we want to give out too many doe tags either...

I'd have absolutely no problem with an antler restriction though if it was adopted. I'd sure want youth and Sr. Citizen licenses exempted from it though. Oh and NO cross tagging for bucks either!

[charliepete2]

I'd be all for an antler restriction in areas that allow for doe hunting without a special permit. I'd much rather have a chance at a big buck and eat does. In areas where there aren't doe permits available, I wouldn't like a restriction. I like eating venison.

[bigbucks]

I don't like antler point restrictions at all. I'd be much more in favor of Earn A Buck restrictions where the population is too high. I think it's just going to cull out the young deer with high potential, where as now the spikes & forks, which at least in some cases are inferior deer, can be traded for a few of those nicer yearlings, because they walked by Mr. brown is down first & he wasn't there when the yearling 8 walked by.

If there's a problem with too many bucks being taken I have no problem with making party hunting for bucks illegal, but unless all party hunting's illegal that's a mgmt nightmare. In most areas they do want more deer killed, so they aren't likely to take out the most effective herd control tool they have, which is firearm party hunting.

I think guys just need to be more patient as the MN hunting culture changes. 5 years ago almost no one I knew was ever talking about letting little bucks walk & if they were, they were only the diehard bow hunters. I've let more small bucks go myself in the last 3-4 years, than I ever would have dreamed of. I can think of at least 3 firearms bucks standing broadside at 50 yards or less, unaware, with nothing in the way in the last two season alone, that I didn't even shoot at. I can think of probably at least 20 that were 30 yards or under with the bow in the last three years. There's a lot of guys with numbers like that or much higher. Change takes time. I hunted where any horns were the ultimate for 20 years, think about the guys that have been doing it for 40 or 50! Unfortunately most of those won't be hunting in 10 years & I'm not sure there's enough young hunters to replace them. The buck herd will get better. I've seen it already in my cousin's boy. Last year, 14 years old, second or third year deer hunting, fawns walk by him, he doesn't even raise his gun. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing that until I was at least 25. Any deer was a good deer, because there weren't many & the season was very short. The number of big bucks shot in MN has to be going up overall, it's just that people are so big antler crazed that nothing's big enough. Personally I don't really care how many inches of antler a buck has. If he's huge or his rack is large compared to all the other deer around, he's a trophy.

[Powerstroke]

Its true that antler restrictions would not likely work. I remeber the days of doe permits when you could find a dead doe on public land because someone shot it without thinking. MN doesn't need doe permits, we need buck permits.

I think the Earn-a-Buck program is a good idea.

There is one very large problem with MN deer hunting that greatly contributes to the death of so many young bucks....

MN is one of only a handful of states that has a firearms season DURING THE RUT. Its really too bad. It does provid emore opportunities for hunters, but it ruins the quality of bucks because every fork, basket rack and 6 pointer is walking the county looking for action. The brown its down mentality fires away and thats that. If MN pushed its season back to around thanksgiving then more quality bucks would live. That also means that more quality bucks would do the breeding.

MN does have quality deer all on its own. MN is the #2 state in number of Pope and Young deer in the books. Iowa is the only one higher. Our state can produce great deer, but if you read the book there are certain counties that account for more than half of the trophies killed.

It takes a lot more than QDM to get trophy bucks in Northern MN.

[huntnfish]

I agree that something has to be done to improve the quality of bucks in MN. This year was my first hunting in ND and I saw more good bucks in three days hunting than I had the 15 years prior to that in MN. I don't know if the point resriction is the way to go. I would like to see a lottery for bucks. With the point restriction I think there would be a lot of bucks left to lay that didn't meet the set number of points.

[Cooter]

Quote:

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MN is the #2 state in number of Pope and Young deer in the books

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Sure about that?

Boy antler restrictions is an interesting and highly debated topic. I think a few southern states have tried it - not sure how its worked out. I'd like to see a state such as MN, WI, or MI give it a try and see what happens. You really need a quality/trophy type mentality for something like that to work. If those 1.5 old bucks are off limits, thats a pretty decent chunk of most herds. So that would leave you with fawns, does, and older bucks up for harvest. Hunters would have to give up seeing and shooting the quantity of deer they currently do. Tough question, good topic, later.

[ortonville]

i think minnesota needs to look at south dakota deer management. in zone 4 area 431 is where i hunt now this is for my area only as i dont know about the rest of the state but around here the best would be a lotery one where you pick any deer,anterless only or buck. only have so many tag and if you dont get a tag you dont hunt that area for the year.sa a second choice you can pick a different are if you want.i know in south dakota this works.and there are areas with left over tags and a person can buy i think up to 5 of them.some areas have doulble doe tags for area that dont get the pressure. rost you live in south dakota and grew up in minnesota so you know how it works do you think this would work here?

[walleyeaddict]

Brown is down is just retarded...period. Quality management would bring millions of needed dollars to this state... which by the waty has the highest maintaing dnr bill in the country(largely due to all the lakes). And after a year or 2 everyone would get venison and a lot more of it. I also do not believe an antler restriction would work but mn should adopt a lottery for bucks instead of does. As was stated above give it time let the younger generation get control and u will see less of the if it is brown its down idiocrecy! IMHFO

[trophychaser]

I love all the feedback!! I'm not sure which plan would work better. I hunt in Western Minnesota. This year we had a lottery for does. After a couple of years with bonus tags available the deer heard took huge decline. Many hunting parties were luck to fill 1/2 of thier tags!! I guess I was thinking with an antler point restriction no one would shoot a small buck. It's pretty tough telling the number of points slug hunting. No scopes and if they come running out on a deer drive it's usually 90mph!! Some of the older people in our hunting party shoot anything with horns. Some of us younger hunters are starting to leave the smaller bucks!!

I would love to see something done!!

[iffwalleyes]

No way is a antler restriction going to work. Because it won't be enforced properly and mistakes happen then what. I am a ND resident and we have a lottery system as mentioned. That is the way to go for sure. You make the person decide what they are going to take when they go in the field. The State caps the number of buck tags allowed a year. I myself always apply buck only first go round this year I didn't draw so then I applied for a doe tag second drawing and that is what I shot. The earn a buck is a interesting program to me and I think that it could work. But MN could learn something from some of it's neighbors as far as deer management I believe.

[Powerstroke]

I am sure about the P&Y comment. Being that its bow kills only there are fewer and the population of hunters is less too. Gunb hunting is more popular in some states.

Top 10 P&Y states and the number of registered deer. 05 book.

1. Iowa 615 6. Missouri 285

2. Minnesota 608 7. Kentucky 279

3. Wisconsin 589 8. Kansas 255

4. Illinois 552 9. Ohio 235

5. Texas 316 10. Michigan 155

[Rost]

I will only comment on what I think should happen in western MN. Other parts of MN have different habitat and terrain. In fact, much of western MN looks very similar to the areas I hunt here in SD.

Guys, all I can say is that I have seen more 130+ class bucks in the first year I lived in SD than my whole life back in SWMN! Simply put, the lottery system works!

Ask yourself, would you rather shoot a dink every year, or would you rather have the opportunity to shoot a dandy every other year?

I know that there ARE nice deer in MN and everyone hears about a nice buck or two that has been shot in their area. Here are a few of my friends and the the SD deer they shot in 2006. Again, these are my friends! These are not just random deer that end up in my inbox the day after rifle opener.

I'd bet I have shot around 20 MN bucks in my day. None that are seriously worth bragging about. After moving here, I noticed that every friend's house that I visit has 2,3,4 bucks on the wall. They keep their 120 class buck antlers out in the garage!

Big Deer, you want um?

[wallythewalleye]

Powerstroke The part you left out is that past 17 years. Wisconsin is producing the most pope and young buck.(list Below) And Minnesota continues to fall. The reason to early of a gun season. Plan and simple.

1 Wisconsin

2 Illinois

3 Iowa

4 Ohio

5 Minnesota

[Powerstroke]

I totally agree with you. WIth a later gun season and a lottery BUCK tag the bucks would improve and provide incentive. Some would argue that people will shoot any buck if they get drawn, but if there are fewer bucks taken thanmaybe they will be better quality.

[The_Duckslayer]

I hunt deer because I truly N Joy being out doors. I hutt deer because it is a challange. I hunt deer because I get to spend quality time with my son. I hunt deer because I really like to eat venison. No where in there did you see I hunt deer because I like big racks, not that I dont mind you ;-). I deer hunt either near St Peter or down by Comfrey and if you did not get drawn for a doe tag and you see a deer and it is a buck you better take it. It just could be the only deer you will see that season! We are not all fortunate enough to hunt up north and pass on a bunch of deer while waiting for a big rack. I know that there must be more guys out there that feel that way even though it does not reflect that in the responses here. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[Rost]

Exactly what Powerstroke said. Let's look at Lake County (where I live). Last year, the SD GFP allowed 450 buck tags for Lake Co. A total of 1034 people applied which makes a difference of 584. In other words an extra 584 bucks could have been harvested if we were allowed to simply by a tag over the counter.

I also like how SD looks at each individual county when determining deer management. Some counties allow hunters to take 800 bucks while others may only allow 400. It just depends on how the herd is looking.

[trophychaser]

Rost

WOW!!!! I think I might just start deer hunting in SD!!

That's what I'm talking about. The chance for a quality buck every once in a while. I don't expect to have a chance every year, but every 2 to 3 years would be great!! I bow hunt. I'm all by myself. If I was hunting for the putting food on the table part of it. I would be better of buying 1/2 of a beef. I love the challenge of trying to out wit a mature buck with a nice rack!! It's a little hard sometimes when they are so hard to find!!

I'm starting to like the idea of a lottery!!

Cal

[summit090706]

Duck Slayer I agree with you and that is what I have stated in some other threads. If you want to wait for that big one go for it, but we cannot try and make the state make everyone wait for the big one, watch the population in the area that have too many deer now take off... Like to see other people with the same mind set...