Hunting Season Outside Rut

[Coach1310]

I know this topic has been discussed, but was curious to others thoughts. The one thing I hear over and over is the need to move the gun season to December or late November to keep it away from the rut when the big boys are less vulnerable. I am a bow and gun hunter, but I feel that if we are really into bigger bucks, then I say we move both seasons out of the rut. Have bow season run from its traditional opener to the end of October and then no hunting til December. Gun Season moved to December. What would folks think of this?

I personally don't have a problem with it being where it is. I'm not a trophy hunter and just enjoying being out and having the opportunity to harvest deer.

[bigbucks]

I'd have no problem hunting wise moving the gun season back a couple weeks. I don't think there's a state in the union that doesn't allow bow hunting during the rut, unless maybe if it's closed for gun season. That's one of the biggest reasons a large segment of guys bow hunt.

Respectively, if you think they're going to try closing bow hunting during the rut you're crazy. I'm guessing there would be a lot of people calling for lcornice's head if that happened. We wouldn't want that to happen, he's very helpful on here.

[lcornice]

 Originally Posted By: bigbucks

I'm guessing there would be a lot of people calling for lcornice's head if that happened.

I appreciate that very much but it happens every day... pick your issue.

[tedl]

If the gun season was moved to Dec. I feel less people would take to the woods. Last Dec. I couldn't get to my deer shack because of all the snow.

[Coach1310]

I don't think it will ever happen, that they will close bowhunting during the rut and I'm not saying that is the answer. I just don't understand why it seems to be the "gun hunters" fault that all too many big bucks are harvested. My thought is if we are really concerned on harvesting less bucks to allow more to mature, shut down hunting during the rut.

I think the seasons are great where they are, but I think moving the gun season out of the rut to protect the big bucks/bucks in general would be fine, but leaving the bowhunting would lead me to believe the bowhunters interest is more important then the bucks!

[tedl]

I feel the season should be open during the rut because the deer are on the move. People have the option of shooting the first deer they see or wait for the wall hanger.

[paceman]

I like the season's just the way they are. I like bowhnting early in September and through to January. I like rifle hunting during the rut. If I see Mr. Big at a hundred yards, I have a great chance to get him. I just started Muzzy hunting last year. I also thought that was a blast. Not to hot, not to cold, a little snow. Still plenty of deer around. I only shoot mature does and big bucks...3 1/2 months to hunt whenever I could. I can't imagine life being any better.

[bigbucks]

I'm sure, but I'm guessing the numbers would go up. I would guess some days you have the greatest job in the world & other days it's the worst. Keep up the good work.

[bigbucks]

Hey you could live closer to your buddy from LP...

Walleye season could never close... You're just lacking a little imagination...

I agree I like the seasons just fine too.

[Powerstroke]

 Originally Posted By: Coach1310

I just don't understand why it seems to be the "gun hunters" fault that all too many big bucks are harvested.... but leaving the bowhunting would lead me to believe the bowhunters interest is more important then the bucks!

From the 2007 deer hunting harvest report.

-Of the 656,000 deer licenses purchased, only ~62,000 were archery hunters. Thats under 10% of the total license sales.

-Firearms (incl. muzzy) harvested 228,500 deer, archery hunters took 17,000. About 7%.

-Of the 228,000 deer, 97500 were legal buck harvest. Thats 80,000 more than all the deer archery hunters shot total.

-Firearms hunters were 37% successful, muzzleloaders were 28% and archery hunters were 24% success rate.

The reason the DNR isn't that concerned with the effect archery hunters make, is because they make up a small percentage of the group. They wouldn't be giving preference to bowhunters, they would just be ignoring them cause they know they don't create that big an impact.

Its just logical that if you're trying to make a larger effort for policy change that the majority of hunters affected will be gun hunters.

You could block archery hunters from hunting the rut if you want. The best hunting is the two weeks before the rut anyway.

[Powerstroke]

Just so I'm clear I gun hunt and bow hunt and I hunt all season. From opening to closing of the seasons. I don't need the rut to move the deer for me or an extra 500,000 gun hunters.

I would like to see the season moved outside fot he rut so that so many bucks aren't harvested just because they are love crazed and stupid. MN is on of the few states that still allow rut season hunting and it shows because nobody mentions MN when they talk about trophy bucks. There are some here, but there used to be more and we could be in the top states if the policies were different.

Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois are not that far away so why do you think MN isn't ranked with them?

[96trigger]

I stated this in an earlier thread. I think that all of these discussions are tough because of the different geographic areas that Minnesota has. NMN is much different than SWMN which is different than SEMN. I know in our area, they made zone 3A a lottery for does when it used to be bucks only. I was very against it at first, but I said that I would give it some time before I decided if it was good or bad. I am not pretty happy with it. It has been happening for 2 years and during those 2 years in 3B I have seen more nice bucks than the previous 16 years of hunting put together. I am assuming that more people are shooting does than small bucks and getting out of the woods. It also helps that there is only one weekend and not two. The areas don't get pushed quite as hard.

[bottomdweller]

Right on Powerstroke

[00rowe]

Powerstroke has this one pegged, mature bucks need to be doing the bulk of the breeding, gun hunting the rut has a major impact on the amount of mature bucks harvested and the rut in general. From what little experience I have hunting northern MN (Greenbush), the deer are less pressured and more active, and I have a lot of experience Central Mn (todd county) deer are turned nocturnal because of the tremendous amount of pressure and I would think that has an effect on the rut. The only problem with moving the season later is the northern half of Mn, a big snow makes accessibility an issue and tends to "herd" up the deer making deer more vulnerable. I think one way to keep pressure off of deer is to "outlaw" organized deer drives, if the season was moved later. Don't get me wrong I'd rather drive deer than sit in a stand for hours on end but pushing deer late in the season would be tough on deer heading into winter. I know this would be tough to enforce but many hunters are ethical enough to obey the law even though we may be able to get by with it. Anyone else up for antlered deer tags available everyother year? I'd be game, either individually everyother year or the entire state, might be easier to enforce that way. I think age is the only difference from MN NOT producing quality bucks in numbers and Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois putting numbers of big bucks on the ground and in the record books. Just my opinion.

[Tyler D]

If I could live in a perfect world I would like to see the gun season stay in the rut because I beleive that it does make hunting more exciting. Unfortunatley I do feel it makes bucks to vulnerable, and hearing people that I know bragging about how they went 8 for 8 on bucks that were all 1 1/2 years ald makes me sick to my stomach.

Personally I would like to see a 4 point per side antler restriction for everyone over the age of say 16, and no party hunting. It would allow young kids to shoot what they want and still allow for less damage to the bucks during a rut hunt. Or going to a quota system in which you apply for your buck tag. It would kind of suck on years you didnt get a tag but it would be worth it to see more mature bucks, this system has been hugely succesful in colorado for instance.

We personally own 240 acres in northern MN and between us and two neighbors we have about 1000 acres tied up in managing for big bucks yet of the 10-15 bucks I see every season only one will be close to a size I would shoot. Why? becaus the neighbors on the land next to what we manage for big bucks are going 8 for 8 on 1 1/2 year olds, something needs to change if people want to harvest mature deer.