Outdoor News and deer photos

[Bear55]

Quote:

Imagine the human race if 99% of all males over the age of 17 were gone, doesn't seem right does it.

Neither would one dominant human doing all the breeding. Your comparison is a bit off. The human race is supposed to be monogamous, you can't compare the two.

You have a good point and they may not be comparible but it is unnatural for younger buck to do most of the breeding and that is due to the over hunting of bucks.

[96trigger]

I'll give you that. There needs to be a healthy number of mature bucks, and I think some places in MN have that.

[BLACKJACK]

"Neither would one dominant human doing all the breeding."

Well now, if that one dominant human being was me and i had to do all the breeding....!

Dream on CodyDawg!!!! You'd be wore to a frazzle!!

[BLACKJACK]

I'm curious why the people that say they don't like the ODN don't like it??

As far as the buck pictures, I would guess that less than 5% of the big bucks shot in MN end up in the ODN - but the sample is big enough to show that there ARE big bucks in MN, you just have to go hunt one down.

Its interesting reading peoples comments on deer hunting and QDM. Definately two camps, for or against.

I think it would be worthwhile to try and move the hunting season back a few weeks, not to Dec 10 becasue the chances of bad weather curtailing the hunt and harvest is greater, but maybe to Thanksgiving. Try it as a six year experiment and then re-evaluate it and see if really does produce more and bigger bucks. But then you'd have people complaining about the archery hunters, and then to 'equalize' things, they might have to shut down the archery season for a few weeks and I wouldn't want to see that!!!

All complex issues but I think the MN DNR does a good job managing the deer herd.

[vister]

I think the ODN is great. is there a better publication out there that shows you weekly pics of young billy or young sallys' first deer while hunting, be it a button buck? While one proud dad is taking the pic! Or toddlers with their first sunny or bullhead underneath a bridge or culvert? If there is i'd like to see it.

As far as QDM goes, not just one person alone can do it. Get together with your neighbors and decide that hey, we're going to let young bucks walk. maybe they'll do the same, and in just a few years i'll bet you can see results.

good "rack" genetics are in does too. let that fork walk, and take a doe instead. if you're not going to mount it in any fashion, then why shoot it. If its meat you're after, take a doe.

[bigsmallie]

quality management starts with letting the little bucks go. I hunt missouri on occasion, they went to 4 points on one side minimum a few years ago to increase the age class. This also increases the population, as the small spikes and forks can grow another year. They implement an early season youth hunt, which does not apply to the point restriction, so the younguns can shoot a deer not based on the "size" of the rack. If your 40 years old, and your all excited about shooting three small bucks to "fill" tags, then I would say you know nothing about hunting, or you are a novice. Let the deer grow. Iowa also has their deer season after the first rut....they have the crops too...but both states that implement these things have way bigger deer than minnesota. My first year in Missouri, in a week I saw 4 different pope and youngs. In minnesota, bowhunting harder than most, I may see one. That's all I go for...as it's my option, and I for one would like to have more options(big bucks_) Put an antler restriction, have a youth hunt, and move the season a little bit out of the peak rut(typically nov 7-9) and we will have big bucks, and a healthy herd in Minnesota!

[fishinmajishin]

ditto vister

[archerystud]

ditto bigmallie. In my last Missouri trip I also saw 4 P&Y's during a 6 day hunt. The trip prior to it I took 140 inch 3.5 year old.

I probably hunt 35 day/yr in MN and most years I'll see one P&Y deer. Two would be a really good year for me here in MN.

[subzero]

Sorry, CAN'T agree with a 40 year old being a novice or a bad hunter because he takes bucks you would not. He may be a very good deer hunter, just his opion of a trophy or the sport of hunting doesn't agree with your's. Doesn't make him wrong or a bad hunter. It would be interesting to see out of the 500,000 deer hunters in the state . How many really care if they shoot a big buck. I am sure most would like to but if they don't it won't ruin there deer season. I know this may be a very unpopular opion but there are only a few hunters with the time and knowledge to get a really big buck and they seem to do it year after year. I am not one of them.

[KG243]

This is a stupid thread, I cant believe that everyone on here hasnt had the post deleted by the web site. I put my opinion about the new deer laws and I get mine deleted. If others like the other states so much go hunt there. Problem solved.

[Walleye #1]

This is an extremely interesting discussion. Being from Houston County and having seen the deer that are produced down in this county I can say that there are a lot of big bucks. Some of you should sit down and go to the Bluff Country Whitetail meeting and here their side to this argument. This group along with alot of other high profile outdoorsmen in this area of the state have tried to work long and hard with the DNR how how to better manage the herd and to help produce a larger # of bigger bucks. I truly think Iowa is an example to work off of. I hunt every fall, and there just seems to be something wrong with having the gun season in November, which is usually the peak of the rut. Why not allow these deer to either A. being hunted by bow hunters, or B. allow them a greater chance to breed and make it through this time. I hunted NE Iowa for five years, and I can truly say that I have seen a larger number of big bucks around NE Iowa than Houston County, and the amount of public land, the landscape itself, forage based, and so forth between the two areas is very similar, so you can't argue that. I believe very strongly, as do many others that if the gun season was just moved to early December you would see an increase in the buck population, at least in this corner of the state. Ultimately the hunter has to get out and hunt, but I think with a few changes in the schedule we would see a difference in the end results.

[summit090706]

I guess since everyone is getting into this I would drop my two cents in. I took my 3 year old hunting for the first time and to be honest the doe that we saw was a trophy, it didn't have to have antlers. I think that people forget what the DNR is suppose to do the MN, they are suppose to manage the deer herd, and to be honest (don't quote me on this), but in WI there are Does running everywhere, with people hitting them and CWD, so I don't think that we want to manage like our friends to the east. As for IA not sure about that but I would assume that same is happening down there. I hunt gun in Itsaca State Park which is one of the special areas that there is a point restriction in MN. It has to have at least 3 points on one side. This rule as been in place for 2 or 3 years and I know that it takes time, but other then a lot more Does running around I have not seen bigger more mature deer yet. Again just my two cents. I pray that the DNR manages our herd so it is around so when my son wants to take me hunting when I am 90 there are still deer around and not like back in the 50's and 60's when the population was at a all time low.

[james_walleye]

I have to get the exact numbers, but a friend of mine who is part of blufflands whitetails told me that the 3 counties in the far NE corner of IA average more B&C bucks registered each year than the whole state of MN does combined.

[Scott K]

Quote:

in WI there are Does running everywhere, with people hitting them and CWD, so I don't think that we want to manage like our friends to the east.

Hey, I am trying my best to reduce those does

[1runhotshot]

Having the hunting season later (December like Iowa) or at least late November like Wisconsin would improve big buck numbers. Problem is the MN. Deer Hunters Assoc. has a lot of pull with the DNR and since a large number of their members are in Northern MN. they will not endorse it. December can be very cold up there and it probably won;t happen any time soon.