Mn Recognized as on of USA's Sweetest Spots for Whitetails

[sticknstring]

Nice article in Outdoor news today highlighting much of what's been discussed in this thread providing factual statistics from Boone & Crockett. Over the past 100 years, MN was 4th for typical entries. In the past 20 years, that ranking has dropped to 9th. I think it's about time to reverse the trend. DNR Wildlife Section chief Dennis Simon claims that once population goals have been reached, the shift can be turned to enhance the age structure. I'll believe when I see it. He also claims MN has the same potential as IA & WI. I disagree as MN faces a much greater winter-kill factor than IA and the fact that no effort will be made to push the season outside of the rut separates us even further. There's definitely potential but lets not compare apples to oranges. Good read nonetheless.

[Crappie Rage]

As a bowhunter, I bought land out of state. It is night and day different in the number of quality bucks seen through a season.

I do not believe anything the DNR does leads to a more balanced age structure in the Minnesota deer herd.

In my opinion, the reason Minnesota hunting has improved in the last 10 years is 90% weather and 10% that some guys have stopped shooting forkhorns. If we have a bad winter or two the hunting here will take a downturn quickly.

The number one thing that leads to bigger bucks is age.

It is another question, as to if the DNR should do something about protecting young bucks. As a 40 year old hunter I would be all for protecting young bucks.

[Stratosman]

Those 1-1/2 year old deer are the easiest deer in the woods to kill, and combine that with gun season during the heat of the rut, well, there goes the age structure...With that being said I would not be in favor of any regulations imposed by the DNR other than maybe pushing the gun season back to mirror WI's.

There are big guys out there, you have to hunt them differently than you do when just hunting deer, they are a totally different creature once they hit about 3 years old.

[BLACKJACK]

I always say if you dont like the hunting here gor somewhere else that leaves more deer for the rest of us!

I agree!!!! If you don't like the deer hunting in MN, hit the road!!

[bogwalker]

Or be responsible and work to improve it.

[slimngrizzly]

Captain Fireman, I agree with you. Good genetics, and good food are the biggest positive variables.

Although genetics and quality nutrition are essential for producing top-end bucks.... they mean NOTHING with out AGE!

[james_walleye]

Minnesotas genetics are second to none. Slim is right, it means nothing without age. Sticker has a point though that is valid. Does a guy want MN having the notoriaty? What would the ramifications be? The deal with IA is that the whole darn state is top notch. That isnt the case in MN. The SE corner of the state is pretty darn good and if it would in fact get that much better would a guy then have to pay to get access? There is 2 sides to the tale i guess.

[96trigger]

I don't think that there are a lot of people who can spend the time and money driving back and forth to Iowa to bowhunt. Also, their are a lot more firearm hunters than Archery hunters. I love to hunt whitetails, its basically my passion, and that is why I took up archery and soon got hooked. I knew that my odds of seeing the mature whitetail were slim in MN during the Firearm season, however, since bowhunting. I see them yearly, so I know that they are out there.

The reason you don't see the limited access is that the families do hunt, I would bet that if hunting wasn't a family affair, it might be a different story. When most land owners are hunters, leasing is not going to be a problem. when most land owners milk cows and don't hunt, you have a much higher rate for leasing. Buffalo county has some very large dairy farms. They don't hunt, or don't hunt all the land they run, therefor, their land is more open for leasing. I think if you asked some of those farmers and families if they have ever have been approached about leasing their land for hunting, You might get a surprising answer. The only reason my land wasn't leased out is because it was family that hunted it. The land that did get leased wasn't used by a family for hunting, and generally, they didn't let hunters in, but throw in some money, and things change. As the family farm dies, and the farming corporations get bigger and bigger, I believe that we will see more and more leasing of land. If you live down here, you know what I'm talking about. The farms that expand to 300, 400, or even 500 cows. They buy more land, and along with it, the hunting land. A leaser comes by and asks to lease the land, the farmer doesn't do a whole lot else with it and can make some money off of it so why not? He only has to tell the half dozen hunters that he gives permission to hunt it that it is now leased.

The thing that scares me most about this, is that leasers don't just want 100 acres of woodland. Around here, they want 500 to a 1,000 acres of bluffland.

[james_walleye]

Yeah im trying to see both sides of the coin. I just don't know if land being leased up really comes from more big bucks or not, just as you have stated, you are already seeing it down where you are. I think alot of the land that is being leased in MN in big chunks is so they can create on their own what can't be created otherwise. People know if they control 500 acres and don't shoot any little bucks that the potential of the land will be realized.

On another note trigger did you see the ODN article yesterday in which Cornicelli was questioned about MN deer management? He said the earn a buck in SE MN is just around the corner. Not sure what to think about that.

Whats the latest on the corn out that way? Did they pick yesterday in that weather?

[96trigger]

James, still no corn out your way or mine. Never saw one deer last night, and had some nice pics of a turkey hunter on the trail cam, but absolutely no deer. There is way too much green in the woods, and way too much corn in the fields. Next week, I see a lot of corn getting picked, 5 straight days of nice weather after Sunday, not going to leave us a lot of time, but we will have to make the most of it.

[FLnick87]

I think people in the metro area need to be shooting more does. Too many people would rather take a small fork besides a doe just so they can say they got a buck. The area I hunt around Scandia in washington county has this problem. The real problem is that in order to get any QDM done, the majority of the hunters in an area have to follow the same rules. We always pass on small bucks opening weekend but it never pays because as soon as they leave our propery, the neighbors shoot them, and if they don't, their neighbors will. When everone in an area only owns 40 acres it is tough to get enough people to committ to make a difference. Plus towards the end of the season, everyone wants some venison in the freezer. Not sure on the plan this year, hopefully I just see does or something nice becuase it is tempting to shoot the smaller bucks if thats all ur seeing and you know they are gonna get shot by someone else if you dont.

[sticknstring]

I read the Q&A with Lou... nice to hear a step forward may finally be taken. I'm sure it'll be a small step but at least we'll have a foot in the door. I know some foul play takes place with earn-a-buck regulations after paying attention to WI the past few years. People picking up road-kills, bringing deer across the border, etc but I think the abuse is small and should help protect a lot of yearling bucks. Time will tell.

[96trigger]

I'm undecided about earn a buck. We have a goofy system right now the way it is with two zones, (3A and 3B). If they went with the earn a buck, they would have to do something about the seasons, probably combine it in to one. Nobody is going to want to go 3B after all the buck hunters have taken half the does out of the population to earn their bucks. I can see where he is coming from but the structure down here is good, I don't know why one would mess with it. Also, if it would only be in SEMN, I don't know how it would help any of the people where the population is low. I just don't know if this is a step in the right direction. I can see it getting some serious opposition down here.

[james_walleye]

So you havent seen much on your camera lately either? At least i know my stand might not be the dud i thought it was. I was able to get this afternoon off of work and i was able to get permission to go out for this afternoon only where i had the trail cam picture of that 16 pointer, the same place i glassed the 4 bucks in the field last saturday at sunset, 1 being another wallhanger. It will be interesting to see what happens out there. Then i guess i'll sit my other spot i was telling you about the rest of the weekend.

[96trigger]

Good luck, tis only going to get better with the cold weather, as long as the corn leaves soon.

[james_walleye]

Well my season should have been over yesterday. About sunrise i had a 6 pointer come through and work a scrape that has shown up 30 yards from my stand. After he worked the scrape he made the 20 yard walk kitty corner across me down to the water hole where he stood 20 yards broadside. As im watching him i neglect to keep watching the trail where all the deer come from. I hear a snap and there 20 yards from me is a beauty of a 10 pointer, about a 130" deer if i had to guess. He stands about 5 feet from my shooting lane, he heads to the scrape and i couldnt get ahold of my bow and get drawn before he made it through the lane. He works the heck out of that scrape and licking branch which was fun to watch. He then also turns and heads down to the water and im thinking im still going to get a crack at him. He gets half way there and the wind must have swirled, i've never seen a buck take off like that in my life. If that darn 6 pointer wouldnt have shown up first i would have seen that buck 20 yards before he got to my shooting lane. Now unfortunately i'll probably never see him again. I'm hoping it turns out to be a sort of blessing, i have a 3 day weekend next weekend, maybe a giant will show up on that trail, but as of right now im pretty bummed.

[96trigger]

Hey James, I'm assuming that was on your other land? Too bad about it, we've all had that experience. The combines were running on Ssturday, I'm not sure if the big corn fields are still back there or not. I'll check it out tomorrow morning. Activity is picking up over here, but not full blown yet.

[FISHINGURU]

theres big bucks everywhere...just cause u don't see em doesn't mean they aren't there....alot of hunters don't see big bucks ever cause they need to sharpen their skills...ever notice the same few people always see or shoot the big bucks?

only thing i don't like about our state is gun season goes through the heart of the rut.

thats a bummer james...a couple evenings ago i had this doe bed down 50 yards from me 2 hours before dark...about 30 minutes before dark she gets up and works her way within 20 yards coming right at me at an angle...she would of came dang near under my tree to get to the field...on her way over 2 coons jump down from a tree behind me and start fighting, screaming and chasing each other...she doesn't like it so she turns and walks out about 50 yards away from me to go around them....couple minutes later i hear sticks breaking and a big bucks comes right out of the thicket and follows her to the field 50 yards away through the thicker stuff instead of a few yards away from my tree if it wasn't for them coons!!