Question?

[woody1975]

Normally I feel like I had all the answers to these new deer regulations, but a situation came up that I am not sure about.

A guy I work with shot a buck with his bow in SE MN (Intensive), so now he is not going to buy a firearms license.

He would like to, however, buy a muzzleloader license. My question is, now that he has filled a "buck" tag, can he shoot a doe in a Lottery area (Keep in mind he has not bought a firearms license and has not shot a deer in any lottery zone)?

In reading the regulations, it seems that he can shoot a doe?

Thanks,

DL

[hhguide]

From what I understand if he doesnt buy a firearms license he should be able to shoot a doe during muzzleloader season

[Jameson]

Hopefully the deer sheriff will chime in with his say, but I think your buddy would be O.K. doing what he plans to do. He is not using a bonus tag in a lottery area, and he did not purchase a regular firearms license. I would think he's good to go.

[96trigger]

Yes I blieve, he can shoot a doe. I think of it this way. Every hunter in Minnesota can shoot up to 5 deer in any combination of seasons (except the split firearm season, you can only go one of those). However, only one can have antlers. The next thing you have to think about is the area that you are hunting. If you take the max number of deer out of an area that you are allowed, you are done for that area in the whole state and must move to an area with an increased bag limit. For example, you could move to a managed area after filling your lottery tag (as long as you were successful in the lottery) in a lottery area and shoot two more deer, then to an intensive area and shoot two more for your max of 5, but again, only one can be antlered. I believe this is correct but you might just want to email the DNR. This is where it gets a little confusing. Lcornice????

[Traxxx]

He would need a lottery doe permit to muzzie hunt in a lottery area. I believe he could party hunt with someone with a doe permit, but he can't use his tag in a lottery area. He could still hunt in managed or intensive.

[Hossienda]

The answer to if he can take an anterless deer in a lottery area with a muzzleloader license is on page 64 of the regulation book at the top. It states: "If you buy only a muzzleloader license and not a firearm license, you can take an either sex deer statewide."

It also says "If you buy a firearm and muzzleloader license, the license is valid for buck only unless successful in the lottery."

Hope this helps.

-Hossienda

[96trigger]

Hoss, thanks, that is a little tidbit that I never found and I have read the regs pretty thoroughly. I don't know if I understood his question that well. But I still believe that answer is yes, if he doesn't go firearm season.

[Hossienda]

No problem 96. It didn't hurt either to have attended a luncheon yesterday where the local Alexandria CO was the guest speaker. He did a 1 hour presentation/discussion on rules and regs and took plenty of time after to talk with anyone who wanted to stick around. It was an excellent opportunity for me to improve the knowledge I already had.

-Hossienda

[lawdog]

NO HE CAN'T.

One deer only in a lottery area its that simple. If he's shot a deer as you say, he can't tag another in a lottery area, don't care what weapon he is using what licenses he has or whether or not he applied for a lottery tag: ONE deer only in a lottery area.

[woody1975]

Lawdog - He has not shot a deer in a lottery. The buck he shot was in an intensive harvest area in SE MN.

DL

[Hossienda]

Just want to politely point out that it was noted in the original post that the deer taken was in an intensive harvest area.

-Hossienda

[lcornice]

Hopefully the deer sheriff will chime in with his say, but I think your buddy would be O.K. doing what he plans to do. He is not using a bonus tag in a lottery area, and he did not purchase a regular firearms license. I would think he's good to go.

I got called the sheep sheriff this summer but I think I like deer sheriff better. The answer is yes. So long as he doesn't buy a firearm license he can take a doe in a lottery area. As indicated, he didn't kill the buck in a lottery area with his bow.

[96trigger]

Sheep sheriff, I like that, you should change your screen name.

[woody1975]

Thanks Lou and everyone else.

DL

[fishinmajishin]

Originally Posted By: Jameson

Hopefully the deer sheriff will chime in with his say, but I think your buddy would be O.K. doing what he plans to do. He is not using a bonus tag in a lottery area, and he did not purchase a regular firearms license. I would think he's good to go.

I got called the sheep sheriff this summer but I think I like deer sheriff better. The answer is yes. So long as he doesn't buy a firearm license he can take a doe in a lottery area. As indicated, he didn't kill the buck in a lottery area with his bow.

Sheep Sheriff?? I don't even want to know the reason for that.

[mrklean]

Email the DNR, ive done that a few times and they respond within a few hours and they are very helpful, it all depends on the zones, 1 buck per person per year and up to 4 doe but it all depends on zone.

[lawdog]

Originally Posted By: Jameson

Hopefully the deer sheriff will chime in with his say, but I think your buddy would be O.K. doing what he plans to do. He is not using a bonus tag in a lottery area, and he did not purchase a regular firearms license. I would think he's good to go.

I got called the sheep sheriff this summer but I think I like deer sheriff better. The answer is yes. So long as he doesn't buy a firearm license he can take a doe in a lottery area. As indicated, he didn't kill the buck in a lottery area with his bow.

Wow, Lou, you've confused me here. If you have used your main tag on a buck with the bow and then go to a lottery area to shoot a doe (where there are no bonus tags allowed, just a drawing to make your main tag either sex) what tag can you use? I thought if you bought both licenses it didn't mean each tag was valid and could be used to both tag an animal. I thought the one deer in a lottery area meant if you shot a deer anywhere you couldn't take another one then in a lottery area. Can you shoot a buck somewhere else and then come shoot a doe with the bow in the lottery area too? You'd only have a bonus tag to do it with and I know they can't be used in a lottery area. If not why does another license change that??? I thought one deer if you were in a lottery area was absolute and very understandable. I guess not now...

[BRULEDRIFTER]

LawDog, you are the one that is confused!

The original post said the guy shot a buck in an INTENSIVE harvest area (Zone 3).

He doesn't plan on buying a rifle tag. Therefore, if he buys a muzzleloader tag, that ML tag will be an either sex tag, no matter where he hunts. However, since he already shot a buck, it is essentially a doe tag statewide!

Bow tag = either sex state wide

Muzzleloader = either sex state wide (as long as a firearms license wasn't purchased. Then you would have to enter the lottery for those zones)

[lawdog]

LawDog, you are the one that is confused!

NO kidding Einstein, that's why I said, "Wow Lou, you've confused ME" That seems to pretty clearly say I'm confused doesn't it????

Your explanation contributes nothing by the way. Bow tag either sex statewide, DUH, Muzzleloader either sex state wide unless firearm, DUH, that's not even the question. The question is what can be taken with those tags in the various zones.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Wow, chill there homey! Just trying to help. Your questions have me a bit confused I guess.

Figure it out! it's not rocket science!

[96trigger]

Lawdog, not sure where the confusion lies???? He is legal as long as he does NOT buy a FIREARM license, and the BUCK that he shot was NOT in a lottery area, he can legally shoot a doe with the ML in a lottery area.

I capitalized those words to emphasize why this legal, not to sound like I am yelling at you.

[Hossienda]

Lawdog,

I can see some of your confusion here and I have some as well. Page 64 in the book discusses the use of bonus tags but to me I am disappointed in it.

Bonus permits

• Bonus permits are available to archery, firearms, and muzzleloader

hunters to take antlerless deer in designated areas.

• One bonus permit may be used per year in a managed deer area.

Up to four bonus permits may be used in intensive deer areas and

some special hunts.

• Bonus permits are valid for archery, muzzleloader or firearms, but

hunters must have the appropriate regular license for the area, season,

and method they are using.

• Bonus permits are not valid in lottery deer areas.

I wonder if there were maybe some unintended consequences of the language here. I would like to be able to take a buck by archery in an intensive harvest area and also be able to hunt (archery)my friends property which is a lottery to try and take a doe but I guess that is not an option.

I am not going to address hunting different seasons/weapons as I believe that muddy's the water too much.

-Hossienda

[lawdog]

Here is the confusion. He has tagged a buck, in other words he's used his main tag. Buying the firearm and/or muzzleloader license does not give him another main tag to use automatically does it? How can he go to a lottery area and shoot another deer? Its always been my understanding that you could only use that one main tag (regardless of what licenses you have) and the rest of your deer had to be through bonus tags or intensive harvest tags. Has that changed now too?

[96trigger]

Yes, The main tag use is gone now, you need to think of it as a bag limit, that is new this year. I understand what you are thinking now. It HAS changed. We used to always have to keep our main tag and eat them at the end of the year if we wanted to continue hunting, that is not the case anymore. Go back to my original post. He would not be using his bonus tag to get the deer in the lottery area, he would be using his regular ML tag. As long as he didn't buy a firearm license, and didn't already shoot a deer in the archery season in a lottery area, he would be able to shoot a doe in the lottery area. The old way of holding on to that tag no longer applies.

[mrklean]

Trigger once again were in this convo and you are correct i have emailed the DNR a few times about this and they say thing of it like a bag limit if its an intensive zone. If he is hunitng a intensive zone his buck tag is gone so really he can tag it with a gun or muzzy, i emailed the DNR the samething.