Buck pics

[Musky Buck]

I thought they had like 2,400 acres. I'll try to get the update but in the Wadena Pioneer Journal paper Nov. 2007 they had it in there.

[Musky Buck]

Maybe not every guy, sorry, but a heck of a lot of guys, that trailer was full of 200 pound heavy racked bucks.

[mrklean]

If only that could work around here, land is so spendy land owners are at each others throats saying someone is tresspassing and what not, i dont think that would work in many parts, it would be sweet if it would and the results would be amazing but dont know if it would work with land owners

[Musky Buck]

I hear ya, mrklean, your pic. has always freaked me out, the one above registered 01/02/07, not sure why lol

[Musky Buck]

Hey 1 more thing, my friend e-mailed me my t-cam pics, do u know who would be so kind to post them ?

[sticknstring]

This one?

That's what can happen with the cooperation of neighbors and letting small ones walk.

Musky - I can size & post them if you want. Email 'em to matts at hharchery dot com

[LOTWSvirgin]

Now if everyone would realize that. We would all need bigger houses and taller ceiling.

[Musky Buck]

I think that is the picture. The photo I remember is different but most likely the same group of guys, heard this year went great for them.

[Musky Buck]

hey man hharchery.com my computer said it wasn't valid.

[sticknstring]

Did you put matts in front of it? Post yours and you can reply to my response.

[mrklean]

Musky are you saying you dont like Dwight? me and pinkfloyd might have to get after you now

[bassNspear]

that photo is out of this world!

[Quackaddict9]

I thought I read the article, I still had it til a few months ago but deleted it and I thought it was from Park Rapids area, but you know Wadena is not too far from Park Rapids either! That is unreal, great to have a group of different landowners agreeing on same things and shoot nice ones each year.

[RuttenBuck]

That group is known as the Hillview Management Group. It is amazing and proof that MN can produce giant deer if they are given a chance to reach maturity. Here is their HSOforum. Check it out, you will be amazed. http://www.hillviewmanagement.com/

I am lucky enough to bow hunt & muzzleload a few miles West of Hillview by Butler. Although we are not officially in the group, we do practice QDM.

[Bear55]

The sad part is many of us know this is possible in any part of the state if guys would just let them grow up a little.

[kr8r.tom]

the real sad part is thats what this state used to be! minnesota used to produce more b&c deer than any other state.

[archerystud]

I made an offer on some land just North of Sebeka a couple of years ago. I wish my offer would have been accepted!

[Bear55]

the real sad part is thats what this state used to be! minnesota used to produce more b&c deer than any other state.

No kidding looking at those B&C and P&Y records we use to be #1. I know why the hunting is poor now but how did we get here? What has changed over the past 20-30 years?

[Musky Buck]

Lots

[Musky Buck]

Is that the photo Dwight who ? It just I don't know, keep it though, it just comes after me a little, LOL.

[Musky Buck]

I see my New York Mills land isn't too far from Hillview and I am familiar with that area, maybe I better take it off the market, the grass isn't always greener.

[Bear55]

Lots

I was a little too young pay attention to what was happening with the deer heard back in the day. Anyone care to explain what may have caused the demise of our once proud buck harvest?

[kr8r.tom]

it's not that simple of an answer so here's my two nickles.

hunter attitudes and overharvest of bucks. the deer population has been so strong for the last 20 years with management tags/doe permits the style of hunting has changed, it went from no season in 1971 and not seeing deer, to if it's brown its down now you can kill 5. it's been almost 20 years in my rifle area 159, that you could shoot 3-5 deer, thats two generations of deer hunters that "grew up" hunting that way. conservation wasn't taught it was put meat on the pole.

In 2007 the firearms season buck harvest was 97,528 the antler harvest was 118,860 of wich, and i'll be conservative 50% were fawns(realistically it should be 2 fawns to one doe kill ratio since does usually have twins, stands to reason) wich equals 60,000, now half of them were buckfawns, thats 30,000 more bucks to the harvest equalling 127,000 bucks harvested in a 260,000 total deer harvest.thats just under a 50% buck harvest with a 4 (antlerless) to one( buck) tag ratio. it could be a higher percentage because the dnr dosen't give antlerless and buck harvest numbers for archery or muzzleloader numbers they combine them.

we were entering just as many(higher percentage) b&c bucks 25 years ago as we are today, with twice the deer population.

[kr8r.tom]

no reaction to a 50% buck harvest?

[Musky Buck]

25 years ago in my areas there were more deer than today, I've had the same land as I did in 1983. Now, wintering herd is around 40 animals, in 1983 we counted in the 150-220 range. Did I read that Wisc. took 276,000 deer during there rifle season ? We took 260,000 last year so they took only 16,000 more than us having 200,000 more hunters than us and a herd estimated at 500,000 more animals than MN ? I know the issue is quality bucks. But, we only get to see what a few MN hunters shoot. Most don't want to let their neighbors know what they are shooting, MN hunters are tight lipped about their successes especially the guys with consistent success, the guy who finally lucked out on a mature buck is more likely to share that success. I'm not saying we are up to par with other states but maybe it's a little closer than what it appears, MN only rarely has a deer hunting show. I've been saying every 20 acres has a stand or 2 on it or around it in many areas of the state that is true. The rich will get richer, people that have the quality land the mature bucks seek out every year will always have that. Our land is many places is very subdivided which also subdivides deer hunting success. There is no easy answer in 2008. A lot of our state is covered with water. There are few if any deer sanctuaries where they are safe and can grow old, the only way is to not shoot little bucks, but good luck fighting that fight.