Duluth City Bowhunt

[Northlander]

Ya that city hunt goes way too long in my opinion. Funny how most guys see it as a "Rack" hunt instead of its intended purpose. I wonder how many guys would hunt it if it was antlerless only?

[SKIPPERS KID]

This is a herd reduction with a good chance to shoot a good Buck. But this hunt has helped a great deal for deer and cars and there still is a lot of deer. With all this snow there will be some winter kill and that will help out some what but we still need to shoot Does. It will take three more years to get it Down to where it should be. there is not a lot of food out there for them all and what a way to go by starving to death.

[jaybirdd]

I would definetely still hunt if it was doe only.

[Nate McVey]

It is all about herd management and most of the hunters take it that way. I'm sure there are some that bend the rules, but I passed on a couple nice bucks this year because I didn't have my doe yet (and I still don't). I will be out on Monday for the last-ditch-effort and I can't wait to see the numbers once the season is over.

[fishermn]

As someone who has participated in this hunt all three years, I would like to weigh in on this issue with my thoughts...

First off, I have have hunted in Duluth for the last three years. In that time, I have been fortunate enough to take 5 does and 2 bucks. I havent taken more, because that is the amount that that my family can use. I know there are means to donate deer as well, but I feel that on the whole the hunters are doing a more than adequate job in reducing the overall population.

I agree with Northlander partly.. The numbers would likely be way down if it was a doe only hunt, and many of us do get too focused on the fact that we may have the opportunity to take a mature buck. (Yes, I plead guilty on all counts )

However, thats the catch-22, you need some means to entice enough hunters to participate in order to take out enough does. Giving them the opportunity to take a mature buck is generally a pretty easy way to accomplish that. In addition, in order to maintain a healthy population, you need some balance in the number of Buck/Does taken. Quoting an article I recently read, "A given habitat can only support a certain number of deer in healthy condition. If the number of deer exceeds this level, habitat degradation and poorer herd health result. About one-third of a deer herd should be removed each year to maintain the population at a stable level. If the sex ratio is balanced, doe harvest should make up between 40 and 60 percent of the overall harvest to maintain this healthy balance."

My point is that it is necessary to take both bucks and does out to maintain a healthy herd. The fact that these deer have had little predation over the last many years has resulted in a good number of mature bucks in the area, and the numerous moderate to easy winters have helped to allow the population to get way out of balance. You can see this in the condition of the forage around the forested areas of the city. I suspect this is why we see so many deer in yards eating the bushes, gardens, flowers, apples, etc.

In any case, I believe that taking both bucks and does out of the population is necessary. The real problematic issue that has arisen is that some individuals get overly possessive about places that they have hunted or would like to hunt. As hunters we need to realize that we are very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to hunt within the city of Duluth and that the public land that we hunt is exactly that. Its for the PUBLIC, which means we need to respect the rights of all the other people that use the land, hikers, bikers, joggers, other hunters, etc, etc.

If anything, I am concerned that the few folks who have not followed the rules will jeapardize the opportunity to participate in this hunt, and give a bad reputation to the vast majority of us who have lived up to the legal and ethical requirements of this hunt.

[kingr]

Is anyone heading out this afternoon for one last sit? I think I'm going to take the opportunity to shoot one more. It's a beautiful day and what better reason to sneak out of work one last time.