Zone 4 Hunters?

[chucker34]

How many of you just hunt one season and which did you pick? How many get the all-season so you can hunt both?

And if you're in a lottery area and got a doe permit, which season is it for?

Just interested in responses. I have the all season and got my doe permit for first season. I didn't use it.

[Stratosman]

We hunt second season, landowner hunts first. All season liscense too.

[chucker34]

Thanks for the reply stratosman. I just looked at the DNR site and according to the 2005 harvest report, the number of hunters second season is less than half of that than first. But the success rate goes from 44 percent first season to almost 60 percent second season. Interesting.

[eyepatrol]

That's because us second-season guys shoot straighter! Seriously though, it may be because the first season is 2 days and the second is 4 days???

We hunt second season also. Zone 4B, Section 452 (between Pipestone & Luverne in the SW corner of the state). It's more of a family reunion of sorts, but some of us get out and hunt deer. It's a deer management section, so we can simply buy a license and shoot either a buck or a doe, plus we can purchase a management permit for one extra doe if we want (but one deer is enough for me).

[chucker34]

Hey basscatcher. I thought about that but it seems like after the first weekend it gets tougher since the deer are more wary and I would imagine after the first few days of the second season, it would get a lot tougher. I've never hunted that late but will be this year.

[Stratosman]

Absolutely because it's twice the time to hunt...Five days off in between get the deer back to normal behavior patterns for the most part except for the wise mature ones anyway, we have shot a handful of very nice bucks during second season, the nicest was at 2:00 in the afternoon cruising for does. The second nicest was at noon crossing an open field.

[lawdog]

I'm an all season guy, but I've hunted both 4a and 4b before that was an option. I hate the two day season because its too short to hunt anything, its just a kill anything that moves deal. I don't like the four day that well either because the deer have not returned to normal after what a buddy of mine calls the NASCAR deer season of guys racing them all over to kill them for two days. I personally think they should eliminate the two seasons and just have zone 4 be all six days to calm people down that first weekend and make the overall hunt better.

Hey Basscatcher, that's my stompin grounds you are hunting in... I'm mostly in 451 but I live in 452 and hunt there too. I think maybe we talked about that before but I can't remember who you and your relatives are or where you said hunt... Shoot me an email jefflawdog is the name at yahoo...

[BLACKJACK]

Years ago we hunted the 4B season but decided that it got too long, by the third and fourth day you're going thru the same spots for the third time. Now we hunt hard for two days durning 4A and call it quits. Now I'm also a bowhunter so I've already been deer hunting for 50 days, so its easy for me to say that two days is enough...

One plus for the 4B season is that it gives the farmers one more week to get the crops out, sometimes thats important. This year during our 4A hunt, we had one big cornfield left in our area, guess where the deer disapeared to?

Nowadays with the All-season permit, we still hunt 4A, thats what I got my doe permit for, I make sure that my tag is the last one used, and if we don't fill out, I can still use my tags during the late archery season.

Friday I will be taking off to bowhunt, and this weekend I will be back out slug hunting, mainly because a big buck was sighted last weekend, plus I want to see how the rut is progressing, see how much buck activity there is. I took last week off to archery hunt and didn't really see much activity, curious to see the difference a week makes in the rut. Sat night I won't be hunting, the wife seems to feel we should go out to eat but Sunday morning I'll probably be back out on stand somewhee, in case Mr. Big comes walking by. The early archery and 4A were for getting some venison in the freezer, 4B I will be out hunting somewhere, because I love to deer hunt. The only question is whether I take my bow or gun.

[chucker34]

Thanks for all the answers you guys. BlackJack, I'm looking at going out this weekend too. Last weekend I only saw four does rocketing past me at Noon on Saturday but 17 deer in the alfalfa field at 9pm that night. Someone at work actually asked me why I didn't take a shot at the does with my bow. I won't take a running shot at a deer in our woods with my 870 either as there are too many other hunters, cabins and township roads in most directions. Slug can travel a long way if it doesn't hit anything or skips.

My weekend was cut short as we had a family committement Saturday afternoon/evening and I had to be at church pretty much all morning into the afternoon on Sunday. I am headed out with my bow this weekend. We'll see if it picks up. I heard nary a shot last weekend.

I'll be taking Friday off too. I'm hoping it will snow and not rain since the forecast calls for either/or.

[eyepatrol]

Quote:

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I'll be taking Friday off too. I'm hoping it will snow and not rain since the forecast calls for either/or.

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You got that right! Don't need rain, but snow would be fine. I remember the year of the big ice storm in SW MN. We hunted during that sucker. My grandparents lost all kinds of trees in their farm grove from the weight of the ice combined with the wind, etc. Bean stubble was 1" diameter caked with ice. Fencelines were at least that thick. My one uncle shot a buck that had it's rack caked with ice. It was miserable.

Not sure if there are big cornfields standing where we hunt, but if there are, it could be a tough season. The deer seem to be in there tighter than a tick, but I guess I would be too.

Just a couple more days left!

BTW lawdog...you should have mail.

[eagle_3464]

I get the all season liscense but I don't hunt either of the firearm seasons but rather choose to hunt archery during those seasons. I will also be hunting the muzzleloader season later this fall.

Bass.. I believe all the corn is out except for some strips that have been left for the deer to congregate and easy to make drives through.

Good luck to all this coming weekend. I will be out with my bow.

[eyepatrol]

Good to hear eagle. I know of one strip that's standing...the guy my grandpa rents out to was nice enough to leave a few rows up for us. He usually does every year.

[Farley]

I have the Multizone Buck and hunt both weekends in 428. I'm also hunting this week for an hour each day after work north of 12 in zone 219, in a management area so I pulled a doe permit for that area. I dont bow hunt (not yet at least) or muzzleload so I dont get the all season license.