DNR says tough deer season?

[bogwalker]

I was listening to the 10:00 news last night. The anchor reported that the MN DNR said hunters will have to work to get their deer this year because of the increase in wolf population. Gee, who could have seen this coming? After years of bonus tags and hunter complaints of low deer population.

[leech~~]

I was listening to the 10:00 news last night. The anchor reported that the MN DNR said hunters will have to work to get their deer this year because of the increase in wolf population. Gee, who could have seen this coming? After years of bonus tags and hunter complaints of low deer population.

Oh Geez! Here we go! So, early with the Wolf talk already!

[bogwalker]

leech, Cover your ears and close your eyes. Just repeating what channel 10 in Duluth was reporting from the DNR.

[96trigger]

Bogwalker, sounds pretty area specific. Sucks, but deer hunting in other parts of the state might be just fine.

[leech~~]

leech, Cover your ears and close your eyes. Just repeating what channel 10 in Duluth was reporting from the DNR.

I'm Thanks for the update.

[bogwalker]

Bogwalker, sounds pretty area specific. Sucks, but deer hunting in other parts of the state might be just fine.

Yes. Timberwolf country. Northern Minnesota.

[mrklean]

haha i think we could all see that coming with the increase in wolfs every year

[HooknHorns]

Sounds like time to open another season to make for the lost revenue since alot of the state is limited to one deer.

[mrklean]

yea that other season needs to be a wolf season

[HooknHorns]

Another taxidermy bill and all is better. I can see the economy getting better already.

[lakevet]

Bonus tags, longer seasons, hunters able to hunt all areas of state for all three seasons, down economy increasing hunting for meat, weather and wolves all have an impact in Northern Minnesota. We have always had a lot of wolves in our area since I started deer hunting in the early 1970's. Seeing packs of 3 to 12 wolves and no deer coming out of our deer drives was not unusual back then. We still got deer but had to work (hunt) hard via tracking and deer drives. If you had a stand in the area wolves were working in, you likely wouldn't see deer. Be willing to cover ground (like 1/2 to 2 miles) to find where deer had shifted to avoid wolves.... jackpot! We can handle wolves, its hunter pressure, more people in woods longer for multiple seasons that is harder to work around. Now all tracking and drives do is push deer to others. And if you bought land, planted a food plot(s) and plan on standing there, you likely won't see much if the wolves camp out in your area. Yes they kill some deer, but others will shift away from the wolves. Just gotta go after them! Especially if you have access to unhunted land or better yet hunt in a BLIZZARD!

lakevet

[Riverratpete]

After deer hunting in Minnesota for the past 25 years I'm done, going out of state..unfortunately for me it's never been "that" great here in Minnesota even during the boom years..and before people jump in, yes, I scouted, stayed in the stand ALL day, etc etc maybe I'll be back and maybe I won't hard to tell at this point.

[bogwalker]

This will be my 44th year deer hunting in Minnesota. About 30 in Northern Minnesota. I have never heard the DNR blame Timberwolves for a significant decrease in the deer population until now.

[Bear55]

This will be my 44th year deer hunting in Minnesota. About 30 in Northern Minnesota. I have never heard the DNR blame Timberwolves for a significant decrease in the deer population until now.

I think they want to shift blame off themselves for handing out too many doe tags over the past 5-6 years. Two years ago we were a Managed area (should not have been) and this year they are only giving out 100 doe tags for 6000 hunters. Thank god they are working to fix this now but we have to ask ourselves how the numbers got that bad in the first place. Previous to being a Manages area the DNR would give anywhere from 1500 to 3000 doe tags in the lotto, wow how times have changed.

[lichen fox]

They're trying to set the table for the feds to de-list them...

[mrklean]

man i hope so lets start a chant wolf season wolf season

[leech~~]

man i hope so lets start a chant wolf season wolf season

I do have a nice spot on the wall right next to the Bear rug, for one of those poor misunderstood animals!

[FishingWebGuy]

I think they want to shift blame off themselves for handing out too many doe tags over the past 5-6 years. Two years ago we were a Managed area (should not have been) and this year they are only giving out 100 doe tags for 6000 hunters. Thank god they are working to fix this now but we have to ask ourselves how the numbers got that bad in the first place. Previous to being a Manages area the DNR would give anywhere from 1500 to 3000 doe tags in the lotto, wow how times have changed.

It's still going on. We are lotto this year with 4500 doe tags. You are 2 miles North of us with 100 doe tags. 2 miles East of us is an intensive area -- I still can't figure it out... How can you shoot 5 does on one side of the road and only have 100 doe tags on the other side of the road?

In 3 years our area went Intensive, Managed, Lotto just like much of the North.

[Fishpondc]

Time to use common sense biological management instead of political....it could happen!!!

[Boar]

Ya mean some of us might have to get out of cumfy boxes an blinds an hunt for a change? Dang it anyway.

[bogwalker]

Ya mean some of us might have to get out of cumfy boxes an blinds an hunt for a change? Dang it anyway.

I hope you are joking. Some areas in the North have been devastated. It is becoming a rare thing to see deer along roads and in fields. Deer sign is slim to none in some areas that used to have healthy herds of deer.

[HooknHorns]

When I was up north for bear camp I seen quite a few deer next to the roads specially by Duluth area. Seen two shooter bucks that week by Crane Lake plus numerous does and fawns. At camp though we had a large number of wolf tracks. So Im guessing that the wolves won starve this winter. I actually seen most of the does and fawns in middle of the day, next to the roads. Maybe they know they're are safer there for now. That one buck almost got me thinking to come back for deer hunting.

[Coach1310]

I hope you are joking. Some areas in the North have been devastated. It is becoming a rare thing to see deer along roads and in fields. Deer sign is slim to none in some areas that used to have healthy herds of deer.

There is no doubt an increase is wolf population with the increase in tags given out has added to the issue, but even without bonus tags and wolves a couple of bad winters will do the same thing. The good news is that if the deer population gets low enough, the wolves will move on ... and that global warming thing....

Hopefully we will have the ability to have a wolf season soon, just to keep numbers in check.

[Boar]

Yea I am bog, no worries.

[Boar]

An increase in yotes in my area, pluse poachers pluse cars pluse winter, pluse the five tag maximum for years has numbers down in my area also.

[bogwalker]

I don't see wolves all that often ( but I did see a very healthy pair of Timberwolves last week). Rarely see Bobcat. Never seen ( but have heard )Cougar. But I have questioned the wisdom of bonus tags where I hunt. You would think bonus tags would be made available when deer are plentiful. I have never seen this where I hunt.

[kelly-p]

This will be my 44th year deer hunting in Minnesota. About 30 in Northern Minnesota. I have never heard the DNR blame Timberwolves for a significant decrease in the deer population until now.

I've never heard of this before nor has my father. This does appear to be quite a change of positions for the DNR. You don't suppose that the DNR Is willing to say that some of us were right a few years ago when we said that we had a problem coming. I know that around here starting about 6-7 years ago the only deer around were clustered right up close to where people were.

[bogwalker]

I have never heard the MN DNR admit to making mistakes. They might have but I never heard about it. I would like to see a shift from politics to management for the wildlife sake.

[psepuncher]

speaking of political management...

I'll just throw this in the mix with to many bonus antlerless tags, cars, wolves, poachers, misplaced shots and honest injuns.

How about adding a free pass on hunter safety education.

Nothing like stacking up more carcusses in deer camp, eh?

Well that's another 4 or 5 tags to a guy and an added 5 or 7 years to bring back a herd.

Allbeit it's for one year, and once in a lifetime thing. It sure beats down the population of deer none the less.

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[mrklean]

when we were up north for bear hunting to i think i saw 2 deer from duluth to north of tofte, did see a wolf had him about 20 yards from my stand sad to see what has happened to the deer up there