Camp Ripley 2nd weekend

[Walleyehooker]

Yes it was pretty poor. Only saw a couple deer for 4 of us. One thing I noticed is you don't even see much for deer tracks or sign as you did even a couple years ago. Definitly not the premier spot to hunt anymore and more like hunting anywhere else in the state. Turkeys are sure doing well though.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Good thing you guys don't hunt the north woods. Man, I'd be pretty stoked with the action over 1 weekend reported here. Been on stand around 8 times and have only seen 1 deer that I jumped on way to stand in September.

[mnguy152]

well i was up there this last weekend. my group saw one doe sat afternoon ran by was new spot we found. and nothing sunday morning. Did see 4 deer on the way out sat night one right but the dirt goes to tar and 3 by the sharp turn going into camp. But the way I look at it fun hunt something diffent look at other than the home woods and cheap too. And meeting new people always a plus. I will still apply since it is a fun hunt. Too bad the numbers are low but it is what it is. You cant blame for the 2 deer limit since very few did fill it. Maybe they cut back on the management tags on there to bring it around. But they want the deer out of there so who knows which way they going to go.

[sticknstring]

More of the same for our group of 4 - pretty poor. By far the worst I've seen it up there. We saw a few does from stand and bumped a few more walking in, but sign was minimal. Hunted 3 different areas and scouted out another. Same result everywhere. I won't be applying for awhile.

[monstermoose78]

I thought about bring the fishing pole with me, but did not bring it next time I will for sure. I bet some of the lakes and ponds have some big gills in them.

[mnguy152]

saw one guy pulling a boat around camp

[monstermoose78]

he was thinking

[elkhuntingfan]

It will be a very long time before I apply for that hunt again. There is no end in sight for the continued mismanagement of that area. So sad.

You couldnt hunt that place 10+ years ago without seeing several deer daily for the average hunter.

Beau Liddell has single handidly ruined Ripley. What a shame.

I'm not sure what Beau Liddell did to ruin Ripley all by himself. I agree the hunting was terrible this year and last. I was there both years. My feeling is the last couple winters played the biggest role in the demise of the herd. Obviously the wolves don't help any. I'm sure they ate well the last two winters with the deep snow and the herd in rough shape by spring. I agree the ability to use bonus tags doesn't help any, but I'm guessing the number of does taken in the last 3-4 years isn't having near the impact on the herd that the tough winters and wolves have had. While it's pretty hard to defend what the DNR has done over the last 10 years or so, I don't think they are the only cause of the current state of the herd.

[certified jumbo]

Elk. I couldn't agree more with you. Some fault falls on DNR, no doubt. But there are many other contributing factors. I spent much of March, April and May fishing steelhead in northern mn and wi. I also fed deer in and around the cloquet area during these months weekly. The amount of deer we found dead was incredible. Not even chewed on. Frozen like a board perfectly in their bedded position. It was actually eire. The past 2 winters were the nail in the coffin. However, we found way more dead deer this past winter than the previous.

Lets hope more than anything for a good winter and limited doe harvest.

[Wanderer]

I'm with you two.

The management tag option wasn't the best idea for Ripley this year but aside from that, Ma Nature is the biggest influence. Heck, deer are down generally over the entire state.

Some say we shot too many does; and maybe we did in some areas. But my thoughts are if the climate killed a bunch of deer last year due to starvation and predation, what makes us think having more deer going into the winter would've made a dramatic difference this year? Wouldn't that many more just be dead?

I really believe the net gain would've been marginal at best.

[SmellEsox]

Sorry, I can't agree with you guys. I think hunters absolutely knocked the population down. Adult doe harvests increased dramatically the last several years. Is hunting the only reason for low deer numbers? No, of course not. But combined with winters and wolves, it's had a major impact. What deer are best equipped to survive brutal winters? Adult does. And when you shoot the dump out of them, well, we get what we got.

[laker1]

We had two very tough winters on the deer,with fawns being hit very hard and does reabsorbing fetuses for nutrition that is number 1 reason for decreases.

Throw in the hunters probably over harvested too many years in a row with record harvests about 6-8 deer/sq mile plus(more if you look at deer habitat only). Than your wolves probably took about 2-3 deer/sq mile.

Its a combination of things,throw out any of them you will have some increase.

How much habitat been altered over the years?

It has been very tough winters with very late springs at the most critical time.

[hockeybc69]

If numbers are so bad in Ripley because of weather and wolves, then maybe the hunt should be canceled a couple years and focus on making Ripley the destination to shoot the deer of your dreams like it used to be.

Or is there no intent to make Ripley anything of a special hunting experience any more? There is the big question....

[monstermoose78]

Lets really think about it Camp Ripley gets hunted really hard for 4 days a year. The other hunts a very small and don't put out the numbers like the 2 archery hunts. I agree with Wanderer that harvesting does last year was a wise thing to do. Why because it allowed the remaining deer to eat better before the winter set in. That lets those deer that lived to be in better shape to make it through the winter.

With the reduced herd and coyotes and wolves will have a hard time this winter. That should reduce their numbers come spring. I hope that allows the new born fawns to make it. They used to let hunters take coyotes and porcupines, but I seen somewhere that you can not take those anymore, but I could be wrong.

Something that was talked about with others was it seems most hunters now want millions of deer and a monster buck behind every tree. Well they call it hunting for a reason, but other wise it would be just killing. Yeah it was a slow weekend of seeing deer for me, but will I keep hunting Camp Ripley. Yes indeed, because it is about the crazy things you see and hear about. Forgetting a deer stand at home driving to St Cloud to buy new on Saturday morning, but only then to get it set up and drop your bow and destroy the sights (yes this happened to one of the guys in my group). Watching some people get pulled over by the MP's for speeding around. Laughing and having a good time with everyone back at camp. Sitting outside meeting people that make me sound normal.

[eyeguy 54]

maybe I should hunt there again some day... it would be good to feel normal . heehee

[ANYFISH2]

You all have good and justifiable thought and opinions.

These past two winters certainly had a big impact, whether it be from winter kill or increasing predation. However, many of us hunters whom have hunted camp for many years seen the population falling quickly years ago. Myself and others voiced our concern right away. We where met with resistance and condecendece. Being told the population was stable because harvest was was stable at 400 +/- annually. When we said that with hunter densities what they were, we where bound to keep deer on thier feet and still kill good numbers for years. Theh just shook head like we had no idea.

Now, I don't want a million deer, a lot more, yes.

In my opinion, this hunt should not go back to a two deer bag unless the population becomes way to abundant or is interfering with the training (to be decided by the Colonial). I would also like to see the use of bonus tags eliminated until said overpopulation or interference . Us hunters would still have the choice of what we want to shoot. Historically it was 53% antlerless 47% bucks, which maintained a stable to slightly increasing population.

Mother nature (wolves and winter) will always impact the deer, we however can completely control how hunter impact the population.

This a a special hunt In a State Game REFUGE, it should be returned to the SPECIAL hunt it once was!!

[btheturkey]

I'm not sure what Beau Liddell did to ruin Ripley all by himself. I agree the hunting was terrible this year and last. I was there both years. My feeling is the last couple winters played the biggest role in the demise of the herd. Obviously the wolves don't help any. .

When you up the number of anterless tags and the number of hunters without any tools to gauge the herd reduction, you blame the watch dog. That is area manager Beau Liddel.

Beau does not like deer, and the Ripley experience is an obvious example of what happens under his influence.

[eyeguy 54]

interesting read

[monstermoose78]

Eyeguy if you want to apply with my group let me know

[Wanderer]

So I have a question for all you haters out there that want to blame Beau and the DNR for the majority of the population decline:

Who crashed the deer population in the ATK area by Nowthen?

10 years ago it was a regular deal to see herdS of 20+ deer in the fields before dusk plus random deer scattered in between. In the past couple years I could count the number of times I've seen more than 10 on one hand. Tonight I saw 1.

Very limited hunting, if at all. Where did they all go?

[monstermoose78]

BIG FOOT is eating them all!! I heard tree knocking in Ripley and the woods sure looks shquatchy!!!I think we need to let the DNR and the Camp Ripley know about this.

[ANYFISH2]

I don't know if I am included as a hater, and I do not know the area your speaking about, so no comment on that.

I want to clarify something, I believe the population in camp would fluctuate without the past managment path. Would it be where it is now, I do not think so.

A very similar environmental scenario played out in '95-'97 winters with identical to more wolves (16-20). By most, those winters where even more severe (wsi wise). The deer herd was slashed but didn't get near as low as it seems it is now.

I was excited to use a bonus when they first allowed it. I didn't think 4 days a year could knock the pop down and I trusted our manager. My thoughts have now changed.

I hunt camp to hunt camp. I have now been drawn 13 times, I have not killed a deer yet. I not about that to me. It the experiences you used to get at camp, deer numbers, multiple buck days, and seeing large bucks almost yearly. That all started to change 5-6 years ago.

Wanderer, do you think we are where we are if harvests stayed near 200-250 animals per with a 50-50 split. Compared to 400+ with 65-35 split that it was in '00's?

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

Who crashed the deer population in the ATK area by Nowthen?

Very limited hunting, if at all. Where did they all go?

Its not high fence is it? The permit area has been intensive for many years. And even early antlerless... Overharvest in the permit area sounds like a strong possibility if you ask me.

[Jameson]

poachers?

wolves? coyotes? bears? cougar?

the deer getting pushed out during gun season, and shot?

a neighbor started feeding/baiting and shooting them?

hired snipers?

maybe they are allowing some bowhunting?

[Wanderer]

I don't know if I am included as a hater, and I do not know the area your speaking about, so no comment on that.

Wanderer, do you think we are where we are if harvests stayed near 200-250 animals per with a 50-50 split. Compared to 400+ with 65-35 split that it was in '00's?

Anyfish, I haven't thought your posts have been written with blind hate/blame toward the states deer management. There's really just two that seem to just want to point fingers and pin everything that's happened on someone rather than something. Actually some things that have come together to give us what we have now. Heck, anyone that's shot a doe in the last 3 years that "knew better" is also to blame.

Our deer here was at record levels 10 years ago. Were people applauding the DNR for achieving those levels then? I sure don't remember any stories on how they were credited with having an exceptionally great management plan that increased our herd numbers. It happened mainly through a run of favorable environmental conditions and conservative limits.

The DNR said, hey you can shoot more deer. We said, right on! So we did.

I do agree the management plan could be more nimble and be developed for more prompt action than the past. But that'll cost more money (increase license fees) and people will have to accept changing regulations more frequently. Neither have been popular with hunting public.

To answer the question on my opinion of the harvest levels: I think we would be close to where we're at now regardless of the past harvest levels, given the conditions we've had lately. Again, it's just my opinion but it's based on 35 years of deer hunting experience and about a decade of management experience.

[sticknstring]

Found a historical table showing harvest dating back to 1981. Bonus tags were allowed starting in '04, yet the harvest remained flat for 7 years. Im sure a WSI graph would correlate to the huge decline the past 4 years. Even w/ a mild winter, next year could easily be the lowest harvest ever.

2012 431

2013 308

2014 145

[creepworm]

So this will be the first year of below long term average harvest Levels since 2003. Doesn't seem like it has been mismanaged for a decade like some here suggest.

[NWKR]

Found a historical table showing harvest dating back to 1981. Bonus tags were allowed starting in '04, yet the harvest remained flat for 7 years. Im sure a WSI graph would correlate to the huge decline the past 4 years. Even w/ a mild winter, next year could easily be the lowest harvest ever.

[nofishfisherman]

BIG FOOT is eating them all!! I heard tree knocking in Ripley and the woods sure looks shquatchy!!!I think we need to let the DNR and the Camp Ripley know about this.

Finally someone is making some sense. I've been saying the same thing for years. How much longer are we going to stand by and let all these Squatch eat our deer?

I'm not sure why the DNR reintroduced them in the first place. I think its about time they start managing the Squatch herd through some sort of lottery hunt. Then the only question remaining is what would look better a shoulder or full body squatch mount? Opinions?

[NWKR]

Finally someone is making some sense. I've been saying the same thing for years. How much longer are we going to stand by and let all these Squatch eat our deer?

I'm not sure why the DNR reintroduced them in the first place. I think its about time they start managing the Squatch herd through some sort of lottery hunt. Then the only question remaining is what would look better a shoulder or full body squatch mount? Opinions?

I think a Squatch mount where it is busting through the wall from one room to another would be cool. I saw one online with some sort of African animal before. Don't really have a good spot at my house for one like that though. Anyways, I only hunt Squatchs for the meat, not a fan of trophy only hunting.