Expected worst Deer harvest in 20 years!

[leech~~]

WCCO just had a report on the morning news stating that they are predicting the worst Deer harvest in 20 years!

They stated the harsh winter last year, taking so many Deer last year and the increase of Wolves!

No Du!

[skee0025]

The star and sickle had the story about a week ago. If I remember correctly they are expecting a total take of about 120,000.

[Wanderer]

I'm surprised CCO admitted wolves kill deer.

[leech~~]

I'm surprised CCO admitted wolves kill deer.

[Farmsfulltime]

Can you imagine that there are groups involved in the deer discussion with the DNR that are wishing the Minnesota deer hunters would have a unsuccessful hunt so they can further their argument against the DNR, I would like to wish everyone a safe and successful hunt no matter how you measure your deer season enjoy it let the deer managers do their job they are very capable , some good weather years and deer population will respond..

[mntatonka]

... let the deer managers do their job they are very capable

SOME of the area managers are very capable. And the ones that are capable, their bosses don't listen to.

[smsmith]

let the deer managers do their job

Uhhh...that's what has happened since they instituted social deer management in MN. Look where it got us...to the lowest harvest in decades. Keep trusting the gooberment to fix things...great idea

[BuckSutherland]

Can you imagine that there are groups involved in the deer discussion with the DNR that are wishing the Minnesota deer hunters would have a unsuccessful hunt so they can further their argument against the DNR, I would like to wish everyone a safe and successful hunt no matter how you measure your deer season enjoy it let the deer managers do their job they are very capable , some good weather years and deer population will respond..

[Farmsfulltime]

There are an amazing amount of internet trained deer managers out there that don't trust in the DNR , A few years with a keyboard and they have all the management answers statewide, maybe even nationwide . Have plenty of deer here and the DNR did not MAKE one of them . The deer numbers will return thru out Minnesota they always have and the DNR wont MAKE any of those deer either .. They just control the tags and that has been tightened this year and will be reviewed over the winter no matter how many are shot this year let it work its self out .

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

They just control the tags

And those tags lead to the number 1 reason deer have died excessively for several years in a row.

[nofishfisherman]

The DNR issues the tags but the hunters fill them. Its seems that the majority of hunters feel the DNR issued too many tags but I never hear of any hunters restraining themselves from filling a tag in order to improve the herd numbers.

If you disagree with how the DNR has managed the population and feel the herd can't support the harvest numbers set out by the DNR then take matters into your own hands and refrain from shooting a deer for a year or two.

Just because the DNR says you can shoot X deer doesn't mean you have to.

[Wobbler]

The DNR issues the tags but the hunters fill them. Its seems that the majority of hunters feel the DNR issued too many tags but I never hear of any hunters restraining themselves from filling a tag in order to improve the herd numbers.

If you disagree with how the DNR has managed the population and feel the herd can't support the harvest numbers set out by the DNR then take matters into your own hands and refrain from shooting a deer for a year or two.

Just because the DNR says you can shoot X deer doesn't mean you have to.

+1

I have been saying that on here for years! You are the best managers of your own deer herd. You hunt not the DNR! If your not seeing deer or your herd is down yes tough weather and wolves played a factor but look in the mirror you and your hunting party filling tags are responsible too in years past. Have a plan (ours is shooting mature bucks except for the kids). Nobody around us even saw a deer last year, we shot 4 out of 5 and could have filled our tags easily. Tag Soup does not mean your a bad hunter. I hunt 122 where it is bucks only even for the kids. Wolves everywhere on camera. Somehow we do well every year and will do so again. But when were given each 2 tags for a few years we only shot 1 each in our group. Everyone around filled all their tags. They thought they were the mighty hunters. We let does and small bucks walk. Surprise we have more deer then those around us. Yes we made food plots, yes we managed our 80 acres for deer, yes we are surrounded by public land, yes we put time in year round to make our deer hunting good, but it has paid off for us. I am so tired of reading all this I am not seeing deer. If you don't manage your own land if you own it or for that matter hunt public land and not do the scouting necessary to see where deer are at quit blaming the DNR. You can't show up the day before deer opener and have a stand in the same place for 20 years and think deer will be there every year.

[hockeybc69]

Right on Nofish.

How many people follow deer hunting intensely to know they should maybe restrain? Far more are weekend warriors that show up at deer camp and havent even thought about deer for 363 days since they last sat in a stand.

People trust the DNR and if the DNR says they can buy multiple tags, people buy them with the trust that there are deer to shoot. Farmsfulltime trusts the DNR, I am sure there are others.

Us? No does this year except my daughter who is hunting her first time this year.

[DaveT]

Can you imagine that there are groups involved in the deer discussion with the DNR that are wishing the Minnesota deer hunters would have a unsuccessful hunt so they can further their argument against the DNR, I would like to wish everyone a safe and successful hunt no matter how you measure your deer season enjoy it let the deer managers do their job they are very capable , some good weather years and deer population will respond..

I bet if somebody looked up the IP address of FFT it would be 500 Lafayette Rd, St Paul, MN 55155.

[smsmith]

The DNR issues the tags but the hunters fill them. Its seems that the majority of hunters feel the DNR issued too many tags but I never hear of any hunters restraining themselves from filling a tag in order to improve the herd numbers.

If you disagree with how the DNR has managed the population and feel the herd can't support the harvest numbers set out by the DNR then take matters into your own hands and refrain from shooting a deer for a year or two.

Just because the DNR says you can shoot X deer doesn't mean you have to.

I agree with you, but the problem is exactly what hockey stated.

Managing your own land is a fantastic idea...when you have an interest in doing so. Most don't...they think about deer hunting mid-week before the opener, go to buy their licenses and however many bonus tags they're allowed to by the DNR. They figure.."the DNR wouldn't sell me these tags if there aren't enough to fill them with".

I'd really like to see our deer groups lead an educational effort stating in essence what you did in your post.

[Getanet]

I'd really like to see our deer groups lead an educational effort stating in essence what you did in your post.

I sorta thought you wanted to see the deer group leaders in a pay-per-view, no holds barred, royal rumble cage match with the leaders of the DNR. First to tap out has to eat all the unfilled bonus tags from last year.

Good luck this weekend everyone!

[smsmith]

I sorta thought you wanted to see the deer group leaders in a pay-per-view, no holds barred, royal rumble cage match with the leaders of the DNR. First to tap out has to eat all the unfilled bonus tags from last year.

That's a secondary wish

[Farmsfulltime]

I would pay for that tag ,love to see that,, no not in st.paul either

[tunrevir]

I am not sure about the other areas of the state but the Forest Lake area has an abundance of deer right now and I have actually seen more deer on stand this year in the areas I hunt then in previous years. I know there are areas of the state where the population is way down so that may affect the overall harvest but with the cold weather for opener I think there are going to be a lot of tags filled this year. Harvest total will be down due to lack of extra permits but I still think it will be a decent harvest figure. Numbers are fine in this neck of the woods. Can't always believe what the media says right

Tunrevir~

[laker1]

Some were buying multi tags even when they didn't know what to do with deer already shot. You have to take care of your own area also.

[laker1]

Last year 6 months of snow cover is just too much,many areas will be like 95-96 and 96-97 season.

Fast forward with about 6 very mild winters and we had lot of deer.

[PurpleFloyd]

+1

I have been saying that on here for years! You are the best managers of your own deer herd. You hunt not the DNR! If your not seeing deer or your herd is down yes tough weather and wolves played a factor but look in the mirror you and your hunting party filling tags are responsible too in years past. Have a plan (ours is shooting mature bucks except for the kids). Nobody around us even saw a deer last year, we shot 4 out of 5 and could have filled our tags easily. Tag Soup does not mean your a bad hunter. I hunt 122 where it is bucks only even for the kids. Wolves everywhere on camera. Somehow we do well every year and will do so again. But when were given each 2 tags for a few years we only shot 1 each in our group. Everyone around filled all their tags. They thought they were the mighty hunters. We let does and small bucks walk. Surprise we have more deer then those around us. Yes we made food plots, yes we managed our 80 acres for deer, yes we are surrounded by public land, yes we put time in year round to make our deer hunting good, but it has paid off for us. I am so tired of reading all this I am not seeing deer. If you don't manage your own land if you own it or for that matter hunt public land and not do the scouting necessary to see where deer are at quit blaming the DNR. You can't show up the day before deer opener and have a stand in the same place for 20 years and think deer will be there every year.

Amen.

[btheturkey]

http://mnbowhunters.org/2014/11/07/70-camp-ripley-herd-reduction-by-design/ 70% reduction of Camp Riply hunt was the plan.

There is nothing wrong with holding the state agency tasked with managing the herd accountable. Why would you want to pay $30 a guy for MN deer license and not have the DNR held accountable?

[btheturkey]

Go sit some public land for a couple years and see if you still feel the same way. Your theory is spot on for those of us who own and manage. Not so much for most state hunters. They need the DNR to show the trigger restraint. MN has a lot of hunters and real winter. Excessive anterless tags will always be an issue unless Al Gore's theory on the earth heating up comes true, or we lose the bulk of the states hunters.

[vister]

Keep in mind it is almost one deer per hunter statewide. As opposed to the past few years where some zones were 5/hunter. Less available tags equals lower harvest numbers. I can only tag one deer this year, in 240, and I have yet to see or hear of wolves in a 30 mile radius of where we hunt. It's more harsh winters that do it, rather than wolves. But yes, wolves do take their toll. I blame wolves for the lack of moose. I mean c'mon dnr, do you honestly not know why there are so many dry cow moose out there? Really? If I were a betting man, I'd say she lost her calf to the wolves.

[PurpleFloyd]

Keep in mind it is almost one deer per hunter statewide. As opposed to the past few years where some zones were 5/hunter. Less available tags equals lower harvest numbers. I can only tag one deer this year, in 240, and I have yet to see or hear of wolves in a 30 mile radius of where we hunt. It's more harsh winters that do it, rather than wolves. But yes, wolves do take their toll.

Exactly. For years the vocal big buck hunters on the boards were telling others to leave the smaller bucks alone and fill the freezers with does. Many passes on yearling bucks yet went ahead and shot multiple does for sausage without a thought about what it could do to the population. After the cold winter last year there was a sudden(I mean like days) role reversal and a small group of hunters declared that suddenly the DNR was negligent because they allowed hunters to do what they were asking to do all along and that they needed to be audited for it. So they listened, reduced the number if tags available in order to reduce the harvest to make that group happy again and now, after getting the antlerless harvest reduction they asked for, they are complaining because fewer deer will be shot.

[smsmith]

they are complaining because fewer deer will be shot.

Don't know who you're referring to. I am very happy with the reduction in antlerless tags, and so is everybody else that I communicate with. It is the correct move on the DNR's part.

What I am still complaining about is that the reduction in antlerless tags should have happened a few years ago. The model and data inputs the DNR uses did not ring the necessary warning bells for some reason. Many of us would like to know why, and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

[laker1]

I know one guy a few years ago shot 9 deer himself,via party hunting. The question is why? Like excessive deer killing by a rare wolf killing more than they can eat.

[mntatonka]

I know one guy a few years ago shot 9 deer himself,via party hunting. The question is why? Like excessive deer killing by a rare wolf killing more than they can eat.

how many did the rest of his party shoot? And how many people did he share that meat with?

I know people that shot AND tagged 8 a couple of times in our area, but we're also a unique area.

[Beast26]

I know one guy a few years ago shot 9 deer himself,via party hunting. The question is why? Like excessive deer killing by a rare wolf killing more than they can eat.

Rare wolf killing? LOL That right there is funny. 80% of the wolf diet is deer. According to most things I have read a single wolf eat 10-18 deer a year depending on who you ask. Hardly rare. If we have 2400 wolves that adds up to 24,000 - 43,000 deer per year. BTW I personally still believe we have more than 2400 in MN. Their home range has expanded dramatically in the last few years and is within spitting distance of the Twin Cities.