Expected worst Deer harvest in 20 years!

[PurpleFloyd]

One thing that did happen with the change in seasons in the slug zone is there are fewer guys driving around sections road hunting. There are also very few drives going on anymore and more are setting up permanent blinds and sitting rather than pushing the deer around with drives.

We are not harvesting more or less deer but we are more apt to wait for another day if the conditions are not good.although this season that was pretty much every day lol.

[Getanet]

Changes to regulations is an interesting point. We often look at the harvest reports and try to compare Season X to Season Y, but the regulations aren't static. I can almost guarantee you 5 years from now we will be trying to compare the 2014 harvest to some other year, and most of us will have forgotten that bonus tags were nearly eliminated, it was bucks only in many areas of the state, the DNR was actively trying to reduce the harvest this year, etc.

[UNDBowhunter]

OK Here is my rant on DNR Deer Management..... In a nutshell - They need to LISTEN and be more TRANSPARENT to the hunters and landowners of MN.

- I hunt in different states, and this state is horrible with public outreach/information in regards to Deer Management. The first of these meetings in MN were this spring - due to finally enough bit#$%^&.

- In Kansas, when you buy a license, they get your email address. They email you a survey (They know what zone you hunted) ask how your hunting is. This is needed here. This would "red flag" what zones need attention from hunters.

- Part of MN DEER Management is based on license sales PERIOD. If it wasn't then you could buy one license (Bow, Gun, Muzzleloader) and shoot a deer during that season.(just like Montana). Why do we need to buy three licenses for one deer- I would be happier to know that my three license sales were actually going to good management!

- Lastly, the DNR needs to inform the public what zone goals and harvest is for each zome. The first of this was this spring at the DNR listening sessions. They could use some lessons from the MN DNR fish guys - click on a lake and see what has been stocked and whats in the lake. WHY can't MN DNR deer managers have this similar data fashion for each zome? THIS is not rocket science to make this available to the public on the DNR webpage.

[CANOPY SAM]

UND...that sounds like terrific advice to share with the DNR Deer managers. I'd be willing to wager they'd appreciate the ideas.

[Fishalittle]

It still all falls on the hunters and only shooting what your land or area can handle. Our group of 7 shot 4 bucks this year. 2 above average, 1 wall mounter and a scrub that needed to be out of the gene pool. This is private land and we chose not to take a single doe to help the herd. Last year this same group shot 1 buck....the out of state elk hunts helped with that season. We all enjoy to eat venison but also don't see the need to fill every tag! If we had the old zones likely the same amount of deer would have fallen....we can just be more selective now. the argument goes both ways but in the end we all need to manage....how many times we pull that trigger!

[nonteepical]

Changing the 4a and 4b season to a full week made no difference IMO. 4a was sat,sun 2 days. 4b was sat- tue 4 days. 2+4 =6 days hunting, now we hunt saturday to following sunday, 9 days hunting an extra 3. A person pretty much has the weekdays mon-fri hunting by himself, hardly anyone hunts during the week, in fact alot of the groups still split up weekends the way it used to be.

The all season was a bucks only lisense, it was at the time, the only license you could hunt anywhere in the state as long as the season was open, if you didn't have the allseason, you were stuck taking a buck in your chosen zone 1-4 and your doe had to be taken in your zones permit area, Now you can go wherever the f you want.

* if my memory serves me right.

[hockeybc69]

It made a huge change.... we had a fraction of the hunters in the woods because we were forced to split up because of the a and b seasons...

Huge pressure increase on deer when you add to the amount of hunters opening weekend with changing to zone 2 rules.

[laker1]

In times of rebuilding the herd splitting the hunters up into separate seasons can help reduce the pressure on the deer. Wonder if it was considered this year, or next?

That was tried once. Trouble in some areas,part of the party hunted each season and the rest made deer drives,thus the kill ended up higher due to illegal hunting by some. Maybe it works in some areas.but not north central Minnesota.

[BLACKJACK]

That was tried once. Trouble in some areas,part of the party hunted each season and the rest made deer drives,thus the kill ended up higher due to illegal hunting by some. Maybe it works in some areas.but not north central Minnesota.

Thats a pretty big assumption, that enough hunters were hunting illegally to make a difference.

[BLACKJACK]

It made a huge change.... we had a fraction of the hunters in the woods because we were forced to split up because of the a and b seasons...

I agree with hockeybc on this one. Plus a 9 day season puts more pressure on the big bucks, if you only had two days you'd be more likely to settle for any buck rather than holding out for a big one.

[hockeybc69]

The old system was set up that you needed to choose to hunt EITHER weekend. Only way to hunt both weekends was to purchase Multizone buck license or All Season license. License sales of both those tag types was negligible statewide.

2001

4A - 68000 hunters

4b - 38000 hunters

2002

4a - 60000 hunters

4b - 34000 hunters

2003

4a - 70000 hunters

4b - 39000 hunters

2004

4a - 73000 hunters

4b - 37000 hunters

2005

4a - 66000 hunters

4b - 30000 hunters

2006

Our permit area was changed to zone 2 starting this year.

Zone 2 - all hunters able to hunt opening weekend. 33% more hunters able to be in the woods at one time compared to previous hunting season structure. Thats a HUGE pressure increase on deer.

[laker1]

The illegal hunting was when you picked like your 5 days you wanted to hunt in the 70's and yes in certain areas the illegal kill was documented and they over harvested. This was done by crews that drove. That is why they went away from that system,maybe that doesn't happen now in the southern zones.

[jbell1981]

I agree with hockeybc on this one. Plus a 9 day season puts more pressure on the big bucks, if you only had two days you'd be more likely to settle for any buck rather than holding out for a big one.

Yup, I remember back on the day of the 2 day season (before they started the all season licence) the motto was "If it's brown, its down". Now we can be more selective.

[nonteepical]

With 16 dpsm in 240 &213 that's still the motto who don't practice some form of QDM.

[sticknstring]

The switch to the 9 day continuous gun season was the single-biggest detriment to deer hunting in my area. Too much opportunity at a diminishing herd.

[smsmith]

Seeing as I'm a "transplant" to MN, can some of you guys educate me on the reasoning/rationale for switching to the continuous 9 day season?

[wally243]

God forbid to restrict the 8 month bow and 17 week muzzle loader season with any sex tags. That would be stupid... They have no agenda's in the upper levels of the DNR either... They are in it for the deer and you hunters I think.

[sticknstring]

Seeing as I'm a "transplant" to MN, can some of you guys educate me on the reasoning/rationale for switching to the continuous 9 day season?

I heard it was to aid in bringing the whitetail to extinction here in MN. Not sure I believe that though. Well, maybe I do.

[Jameson]

Seeing as I'm a "transplant" to MN, can some of you guys educate me on the reasoning/rationale for switching to the continuous 9 day season?

Two days of hunting isn't much fun.

Four days of hunting after the other group has hunted for two days isn't the greatest either.

Hunters asked for more time to hunt and got a nine day continuous season. It was already nine days in what was zone 2 at the time. Zone 4 was added to zone 2 and got the same nine day season.

It's been a while, I could be very wrong.

[hockeybc69]

The all season license gave those who wanted more time to hunt.... more time to hunt. We didnt need to be switched to Zone 2 in order for people to get more opportunity...

[Jameson]

We didn't. But the question was asked why it happened, not if it was necessary.

Suppose it could be said that people wanted to not pay more for more time to hunt.

[hockeybc69]

That I could see as a possible factor.

[Farmsfulltime]

Or maybe the DNR wanted expand opportunity for the hunters to enjoy their season on their terms instead of so hurried . After all im sure the change occurred to benefit the hunters and allow more choices to get together with family and friends and enjoy the outdoors together .

[smsmith]

Hunters asked for more time to hunt and got a nine day continuous season. It was already nine days in what was zone 2 at the time. Zone 4 was added to zone 2 and got the same nine day season.

Thanks to you and the others who responded.

Where was the "line" between zone 2 and zone 4 at the time?

You say hunters asked for more time to hunt...was that an organized effort by some group or what? Did the DNR ask hunters "would you like a 9 day season and to combine zone 4 with zone 2?"

[hockeybc69]

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

Or maybe the DNR wanted expand opportunity for the hunters to enjoy their season on their terms instead of so hurried . After all im sure the change occurred to benefit the hunters and allow more choices to get together with family and friends and enjoy the outdoors together .

Well, lets expand it more then. People have busy lives these days and we might as well just add another week for zone 2 so we can enjoy the time with family and friends as long as those in zone 1. Its just fair isnt it?

[smsmith]

Thanks for posting that pic hockey...gives me some historical perspective on my area.

I can certainly see how switching a unit from the old zone 4 rules to zone 2 rules could indeed impact the herd. Especially if in old zone 4 antlerless harvest had some type of restriction then went to Managed or Intensive when placed into zone 2.

[jbell1981]

Further back than the map hockey posted, zone 4 continued north up to the border.

[smsmith]

Thanks jbell...any idea of the approximate time frame that map was from?

[jbell1981]

That was a 2003 map. The year of the first switch (Hockeys map) was 2005. 2008 it was switch to pretty much what it is now.