Expected worst Deer harvest in 20 years!

[Todd Caswell]

Also wonder how many people still have meat in the freezer from YEARS past, had a very avid deer hunter try to pawn some veni from 2010 on me a couple weeks ago, in the next breath he told me it looked to be a very disappointing season for there group for putting fresh meat in the freezer, very little sign and no doe permits.

[BobT]

We pay people to do this. I think that is what most are upset about. People that own land and are familiar with their deer herd can make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is a small percentage of hunters. That means the rest rely on the DNR to give accurate information.

Maybe however, those same people are most likely making that decision based on a 20 acre plot and not the entire hunting area.

The herd in one small area could be very robust due to various factors including feeding and baiting that goes on while just a short distance down the road the population may be depleted.

[smsmith]

It would also be interesting to see how many people complaining of low deer numbers were in the Fill the freezer with does and let the little bucks walk crowd.

Two of the most vocal members of this site when it comes to deer population were in this crowd not even 10 months ago. Interesting how fast a person can change their cause, isn't it?

If by any chance you're referring to me...I haven't shot a doe in MN or WI for at least 6 years. In fact...I haven't shot a deer in MN...EVER.

I will admit that I was a strong QDM advocate for several decades. I still practice those principles, but I have a real problem with the "A" part of QDMA. In areas where shooting a doe doesn't negatively impact the herd overall, I still believe taking a doe is a better practice than shooting a yearling buck. The problem is, in much of MN the herd has been decimated. I don't believe the folks at QDMA ever thought it was possible to actually reduce a deer herd by more than half in a decade through shooting does. QDM teaches an "adequate" harvest of does. We've gone well past that point in much of MN.

[96trigger]

Quote:

Maybe however, those same people are most likely making that decision based on a 20 acre plot and not the entire hunting area.

The herd in one small area could be very robust due to various factors including feeding and baiting that goes on while just a short distance down the road the population may be depleted.

I agree, which is why we pay the DNR to let us know what the populations as whole is. My 20 acres could be loaded with deer, so 5 deer looks great and manageable, 2 miles down the road there are none. The present way of keeping track of deer numbers is not working.

[smsmith]

Also wonder how many people still have meat in the freezer from YEARS past, had a very avid deer hunter try to pawn some veni from 2010 on me a couple weeks ago, in the next breath he told me it looked to be a very disappointing season for there group for putting fresh meat in the freezer, very little sign and no doe permits.

That captures a big part of the problem in a few short sentences. Why so many hunters feel it necessary to "fill the freezer" when they don't even enjoy venison that much is beyond me.

[LightningBG]

I have to chuckle at some of the math on this thread. Some of the calculations start off wrong and get corrected with more wrong answers. Others start off right and people correct them with wrong. Some just make up numbers and call it good. Others are rounding off 100k here and there.

My guess is. You all work for the DNR, don't have a calculator and are just fibbing about hunting.

Speaking of which. Last May we drove from the TC to Gunflint lodge. From Duluth to Grand Marais we saw 100+ deer on the side of the road (alive). By far the most we've ever seen by ~3x. So anyways.... Not saying anything other than there were a bunch around at that time, but maybe fido got them all, or they were just getting ready to have a road party or watch a parade or something.

I'm not hunting MN this year so I hope they get better in my absence.

[jay83196]

The point should be if we assume the majority of people follow rules (don't poach) we should trust our Dnr does,what we pay them to do....put RESPONSIBLE regs in place and that if the MAJORITY follows them we should be ok and not #&%@ about who takes what.

[jay83196]

Like what numbers are you referring to?

[Coldtrack]

I'm just up north of Grandrapids MN. and have a small processing business were I do between 75 to 100 head every season. 1/2 to 3/4 of those come in the first week, this season so far I have had 26 brought in!!!! I have 2 sets of tracks by my stand since we have gotten the snow opening day!!!

[wally243]

sms

You are right on in your after thoughts, but who in their right mind thought that shooting a mature doe doesn't have a huge negative affect on the deer numbers. If I have heard it once I have heard it 20 times. "We went down to the river muzzle loading and shot a bunch of big does and 2 nice bucks". Next year "We are not seeing many deer this year" Try raising cattle with your herd management ideas. What a mess. It shouldn't be rocket science. The people we pay millions of dollars should be able to figure it out. Not????? Minnesota can't be Missourri or Iowa or the Dakota's that is just the way it is. Get our herd to a good number and manage it accordingly. Just for the record some will die in the winter and some will get eaten by wolves in Minnesota. That is no excuse for low deer numbers.

On a bright side it they shut it down for a year they could do a 4 point restriction on and no one would miss a beat even though I am not a huge advocate of it.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I wonder how many of the people complaining of low deer numbers took advantage of bonus and intensive harvest permits in the past?my guess would be nearly everyone.

I also wonder how many of the people complaining of low deer numbers were blaming the DNR under their breath when they shot a deer this year.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

What's your opinion Eric, I think there are tons of does around your area. Bucks much fewer in number.

I see more deer when I hunt back home than anywhere else I've hunted in this state.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Does out the wazzo around here. There are bucks also and some nice ones. Thing is, and you know this, ya gotta get out of your truck and plow through the thick nasties to kick em out

My gut tells me there will be more doe tags for this area next year

It's a bit of a success story. A few years ago there were no doe tags for far sw mn. Now the herd is back.

Also, there are no wolves or bear here. Biggest predator problem deer have here are yotes, guys woth guns, and 3/4 ton chevys. However winter cover is minamal.

[Todd Caswell]

Quote:

That captures a big part of the problem in a few short sentences. Why so many hunters feel it necessary to "fill the freezer" when they don't even enjoy venison that much is beyond me.

Because that's what people have done in MN for years, buy a lisc. pay someone else to process it and let it sit in the freezer for a couple years and toss it out cause momma won't let them cook it in the house or when she's home, but there back at deer camp every year, ready to tag another one. In there mind they haven't done anything wrong and this year there bitchinnng because they didn't get a chance to shoot one.. I personally would rather see a wolf eat than letting it freezer burn in someones freezer..

[BuckSutherland]

Because that's what people have done in MN for years, buy a lisc. pay someone else to process it and let it sit in the freezer for a couple years and toss it out cause momma won't let them cook it in the house or when she's home, but there back at deer camp every year, ready to tag another one. In there mind they haven't done anything wrong and this year there bitchinnng because they didn't get a chance to shoot one.. I personally would rather see a wolf eat than letting it freezer burn in someones freezer..

Probably one of the few times I will ever agree with you, but this is 1000% spot on. Same can be said for freezers full of fish. And yeah, I too would rather see a wolf eat the deer than some greedy slob that is just gonna toss it in the garbage. Kinda left our property and food plot as a sanctuary hoping the area deer will come in there and be left alone. Tag soup this year and not minding it one bit. Still a chance for a road kill.

[ESSGuy]

Anyone who knows or has hunted the north shore knows deer migrate from the harsh snowier inland down hill to the warmer area closer to the big lake. You may have "hundreds by the lake and zero 1/2 mile up the hill where the snow is deeper and the dogs are thicker.

[PurpleFloyd]

Does out the wazzo around here. There are bucks also and some nice ones. Thing is, and you know this, ya gotta get out of your truck and plow through the thick nasties to kick em out

My gut tells me there will be more doe tags for this area next year

It's a bit of a success story. A few years ago there were no doe tags for far sw mn. Now the herd is back.

Also, there are no wolves or bear here. Biggest predator problem deer have here are yotes, guys woth guns, and 3/4 ton chevys. However winter cover is minamal.

You crack me up with the Chevy comment. One of my relatives in our party hit this guy with the duramax he had just bought a few weeks before and it had just come out of the same creek I have my stand in.

Anyway, lots of does around here as well and one of our young guys shot his first buck. A nice 6 pointer.my kids both filled their tags while their old man missed a buck spectacularly

Bad weather and a full moon/ clear sky the night before the opener had them locked down and laying tight. On the way home from Dawson today once the wind died I started to see the deer moving as it got dark. Wish I could play bookie in the morning because I think the deer will really be active.

[smsmith]

I personally would rather see a wolf eat than letting it freezer burn in someones freezer..

Agreed...at least the animal isn't wasted on a wolf.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

ya gotta get out of your truck and plow through the thick nasties to kick em up

Haha.

Not necessarily.

Dad ran the disk to his stand Saturday afternoon so he didn't have to walk over rough plowing and shot a nice one a few hours later lol.

But that's his routine.

Me, I make truck tracks to my stand three weeks ago so I didn't need to walk over rough plowing lol.

But yeah, if I was gun hunting this year I'll be balls deep in public land cattails and muck!!!

[smsmith]

but who in their right mind thought that shooting a mature doe doesn't have a huge negative affect on the deer numbers.

Apparently a lot of folks. Just tonight I was reading through reported sightings. More than one person posted something about not seeing many deer, but when the opportunity to take a doe (given a doe tag) was presented...they went ahead and pulled the trigger.

So...a hunter isn't seeing many deer...and the solution to that problem is to take the first deer that MAKES MORE DEER EVERY YEAR ITS ALIVE...simply friggin' brilliant

[PurpleFloyd]

Mostly because the APR/QDMA,MBI crowd told them for years that they would be shunned for shooting bucks that didn't meet a certain standards and if they wanted venison they should just shoot a doe.

Then suddenly last year over the course of a few weeks a faction did a total 180 and not everyone got the memo...

[jay83196]

A guy spends a lot of time and $ and then is suppose to just let a nice deer go by for the guy down the road to shoot anyway? Many of us do enjoy and take advantage of the meat and stick to one deer a year or maybe two every decade if were lucky.The complaint and issue should be the limits the DNR put in place not a guy following them by taking his legal limit. The DNR should be smart enough to have the right limits in place so if a guy gets one or two if allowed in his area it's not going to adversely effect the herd. Guys complain if a guy takes too small of a buck and now if a mature doe is taken he's criticized....let's just take cameras, take pictures and throw our guns in the trash! Follow the rules be safe and have fun this really shouldn't be that difficult if DNR did their job!!!

[PropsterII]

Bull. You all rebelled and fought it then suddenly agreed? And everyone shot does even if you weren't seeing any deer because you were told it was ok? Baloney.

[creepworm]

Apparently a lot of folks. Just tonight I was reading through reported sightings. More than one person posted something about not seeing many deer, but when the opportunity to take a doe (given a doe tag) was presented...they went ahead and pulled the trigger.

So...a hunter isn't seeing many deer...and the solution to that problem is to take the first deer that MAKES MORE DEER EVERY YEAR ITS ALIVE...simply friggin' brilliant

Man you like to complain a lot.

Have you ever thought of going into the woods with an attitude that allows you to enjoy your time in the deer stand?

[jay83196]

+1

[smsmith]

Man you like to complain a lot.

Have you ever thought of going into the woods with an attitude that allows you to enjoy your time in the deer stand?

Since I'm able to manage my chunk of land the way I wish, I'd wager that I enjoy my stand time more than many.

I just find it humorous in a sick, twisted way that so many Minnesotans are ready to hand over all the decision making to the gooberment. Go with that...see where it gets you. Oh...that's right, we did that and ended up with a deer harvest barely over 100K. Well done gooberment.

[jay83196]

I bet my dad can beat your dad up! Seriously can't believe discussing who enjoys hunting more. Who cares!

[mntatonka]

Since I'm able to manage my chunk of land the way I wish, I'd wager that I enjoy my stand time more than many.

I just find it humorous in a sick, twisted way that so many Minnesotans are ready to hand over all the decision making to the gooberment. Go with that...see where it gets you. Oh...that's right, we did that and ended up with a deer harvest barely over 100K. Well done gooberment.

we also ended up with a deer harvest of 270,000 by letting the DNR handle it. So it's pretty clear they can increase (and decrease) the population. Now they have the chance to stabilize it, by bringing it up slowly to an accepted level and keeping it there.

[smsmith]

I bet my dad can beat your dad up! Seriously can't believe discussing who enjoys hunting more. Who cares!

Apparently you since you felt the need to chime in on the subject.

[smsmith]

we also ended up with a deer harvest of 270,000 by letting the DNR handle it. So it's pretty clear they can increase (and decrease) the population. Now they have the chance to stabilize it, by bringing it up slowly to an accepted level and keeping it there.

Yup, just put your trust in the DNR. They'll take care of everything