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Expected worst Deer harvest in 20 years!


leech~~

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Some times it kind of suk's being a Deer Hunter and Snowmobiler. In one hand you want a ton of snow for riding and the other you want a good strong deer herd. frown

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Once the Muzzi and bow hunters get out in this snow they will get the does your speaking of!!!!! Makes a lot of sense don't it.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Once the Muzzi and bow hunters get out in this snow they will get the does your speaking of!!!!! Makes a lot of sense don't it.

wally243, you replied to my post but I don't remember making the statement?

the does your speaking of!!!!!? Was this in response to someone else? confused

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No it was not meant to be at anyone. Just a general statement concerned about anyfish's does. Seems that if someone wants a doe they will get one no matter what the gun regs are????

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I am sure some will travel and maybe be harvested. My private lands are safe if they stay, as I am the only hunter and no does will be shot on those properties. I feel safe to say far more are alive after this than if the regs where the same as in the past.

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I am a huge advocate of needing does before you can have deer and I like your thinking. I also know that everyone that I know kills the amount of deer they want to eat. Most of these people think shooting small bucks is a sin, which I think is backwards but who am I to say. Weather it means buying a muzzle loader tag or a bow tag. In your secluded area it may be beneficial for you and it may not. At the end of the day the number of does shot can not be regulated by the state when there is no restriction on the late season hunters. This is a hindrance to our state overall. The other thing is if you have a small area of high deer numbers in an otherwise low density area you raise your risk of other factors hurting your population such as wolves. I like the way you think, but you might need some help from our fellow hunters and the DNR.

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Report:

Big woods of northern MN (Chippewa Nat'l Forest)

We had two chances at deer in the first 2.5 days (missed both). Over 80 man-hours in the stand for our group, most of whom are serious deer hunters.

After facing the facts, we moved closer to civilization and started having chances at deer the last couple days. Scored two finally.

This is just estimation , but we agreed the rifle shots heard through the weekend were less than half of last year, and probably 10% or less of "normal" modern years (2006 - 2012).

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DNR reports first 3 days of gun season, 54k deer were harvested in 2014. A drop of 30k from the 2013 season over the first 3 days.

“Comparing this year’s harvest to harvests in previous years doesn’t necessarily reflect hunter opportunity or the number of deer on the landscape in 2014,” said Leslie McInenly

Nope. Nothing to see here. Populations are just fine.

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These numbers aren't too surprising, given that so much of the state was bucks only or lottery this year. Heck, the title of this thread summarizes what the DNR expected...

Based on reports I've been reading though, it seems to be either feast or famine with some areas seeing plenty of deer and others seeing next to nothing at all.

It will be interesting to see what they do next, and if they entertain the idea of closing the season at some point in the next year or two. I can't image it's legal or practical to only close certain sections of the state.

Good luck this weekend folks.

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These numbers aren't too surprising, given that so much of the state was bucks only or lottery this year. Heck, the title of this thread summarizes what the DNR expected...

Based on reports I've been reading though, it seems to be either feast or famine with some areas seeing plenty of deer and others seeing next to nothing at all.

It will be interesting to see what they do next, and if they entertain the idea of closing the season at some point in the next year or two. I can't image it's legal or practical to only close certain sections of the state.

Good luck this weekend folks.

it's completely legal and practical for them to do whatever they want in regards to closing certain parts of the state. However, having low number of lottery permits, or buck only areas, has been proven in the past to work to bring populations up. It will continue to do so over the next couple of years.

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No way could I see them closing the season too much lost $$. I agree with statement they expected these low results and it's probably needed. I hunt two areas one was lottery or hunters choice many years other was intensive harvest many years then management and now lottery. I can see over the past few years how the two areas have declined the one that was intensive harvest used to be awesome more deer than could imagine the other was good but not the same as the ither now it's twice as good as the other. What I think is unfortunate is the mis managing by the dnr of some areas and it is a huge issue and part of the cause. Like I said many posts ago no reason any area (unless in areas in or close to the cities for safety reasons, car accidents etc that needs population control), should be intensive for multiple years, it's just ignorant on the part of the management. Now the one area I hunt is terrible and in the past it was great with great numbers but because hunters would take 4-5 deer year after year in addition to bad winters it's now terrible. Talk to some registration stations one owner of a gas station/bait store that registered Alot of deer said the same guys would shoot anything fawns spike bucks etc anything to fill 5 tags. Can't tell me that doesn't hurt the heard year after year. Granted the hunters are to blame but and some guys probably would illegally still do it but lets not make it easy by having intensive harvest in areas in the first place! WI has bad winters also and I don't believe they have this issue like this......

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it's completely legal and practical for them to do whatever they want in regards to closing certain parts of the state. However, having low number of lottery permits, or buck only areas, has been proven in the past to work to bring populations up. It will continue to do so over the next couple of years.

It's probably legal, but I don't see it being practical. If they closed certain areas and left others open, don't you think hunters from closed areas would flood the public land in areas that remained open? Certainly some would just not hunt, or perhaps go out of state, but more than likely you'd be cramming more hunters into the areas that remained open, putting more pressure on the deer there and upsetting lot of hunters who suddenly have many more hunters in the area.

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I'm sorry guys, but is this conversation really worth having?

The overall "average" number of tags filled each year, or in other words "hunter success" statistics, are actually surprisingly low each year compared to the actual number of tags issued. Every year good (and/or lucky) hunters fill their tags, and lots and lots of people don't.

Now, faced with a couple really tough winters, and a few bad historical decisions in particular "intensive harvest" zones, they've (the DNR) instituted a regulation calling for one deer per person statewide this season, and that's all.

And we're so statistically challenged that we can't figure out on our own that this will result in record low harvest numbers?

I really don't mean to be condescending here, but it seems pretty transparent that the damage is done, and all we can do now is be patient, make the best of the current regs, and hope the next few winters are a little more mild, and relatively snow free.

To say they "expected" low harvest numbers makes it sound like there is some kind of hidden, mysterious agenda going on in secret offices of the MN DNR. It's really not complicated math.

Markedly fewer tags issued in a year where it's known there are markedly fewer animals to harvest will ultimately result in markedly fewer deer harvested. Considering all the variables at play here, I think it's a pretty good strategy to improve the herd numbers in the coming years.

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Is what conversation really worth having? I agree the low harvest was expected, no argument there.

If you're referring to closing the season, I think it is. I wasn't around in 1971, the last time they closed the season, but apparently it was due to a series of severe winters. Last winter was one of the worst on record, on the news this morning they stated this month is on it's way to being the coldest November on record. Things could change but that's not a great way to start the winter off.

A couple of miserable winters, more grumbling about the deer herd than anytime I can recall, more wolves across a wider range than anytime I can recall, and what's shaping up to be low harvest...I definitely think a closed season could at least be in the conversation.

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This argument is absolutely worth having. The reason we are here in the first place is because of poor management decisions. Despite the fact that the DNR has pulled back on tags does not fix the underlying problem that got us here in the first place. Reliable survey data thrown out, known faulty data being used, goal setting recommendations ignored, and a questionable committment on behalf of the DNR on whether they feel deer are an asset to be valued, or a liability to be controlled.

Down 52% so far in all of series 100? Heads in sand will not fix this problem.

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Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Has any body heard about a dnr employee in deer management that was fired for taking bribes from insurance company's? Apparently he was keeping certain areas at intensive harvest etc to lower deer numbers for insurance companys...I don't know if true so not saying is true, the person I heard it from said his name etc and sure sounded like he knew what he was saying. Not sure when sounded like last year or even more recent....

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Quote:
If you're referring to closing the season, I think it is. I wasn't around in 1971, the last time they closed the season, but apparently it was due to a series of severe winters. Last winter was one of the worst on record, on the news this morning they stated this month is on it's way to being the coldest November on record. Things could change but that's not a great way to start the winter off.

Could be wrong but I though it was also due to very dry conditions, and high fire danger.. I don't believe they would ever completly close a season due to "low " numbers

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If you heard this on the internet it must be true, come on bribes from insurance companies you've got to be kidding or maybe last Saturday evening bar talk

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Did I say I read it online! That's why I was asking I heard it from sombody I typical think isn't one to flap about "bar talk " etc. But I didn't say was true thats why I was ASKING if anybody heard that same thing. I've heard worse things in the word and it wouldn't surprise me in the least, but could be talk.

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Harvesting bucks only if population is low does not effect the overall population at all long term. No need for a closed season.

If weather doesn't dictate the population will rebound fast. Regulations are in place to do that in most areas,except a few hunters choice should be lottery.

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Quote:
Has any body heard about a dnr employee in deer management that was fired for taking bribes from insurance company's?

Thats funny. But I am 100% certain that Beau Liddell still has his job.... Oh, maybe I just assumed he was the one that was being referenced. smile

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My dad who is 72 hunted Grand Marais during that period , he thinks 1972 had a 2 day season at least in that area. So basically 2 closed years.

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I guess I question if two years of low hunter success rate is better than one closed season and one season of very good hunter success rate.

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I'm all in for shutting it down for a season (or two). It'll never happen though..no way will the DNR forego that $$$. Heck, they were selling bonus permits for units where guys couldn't even use them this year. All about that money crazy

Make 95% of the state lottery next year...that may be "doable". Why this unit is still HC this year is beyond me.

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If we get through this winter in decent shape next fall i will bet looks very similar to the 2013 season designations in the southern 2/3's of the state...

They have us right where they want us..

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Yeah mark my words no way will it close they would lose millions in revenue they need the money too much. Moose shoulda closed many years with numbers down but didn't and that's not a fraction of money.

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If we get through this winter in decent shape next fall i will bet looks very similar to the 2013 season designations in the southern 2/3's of the state...

They have us right where they want us..

I believe you are correct. Unless this winter's WSI is on par with last year's...I'd anticipate a great number of units going to a less conservative level (lottery to HC, HC to Managed, etc.).

I expect the "new normal" of total deer harvest to be in the 175K range from now on. So many hunters here saw/see nothing wrong with that...amazing how quickly deer hunters in MN accept whatever is handed to them by the MN DNR.

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My kids are growing into the sport right now. They know no different. This is the norm they will get to know..

To them it is what it is. This is deer hunting.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
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    • CigarGuy
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