Camp Ripley

[monstermoose78]

Just a reminder to you all if it is time to apply for Camp Ripley.

Who is all putting in?

[ANYFISH2]

Thanks for.the reminder.  I will be putting in for the 2nd hunt, again.

[monstermoose78]

Me too

 

[MUSKY18]

Our group is all in for the second weekend.  If drawn, will be the first time hunting the "Big Hunt".  Done the veterans hunt but kinda looking forward to hunting the spots closer to the rut.

[ANYFISH2]

Muskie18, are you planning on doing the soldiers hunt this fall?

Looking forward to hanging out at the check point again this year.

[MUSKY18]

Not really sure if we are going to do it again or not.  Results have been not so good and the weather is usually too hot for any really good deer movement.  Have only seen 1 shooter in the years that I have done it.  So....our group is up in the air at this point.  If it was closer to the end of Oct, then we'd be in for sure. 

[Drail1313]

The second hunt is Oct.31 - Nov. 1st, not sure about you Musky18, but you can't get any closer to the end of Oct. then that. LOL Just sayin'

Edited August 4, 2015 by Drail1313

[ANYFISH2]

Drail, not to speak for musky18, but he was answering my question to him about the deployed soldiers hunt which is in early Oct.

[rkhinrichs]

Not to be a hater but camp ripley is overrated!  statically it is not a good hunt in the past years!!!!! Yes i heard stories of huge bucks taken from Camp Ripley! but living in the past does nothing for me!!!! I break statistics down and i would rather save my money and time for other hunts/areas!!!!!!!  

[ANYFISH2]

Oh yes it is overrated. Especially compared to what it was in the 90's.

However, it is 10 miles from home but still feels like a special hunt. So why not, I figure.

[monstermoose78]

During the 90's I remember seeing 20 to 30 deer each morning and about the same in the afternoon. It is still a good place to see a big buck for cheap.  As @ANYFISH2 said it is close to home. I think the cost of the Ripley hunt is cheap compared to going most places for better than average chance of seeing a big buck. I see 1 shooter buck about every 2 times going that is pretty good for 4 days of hunting.  

If you do not like the Camp Ripley Hunt that is okay, because it will allow the ones who do to get in more often. 

[DonBo]

Camp Ripley Fans have left the Building…

 

For the first time since 1954, the DNR does not have enough applicants to fill the Camp Ripley bow hunts.  The Ripley experience used to be a dream opportunity for the bowhunters of MN, but those days may be gone forever.  The Area Wildlife Manager rationalizes there are still too many deer in Camp, but the deer are gone and so are the hunters.

The deer are gone and so is the hunter interest in Camp Ripley.

Little Falls DNR Area Manager predicted a harvest of 150 deer for the 2014 Camp Ripley archery hunt.  Hitting that number meant we were managing for a 70% reduction from the 10 year average.  Hitting that number meant our DNR planned what happened in Camp Ripley.  Hitting that number should be of concern to those who hunt deer in MN.  We hit that number.  The Ripley experience has been eliminated by design.  These are the herd reductions are DNR was aiming for.

 

I predicted the decline for Camp Ripley applications in August of 2014, and I received this response from Area Manager Beau Liddel when I received the numbers that confirmed my fears in November:

 

‘Your cherry-picking.  The numbers and a 1 year trend are meaningless.  I need to get to other things, discussion over.’   (yes that is a direct quote)

 

Boots on the ground saw the decline coming.  For the first time in 60+ years they can’t fill the tags.  The trend is disturbing and not so meaningless.

We killed too many adult does, and it is killing the Ripley experience.

When Ripley was a big attraction, my company kept an entire resort open for 1 more week to house bowhunters from all over the United States.  When Ripley was a big attraction, hunters waited for the mailman to bring news of the drawing.  When Ripley was a big attraction, local merchants felt the effect.  Now you can’t get enough hunters to apply for total tags issued.  The local economic benefits are leaving with the hunters.

 

The unprecedented decline in applications sent a message to the MN DNR that the Ripley herd has been taken back too far.  The DNR response was to announce where and when the extra tags will go on sale.

 

Apparently the pending audit did not raise enough flags that our DNR may have taken the herd back too far.  Area manager Beau Liddel has once again shown his desire for low deer numbers.  Hunter satisfaction in the areas he oversees is abysmal.  Lazy hunters are not the issue, and the aggressive harvest of adult does that brought us here needs to be reigned in at Camp Ripley.

 

What will it take to garnish some change?  Its maddening.

 

Brooks Johnson

President MNBowhunters Inc

[monstermoose78]

That is ok with me

 

[ANYFISH2]

That is ok with me

 

whats ok, monster?

Under subcribed permits?

Or poorly managed hunt/deer herd?

As much as I like less competition for drawing a permit, I am not ok with losing the quality of hunt or deer herd I grew up with at camp.  Ripley has been in my back yard my whole life, I was educated there, worked there, volunteer there, absolutely love the place, and unfortunately a disservice has been done.

Sorry for the short rant, I feel better now!

[monstermoose78]

I have still see some quality bucks at Ripley every time.  I am okay with less people applying, because if I can get in every year that will be great. The deer population will increase again and I will be there. It seems to me everyone wants a 200 inch buck behind every tree and that will never be the case.  I feel Ripley is still good bet to see a big buck. Yes maybe not as great as it once was, but I enjoy spending the weekend with my dad. To me that is the best part of the whole trip. That is all I got to say about that. 

[MUSKY18]

Not that I want to open a can of worms or anything, but besides the fact that there were hundreds of mature does taken out by the hunters, so that will lower the population and take out some of the reproduction through breeding.  Also, you have to wonder how many of the young deer have been taken out in the spring by the wolves that are, shall we say, extremely active on Camp?  I don't think the DNR is turning a blind eye, but it would seem they might be squinting pretty good, and until they open their eyes, Ripley won't ever be the same.

 

Also, how can you email a DNR manager with questions/concerns and get a response like that?  Total disrespect by a public official, part of whos job is to field and answer questions.  Not the type of official I want running my area for certain.

[ANYFISH2]

Musky walk right into the area office(LF) After work one day!  He will waste no time disappointing you!

I asked years ago, about the downward trend of the hunt, he spoke to me as though I had now idea of how populations and modeling worked. Literally said "hunters observations mean nothing, here...".  I asked how in 95'-96' when they did an aerial survey, the population was 25-30 deer per Sq mile, and there where deer everywhere, hunters routinely seen 15+ deer per day on stand, now in 2011 there is still 30 deer per but a large percentage  of hunters have days of 0 deer seen. 

He said, paraphrase, that the population is the same because we are consistently killing the same number of deer year after year.

Than I asked if that may be because of the allowance of bonus tags?

He responded bonus tags didn't matter because only 5-10 people used 2 tags.

I asked, but you don't think that more does are harvested because of bonus tags?

He said, " we know what's going here, nothing to worry about".

 

Edited September 13, 2015 by ANYFISH2

[crestliner16]

couple days away! lets hear some updates!

[ozzie]

Buddy is up there with another friend and yesterday he said they both saw 3 does and that was it but it was windy so...

[jigginjim]

If you could some how do a fly over youwould able to see how many and where the deer are hold up. I'm should that is how the DNR measure the amount of on post. Iy's also the guys off that feed or many bait the deer off post. Having spend 28yrs in the guard, learning where the main trails are is a major plus.