Extended Season Possibly

[Captain B.R.K]

I'd be interested to see what the numbers are this year for this years deer hunt. With crops in the central and SE MN, I'm going to say that seeing deer and even shooting deer was not what the DNR expected.

Though the numbers were out there about successes, I'm sure they aren't nearly what the non-success were this year.

Anybody hear around their area's and how things were going?

Would the DNR have an extended season?

[Mark Christianson]

I'll bet my next paycheck that the harvest is nothing near what the DNR wanted...(Well, I better not go that crazy)

Its gonna be down, and I posted on a topic before firearms season began, that a late season was my prediction with all the crops still standing. Too much corn!!!!

[TV BOY]

I hunted 4b 418 which has a management tag available. Our group of 8 only had 1 button buck There was rumor within the group of the DNR opening the season back up for those with unfilled tags for a Dec season like back in 19??

Sad thing, most of the corn was out near our spot.

[Eric Wettschreck]

We hunted 4A, section 454. 8 of us, 2 deer. The local reports for that season and this weekends season is the harvest is WAY low for the area. I for one am hoping for an extended or 2nd season in this area. There is a whole bunch of corn out there and the deer are in the corn.

[Havin' Fun]

I'm doubtful that there will be an extended season. I think logistically it would be a nightmare. The DNR would more likely be willing to issue additional tags to Black Powder hunters and bowhunters in some areas than an extended season. If we have a normal winter, look for some serious management tags issued in some zones next year!

[Mark Christianson]

How much more serious could they get with issuing more tags?

We can already get 5 where we are, and nobody has any interest in that many the way it is. Or at least VERY few.

It may be a logistical nightmare, but letting the deer overrun everything in site is a worse logistical nightmare when you think about all the problems that may come out of a low harvest.

[bigbucks]

I don't know what they'll do, it certainly has gotten more complicated for them with the generous licensing already.

We shot 13 for 12 hunters during 4A & 5 for 10 during 4B. We weren't selective. There's a lot of corn near us as well, but not as much as some years. It's still standing, just not as much planted close by. Most of the deer we got were relating to the large swamp on our property. This weekend 4 of the 5 deer were driven out, while only 1 of the 13 were driven last weekend.

[lawdog]

I would say that the 4a season in Pipestone and Rock counties was almost embarassingly low for deer numbers, but with the all season, I was able to be out this past 4b season as well and I heard more shooting Saturday morning than I have in years. A LOT of crop came out last week too. I'm thinking there will not be an extended season in this area. As someone else pointed out too, with all the season/license options now, I just don't know how they'd do it, but I kind of hope they do as I have a youngster and a nephew that both have tags and would probably love another shot at getting one...

[SartellMN]

The DNR website says that the harvest in the North of the state was about the same as last year. It is only the central and southern portions that were lower (and only slightly lower). Those are the areas that usually have very few doe tags, so I would guess that they will not have an extra season. Plus there are plenty of us Bow hunters willing to take up the slack you gun hunters.

[The_Duckslayer]

Oh man, pick up the slack for us glug hunters? Actually the two days in the woods that I get as a 4a hunter leaves a lot to be desired. That is why I am looking at getting a bow... it will get me into the woods a lot more! Time spent being in the woods is all good! If you happen to get a deer well that is the icing on the cake. I need to get to Fleet Farm or Cabelas and pick up a scope for my .22 so that I can go back to the woods I deer hunted and bring home some of those squirels that were the size of large cats! I suppose though, the way that my luck runs I will not see any squirels but there will be a bunch of deer walking around!!!! Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[bigbucks]

I thought most of the doe tags available were for the Central & North Central part of the state. I know we're in the 5 tag area in Todd County. Parties that were big enough to drive & willing to do it, seemed to do fine.

[Powerstroke]

Deer drives work fine but only in certain areas. Its pretty hard to do a deer drive through solid hardwoods and clearcut aspen regrowth.

I tromped through areas so thick I couldn't see the sky and I still didn't see a single deer, not even jump one from its bed.

[Eric_Sieve]

I do reccomend bow hunting....this is my frist year and I love it.....plus you can shoot those loud [commercial-or-naughty-word] squirrels with it too!

[Captain B.R.K]

I just wanted to see how people were doing and if the DNR would ever consider such a thing....my buddy said 10 years ago the DNR opened up an extended season for those hunters that HAD licenses that went unfilled.

I to bow hunt and just gives me that many more opportunities!

[BLACKJACK]

I doubt if there will be an extended season. The DNR will just see what the winter brings - we're due for a tough one - and issue more doe tags if necessary.

[bigbucks]

The year they extended the season there was a huge blizzard during one of the seasons, so it was all but unhuntable in parts of the state. I believe they only reopened those parts, but they made it so multi-zone hunters, & now I suppose All-Season hunters also could take advantage of it along with the guys that had licenses for I think it was 4B. It was just in certain permit areas West & SW areas if I remember correctly. I had friends that hunted that season on their normal hunting grounds in the Clinton-Ortonville area.

[who are those guy]

not this year:

News Releases

Deer harvest likely to be among highest on record (2004-11-16)

The number of deer harvested during the 2004 firearms season will likely be among the highest on record, according to preliminary estimates from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Using preliminary data from the electronic registration database, the 2004 harvest is down about eight percent compared with 2003, the highest harvest on record. The harvest may exceed 2002, when 197,000 deer were registered during the firearms season, the second highest total on record.

"The nice weather this past weekend apparently made some difference," said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator. "We had lots of hunters in the woods and many took advantage of permit options that allowed them to harvest multiple deer."

Sales of firearms deer licenses through Monday totaled 420,321, slightly below last year’s total of 422,376 at the same time. License sales in 2002 were 412,913 following the second weekend of the season.

Cornicelli said this season’s deer harvest, when fully totaled, will likely be lower than the 2003 record of 290,525 but ahead of 2002 total of 222,050. "We didn't expect to set a new record this year," he said. "We're very pleased with the number of deer harvested."

The DNR completed collection of lymph node samples to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The samples were collected from harvested wild deer this year at more than 130 big game registration stations in 60 permit areas located in parts of the northwest, north central, east central and southwest portions of the state.

Hunters who allowed DNR staff to sample their deer were entered in a raffle for 30 guns and bows. The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association will conduct the drawing and winners will be announced in December.

This is the third and final year of DNR testing for CWD in Minnesota's wild deer population. During the 2002 and 2003 deer hunting seasons, the DNR collected and tested 14,450 deer, none of which tested positive for CWD. Testing results for deer harvested in the 2004 season will be available at the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us as results for each permit area are completed.

Deer hunting season remains open from Nov. 20-28 in southeast Minnesota. Muzzleloader season will be held statewide from Nov. 27-Dec. 12 and archery deer season continues through Dec. 31.

[Captain B.R.K]

Nice report-- I guess that answers my question!

[Mark Christianson]

Indeed it does.

Time to get that Muzzleloader ready.