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Post by Sandbur on Feb 10, 2017 20:30:51 GMT -6
I will just throw in my observations. My neighbor hunts 1.5 miles from me and his land is up against about a 400 acre pine plantation. His group pretty much favors some yearling buck protection. He killed a deer during the mzzle season and I think he said there were 62 deer on his field. The group that owns and hunts the pine plantation shot 13 or more bucks, many of them yearlings. Everyone around them complains about them shooting the yearling bucks, but the whole neighborhood would not have as many deer if these guys had not taken land out of production and planted pines.
I am 1.5 miles away and saw 14 deer during this years rifle season. My average is 6 or 7 deer during the season and one year we saw ONE deer which was a forkhorn buck.
What is right and fair?? It is hard to sort out.
Between my place and my neighbors is a wildlife management area which has very low deer numbers. It is around 400 acres. Again, what is fair?
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Post by kl9 on Feb 10, 2017 20:38:34 GMT -6
If there is one thing I've learned it is that managing deer is tough! The smaller the scale we can manage on the better, but it may result in lowering localized populations and some may not like that...
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Post by Sandbur on Feb 10, 2017 20:41:50 GMT -6
I will just throw in my observations. My neighbor hunts 1.5 miles from me and his land is up against about a 400 acre pine plantation. His group pretty much favors some yearling buck protection. He killed a deer during the mzzle season and I think he said there were 62 deer on his field. The group that owns and hunts the pine plantation shot 13 or more bucks, many of them yearlings. Everyone around them complains about them shooting the yearling bucks, but the whole neighborhood would not have as many deer if these guys had not taken land out of production and planted pines. I am 1.5 miles away and saw 14 deer during this years rifle season. My average is 6 or 7 deer during the season and one year we saw ONE deer which was a forkhorn buck. What is right and fair?? It is hard to sort out. Between my place and my neighbors is a wildlife management area which has very low deer numbers. It is around 400 acres. Again, what is fair? I will add that my buck to doe ratio is pretty decent. Often we see one adult doe and one adult buck per season. Might see the doe and her fawns twice. I saw three different antlered bucks this year and probably two different adult does.
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Coda1
Full Member
Posts: 242
Likes: 303
Location: Hunting north of Staples, MN
Zone: 3B
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Post by Coda1 on Feb 10, 2017 21:03:32 GMT -6
I don't know what the solution is. Deer numbers can vary in just a couple of miles. It is too bad that the hunters don't have enough common sense to do the right thing for their area. We started leasing about 160 acres of Potlatch land near Lyons state forest in 2004. We were hunting the area since 1996 and deer numbers were always really low. We decided not to shoot any does to build up the deer numbers. Last year most of it was sold to the DNR and became a WMA and my dad bought 35 acres. Even though no does were shot off it in 12 years I don't think there was any more deer then before. Public land is only 1/2 mile away and I think some neighbors blast anything that moves. I think every year they just spread out from our land to the areas without any deer. The one thing we did notice was larger bucks. Before we never saw anything bigger then a six point. After a couple of years we started seeing bigger bucks. Now that it is a WMA next to us I imagine it will go back to only yearlings again.
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Feb 10, 2017 21:09:23 GMT -6
I don't know what the solution is. Deer numbers can vary in just a couple of miles. It is too bad that the hunters don't have enough common sense to do the right thing for their area. We started leasing about 160 acres of Potlatch land near Lyons state forest in 2004. We were hunting the area since 1996 and deer numbers were always really low. We decided not to shoot any does to build up the deer numbers. Last year most of it was sold to the DNR and became a WMA and my dad bought 35 acres. Even though no does were shot off it in 12 years I don't think there was any more deer then before. Public land is only 1/2 mile away and I think some neighbors blast anything that moves. I think every year they just spread out from our land to the areas without any deer. The one thing we did notice was larger bucks. Before we never saw anything bigger then a six point. After a couple of years we started seeing bigger bucks. Now that it is a WMA next to us I imagine it will go back to only yearlings again. Sounds like a good time to get the hell out of there!
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Coda1
Full Member
Posts: 242
Likes: 303
Location: Hunting north of Staples, MN
Zone: 3B
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Post by Coda1 on Feb 10, 2017 21:09:27 GMT -6
I will add that my buck to doe ratio is pretty decent. Often we see one adult doe and one adult buck per season. Might see the doe and her fawns twice. I saw three different antlered bucks this year and probably two different adult does. Some years it is the same by me. I would say on average its about two does to each buck I see. I think it is because a lot of the hunters shot anything as long as they have a tag so the ratio stays about the same.
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Coda1
Full Member
Posts: 242
Likes: 303
Location: Hunting north of Staples, MN
Zone: 3B
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Post by Coda1 on Feb 10, 2017 21:23:02 GMT -6
I don't know what the solution is. Deer numbers can vary in just a couple of miles. It is too bad that the hunters don't have enough common sense to do the right thing for their area. We started leasing about 160 acres of Potlatch land near Lyons state forest in 2004. We were hunting the area since 1996 and deer numbers were always really low. We decided not to shoot any does to build up the deer numbers. Last year most of it was sold to the DNR and became a WMA and my dad bought 35 acres. Even though no does were shot off it in 12 years I don't think there was any more deer then before. Public land is only 1/2 mile away and I think some neighbors blast anything that moves. I think every year they just spread out from our land to the areas without any deer. The one thing we did notice was larger bucks. Before we never saw anything bigger then a six point. After a couple of years we started seeing bigger bucks. Now that it is a WMA next to us I imagine it will go back to only yearlings again. Sounds like a good time to get the hell out of there! Thats what a co-worker keeps telling me. My father bough 5 acres and we built a cabin there in 1996 so we hate to leave. Last year he bought the rest of the 40 when it came up for sale. Its convenient to hunt but not very good. I hunt the firearms season there with him and my brother but gave up on bow hunting there a number of years ago. I've been trying public land in different parts of the state for bow hunting.
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Feb 10, 2017 21:31:28 GMT -6
Sounds like a good time to get the hell out of there! Thats what a co-worker keeps telling me. My father bough 5 acres and we built a cabin there in 1996 so we hate to leave. Last year he bought the rest of the 40 when it came up for sale. Its convenient to hunt but not very good. I hunt the firearms season there with him and my brother but gave up on bow hunting there a number of years ago. I've been trying public land in different parts of the state for bow hunting. Yep, I pounded away in MN for 25 years with shitty hunting until I got smart and bought land in a different state. I just pulled some chips tonight and posted some of the better bucks. in the big game thread, that have made it through on one of our 80's in Missouri. I will never hunt MN again. Well maybe never again......
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Post by Bwoods11 on Feb 10, 2017 23:28:17 GMT -6
Thats what a co-worker keeps telling me. My father bough 5 acres and we built a cabin there in 1996 so we hate to leave. Last year he bought the rest of the 40 when it came up for sale. Its convenient to hunt but not very good. I hunt the firearms season there with him and my brother but gave up on bow hunting there a number of years ago. I've been trying public land in different parts of the state for bow hunting. Yep, I pounded away in MN for 25 years with shitty hunting until I got smart and bought land in a different state. I just pulled some chips tonight and posted some of the better bucks. in the big game thread, that have made it through on one of our 80's in Missouri. I will never hunt MN again. Well maybe never again...... I talked to a guy at basketball game tonight... he might look at your 200 acres in Worth. Is it still for sale??
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Post by Sandbur on Feb 11, 2017 7:04:13 GMT -6
I hoe everyone attends a meeting or emails in comments. More than likely we are wasting our time, but we worked for the audit and this is one result of the audit.
Attend the meetings, express your opinion, and try and find some middle ground with the other guys in your group.
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Post by wildfire123 on Feb 11, 2017 9:18:35 GMT -6
18 million is spent on deer license, only 2.4 million from license sales each year goes directly into 4 projects- feeding deer in crisis was one of them. The rest of the license revenue goes into a pot, 118 million in the pot comes from different places. you did not expect to find out where all the money comes from. The dnr drew a circle with 118 coming in, with 6 of 7 arrows pointing in. The next meeting to be held, will give the participants, the same bs.
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Post by biglakebass on Feb 11, 2017 9:29:00 GMT -6
So in other words 13% of revenue collected via deer hunting license sales, goes into deer management. No more and no less?
And now the DNR is saying that they will run out of money in the cervid health fund by 2018 as well and they are exploring ways to fund the work beyond that.
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Post by kabic on Feb 11, 2017 10:18:12 GMT -6
Kind of sounds like how the college football program helps fund all the other sport programs.
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Post by biglakebass on Feb 11, 2017 10:21:11 GMT -6
Oh thats not true Kabic. I watched a womens hockey game recently between St Cloud State and Mankato State.... There was at least 45 people in the stands.
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Post by mnaaron on Feb 11, 2017 13:01:05 GMT -6
I just want to clarify that a position on MN deer numbers. For the most part I agree with the pass a doe, let the herd grow. In some cases that can be a detriment to areas with high deer numbers. My county (Pope) is hardly a deer mecca, but we do have 7-8 townships that are full of deer. There are pockets of high deer numbers. On my 40 acre parcel, I border a 800 acre block of timber call Barsness Woods. This is where I get my name (Bwoods). We have hunted here since 1995, my dad bought this place and we love it. Great cover, the largest block of woods in he county. It is mixed with some CRP, and sloughs, surrounded by crop fields. At one time in the 1990's there were 250 deer wintering in this woods. My guess as of right now, probably 125-150. The neighbor had 77 in his organic alfalfa one evening. We also own 52 acres south of small town (Terrace) that area is as good of deer country as Iowa (deer numbers-not racks) although big bucks are shot every year. The farm we own borders 480 acres of the nicest cover I have personally ever seen. Oaks, deep draws, cattail sloughs, private lake, CRP. Incredible stuff. I plant 5 acres of food plots and I draw the deer out off his land...this guy only hunts one weekend. My son Jake counted 48 deer--46 does and two bucks--in our beans one evening in December. Even in September we see 12-25 deer per night. With the high deer numbers, we feel we have to harvest a few does, which we have. With another fairly mild winter, I would guess that we are looking at higher numbers again next fall. I've got friends in the same boat. A lot of does, and a handful of bucks. Management for this situation is tricky and I am hesitant to talk about this because of the MDDI, but I just wanted to let you know my situation and why I feel a bit differently about doe harvest than some of your guys. It is really regional, as parts of our county have limited cover and not many deer. Just had to get that off my chest. Here is a typical pic of late season food plots.... free jpg picturesI have a similar situation as you bwoods We haven't shot a doe on one parcel for 7+ Years since all the neighbors were pounding them now more and more are passing bucks and some are shooting does. We will start shooting does again since we had 75 deer in the field last night
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