trophy bucks in minnesota

[stevejedlenski]

so the minnesota deer hunter association is trying to get the DNR to implement some kind of regulation to help create more trophy bucks in MN. i wouldnt mind this but i think it should be left up to the hunters and if thats what the majority want they will pass up the small bucks willingly and we will see more bucks. this is whats happening right now and thats why we see this being pushed. trust me it catches on. i started managing our heard and now all of my friends do it too after they saw what ive been shooting. all legislature would do is force meat hunters to become trophy hunters.

i say let people hunt how they want and we will see larger bucks eventually anyways. i think if they do enact regs it will lessen the role of hunters as managing the population and eating the meat to an image that hunting is pure sport and that is it. which would give anti's another reason to whine.

[mathews4ever]

The DNR needs to worry about our herds health first. First thing they should do is fire cornicelle(I don't know how to spell his name). The whole goal right now should be how can we gain more bowhunters WHILE MAINTAINING THE ONES WE HAVE. Plus there are plenty of trophy bucks in this state now, the hunters just have to look for them. I think the old timers called it scouting or something like that. I really wish our sport would forget about this farming monster bucks thing, and if people want to do it, fine but they should do it on their own property and not worry about how many deer(regardless of size) I shoot.


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[JCAMERON]

I think IF they were to enact something to help grow more mature deer it would have to be putting an age limit on the deer taken. Offer resources to educate hunters how to estimate the age of deer.
Whatever it's worth, just my $.02

[boogityn]

    I think that the state needs to get rid of party hunting!Shoot your own deer. No doubt our deer would live to be older then 1 1/2 yrs. old.   

[sjohnnie26]

Like Steve, I say leave the DNR out of it.  Let people take the deer they want.  Public land is just that, land for the general public to go on and hunt, take an animal, and bring it home to feed himself and his family.  The "man" shouldn't get to decide what the right deer is for each person.

Now if you have your own land and want to practice QDM and set limits then by all means do it, it's your land.  And you should be rewarded for your hard work and dedication.

 

[JCAMERON]

Agreed. The DNR will never be able to suit what every one wants. The only way you can consistently hunt big bucks is catering to it on private land. Unless they regulate it, very few public lands will be able to consistently hold trophy caliber bucks. And there are just to many people hunting public land exclusively for meat.

[Joe@deerhunters]

Where did you here that the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is trying to get the DNR to do something about trophy bucks?

I work for MDHA and we have not made any proposal to the DNR for managing for trophy bucks.

[Joe@deerhunters]

added a couple of more thoughts:

Where did you here that the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is trying to get the DNR to do something about trophy bucks?

I work for MDHA and we have not made any proposal to the DNR for managing for trophy bucks. We will be encouraging our members to attend the public meetings and express thier opinions. Our current statement in regards to buck management is volunteer unless for biological purposes such as a need to encourage doe harvest.

And in regards to the DNR my impression is they are seeking public comment mainly because there has been reqeust for mananging the deer herd for social interest. I would not say they are pushing it. They want to hear from the public.

With that said be sure to attend a meeting and/or send your notes to the DNR

[MNBucKKiller]

    I think that the state needs to get rid of party hunting!Shoot your own deer. No doubt our deer would live to be older then 1 1/2 yrs. old.   

why would you think that?  whats the difference if I shoot it or if someone in my party shoots it.

[boogityn]

       The reason i say this is, If you are a party hunter then you know that in your group there is a few people that aren't a very good shot. That in itself will assure more birthdays. I live in west central mn on the north and south dakota boarder, we have very little habitat left. We have filter stips of crp and groves of trees that average 5 acres or less. Or deer migrate, you take 15 hunters, line them up, and push these filter strips. these strips are approx. 120 feet wide. The deer are then eraticated. Nothing to migrate back. If each one of those hunters involved in the drive shoot their own deer, There would be deer to migrate back. When the moment of truth presents itself, I would guess that more then 50% of your average hunters will miss. Just the way it is. Oh buy the way that would agian create more birthdays. In return we be blessed with larger racks.
        Please correct me if I'm wrong, I believe Mn. is 1 of 2 states that still allow party hunting.

[Cody Gruchow]

well i say if ya eliminate party hunting then you have to either have a antler restriction size or a earn a buck. only because lots of familys hunt for food, so the more deer taken only benifiets (sp) them. yes they can shoot there own deer, but certain ppl in the party may see more deer than others. and the way we run our party is that if your the only one to get a deer you share the meat with everyone and if there are 2 deer taken you split the meat between everyone and so on and so forth. just my 2cents

[fishercz20]

Bottom line for the State is the almighty $$BUCK$$. They want the biggest $$BUCKS$$ Too. Bring in Larger quaility and quantity of Healthy Trophy Bucks and you bring in more revenue for the state. Everyone looks for a trophy buck when they head into the woods. But there is nothing wrong with taking a smaller buck for the meat. For me and I would imagine for most hunters, its the thrill of the hunt, the being in an enivironment which we Love. The sharing of stories around the camp fire with your buds. Shooting the Deer is just icing on the cake. What I walk away with, is more then just meat or antlers. I think most of you hunters understand. So I guess, it really doesnt matter what the proposal is. As long as my rights are not taken away to enjoy the opportunity to participate in this great sport. Thanks for your time.

[Big E]

Here is a easy answer in my book. but just so you know I rifle hunt and it's a family tradition and has been for years.
  Move the rifle season back after the rut. The dumbest deer in the woods in early November is a 1 1/2 yr old buck. Look at the big buck states and when their rifle or slug seasons are. They are in late November. This also give the does a chance to get breed around the same time without pressure from hunters. The more does that get breed around the same time the more fawns survive in the spring. Why is that??? Because when you have the majority of the fawns born at the same time coyotes, wolves and bears only have a short time to get to the fawns. It's like getting 100 apples all at once, you could never eat them all before they spoiled. When the births are spread out they have a lot longer time to hunt new born fawns. I also like hunting over snow and a lot of time there's no snow in the woods during rifle hunting. I would bet the farm that after 1-2 years of this and we'd see a lot more bigger bucks running around.
  I also VERY Strongly agree with a point restriction. It worked in PA. I also think it would teach young or people that don't hunt much hunters safety. If you have know exactly what you're shooting. It would also cut back on hunting accidents I think if someone has to make sure it is has 4pts on one side or what have you.

[renegade]

Easiest fix is to shorten the rifle season. Have part of the rut protected from modern firearms. You already do have a great number of trophy bucks in Minnesota already. Sure some states have it a little better but then they really limit the amount of hunting available too. Herd health should be the top concideration.

[DroptineDC18]

I don't think the DNR should do anything but when I hunted in WI, the years after an earn-a-buck season produced large quantities of bigger bucks anywhere it was EAB.  People that refuse to shoot does didn't hunt and that meant that more bucks made it through till the next year.  Not sure how it is going with WI having EAB every year now though.  The WI DNR said they would never have EAB more than 2 years in a row in the same unit.  I think it is up to 4 or 5 years in a row now in the unit I used to hunt in.