Opener is coming!

[Pulleye16]

It didn’t even seem like opener here. Three trucks in the parking lot and I bet I heard 3 shots all morning. 5 years ago, cars would be lined up on the road as the parking lot would be full. Shots would echo all morning from all directions.


I did have a small buck walk by around 10am yesterday but I left my candy bar at home.  🤬🤣

[Steve-o]

yeah ditto no hunters in the woods.

we are losing our option to hunt private land next year, so since there was no action by me yesterday morning, i went 4 a drive past all the other public spots we hunted over the years to see if anyone was there.

Like you said, pulleye, on roads that used to be lined with cars at every spot you could pull your car off and park...  i counted only 6 vehicles.

i know there are deer in there, but the trouble hunting big woods like that is once the shootin starts, the deer hunker down.  It helps to have other hunters in the area to keep the deer moving.

P.S.Remember that close encounter with a buck i posted last week...  i talked to a crew of 3 near where i was and a young man got em Saturday morning.  Good for him!

[Leech~~]

Deer hunting has been something I have done since I was about 14 without missing a year. I didn't even go out this season, just not enough sign in the woods. So far the 5 guys up there haven't seen a thing.  Suks big!   

[glenn57]

Haven't heard a shot yet this morning.

Oh and Boar ... that spearhouse just went up another 50 

[roony]

Lots of deer in Southern MN. My nephew said he saw 4 other ones in range before the one he shot. There is a definite need to thin out the corn rats. Not much for natural predators down here.

[Steve-o]

This is my last sit on this private land.  The pic i posted overlooks a trail that used to be a deer highway.  There'd be a poop pile in the middle of the trail every 50 yards - even after the leaves fell.  This year the trail is barely discernable, with only the slightest trace something has walked on it.

[Boar]

Nice day, but weather sucks for hunting.https://youtube.com/shorts/3TmshpuwZCo?si=FdIiYciVzjqVEybX

[glenn57]

Want cheese and crackers with that whine!

[Leech~~]

Nice day, but weather sucks for hunting.https://youtube.com/shorts/3TmshpuwZCo?si=FdIiYciVzjqVEybX

Nice setup there!   

[HD]

We took in 204 on Saturday, and 157 today. (we already had 63 in then cooler from bow season)
Even with the extra space we added....we put had to put folks on the list for tomorrow. 

[Gunner55]

  Just curious, HD, if everything goes pretty smooth how many can they do in a normal day?

[Leech~~]

We took in 204 on Saturday, and 157 today. (we already had 63 in then cooler from bow season)
Even with the extra space we added....we put had to put folks on the list for tomorrow. 

Dang, where is this locker at?  Most guys I know didn't get any deer opener.  Sounds like their doing well around there. 

[Steve-o]

Here is some bad news...

2 hunters shot on the opening weekend of deer hunting in Minnesota

Two hunters were shot over the opening weekend of the Minnesota Firearms Deer Hunting Opener.

Both incidents happened in northwestern Minnesota. The first happened around 8 a.m. near the 4600 block of 90th Ave. N in rural Clay County, where a deer hunter was shot in the head. No details about how he was struck by gunfire in the head have been revealed.

The second hunter was shot north of Perley in Lee Township, Norman County, around 10:45 a.m. Saturday. The 37-year-old man suffered a single gunshot wound and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Fargo for non-life-threatening injuries.

According to the Minnesota DNR, there had been seven hunting-related shootings with injuries in through Nov. 5 this year. Contributing factors to those shootings include:

- Pheasant hunter lost balance and shot self in the foot
- Bird hunter turned to shoot and shot a fellow hunter
- Hunter shot self "messing around" with their hand over the barrel of the shotgun
- Hunter heard movement, turned and shot fellow hunter in both legs
- Hunter stumbled and shot fellow hunter in the calf
- Careless gun handling led to hunter shooting self in hand, forearm
- Hunters shooting towards residence, resident struck in the eye by a bb

[HD]

On a good day, we can cut 70 a day. With the extra cooler space we can hold around 300-400

We are in East Central Minnesota, North of Cambridge about 15 miles.

[Steve-o]

Somehow I missed this...   

News release: 2024 Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener celebrates traditions and inspires new hunters

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen and Explore Minnesota Director Lauren Bennett McGinty gathered with hunters and conservation stakeholders to celebrate the 22nd annual Minnesota Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener at the Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center. The event was held in partnership with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Bluffland Whitetails Association, and the Minnesota Conservation Federation

Where was our governor who hunts?       

[mike89]

licking his wounds from his first political loss...   

[Dotch]

Lots of deer in Southern MN. My nephew said he saw 4 other ones in range before the one he shot. There is a definite need to thin out the corn rats. Not much for natural predators down here.

The guy's group from the office here did their part. Got 4 of them weeded out over by Waldorf. Not huge racks but big, deep bodies, looked almost like cattle hanging. A lot of meat. A couple nice ones shot south of our place too by neighbors. One looked like a 10 pt. & the other was a 12. Must've been the gunfire I heard Saturday morning. Yer right roony, aside from cars & coyotes picking off a fawn here and there, not much predation down here. Lotsa food tho. There is so much corn on the ground from head loss and low-placed ears that got busted up by the snapping rolls that they'll eat high on the hog until the snow buries it.

[roony]

Someone shot my big one less than  mile from my woods.

[Steve-o]

Can HD give us an "Ugh" button to click for someone else's posts instead of a "Like"?   

[Leech~~]

On a good day, we can cut 70 a day. With the extra cooler space we can hold around 300-400

We are in East Central Minnesota, North of Cambridge about 15 miles.

Is this a named business you would like to name, or a sportsmen's club or bunch of guys setup making money off cutting up deer? 

[HD]

We had a great day today.... we cut 90 and took in 80 more....

Leech it's a well known processor on this side of the state. We have been doing deer for decades.

It started as just a bait store and has progressed into what it is today. Granted, we don't do bait anymore, but we still do processing.

Bakken's Big Game Processing

[Leech~~]

We had a great day today.... we cut 90 and took in 80 more....

Leech it's a well known processor on this side of the state. We have been doing deer for decades.

It started as just a bait store and has progressed into what it is today. Granted, we don't do bait anymore, but we still do processing.

Bakken's Big Game Processing

Wow, yes I'll say it looks like you got a pretty nice setup there.  Don't you have a pretty nice piece of land you hunt yourself?  How do you get anytime to hunt? 

[Gunner55]

In case anyone else wants to check it out.......................https://www.mndeerprocessing.com/. HD has said before that he has been a close friend of the family that has the business for a long time. Plus, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have to worry about his getting cold by the time he can grab a knife either.

[roony]

Lots to keep track of!

[Leech~~]

In case anyone else wants to check it out.......................https://www.mndeerprocessing.com/. HD has said before that he has been a close friend of the family that has the business for a long time. Plus, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have to worry about his getting cold by the time he can grab a knife either.

Ok not everyone may have known his life story.   

[Pulleye16]

By far our worst opener. Talking with folks in the area, not one deer has been shot and only a few even seen. To a once thriving area, it’s really sad.

[glenn57]

Seen a deer about 9 this morning but I couldn't get that SOB to grow horns.

In 169 today  never seen or met anyone driving back here and it's a good 15 miles in da woods.

Little breezy but nice out here. Our group got 1 Monday morning,  so I do have some venny to cut up.
. That's tomorrow's project when it's raining.

[Leech~~]

By far our worst opener. Talking with folks in the area, not one deer has been shot and only a few even seen. To a once thriving area, it’s really sad.

Hearing the same also from all the guys I know. One has 220 acres and they got 5 nice bucks open last year, none so far this year. 
I'm not feeling as bad about not going out this year. Since I just snagged about 25lbs of Bison and Elk from my son in laws buddy!   

[Steve-o]

Seen a deer about 9 this morning but I couldn't get that SOB to grow horns.

I had to read your post again slowly, Glenn.  Instead of me reading "...seen 9 deer this morning" you actually said "seen A deer at 9 this morning."   

It will be interesting to see how the overall harvest results correlate with the winter severity indexes.  I know it is easy to blame wolves for the lack of deer, but I also think the number of hunters plays a major role.  I know we get all sorts of reports of guys seeing hardly any deer this year, but unless there are other hunters to keep them moving, hunting can be pretty tough.  I don't know what to think.

Minnesota Winter Severity Index 2023

[deadeye]

We didn't see a whole lot the first few days, but two 9 pointers were shot. Fast forward to today (Tuesday). I decided to sit in the new enclosed stand I built and put up late this summer. It was the most fun sit I've had without firing a shot. I saw 14 deer, many of which were too far away (350-400 yards across a swamp). Bucks chasing does and bucks chasing bucks. One I thought was a nice one got run off by a bigger one. The highlight was when mister big, an absolute giant appeared tending a doe. I watched him for an hour and 15 minutes, and he was still there (at 370 yards) when I left the stand. It was a magnificent sight and probably the biggest live buck I've ever seen on my land. Not sure just how many points but when he turned sideways, I could see a nice row of long points. Damn, what a beast.  Oh, what really hurts is this buck and some of the others were in the swamp out in front of the stand I was in on Monday morning when I did see 7 deer including 3 bucks, (a decent 8 point and tall 6 point and one that just would not give me a shot) so I didn't shoot any of them.