Minnesota Shotgun Zone going to Rifle

[MNElkNut]

I have been hunting the same property since 1982 and I can tell you that the number of big bucks has been relatively the same in our area the whole time. Maybe a down year here or there, but also years where we harvest multiple 150" deer. We now hunt 3 places and all had mature bucks on them last year. On average, we harvest 1-2 nice bucks per year per place. My definition of nice is 130+. Maybe not trophies by some people's measure, but mature bucks nonetheless.

BrentD, I would not judge all of MN by the area around Wrenshall. Not too far from Duluth or the Cities = lots of pressure. I bet the Winter Severity Index is a bit higher there than Iowa as well as some different predators.

I have a buddy who has shot a LOT of deer in his life. He gets absolutely giddy about shooting a forkhorn. I love that. I want to be more like him.

 

[BrentD]

I have been hunting the same property since 1982 and I can tell you that the number of big bucks has been relatively the same in our area the whole time. Maybe a down year here or there, but also years where we harvest multiple 150" deer. We now hunt 3 places and all had mature bucks on them last year. On average, we harvest 1-2 nice bucks per year per place. My definition of nice is 130+. Maybe not trophies by some people's measure, but mature bucks nonetheless.

BrentD, I would not judge all of MN by the area around Wrenshall. Not too far from Duluth or the Cities = lots of pressure. I bet the Winter Severity Index is a bit higher there than Iowa as well as some different predators.

I have a buddy who has shot a LOT of deer in his life. He gets absolutely giddy about shooting a forkhorn. I love that. I want to be more like him.

You are really stretching to find a way to justify rut hunting.

I am a well credentialled killer of babies, so lack of big bucks is not a personal tragedy, but it is a biological one. There should be mature bucks out there. There are not.

Oh, I get around a bit too. Quite a bit.

As for winter severity, my does are looking amazingly plump and sleek right now. I don't think they are suffering. So, it must be the wolves. It is always the wolves, right?

 

[tboltz34]

Uh...everything.

I'm curious to hear your reasoning. I could be missing something.

 

[SAJ-99]

I'm curious to hear your reasoning. I could be missing something.

Two groups agreeing to give each other everything they want does not eliminate the concept of selfishness. It ignores the constraining factor that started the discussion in the first place.

 

[Nick87]

Also.. if you’re arguing that properties are not big enough for herd management I would circle back to safety. A 40 acre parcel is 1/4 x 1/4 miles. I could easily sit in one tower stand and shoot well off my 40 acres. Plus if I have 2 guys on my 40 and the neighbor has 3 on his 80.

That was sort of where I was going with the rifle vs shotgun as far as shot distance increasing. In a lock on stand in the timber or field edge it really doesn't matter. At least for me, it's not so much the gun but how steady you can get. 150 is about it off hamd from a treestand and thats if I lve got soemthing to lean on. Put the same guy/gun in a tiwer box blind on sand bags and now you can reach out and touch something. Which seems to be the norm in farm country now
Those tower blinds are everywhere


To the 40 acre point and herd management. A father and son up by my cousins bought a 40 some years ago back before passing a legal buck was heard of. They only hunted the very edge and never hunted more than a couple days during gun season. Everyone laughed and made jokes. About 4 years later they started consistently killing deer that were considered a once in a lifetime deer in that area pretty much every season. I know 40 acres doesn't hold all the deer etc. But to my surprise it must work to some extent. Got to see it first hand. Actually pretty neat to see unfold. Those guys really kicked off qdm on that area. Im not a huge qdm guy plenty of good and bad came with all that imo.

 

[Bonasababy]

I'm laughing.

I hunt all over for grouse and those public areas are not half as productive as my own acres, and pounded 10x harder. The number one market for lumber in this area is to build deer stands, public/private does not matter. In any event, I have not seen a trophy deer here or anywhere, or on any newspaper page or anywhere else. They ain't here. There are deer, but they are all very young.

So how many hundreds of acres of exclusive private land access did you have down in Iowa?

And what's your definition of trophy?

 

[BrentD]

So how many hundreds of acres of exclusive private land access did you have down in Iowa?

And what's your definition of trophy?

For a long time, I had a hundred and fifty two hundred. But I hunted many places as well.

Definition of trophy? Around here, 120 would be a monster.

 

[Bonasababy]

For a long time, I had a hundred and fifty two hundred. But I hunted many places as well.

Definition of trophy? Around here, 120 would be a monster.

I saw 140 to 160 bucks near the park. Passed up one at the bottom of a ravine in the big WMA. That's a while ago though I know a fellow who still sees nice ones in the WMA...works to get way back in though.

Closer to you some deer would head into the park or public land east of 23 once the shooting started when I worked the area. Move some distance...

 

[BrentD]

I saw 140 to 160 bucks near the park. Passed up one at the bottom of a ravine in the big WMA. That's a while ago though I know a fellow who still sees nice ones in the WMA...works to get way back in though.

Closer to you some deer would head into the park or public land east of 23 once the shooting started when I worked the area. Move some distance...

The park being?? Jay Cook? I hunt grouse east of 23 A LOT. It is pounded for deer. But deer over there are pretty rare compared to my area which is nearly entirely private

 

[BrentD]