Minnesota Shotgun Zone going to Rifle

[mntatonka]

And it was the legislature...not the DNR and certainly not hunting groups...that passed other legislation that allows counties to opt out of the repeal of shotgun only statute where that applied.

I would hold out hope that if your county opts out that will change eventually though....

It was pushed by the DNR and hunting groups. The county opt out was the only way to get it passed because there were a few reps/senators around Rochester and Mankato who didn't want it

 

[NR_Hunter]

No I'm not entirely comparing apples to apples. I'm further north, but still ag country, just different. Should be much better for deer. Google Wrenshall. Still pretty clear, hunting during the rut is tough for growing reasonably mature bucks. That is one thing Iowa has gotten right.

I fished a little bit south of Wrenshall once for steelhead. I need to make it up to that part of the state more often.


Back to thread topic, this really won’t have an effect on me. I’ve never killed a deer with a gun further than 60 yards away in Minnesota. In the open areas of then state, deer in swamps and groves, most areas can be covered with a shotgun because we know where the deer are, swamps and groves.

 

[BrentD]

I fished a little bit south of Wrenshall once for steelhead. I need to make it up to that part of the state more often.


Back to thread topic, this really won’t have an effect on me. I’ve never killed a deer with a gun further than 60 yards away in Minnesota. In the open areas of then state, deer in swamps and groves, most areas can be covered with a shotgun because the only place we know where the deer area, swamps and groves.

The Nemadji River? I've heard there are steelhead in it. But the stuff is almost the color of ketchup. And about as transparent. A local guy told me he caught a huge steelhead in there. Hard to imagine.

As for rifles and shotgun zones, particularly with modern shotguns being what they are.No, one needs a rifle to kill a deer.They just want to shoot a 6.5 Creedless and be cool, like all of those dudes out west.

 

[NR_Hunter]

The Nemadji River? I've heard there are steelhead in it. But the stuff is almost the color of ketchup. And about as transparent. A local guy told me he caught a huge steelhead in there. Hard to imagine.

As for rifles and shotgun zones, particularly with modern shotguns being what they are.No, one needs a rifle to kill a deer.They just want to shoot a 6.5 Creedless and be cool, like all of those dudes out west.

Black Hoof, have heard about the Nemadji tho. Both I believe both have some of the further inland steelhead runs. Not a lot of people but also not a lot of fish. Beautiful part of the world tho.

Actually, I’m pretty sure the Black Hoof mouths somewhere in the Nemadji system

 

[BrentD]

The Blackhoof is about three or four miles from my house. It two runs pretty coffee-with-cream colored. It is a trib of the Nemadji.

 

[BrentD]

The d n r got all excited when I put a driveway over an unnamed creek on my property. In principle, a steelhead could swim up to my place. Or so they tell me. Kind of small water. You can step across it without jumping. But I had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a gigantic culvert. I seem to have digressed....

 

[Bonasababy]

The Blackhoof is about three or four miles from my house. It two runs pretty coffee-with-cream colored. It is a trib of the Nemadji.

It dumps into the Nemadji in the big WMA just west of 23.

The waters colored due to suspended sediment. Historic logging mucked things up and its hard to repair. Water quality is actually pretty good, at least it was when I worked the area.

Had a short exciting battle with a steelhead in the blackhoof once. Some nice browns used to run up that far too. Not easy to fish.

 

[BrentD]

It dumps into the Nemadji in the big WMA just west of 23.

The waters colored due to suspended sediment. Historic logging mucked things up and its hard to repair. Water quality is actually pretty good, at least it was when I worked the area.

Had a short exciting battle with a steelhead in the blackhoof once. Some nice browns used to run up that far too. Not easy to fish.

Blackpool? Typo or a place I do not know yet.

I am starting to suffer waiting for softwater season. I want to get my boat out and see if it floats and runs. Only Superior is open water.

 

[NR_Hunter]

It dumps into the Nemadji in the big WMA just west of 23.

The waters colored due to suspended sediment. Historic logging mucked things up and its hard to repair. Water quality is actually pretty good, at least it was when I worked the area.

Had a short exciting battle with a steelhead in the blackhoof once. Some nice browns used to run up that far too. Not easy to fish.

Yeah there wasn’t even space to roll cast in a lot of spots. I’d like to give it another shot this spring if I have time to get up there.

 

[Bonasababy]

Blackpool? Typo or a place I do not know yet.

I am starting to suffer waiting for softwater season. I want to get my boat out and see if it floats and runs. Only Superior is open water.

??

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Ought to be interesting in places like I live (wright county) and hennepin county. Surprised I didn't hear any hubub about county excluding it here. There is not a lot of open places without significant housing in every direction.

I live on 6 acres and my property line is city limits. On the other side of the property line inside city limits is a full blown neighborhood of 0.25 acre lot single family homes. Across the road is city land with nature/bike trails. Was odd to think of using a shotgun/muzzleloader in my yard previously but even more odd to be able to use a rifle this year.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

There is no biological or herd management reason to do that.

Depends what your herd management goal is. If people are happy with 10% of the male deer reaching 3 years old primarily due to our season structure, sure. Keep making it easier and easier to kill a deer. It's kind of depressing to me to see such a thing though.

But let me ask this of folks...which might be illuminating...what if firearm season was held BEFORE the rut?

I'd take a mid Oct rifle season over a mid Nov season in a second. What is it you're expecting to illuminate?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Getting into trophy desires is dangerous unless you are independently wealthy. One of the things that's different--thankfully different--in MN than Iowa and WI--our hunters fear the trophy craze acing them out from hunting places unless they can afford to pay to play. Its getting worse in southern and particularly SE MN all the time.

There's a flip side to that. When you promote season structure that kills off the age class and quality you're encouraging people to pay to play and lock up land if they want to hunt mature bucks. That'll just decrease access for many and push more to public ground.

It's a bit broader than this but a lot of time again I see bowhunters pointing to lack of 150 plus class etc. whitetails and criticizing management, again their ultimate goals is have the rut all to themselves with no firearms allowed.

I'm sure there are people who want that but it's bullshit to paint with that broad of a brush. We can look at every state that borders us and see better deer hunting because they have better management, that includes during the gun season even if outside the peak rut.

There are some things that could be tried but they are so unpopular with hunters they won't go forward with the legislature stepping in--earn a buck, for example. Party hunting is widely ingrained and supported as well.

I dont disagree.