Four Season Whitetail's

Shows you that more hunters want trophies....They will put AR in places they want does shot. Then you will see even less baby bucks killed in those areas but will see the doe problem taken care of. It really is all about the bone for many...or most, as shown by the numbers.

Man there sure is a pile of Nubbin Bucks blasted every year in the fawn catagory. I guess thats because they are the brazen ones and always the first into the field at feding time.

Work? Whitetail's? Ya have that covered. Made that choice many years ago and have went nowhere but up.

Employee of the state? And why would crossbow all during archery season be so much better? It's its own implement so it should have its own season.

So true and thats why most states deer herds,Including Ny are in shambles. Its the almighty tag dollars at the end of the day!

With time and age all deer will get larger bodies and larger headgear..Kinda the nature of the beast.

Why do you think this is? Did you guys take out 15 does a year? Were the hunters themselves the problem because they listened to the DNR when deer numbers were coming down, they say here is a fist full of tags and hunters kill them because they have the tags, without doing their own management of what deer were on their property. When deer numbers come down from crazy...seeing 50 a day numbers..Like Letchworth once was..The deer will go where life is best and their needs are met. If your land is not that land you will have long days in the treestand.

Not sure on all the Pa stuff but i can show you one state owned piece of property where Ar has made much bigger bucks and i can also show you a handful of properties that are balanced by nobody but the Hunter/Landowner without listening to what any DEC people telling us what we should do with harvests. One must remember...When bigger bucks are made with antler restricts, We are also making a much smarter beast that the average hunter has little chance of bagging. Every now and then ones pecker will get him into the back of the truck but for the most part these bigger bucks live another year to get bigger and older and more unkillable.

I hardly ever use a decoy and tag out every year. Watch the birds and see how the roost and travel every day to food and then set up early and shut up. Most times no calling is needed and the group of hens walk right by ya with the tom bringing up the rear.Works great if you hunt the same farms alot and have time to keep up on what the birds are doing.

Sorry Man...Lost my dad to Pancreatic Cancer a couple years ago and the thoughts are still here. You would really think with the way of the world today and the amount of money pissed away in many places someone would have found a cure for this crap.

Your right and pretty much answered your own question. Many landowners that i know that have 1000 acres plus have managed their own deer for years based on their choices, not on what the DEC says they have to shoot or whom has to shoot them. The lands that i know and hunt that manage their own lands based on their views have some of the best hunting in the county.

Just one example. Audit likely after hunters challenge DNR Estimating deer herd size is at crux of dissatisfaction. Chances appear good Minnesota deer hunters will get their wish and management of the state’s whitetail herd will be reviewed by Legislative Auditor James Nobles. A vote Friday by a Legislative Audit Commission subcommittee is expected to move a DNR deer audit plan forward, said Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, commission chairperson. “The number of topics proposed to be audited originally was about 140, and from that number we’ve gotten down to a dozen or so, one of which is deer management by the Department of Natural Resources,” Erickson said. Deer hunters statewide, frustrated by the state’s comparatively small whitetail herd, have inundated legislators with petitions requesting an audit, Erickson said. “I know my [Republican] caucus has shown strong support for an audit, and I believe the DFL caucus has as well,” she said. “Hunters have asked for an audit since last summer. They want to know whether the DNR is using the correct model to estimate the size of the deer herd, and whether other management decisions are being made correctly.” The state’s 2014 deer harvest was about 100,000 animals fewer than the 225,000 target harvest recently endorsed by the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA). The harvest falloff last year was forecast by the DNR, because the agency issued fewer antlerless permits than in 2013 in an attempt to rebuild the state herd. Animals in northern Minnesota in particular were hit hard by two recent tough winters, contributing to the population decline. But hunters say DNR management is also to blame for the decline, noting that fewer deer also roam central and southern Minnesota, where recent winters have been less severe. DNR wildlife officials concede that in some areas of the state they issued too many antlerless permits in recent years, which in combination with the severe winter weather reduced whitetail numbers perhaps further, and faster, than they planned. Momentum for an audit has gained in recent weeks, following the conclusion of stakeholder-group meetings convened by the DNR to help the agency develop new deer population goals in some parts of the state. Some of the stakeholder groups wanted to increase deer numbers more than 50 percent in certain permit areas. But the DNR limited increases to that amount. “The failure of DNR to even strive for increases above 50 percent reflects a self-defeating attitude that is not remotely responsive to the desires of Minnesota deer hunters,” MDHA executive director Craig Engwall wrote to DNR officials. Engwall also complained that 80 percent supermajorities were required among stakeholder group members to make deer population recommendations, giving panel members with minority positions too much influence, he said. Some deer management critics, including Brooks Johnson, president of Minnesota Bowhunters Inc., argue the DNR doesn’t have a good handle on how many — or how few — deer exist in the state. Consequently, decisions made to increase or decrease deer numbers, and by how much, amount to “guesses.” “For instance, the DNR’s perception of the deer herd size in the area I hunt wasn’t accurate, in my view,” Johnson said. “Where the DNR said the herd was down maybe 22 percent, our survey of hunter perceptions indicated the herd was down 65 percent. “Consequently, agreeing on whether to increase the herd, and by how much, is impossible, because increasing one herd by 50 percent will give you a much different result than increasing the other herd by 50 percent.” To gain better insight into how many deer the state holds, Johnson said, the DNR should factor more information into its model, including the amount of effort, measured by days afield, a hunter needs to kill a deer. “It’s our belief we’re killing back the herd in the state,” Johnson said. “The DNR says the important number to estimate the herd size is the size of the buck kill. But we think more information is needed, because even if the buck kill remains fairly constant, more hunters are requiring more time in the field to kill the same number of bucks, thereby reducing the size of the herd in ways that can’t be easily determined under the current system.” Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, is a member of the Legislative Audit Commission subcommittee that will recommend which audit proposals move ahead. “We’ve [legislators] all gotten e-mails from hunters regarding an audit, and that makes a big difference,” Kiffmeyer said. “There’s a lot of support for it, and I think it’s highly likely it will happen.

You can blame the DEC/DNR for their demise. Like was said, They had piles of deer and tags were handed out free for the taking. Hunters had tags and they filled them. Look at all the states that are bitching about low deer numbers and you will see hunters listening to their DNR's saying here are the tags now go kill the deer, problem is..The DNR has no clue how many deer they really have in those states. Giving hunters 5 doe tags each in some states when deer numbers are not there will wipe out your herd quickly. Many times hunters/Land Owners can make a better decision on how many deer should be taken on their property. DEC would have enough on their plate just trying to keep a huntable herd on land the state owns.

Man did you nail that one and the future is bright for those involved. high powered this and that, food plots,baits, The camera that sends you a text/pic telling you the buck is standing in front of your stand RIGHT NOW so come kill me and lest me forget the outfitters and high fence that do all the leg work for ya. Thats is the future of hunting as we know it and like it or not...We that cut or teeth on the..Old Style Of Hunting..are a dying breed. Today its about size,how much $ and how fast can i have it with most everything in this world and hunting is no different.

Why do you think it is that in the south the top dogs TELL you to go out and buy yourself a gun and carry it any place you like, just in case you need to protect yourself but in the north they want to TAKE your guns away and give you no pistol permits?

No we will just let them walk in. Just a matter of time. I myself hope someone does get the itch to bring some Elk into our great state. They wont for a few more years anyways. They would not want to deal with the fireworks that would be sure to fly.

Did anyone happen to see the wording in the news about the Moose and Elk seasons and how other states have had success in transplanting Elk in Wis and Pa? To bad they closed Ny borders to bringing any cervids into the state unless you are a zoo. Maybe when this 5 year period is up they will think twice before the next ruling and we may very well get Elk in the big woods. I can see some lawyers drooling over that case if they try to pull that off before 2017. I know i myself would love one of those blood pumping bowhunts where you get so close you can smell the beast.

Is this whole world revolving around guns and gun control? I believe there are a few things just as important. The only problem with guns is in the north, you want guns...Go South. No bans there and they will tell you to carry and protect yourself. Either that or do what i and many i know do...Own what you want, Keep your mouth shut and do whats best for you and your family regardless of what others try and tell you whats right or wrong. Pretty simple really.

Funny how there is always faults found with every person that ever runs this country. Its kinda funny really. I would imagine it would be tough to find any good ones that would keep everyone happy. Like the song say's...We are here for a good time, not a long time. Do things your way for the best of you and your family and the chips will fall where they will.

Ya no kidding. Does this poster own his own property and pay big time taxes on that property to let his pet yotes kill the extra deer on that land he pays taxes on. Some...MOST of us that do would much rather see deer and turkeys than a mangy dog. Thanks!

Make your own rules and live by them. Much easier.

I doubt they catch very many adults but higher numbers of dogs will get the little ones and the nest of egg's. They will run/break up a flock of birds off your property trying to get lunch over and over thats for sure.

Nah they wont effect your turkey hunting and surely will not eat a pile of your fawns this year. I believe thats what 1 or 2 frequent posters here say anyways. I guess you will find out.

LOL....I would guess NOT!

My wife knew going in that Sept 27th thru Xmas was pretty much spoken for. After starting our business i have backed off alot on the time away. I believe when you have a wife that does not hunt but has no worries in life as far as money,bills paid and so on it makes a big difference. I mean if life is not good for both of ya's and one of ya's want to go play and spend money doing it....That will ALWAYS cause big problems.