Mn gun opener
- Thread starter SD51555
- Start date
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
haven’t been to the family land up there this fall but the cell cams tell a sad tale. Action was pretty hot yesterday at my place in SE zone 1. Saw 4 bucks, put crosshairs on a couple but safety stayed on. My neighbors had no such restraint 
Daydreamer
5 year old buck +
1 deer saw/shot by our party of 7. Small 8 pointer. No tracks, no shit, no scrapes.
DPA 197
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DPA 197
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Daydreamer
5 year old buck +
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Give me a 30,000’ view of what the issue is up there? Wolves, winters, habitat, hunter pressure?
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I think a lot of deer got shot yesterday in central MN! Heard more shots yesterday than last two openers combined.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Consecutive severe winters, some of the prime winter yarding areas (thermal cover/food) have been logged, wolves, bears, doe harvest.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
As someone living in MN but owning land and hunting in MO, I absolutely appreciate the difference in quality of deer hunting.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
Also, we have had three years of drought in a row. Most of the deer biologists have commented on being able to measure differences in antler and body mass in drought years. I am sure this rings true for overall herd numbers too.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I could definitely see drought having some impact on body condition entering winter. Up north it feels like how late spring comes is the big one though. Usually plenty of food once it thaws but how late in the year is it and how run down are the deer by the time they actually start getting good calories/nutrients again. My memory is a bit foggy but i feel like northern MN was lush with moisture last year and dry in '21.
I've only got 2 cell cam pics this year of the buck that i think was the northern MN target buck in '21 and '22 and his rack looks to be a significant step down from last year. I'd be surprised if he's older than 6 and likely 5.
Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
I think we underestimate the impact of insect load on survival.
The bugs in Minnesota are legend.
The bugs in Minnesota are legend.
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
I've got scrapes everywhere. Never saw a deer. Youth hunts maybe got the deer only moving at night? Usually see 8-10 deer almost every day for several years now. Not a single deer spotted this year. Odd weather year for sure here.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
Our family of 5 saw a few deer over the weekend, but it was very slow. My grandson shot a nubbin buck late yesterday afternoon to get some meat on our pole. He and his dad passed on a basket 6 pointer that our neighbors shot on sight. Little shooting in our area. I stopped at the Gull Lake CWD inspection station on the way home to get our deer tested (looked healthy) nd I was the only vehicle at the place.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Hunters May See Fewer Deer in Northern MN During Firearms Opener
The Minnesota firearms deer hunting opener is now just a couple of days away, and state wildlife officials say hunters should see plenty of deer this year. Although, the parts of the state where th…
lptv.org
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S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
It was a good opener in the south east. Neighbors got one of my target bucks. 163 green. If half of our 3 y/o make it next year will be exciting.
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