Fair-Weather Guy's Backing Out?

SD51555

5 year old buck +
Just got word tonight we may be losing one guy from the group this year because of the deer numbers. He's trying to find another place to hunt that has deer, or he's gonna stay home.
 
I've mentioned the chance of a non-invite to my usual guests. I think I might just go with "wall-hanger or bust" rules instead of a no-hunt year. There's a couple good size brutes in the herd right now. I know I can trust them to not shoot anything they know is off-limits for the benefit of future hunting.
 
Either our retention or recruitment is very good on my block (the herd is bigger than previous years at the moment), but not seeing multiple fawns means my neighbors typical hunting will put a severe hurt on the number of deer which remain to restock next year - knowing that, I can't add to the problem. I'll buy half a cow if I don't get a deer. I'd rather go lean now than have nothing left later.
 
Zone 1 hunters are down 11% over the last 6 years already.....
Transition zone permit areas(central swath of MN) are mostly up with the numbers of hunters. Some up as much as nearly 20%...

People have already started leaving the areas over the last several years due to low deer numbers would be my uneducated guess. :)
 
Last edited:
Zone 1 hunters are down 11% over the last 6 years already.....
Transition zone permit areas(central swath of MN) are mostly up with the numbers of hunters. Some as high as almost 20%...

People have already started leaving the areas over the last several years due to low deer numbers would be my uneducated guess. :)
I would agree with that. I didn't hunt my area during the boom years, but the guys in our group that did said it was a regular state highway rolling down our gravel road on sunday afternoon. This year was already pretty quiet, and shooting was even quieter. It may be the relief our area needs to have a chance at rebounding. The one positive we've go so far is that we haven't seen the dogs and wolves running deer on our cameras yet. It's gotta be miserable hunting for dogs and yotes in the woods for how thick and green it is on our property.
 
Bait and ambush is the only way to hunt them at my place too. I've called till I was blue in the face and never saw a dog, but put some bait out and within a few hours something will come along and eat it (right after I had to go back home).
 
Top