New Property in Minnesota

[356]

With the closing of my in-laws estate, my wife and I now have 1/3 ownership of 45 acres in hunting unit 176 near Tower, MN. Her brothers don't hunt anymore, so the property is not hunted, at least from what I know. Growing up, my wife saw deer, bear and moose sightings regularly. Today, bear and wolf are frequent visitors to the property, but deer are rare visitors. The small river that goes into Lake Vermillion is stocked with brown trout.

We may go up this fall and put out a few solar trail cameras to see what shows up. At this point I doubt if it is worth getting an out of state tag for deer, but the idea of hunting bear in 2026 (the year I retire) holds some interest.


A house and greenhouse are just south of this photo. A highway is to the east and forest to the north & west.

 

[Foggy47]

Have you been on this property? Looks like lots of marsh around that creek. From what I have heard.....not many deer been taken in that neck of the woods these days. I'm sure there are exceptions. That area around Tower and Vermillion is quite wild and beatiful.

Getting a bear tag has become difficult around our area. My family has been applying.....but no dice. I'd like to get "rid" of some bears. Seems the DNR is managing for predators and not for game animals anymore. Deer and Moose have taken a backseat to wolves, coyotes and bears. IMHO. Then the DNR throws so much effort into things like Elk that can never have a decent huntable population as there is not the government land to allow them to prosper.....IMO.

I am just south of the heavy wolf country. Go 30 miles north of my place and there are likely more wolves than deer. Fortunately I just have coyotes and bears.....and the deer seem to survive most encounters.......so far.

I feel like Debbie Downer.

 

[356]

Have you been on this property? Looks like lots of marsh around that creek. From what I have heard.....not many deer been taken in that neck of the woods these days. I'm sure there are exceptions. That area around Tower and Vermillion is quite wild and beatiful.

Getting a bear tag has become difficult around our area. My family has been applying.....but no dice. I'd like to get "rid" of some bears. Seems the DNR is managing for predators and not for game animals anymore. Deer and Moose have taken a backseat to wolves, coyotes and bears. IMHO. Then the DNR throws so much effort into things like Elk that can never have a decent huntable population as there is not the government land to allow them to prosper.....IMO.

I am just south of the heavy wolf country. Go 30 miles north of my place and there are likely more wolves than deer. Fortunately I just have coyotes and bears.....and the deer seem to survive most encounters.......so far.

I feel like Debbie Downer.

You are not a Debbie Downer, just a realist whose observations support my research and knowledge of the property. I spent a lot of time on the property in the early 80s, but not recently. I saw some deer nearby when we were up in 2023. The hunting tradition ended about 30 years ago, in part due to less game, but mostly due to changes among family members. It is a beautiful area, with little—if any—management.

Management could be done with an ATV, chainsaw and seeders (or just a chainsaw). For this coming year I would like to get a few cameras running to see what is there.

For the long term there are two likely scenarios: We will buy off her brothers and keep this as a place for family. Our son spent his summers on the place in the from 1994 to 2001 and would love to have access to the property at some point. The other is to sell it (potentially to family) as we don’t plan on going up there often and hunting and fishing would be my objectives, which as a non-resident is pricy.

 

[Foggy47]

You are not a Debbie Downer, just a realist whose observations support my research and knowledge of the property. I spent a lot of time on the property in the early 80s, but not recently. I saw some deer nearby when we were up in 2023. The hunting tradition ended about 30 years ago, in part due to less game, but mostly due to changes among family members. It is a beautiful area, with little—if any—management.

Management could be done with an ATV, chainsaw and seeders (or just a chainsaw). For this coming year I would like to get a few cameras running to see what is there.

For the long term there are two likely scenarios: We will buy off her brothers and keep this as a place for family. Our son spent his summers on the place in the from 1994 to 2001 and would love to have access to the property at some point. The other is to sell it (potentially to family) as we don’t plan on going up there often and hunting and fishing would be my objectives, which as a non-resident is pricy.

Yep.....I became a resident of AZ some years ago. Before doing so, I bought a liftime hunting and small game license, and a lifetime deer firearms license. I cannot off-hand remember the price for a non-resident bear license, but it's quite high. Same goes for archery license. Not worth it to me. I'd rather bait for some family members or even strangers. I can do just fine without the archery license...as we are primarily gun hunters. Still.....I do not like to be "limited" out of a few situations on the Minnesota land I own. As a property owner and tax payer, I'd like some consideration on these issues. Who do you think is raising and caring for these critters? Alas...it is what it is.

If not for our family and hunting traditions.....I likely would let my property go to someone else. Lotsa work and expense for the rewards gained by owning such land.....especially as I get older. Still I enjoy the work most often.

 

[bwoods11]

Good luck up there… I love NE Minnesota . Here is a pic we took up by Lutsen last fall ! With my goofy BIL staging one pic !