From the Minnesota Whitetail Alliance

ATTENTION ZONE 3 HUNTERS
The Population Goal Setting Teams in the SE part of Minnesota are seeking your opinions. Please see the set of questions below and respond with your input. The Team WILL be monitoring this page for feedback. Here’s your chance to give your input.

What area(s) do you hunt?
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Are you seeing more, less or about the same numbers of deer than in years past?

Are you hearing complaints from landowners as to deer numbers (low or high) and of significant changes in crop/habitat damage?

Are the numbers that you are seeing, allowing for an enjoyable hunting experience?

Would you like to see numbers increased or decreased? By what percent?

Any suggestions/comments on current or other deer management practices for zone three (APR’s, season changes, etc.)

I usually hunt both public and some private land from Lake City all the way down to Great Bluffs State Park. Depends on the year and what I can get on to hunt.
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We are seeing a lot less than in years past?

The complaints from landowners as to deer numbers and of significant changes in crop/habitat damage seem to be related to all the leasing going on. Large farms get leased to raise and hunt trophy bucks, those deer then go to their neighbors farms and eat the crops.

No one likes to hunt when you don’t even see a deer, this isn’t an enjoyable hunting experience.

Would you like to see numbers increased by at least 20% YES

Any suggestions/comments on current or other deer management practices for zone three (APR’s, season changes, etc.)

I’m not sure the deer aren’t there, it is that we just can’t get to them. With so much leasing the deer herd is being protected just to produce one or two trophy Bucks that some out of state hunter can pay big bucks to shoot.

With the sunset of the Green Acres tax relief, I’m thinking we need some sort of tax incentive that would be based on letting hunters in and managing for deer.

I have a friend down by Winona, he wants big bucks on his land. His belief is to do this means having lots of Doe’s around, so he doesn’t want the young bucks or any Doe’s shot. We drove around and counted over 70 deer one day.

~zone 344
~I have been hunting in whitewater for the past 5 years less deer.
~not hearing anything.
~we are lucky if we see 5 deer between my father and I, not enjoyable at all, see more hunters than ever.
~increase 30%
~We are trying to fill our freezer, if it has horns great, you cant eat them anyway, the years I have been down there I have never seen a dnr officer, they should be checking more people in the parking lots and stay out of the woods to check people. there is enough traffic as it is in the woods.

I hunt zone 242.
Seeing about the same number.
The number doesn’t seem to fluctuate to much. In the past we took 10 deer one rifle season and the next year there were just as many to take. last year bow hunting i seen deer almost every time I went to stand. during rifle they had a terrible year. We are allowed to take two. (buck and doe or two does). sensible for this area at the present time.

I hunt 341 and 342.
Numbers are getting lower.
The land I hunt does not have crops.
With the APR I would have expected to see more bucks.
I have a enjoyable hunt weather I am seeing deer or not. I enjoy being outdoors and with family and friends.
I would like to see a +10% in total not just bucks or does.
I understand what groups are trying to do with the APR, not that I agree with it. They went too drastic with the 4 point rule and no cross tagging all in the same time frame.
Anytime you are trying to fix things, you make changes one at a time or you never know what helped with the concern.
Hunting for many is a family experience, or a group getting together to hunt and have fun.
Please do not make laws or regulations that take that away.

Thanks for all the replies so far guys keep them coming

So far this thread has not turned into a debate about the right or wrong thing to do and I thank you for that we just want to hear everyone’s opinion on this topic. Please send this the link to thread to all your deer hunting friends the more feedback the better!