Has anyone on here had the chance to hunt pigs eye? I have 2 different weekend hunts coming up first one next weekend second one Nov 14 – 16th looking for feedback suggestions on locations etc. I’ve done several city Hunts with MBRB but this is my first year at pigs eye and I have heard good things about it. My first weekend is does only 2nd weekend in Nov. Is open for does and bucks.
I hunted it about 10 years ago 2 years in a row and seen alot of deer. I stayed further out on the peninsula just before the island (eagle island???). Seemed like alot of the deer filter up to the rail yards in the evening to feed. Back then they would do deer drives to push deer up to the rail yard and I didnt care for that so I stopped putting in for that hunt.
I then hunted the Priory up off Century and Larpenteur and shot an absolute slob and seen several others and that was the last hunt with MBRB I have done. That was the year when we had a hunter in our group die during the hunt on the does weekend and we stopped the hunt for the weekend.
I never heard about that what happened to the hunter was it an accident or health issues.
We had all agreed to come out for lunch and talk how the morning went and he had said he was going to move his stand after the morning and then come out. We all waited around and he never showed so we eventually went looking for him and we found his pack and bow on the ground at his old location so we went looking for his new spot and we found him dead tangled up in his saftey harness after falling from his stand. He was wearing a belt style and not a full harness. So for some reason after moving his stand he had put his belt on and must have lost his balance or possible had a health issue because it was odd he put his saftey belt on and wasnt hunting but he fell and the belt slid up and pinned his arms straight up and the rest is history.
Gave me a whole new respect on saftey harness types and styles after you have to cut down a fellow hunter and bring them out of the woods. Up to that day i always used belt style ones to give me easier movement but ever since that day i use full vest with leg stap style ones.
Im actually a little disappointed in the MBRB that they dont bring this up to help preech saftey…
The last few years they’ve preached this pretty hard Richie. They now require all hunters to wear a 5 point harness as well.
Sorry to hi-jack, but it seems like there’s some parties here that know what they’re talking about. Really interested in hearing more honest opinions about the MBRB hunts everyone’s been a part of. I know there’s some cards that need to be played close to the vest here, and I’m not asking for locations, but esp. with less doe tags statewide are there “easy” doe hunt options still available? After looking at the rules/regs of MBRB, I have no issues with their goals and requirements, but in all honesty don’t have much of an interest in participating unless there are some pretty quick and easy opportunities to take a few deer for the freezer. I know that sounds less than sportsman-like, but I have other hunting opportunities for bucks where I hunt and am simply looking to help them accomplish their management goals.
Joel
Joel, I see what you’re saying. I’ve looked into some of the various firearms special hunts for parks, city, county, state parks etc management hunts in the past and come to the same conclusion. The number of hoops that need to be jumped through and the rules, regs, restrictions, make it a non-starter.
This is not a criticism of the MBRB or any other hunting org that sets up these hunts. I get that they are just running things the way the government orgs who control the land demand.
I’m just saying that given the government agency’s goal in most cases is to reduce the herd, they are making it really tough to accomplish that goal. Yes, with urban hunting you need lots of caution, but hunts I’ve looked at are hyper regulated despite being out in the middle of nowhere.
Also, a broader point I want to make is that there is way too much public land that is fenced off to hunters because at some point someone, for some often unknown reason, decided that hunting would not be allowed and that rule has stuck even though nobody knows why.
Grouse
Joel, I see what you’re saying. I’ve looked into some of the various firearms special hunts for parks, city, county, state parks etc management hunts in the past and come to the same conclusion. The number of hoops that need to be jumped through and the rules, regs, restrictions, make it a non-starter.
This is not a criticism of the MBRB or any other hunting org that sets up these hunts. I get that they are just running things the way the government orgs who control the land demand.
I’m just saying that given the government agency’s goal in most cases is to reduce the herd, they are making it really tough to accomplish that goal. Yes, with urban hunting you need lots of caution, but hunts I’ve looked at are hyper regulated despite being out in the middle of nowhere.
Also, a broader point I want to make is that there is way too much public land that is fenced off to hunters because at some point someone, for some often unknown reason, decided that hunting would not be allowed and that rule has stuck even though nobody knows why.
Grouse
Well-stated. It’s not a rip on MBRB at all. Just looking for more information as to how plentiful opportunities can be on these hunts. It may be worth some of the hoops or it may not, just looking to hear of the experiences from others that have done some of these!
Thanks!
Joel
I did one MBRB hunt while a friend hunted a different location the same year. I got two, three day windows and had to hang my stand in a designated area (not too specific, but a section where I was assigned with a couple other hunters). Scouting for and MBRB hunt is different to say the least (trail cams stolen, deer interacting regularly with people, etc.). A good hunt coordinator will make for a good experience, and a bad one will make for a bad experience. My buddy was on a hunt with a less than friendly coordinator and got his butt chewed first for not being able to hang his stand in advance, and again later on when he wasn’t able to hunt one of the six days.
The kill numbers were available on the website last I checked. It’s definitely not easy to walk in and shoot a doe in most sections, probably because again you can’t effectively scout for them, pick the exact spot you want, and pick the moment you want to be there. I thought it was an interesting experience, but it wasn’t the easy doe shoot that I anticipated.
A long time ago I applied for and got drawn for the hunt in Fort Snelling. It was to cull the herd like most, meaning they needed us hunters. The mandatory prep meeting sounded fine and I was all set to attend until I found out and verified we had to pay State Park daily parking fees to hunt even though the park would be closed. That sounded so ridiculous to me I tossed my tag in the trash and never considered it again.
Joel I have been enough doing these hunts for 5 years so I’m not an expert on them but I have learned a good amount. First thing is this years drawings are closed. In my experiences shooting a few does has been very easy. But thats not always the case for everyone. The more familiar with MBRB the better your odds of a great hunt. This year there was 24 hunt selections every yr there are a couple new ones and a cpl usually drop off. The hunts are based off of fly over reports each winter they track deer density and if it meets there goal number they do not do a hunt. If it’s high then MBRB opens a hunt there. (If allowed) So I Typically Look For New Hunts That Haven’t Been Going More Then A Yr or Two in A Row They Seem To Have Higher Deer Density Then The Hunts That Have Been Going For 5-6+Yrs in A row. You will always see conflicting results from people. Reason for this is several things 1.) it’s a lottery and if your drawn low in the order or as an alternate you don’t really pick a section to hunt you get what is left. (Which many times proves to be a great spot still) secondly from what I’ve seen way to many hunters don’t stick it out very long there down by 8 or 9am daily and in these tight parks the deer get pushed easily when these guys move around. Also you are prohibited from taking any shots over 20yds. Suzuki all of my hunts we have not had to pay for the park pass. Must have changed that since your hunt I guess. The mbrb hunts are a little bit of hoops to jump through and to some there def. Worth it and to others they are not. I’ve seen some awesome doe Hu st and high deer number Hu st I’ve also seen some great trophy buck hunts but sometimes the deer density wasn’t great. It all depends and as previously stated a hunt coordinator can make a great hunt or destroy if he wants to as well. Most of mine have been good to great with one that was a bit of a jerkoff. To participate in these Hu st you must have the following 1.) Bowhunting tees safety certificate 2.) Join MBRB as a member and pay a small yearly fee. 3.) Pass a shooting test at a local archery store (there are 2 tests sharpshooter and regular shooter brackets for different hunts) 4.) Apply for Hu st and if your drawn you must make the orientation meeting and pay a $10 hunt fee. Joel if you want more details on these hunts feel free to pm me I’ve left some things go out like which hunts and other details that I don’t share with everyone.
Bowtecmike summed up the MBRB hunts very well. I’ve been doing these hunts for the past 7-8 years and I’ve had a very positive experience as well. Granted these hunts are not for everyone as there are some hoops that one needs to jump through and some additional rules that need to be followed but I personally feel its worth it.
One thing that I’ll add is that there is now a lottery system in place that factors in preference points. With the new preference system in place, hunters now apply for specific hunts and rank them based on which ones they like best. If you don’t get picked for your #1 ranked hunt, you receive a preference point and are then put into the drawing for all the other hunts you applied for. Spots for your other ranked hunts are first given to hunters who prioritized this particular hunt as their #1 choice, then are distributed amongst the remaining applicants, so there is a chance that a hunter is not chosen for any hunts he applied for in a given calendar year.
This is what happened to me this past year even though I applied for 8 different hunts. This may be discouraging to some, considering they have already paid their membership dues, but I’m all for the new system. This allows me a better opportunity at being chosen to hunt the park that I am most interested in hunting, even if it means I only get in every couple of years.
John, Mike, and Justin – Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. After reading your responses I’ll be giving this a serious look next year. Like anything, I’m sure it’s all about finding that perfect mix of benefit for all parties. Again, much appreciated on the responses!
Joel
Anybody have any ideas how many people apply for these?
is there a website where a guy can get some further information about these types of hunts and also where to sign up for next year?
thanks
shane
http://mbrb.org/mbrb/app/hunt/list
Not sure about next year’s hunts.
thanks Ben, I will check into the website. got a new bow and I wanna try a few local hunts.
Yes Shane they will post next year’s hunts probably spring may – July typically.
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