mnprohunter

Hey Everyone:
Just curious what everyone thought of the 2008 Minnesota deer season? I had a good season again and though I saw lots of deer, the sightings were down a bit from the year before. However, lots of people I know had very very few sightings if any, and these are guys who usually do very well. Just curious on everyone's results and thoughts about the season and the up coming year due to the current winter.

rage2blade

What area in MN?

mnprohunter

I am just curious statewide in general, haven't heard much good, I hunt in Northern MN

Schultzy

Deer hunting for me sucked this year!! Plenty of doe and fawn sightings early In the year and just like that they slowed way down as well. Mature buck sightings, terrible!! I usually get to see 2 to 3 a year but this year just one. I didn't see the amount of little bucks that I usually see either. Different year for myself In the area I hunt In. My brother on the other hand hunted about 5 miles from me and he had Incredible action all the way through the rut.

The last day and hour of the season I shot a young doe. We only get one tag here so I was holding out for a decent buck but that didn't work out as planned.

bemidjihunter

The vast majority of my hunting is done just south of bemidji, but I go back to my parents near st cloud everynow and then...and man was it a slow year. I planned my college class schedule around bowhunting, and I can't even explain the hours I put in on stand. I only saw about half the deer I've seen in previous years with half the time in the field. Ended up taking 2 does in bemidji and a nice little buck out of camp ripley. The two miserable days in Ripley gave me the most sightings I had all season. I know that sounds like a pretty decent year, but for the amount of deer we had around here last year, the number of deer sightings was a complete dissapointment. Lookes like next season might get even rougher. Numbers should pick up after that I hope.

mnprohunter

I think it was just a matter of time before sightings decreased. First we have had very liberal harvests the last few years and then I think that late april storm did more damage to already tuckered out deer herd then most give it credit for. The odd thing is that like Schultzy says, some guys had crews less than 5 miles away just nailing the deer and seeing lots, and traditional areas held very little. I wonder if it wasn'ta water issue or something like that? My dad, who hunts really hard and just has bad luck hadn't shot a deer since 1991 (when he shot a 21"wide 8 pointer). But this year he shot a nice 6, a spike and a doe. I shot two does during rifle season and a spike during muzzleloader. But I think next year will see a tightening in the harvest from what it was this year. Had some nice bucks on trail camera but all night time movement. But, anytime in the woods is great!!

BigDaddy12t

I am down in the South East area of the state, around Austin. I saw a few small bucks early in the bow season, but hardly any does. Overall, my deer sightings were way down compared to years past. I had the same thing down here, I know guys that didnt see anything, and then there were guys that had the deer crawling all over them.

Xtec Shooter

My season sucked, but mainly because I was hunting a new piece of ground(about 500 acres) that I was never truly able to figure out. This year should be much, much different! Well at least I'm hoping. ha, ha

Rangerlab

Just heard on the radio this morning that the harvest was down 19% from last year.

kaileybear

you all need to just drop a lot more food down for them i guess. its only illegal when you get caught. No really in the NE part of the state we didn't see near the deer we normally do. windy days and too many generous tags in previous seasons.