mn deer opener results
12-02-2009, 01:42 PM
#21
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 51
I also hunted near Sandstone and it was a mixed bag, but generally very slow.
I don't think the numbers of deer are down dramatically, but in areas where there is wolf activity, there are practically no deer at all. I think for this reason many have concluded that the populations are down, which I personally don't think to be the case to any great extent.
On one ranch where I hunt, the landowners have seen wolves on numerous occasions (and yes, they know how to tell a wolf from a coyote) and that section is completely devoid of any sign of deer. My conclusion is that the deer know what a wolf smells like now and if they smell one, they simply move out completely.
The wolf recovery is going to present a major challenge for hunters in the future, especially those that own small tracts of hunting land. My neighbor owns 40 acres and he has seen wolves off of the stand during the 2008 season. They didn't see a single deer this year and that's never happened before, I think there will be many cases in the near future where owners of small tracts of land will have their hunting completely eliminated.
I saw deer both the weekends I hunted, but again big bucks were few and far between.
Mainly, I blame the warm weather. The deer were showing very little as far as rut behavior until the final week of the season and even then it was not what I'd call a full-on rut.
Also, for the 10th year running, there has been no significant snow for the first week and this year for the whole season. Snow on the ground makes the deer about 90% easier to see, so obviously the success rate goes down without snow.
Combine that with the fact that during warm weather the deer don't have to move as much to feed and can stay hidden for long periods of time, and it's bad news for hunters.
Grouse
I don't think the numbers of deer are down dramatically, but in areas where there is wolf activity, there are practically no deer at all. I think for this reason many have concluded that the populations are down, which I personally don't think to be the case to any great extent.
On one ranch where I hunt, the landowners have seen wolves on numerous occasions (and yes, they know how to tell a wolf from a coyote) and that section is completely devoid of any sign of deer. My conclusion is that the deer know what a wolf smells like now and if they smell one, they simply move out completely.
The wolf recovery is going to present a major challenge for hunters in the future, especially those that own small tracts of hunting land. My neighbor owns 40 acres and he has seen wolves off of the stand during the 2008 season. They didn't see a single deer this year and that's never happened before, I think there will be many cases in the near future where owners of small tracts of land will have their hunting completely eliminated.
I saw deer both the weekends I hunted, but again big bucks were few and far between.
Mainly, I blame the warm weather. The deer were showing very little as far as rut behavior until the final week of the season and even then it was not what I'd call a full-on rut.
Also, for the 10th year running, there has been no significant snow for the first week and this year for the whole season. Snow on the ground makes the deer about 90% easier to see, so obviously the success rate goes down without snow.
Combine that with the fact that during warm weather the deer don't have to move as much to feed and can stay hidden for long periods of time, and it's bad news for hunters.
Grouse
