Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Northern MN Deer Population

I like that now I can call them in, then drive home with the meat in coolers on ice. No driving the carcass around to collect road grime.

Gas stations and bars hate it though... cuts down on bonus business even if it seemed like most places didn't care for the inconvenience.

Whats been happening up here, is guys not tagging, not being checked, and transporting to home for butchering. There are no roadside checks, we rarely see a CO during the day, many businesses up here do like having mandatory check in stations as it increases business and also brings in folks who just like to see what has been taken.

And yes I do call in TIP.

The number of wolf tags being given out is a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to be done. Our landowner has had a pack harassing his cattle all summer, another friend lost over 73 lambs, these animals have no fear up here they are shadowing runners, kids at bus stops, etc.

I am not sure what places you have visited however I am sure the clerks probably dislike the extra traffic however the owners and locals don't seem to mind to much.

As far as your argument for flyovers for population counts. The DNR has some many sub agencies out and they do not contact them for feedback on deer populations. At least that was what the biologists at the open house said. I do know that the folks that plant new seedlings have not been approached at all.

Waiting 10 years to do an aerial count is unreasonable if they use that information for ascertaining populations, one winter can severely change the population. Last year was the worst deer hunting season we have had in decades. This year we have very few bucks being seen but a bunch of does, with no doe management going on we are going to be back where we were of 5-7 deer tags a year again in very short order.

I would much rather see point restrictions and lower doe harvest numbers then a huge surplus of does and nothing but spikes or button bucks.

The Isabella area report is in.

Average deer numbers in my area based on those seen on the cameras. We see fewer fawns this year but more bucks posed for the cameras. We also have wolves, at least 4 different ones, a bear, fox and several rabbits and other small creatures including a pine martin and a fischer.

Can you post up some pics?

On my way home last night I saw a few.
Three in my back yard when I pulled in the driveway.

Address please.

We saw deer on Sunday from north of the 35 split all the way up to Duluth. There's a couple spots on 35 you can usually count on to see deer, and they didn't disappoint.

Got 10 stands firmed up this weekend and looked at the camera cards for the first time in about a month.

Something's going on down there. There's still 7-9 bucks hanging around. Got a shot of a 3 way buck fight. Highly unusual for my place.

One is a big 12. A little smaller 10, couple of 8's several 6, and a spork or two. All from 5 cameras on the 80 acres I own.

Not complaining, but it's wierd. Fingers crossed...

4

The population is down to about 1/4 what it was a couple years ago and half of last year where I hunt. I am picking up some bucks on the cams, but it's been a lot of years since I shot a buck.

I'll go to deer camp and hunt, but I will shoot a fawn or yearling near home where there are plenty.

official word

Zero expectations on seeing something worthy of pulling the trigger in the far NE part of the state.

I hope to put my cross hairs on a coyote.

I hope you do too!

I have three cameras out. Two of which I've visited. I have 234 yes, that's right, 234 pictures of black bears. Those two particular cams are about 300 yards apart in a cedar swap. I guess I know where that bear lives.

That area has produced a buck for someone nearly every year so I'm a bit discouraged by the pictures. I'll pull the card on the other camera this weekend I think.

Around home on a metro hunt, there are some signs of life. If found a scrape line and a few rubs on a quick scouting mission after work last night.

Not looking like I'll be getting up north this weekend. Had planned on a final recon mission prior to the opener, but we've got a church project on Sunday that I should attend. All the folks from church came out to our house a couple weeks back and basically did all the fall yard maintenance I wasn't permitted to do-raked out the flower beds, cleaned up the leaves, hung new gutter on the back side of the house.

This week we have a service project after church. We're fanning out across the neighborhood where our church is located and going to our neighbors houses to rake leaves for them. We do this every fall. They won't let me do anything too physical because of my recent defibrillator implant, but I feel I should go after all the suport our church members gave to us. I can run a leave blower, or run for bags, tarps, or coffee for the others. Would rater be in the woods, but this will be a good time just the same.

GG holy cripes!. Can i get on the list for next year? I got 2.5acres lots of trees.. LOL....

Thats nice that you guys do that for people that need it.. My wifes work does the same thing in the fall...

I probably can't get the church group up that far Tom, but if you need a hand just say the word and I'm on my way. Can't do the heavy lifting, but I can rake for a while or run a leaf blower with the best of 'em.

I was up in the Aikin area a few weekends ago at a friends cabin. Saw 1 bird and a few fresh deer tracks, but not much around. He normally has a handful of does come to his yard each night for some corn but none showed up while we were awake as they normally do.

Few wolves spotted in the area and one Mtn. Lion on camera recently.

Believe I'm going to head up to a families shack near Cotton the 2nd weekend of the season. Next weekend I'm headed back to SD after an archery deer.

Don't have high hopes for Cotton, but it's fun to spend some time at deer camp.

There's ALWAYS deer in cotton man! If a guy can't get a deer we head to cotton. At least we used to. Trompped a lot of ground in cotton. I probably will on Monday of opening week.

My first years of hunting '86 & '87 I hunted the Cotton Shack. Think I saw one South end of a deer headed North going Mach II.

Think one year two deer were taken from 8-10 guys hunting there, but it was fun. I was back 7-8 year ago and did get my buck each of those years and saw a few other deer way to far away and in barely any light.

A good fire in the area would do wonders, at least around the area the shack is at.

The relative it belongs to is in his early 80's, but still plugging away and traveling the world hunting/fishing.

Self made millionaire, but he usually acts like he's making minimum wage. He's been using the same Browning Stainless Stalker since the late 80's. It's been rebarreled after he blew the end off of it many years ago, but I couldn't imagine how many animals it's taken.