mn hunters vent.

[MnBOWhntr]

There a alot of sides to the APR's. I applaud them, for many reasons. I also can see why some people wouldn't like them. I think with the youth hunts and lack of restrictions on the youth it is all been done well. As a person who hunts very avidly, and processes hundreds of deer a year, I can tell you that the deer are getting bigger, weight and antler wise. And yes, I do talk with other processor friends that know the same thing, every one I have talked to. You hit the exceptional deer that is a huge 6 you can't shoot, but of the deer you have seen how many are in this category? 1% maybe? Live and deal with it. A trophy is definitely a trophy in the eye of the shooter, but on the other hand there are plenty of deer to shoot without killing everything. What is wrong with being a bit picky? Scenario for the consistent juevenile buck killer: if he has a forkie or 6 or small 8 140 pounds standing next to a nice 135 pound doe, they will kill the buck most of the times if not every time, if not both. But why? Doesn't it make sense to wanna better what you have done and raise the bar? Many factors play into it like how often you hunt, where you hunt, etc but once you have been there with a certain size smaller buck what is the point of another when you can shoot a doe or multiple does that would equal more meat than that buck? There are too many scenarios for everyone to be right in every aspect of this, but I don't see the challenge or fun from shooting little fellers year after year. If your hunting skills would mature like we should let the deer and keep the ratio in tact, I can't imagine the positive out come. But one thing I can say, if you think for a second Earn A Buck is ever a good choice you are a frickin moron. Be a smarter more educated hunter, and there is no need for it. If hunters and deer could both mature a bit, it would be amazing....My kids will get their kicks from shooting whatever they want right away,just like I did, but they will learn about raising the bar to make yourself better with deer hunting, as this is a lesson in life that goes way beyond hunting.....

Ok Billiardboy if this is your thinking then you better never shoot a buck smaller than your biggest buck to date!! What kinda logic is this??

I am a moron?? You are the moron!! The DNR put the APR's in place to supposedly increase the doe harvest how in the world can anyone say that earn a buck is not a better way to get this accomplished?? The guy that used to go out and shoot the first buck he saw is most likely still going to go out and shoot the first LEGAL buck he sees and let the does still walk past him!!

[billiardboy]

You are right mr Mnbowhntr. You are the god of gods and earn a buck is the smartest thing I have ever heard of. Actually no, check that, you are the smartest thing I have ever heard of and earn a buck is second. Enjoy your 88 3/8 inch 8 pointers for the rest of your life.

[MnBOWhntr]

You are right mr Mnbowhntr. You are the god of gods and earn a buck is the smartest thing I have ever heard of. Actually no, check that, you are the smartest thing I have ever heard of and earn a buck is second. Enjoy your 88 3/8 inch 8 pointers for the rest of your life.

Thats all you can come up with?? You can't even comment on what you wrote and how dumb it sounded? I LOVE getting guys like you stirred up that only have a one track mind. It must be pathetic to only think you have had a good deer hunting season if you harvest a GIANT buck!!

[billiardboy]

Believe me, I can come up with more. You simply just are not worth arguing with. Too bad you even found this website, but there is always one I guess. It don't matter to me really, I will hunt the way I hunt, (very successfully by the way) and you hunt the way you hunt. If you kill a big buck more power to you, and if you don't and are satisfied that is fine too, don't matter to me!

[DS316]

I never did any name calling till you started with me!!

How was he supposed to been taken care of before he was allowed to mature?? You are PREACHING that no buck should be shot before it is fully mature!! Make up your mind man!! He was 3 1/2 years old the last year I could legally take him and yes if I would have gotten a chance I surely would have taken him. Now he is breading his genes into our herd and we have several 6 pointers that are 2 1/2 or possibly older.

A couple of things then I am out.

First of all you called many of us idiots, just because we don't agree with your view. Everyone has different opinions, but I cannot stand people who dismiss opinions just because they differ from their own. EAB will be widely abused and to say otherwise is being pretty naive. You many not take advantage of it, but many others certainly would.

Next, you insulted my wife. I don't think you intended it that way at first, but instead of clarifying you once again went that route. I gave you a chance out of it, but you persisted with it. Again, anytime you want to compare wives go ahead and post a pic. I will follow.

Last, please show me where I said ALL bucks need to be fully mature. I never said that. I have read a couple of different articles that have research that shows that after 3 years a first year spike and a regular racked buck show no real difference in size. In some cases the spikes can even be bigger. Honestly I couldn't care less what you do on your farm and how you manage your herd.

I don't advocate breaking the law, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If I had your problem with the 6 pointers I know how I would handle it. Same way I handle dogs I see running deer or livestock.

I just don't understand why the two of you are so dead set against APR. Check out what has happened in Pennsylvania since they implemented APR. qdma.com had a great article on it. Give it a chance to work before you get your panties in a bunch. It does work and to argue otherwise, w/o having facts to back up your position makes you look like a spoiled kid who didn't get their way.


Jack I am still waiting on the article that has Minnesota #2 behind Ohio for trophy hunting. You seem to be dodging this, which makes me very skeptical of anything else you post.

[MnBOWhntr]

A couple of things then I am out.

First of all you called many of us idiots, just because we don't agree with your view. Everyone has different opinions, but I cannot stand people who dismiss opinions just because they differ from their own. EAB will be widely abused and to say otherwise is being pretty naive. You many not take advantage of it, but many others certainly would.

Next, you insulted my wife. I don't think you intended it that way at first, but instead of clarifying you once again went that route. I gave you a chance out of it, but you persisted with it. Again, anytime you want to compare wives go ahead and post a pic. I will follow.

Last, please show me where I said ALL bucks need to be fully mature. I never said that. I have read a couple of different articles that have research that shows that after 3 years a first year spike and a regular racked buck show no real difference in size. In some cases the spikes can even be bigger. Honestly I couldn't care less what you do on your farm and how you manage your herd.

I don't advocate breaking the law, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If I had your problem with the 6 pointers I know how I would handle it. Same way I handle dogs I see running deer or livestock. I just don't understand why the two of you are so dead set against APR. Check out what has happened in Pennsylvania since they implemented APR. qdma.com had a great article on it. Give it a chance to work before you get your panties in a bunch. It does work and to argue otherwise, w/o having facts to back up your position makes you look like a spoiled kid who didn't get their way.


Jack I am still waiting on the article that has Minnesota #2 behind Ohio for trophy hunting. You seem to be dodging this, which makes me very skeptical of anything else you post.

That statement right there tells me and everyone else what kinda person you are!!

[MnBOWhntr]

Believe me, I can come up with more. You simply just are not worth arguing with. Too bad you even found this website, but there is always one I guess. It don't matter to me really, I will hunt the way I hunt, (very successfully by the way) and you hunt the way you hunt. If you kill a big buck more power to you, and if you don't and are satisfied that is fine too, don't matter to me!

Am I not allowed to have my opinion?? This is a free country from what I remember!! Sorry to all you hunting gods!! APR's are the way to go and we should never shoot a doe or buck that isn't atleast 5 1/2 years old!! Remember guys if the deer standing in front of you doesn't look like this don't shoot him!!

[JackSparrow]

The article was in July 2011 Field and Stream magazine. We're 2nd for B&C bucks, behind Wisconsin, tied with Ohio. I believe it was also talked about in the Summer 2011 newsletter from BWA (which must be having website problems, since their newsletters are currently non-existent). These numbers would have occurred in the first year of the APR regulations in a portion of the state, a regulation that was designed to actually limit the buck harvest, and it's quite likely that the majority of these bucks came from areas outside the APR areas.

It's quite surprising that Wisconsin would be first when they don't have APR's, and allow cross tagging of bucks. You know, the same way that Minnesota has hunted for years.

[RidgeRunner]

The article was in July 2011 Field and Stream magazine. We're 2nd for B&C bucks, behind Wisconsin, tied with Ohio. I believe it was also talked about in the Summer 2011 newsletter from BWA (which must be having website problems, since their newsletters are currently non-existent). These numbers would have occurred in the first year of the APR regulations in a portion of the state, a regulation that was designed to actually limit the buck harvest, and it's quite likely that the majority of these bucks came from areas outside the APR areas.

It's quite surprising that Wisconsin would be first when they don't have APR's, and allow cross tagging of bucks. You know, the same way that Minnesota has hunted for years.

The numbers that you have posted are correct but you have to look at the time period associated with the B&C entries to get a better picture of how we are doing in managing the herd in MN. From 1830 - 1979, MN was the number one state for B&C bucks. For the period of 1980 - 2001, MN had fallen to fourth for B&C entries. This trend tells me that other states are simply doing a better job at improving the quality of deer hunting. Before anyone jumps me about a "quality" hunt meaning trophy bucks, keep in mind that the states now ahead of MN (IA, IL and WI) all have a higher success rate in harvesting deer in general meaning there are plenty of deer of all sizes to keep everyone happy.

The numbers are here if anyone cares to have a look. http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgreco...area=bgrecords

[cowboy bowhunter]

Seriously what does pope and young and boone and crocket entrys mean? Nothing. How many Not everyone enters them So it dont mean that is how many were shot it means that is how many poeple care about pope and young. So manybe other state should be way up in the rating because they had more big bucks shot but not as many who care about P&Y.

[JackSparrow]

Seriously what does pope and young and boone and crocket entrys mean? Nothing. How many Not everyone enters them So it dont mean that is how many were shot it means that is how many poeple care about pope and young. So manybe other state should be way up in the rating because they had more big bucks shot but not as many who care about P&Y.

You're one of the few on here that have enough sense to realize that entries mean absolutely nothing in terms of the quality of a state's deer herd. Each state has different regulations and the people of each state have different feelings on whether to enter their deer in the books or not.

From what I've heard from the Minnesota Official Measurers, something around 15% or less of the qualifying measured deer are actually entered into the books from Minnesota. The numbers they hear from other states are much higher, with Iowa being well over the 50% entered mark. There's obviously no actual scientific data behind their numbers, but there's no also no correlation between number of entries in the books in a period and the quality of an area's deer herd.

[Dor]

You're one of the few on here that have enough sense to realize that entries mean absolutely nothing in terms of the quality of a state's deer herd. Each state has different regulations and the people of each state have different feelings on whether to enter their deer in the books or not.

From what I've heard from the Minnesota Official Measurers, something around 15% or less of the qualifying measured deer are actually entered into the books from Minnesota. The numbers they hear from other states are much higher, with Iowa being well over the 50% entered mark. There's obviously no actual scientific data behind their numbers, but there's no also no correlation between number of entries in the books in a period and the quality of an area's deer herd.

Complete hearsay bogus crap! And you had been doing so much better.

[JackSparrow]

Complete hearsay bogus crap! And you had been doing so much better.

Like I said, the numbers from the measurers have no scientific backing. However, because there's no actual data available on the percentage of deer that are actually put into the books, you cannot make the correlation that higher numbers put into the books means a better herd. It's simple statistics, and there's simply not enough data to make any assumptions about the numbers in the books.

In other words, the books are entirely meaningless other than to be a bragging board.

I realize that the B&C and P&Y books are like bibles to many hunters, but they are still nothing more than a way to show off what you've shot.

[Dor]

Like I said, the numbers from the measurers have no scientific backing. However, because there's no actual data available on the percentage of deer that are actually put into the books, you cannot make the correlation that higher numbers put into the books means a better herd. It's simple statistics, and there's simply not enough data to make any assumptions about the numbers in the books.

In other words, the books are entirely meaningless other than to be a bragging board.

I realize that the B&C and P&Y books are like bibles to many hunters, but they are still nothing more than a way to show off what you've shot.

I pretty much agree with most of that.

[Unscripted]

On the property that I hunt which is in 345 We have a deer problem, We have WAY to many does and fawns, but being in a hunters choice area I can only shoot one deer and I'm not going to waste my tag on a doe when there are a few decent bucks running around there.