where i live in west central MN, the crops are coming down big time!!. we have vertually ZERO crp anymore, shelter belts/abandoned farmsteads are being knocked down big time so other that the few small rivers that traverse the area, there is basically no cover once the crops come down. our gun season takes place during the late chase phase/actuall breeding season. the river bottoms hear are dangnear farmed to the waters edge and they get driven the piss out of by the "orange armys". once the deer are driven out of the bottoms(the ones that make it), they really have know where to go hide. i don't gun hunt but take that time off to patrol the roads looking for those that think its cool to chase a deer for miles untill they get it cut off near a road and poke it out the window. and yes!!, i have the wardens # on speed dial. there are always a few cornfields left standing but the way things are going, i'm afraid there will be NONE this year.its VERY common here for a buck to pick out a doe and push her into the wide open to avoid other bucks. can't say how many times i've seen big bucks laying in a WIDE OPEN plowed black field tending a doe. years with no snow makes it somewhat tolerable because most guys don't see them laying out there but even a 1/2" makes them very visable and they vertually stand no chance. right now, i'm praying for a good amount of rain to slow the corn harvest and no snow till late Nov. if not, the deer are gonna get their asses handed to them.
I live close to the Sand Dunes state forest and the Sherburne F & W land, it gets piss pounded during gun season. Not much crop farming but being kinda close to the cities so the pressure is high. I am lucky with low pressure in the area surrounding my land.
I am in South Central Mn, around the Austin area. It seems like the past few years, I am lucky to see a half dozen vehicles with hunters in them. I used to see all the orange sitting in trees, and now I see none.
Your right the early harvest is the worst for the deer during gun season. The more corn in the better.
Where I am at in WC MN the road hunting is very bad . The terrain is way to flat and there are roads every half mile or so. Once they get me running they are pretty much dead because the deer lose all their common sense and run. We have one warden that covers two very large counties so he relies on a lot of tips. I would say cross tagging is a bigger issue around us anyway. People are tagging deer with their wife's, brother, mother uncles, kids tags. Cross tagging is a antiquated law that needs to go away IMO.
[ I would say cross tagging is a bigger issue around us anyway. People are tagging deer with their wife's, brother, mother uncles, kids tags. Cross tagging is a antiquated law that needs to go away IMO.[/QUOTE] Down in Texas that is against the law but it still happens quite often.mainly the more rural the more it happens.
I feel your pain, central MN here aswell :D The amount of hunters around here is almost laughable. I'm lucky to hunt in an area that has a lot of thick cover with some good neighbors that practice QDMA also. In general though you are spot on with the whole habitat destruction/stupid hunter deal. It's really sad to see how bad every thing is getting and I really don't see it turning around at all. Even where we are at we see so many deer that are hit bad and guys taking stupid shots (head shots) and it really sucks. The worst part is the timing, right during the rut. Also the muzzle loader season is at a horrible time too because that seems to be right when the bucks start hitting the food hard. It just takes away many of those lucky bucks that happened to make it through shotgun season unscathed when they are the most vulnerable. It's tough trying to take deer hunting seriously the way things are... Where by in MN? I'm near Sauk Centre.
I live in Morris but our farm is up by Hermann Minnesota. I get to Sauk center quite a bit for hockey and other things. I know there's a really strong QDMA group up in that area more up towards Long Prairie probably
I'd blame the money hungry DNR... And that statement isn't specific to your state. More tags available = more hunters.
i live right on the red river. i don't think there can be a flatter terrain in the world!. during gun season, its EASY to spot "chasers" from 2-3 miles away if its dry out. you can see the dust plume from the gravel roads that far away. in years past when 4 barrel carbs were norm, the country side would "light up" with the sounds of them at daybreak on gun opener
Wow in the red river valley area you can watch ur dog run away for two days!!! Ur not kidding it's flat!!!
Red River Valley.... Flat as a pancake... Average elevation drop from Fargo to Grand Forks is 1 foot per mile. Graduation lines on an elevation map could be in inches instead of 5 foot increments.
