Minnesota deer herd: Hunter mentalities differ

BRIAN PETERSON, STAR TRIBUNE

A whitetail buck

Minnesota hunters agree they want to see more bigger bucks, but disagree on the measures that should be used to accomplish this.

By Doug Smith, Star Tribune

Last update: January 7, 2009 - 12:24 AM

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Some Minnesota hunters say the state's current deer hunting regulations are skewing the state's deer population, resulting in fewer mature bucks.

Those wanting bigger bucks offer several solutions -- all of which would be controversial. Among them:

• Start the hunting season a week or two later to avoid the rut -- the prime deer breeding season.

• Prohibit hunters from shooting young bucks by imposing antler-point restrictions requiring that a deer have a certain number of points before it could be shot.

• Prohibit party hunting for bucks.

• Impose 'earn a buck' requirements, forcing hunters to shoot a doe before they can harvest a buck.

The idea of ''quality deer management'' has been around for years but hasn't been broadly received in Minnesota. Sixty-five percent of hunters in a state survey said they would like to see bigger bucks, but far fewer support the changes necessary to make that happen. Many hunters dislike any restrictions on their ability to kill a deer -- even a small buck.

But the issue could be gaining momentum. Supporters are frustrated with the lack of action and say it's time to give it a try, at least in some limited areas. And the idea will be in the spotlight at the Department of Natural Resources' annual "roundtable'' meetings with constituents this weekend in Brooklyn Center. At those meetings, DNR officials from the divisions of fish, wildlife and ecological resources discuss key natural resource issues with invited constituents. About 270 citizens and 95 DNR employees are scheduled to attend Friday and Saturday.

Representatives from four state hunting groups -- the Bluffland Whitetails Association, Minnesota Quality Deer Management Inc., Minnesota Bowhunters Inc., and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association -- will make presentations on deer management issues to the DNR.

"We have good hunting here in southeastern Minnesota, but it's nothing compared to what it could be,'' said Jim Vagts, longtime member of the Bluffland Whitetails group, formed 10 years ago by southeastern deer hunters.

Minnesota was once No. 1 in producing record whitetail entrees in the Pope and Young Club, Vagts said, and now is No. 5.

Fellow member Phil Costigan said the group will propose several changes for the southeastern deer zone: No party hunting for bucks and starting the hunting season a week later.

"Minnesota is one of only three states that allows it [party hunting for bucks],'' Costigan said. "If you shoot a forkhorn deer on opening day, that's your buck, you shouldn't get the option later to whack a 12-pointer and put someone else's tag on it. That just doesn't seem very ethical.''

The group would also like to start the hunting season on the second Saturday in November -- to avoid the rut -- and shorten that season by two days.

"A lot of those big deer are killed on opening morning when they're chasing a doe and are not at their wariest,'' Costigan said. "We'd like to level the playing field, and by doing so, when you harvest a trophy buck, you'll have earned it.''

Ted Wawrzyniak of Rosemount, president of Minnesota QDM, said the deer herd's buck-doe ratio is skewed toward does because of current management practices. He agreed that, because of Minnesota's diverse habitat, any proposals to boost big bucks likely should be done regionally.

"I think an antler-point restriction should be considered, earn-a-buck should be considered, and I would love to see the season pushed back out of the rut," he said. And he supports prohibiting party hunting for bucks.

"Change is never easy, but we have to change something if we want to change the deer population," he said.

The issue will be a tough one for the DNR.

"If you ask someone, would you like to see more and bigger bucks, everyone says yes," said Steve Merchant of the DNR. "But the difficulty is agreeing on how to get there. We need regulations that work and that are acceptable to a majority of hunters."

The problem is finding agreement even within the hunting groups. Minnesota Deer Hunters Association members are divided, said Joe Cannella, development director, but most have said the issue should be left to personal choice.

Doug Smith • doug.smith@startribune.com