Below is a picture of a nice young deer that shows just how QDM can help your land no matter how small of a tract of land you hunt. This is a deer around 11/2 to 2 years old and he is going to be a trophy in 2-3 years. One of the things I find interesting about most hunters that practice QDM is the fact that they dont bother to harvest does on a yearly basis. That as I have learned in the past is a huge mistake. The reasons behind this are actually quite obvious and begin with the fact that if you have too many deer in a certain age group on your property, you are not allowing any new "Young Studs" to bed down in your woods. This became extremely obvious to me when I sat down one day to look at the pictures from my trail cams. I kept seeing pictures of does and fawns with a few small bucks mixed in every once in a while. After thinking about the reasons why that was happening for a few minutes, I came up with an answer to my question. Bucks are solitary, in the fall. Seldom do you see a buck wandering through the woods with does and fawns unless they are rutting hard. From that day forward we started devising a plan that would allow for a healthy ratio of bucks and does. This is what we came up with, each person in our hunting party would take a doe if it was late in the morning or night sit especially if it was an old mature doe without any fawns. As for bucks we still shoot the trophies obviously, but contrary to some other hunter's QDM programs we also shoot a wealth of young deer that show no signs of ever becoming a trophy.  

Camp Ripley Archery Hunt

The Camp Ripley Archery Hunt deadline is fast approaching. All Applicants must Apply by August 19th. There is an $8 dollar fee per applicant, applicants may apply in groups of up to four hunters. Make sure to have you license purchased at least two days prior to the hunt as well. The hunt inside the 50,000 acre military camp is well worth the price of admission in recent years several of my friends and family members have succeeded in harvesting some nice trophies.

If you are a first timer inside the gates, don't be frustrated by other hunters posted up 20 yards away or even walking right past your stand. The deer you will see should more than make up for that. However, because there are so many hunters I do urge you to take your time on any shot you contemplate taking, know your surroundings and make a good clean shot. I have heard of hunters in the past arguing over who's shot actually killed the deer. In short, be safe and smart if you are lucky enough to be drawn for the Ripley Hunt.

Early Antlerless Season

Minnesota has once again opted to have an early antlerless season in certain zones. Personally, my viewpoint on this season has changed over time. When I was a little bit younger I thought it was a great thing because I could get my gun out early and spend more time in the woods hunting whitetails. As I grew older I began to notice how much this early season affected not only bow hunting but also the quality of rifle hunting in the area. In fact one year I went from seeing 37 deer on one evening bow hunt the day before early antlerless season opened, to a drastic season low 2 deer the day after the season closed. The night that I had seen 37 deer, they all seemed to be calm and unaware that anyone was in the woods with them. However, when I went out the day after the early season closed for an all day sit; it was a completely different story. The 2 deer that I did see looked very nervous. The only explanation I had for this drastic change was the early antlerless season.

I do not believe that this season is beneficial to the state of Minnesota (besides the fact that it creates a minimal amount of revenue). Bow hunting after an early antlerless season has been completed in a zone to me seems to be almost a waste of time. The deer become more skittish and the more mature deer seem to turn nocturnal after they hear that first gunshot ring out. The only way I would ever approve of this season is if it were only for youth hunters just to draw them into the great world of hunting whitetails.

Antler restrictions in Minnesota?

I love hunting in Minnesota, but there is one thing that has always bothered me about hunting here. A lot of hunters will shoot the first deer they see. This in most cases (unless they're lucky enough to see a nice buck right away) doesn't allow young bucks to realize their full potential. However, this year in Minnesota will be a little bit different. Southeastern Minnesota has had an antler restriction imposed on them. Hunters up to the age of 17 can shoot whatever they please, but for hunters above the age of 17 must start thinking before they shoot. A buck for hunters over the age of 17 must have at least 4 legal one inch tines on at least one side.

I'm sure this new regulation is going to get a lot of hunters hot under the collar but In my opinion this could be a great thing for Minnesota. Other states have been doing this for some time now, and it seems to be working for them. Hopefully this year will go well in southeast MN and we will see this antler restriction spread around the state within the next few years.

Quality deer management within the state should help us to show Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri just how good our whitetail genetics are. So, if you are a hunter in southeastern MN this year PLEASE just abide by the rules and we will all benefit from this in the near future!

I found this shed about a mile into 50 some thousand acres of stateland last year.

Dove and Bear Opener

With bow opener looming just around the corner I like to find as many ways to quell my urge to hunt as possible. Dove hunting opens up tomorrow and Bear hunting on Wednesday. I was not drawn to hunt bear in this great state this year but rest assured I will be up in a tree with a camera documenting a hunt. I have seen numerous pictures from bait sites this year and I have to say that I am impressed with the amount of bears that my friends and family have caught on camera.

I remember one occurrence with a bear that still has me on pins and needles every time I walk to my truck from a bow stand. It was a balmy September night the deer activity that night had been very dismal to say the least. The stand I was on was about a mile behind my brother's house and since I hadn't seen any deer to write home about I decided I would phone my bro and have him come pick me up. Well, after waiting about a half hour for him he finally got there and I climbed down from the stand. I had just untied my bow and picked it up to walk to his truck, when I picked my head up I caught a very large surprise in his headlights. Somehow a 350-400 lb bear had snuck up to within ten yards of where I was about to walk. As always, my brother honked his horn and the bear scampered off into the pine trees on the opposite end of the field. Needless to say, being a young hunter at the time I was a little bit Leary of hunting that area for a few weeks but I later regained my cool and have harvested 3 deer from that very spot since then.

Dove season is a little bit more laid back to say the least. Very popular in other states but relatively new to Minnesota. I have to say that if you have not tried dove hunting you definitely should give it a shot, in my mind they are the most challenging game bird to hit. At a top speed of 55 mph they are a worthy adversary to most any hunter. The added bonus is the fact that doves are delicious, right down to the heart and gizzard.

A good year to be bowhunting Minnesota

Over the past few years it has seemed that wet weather in late summer and early fall has had a direct impact on the amount of deer taken in my area. Hopefully for Minnesotans and visiting hunters this year will be a little bit different. Cornfields have often been left standing over the past 2 or 3 years this can hopefully mean only one thing for this year, IF the weather stays on track for the rest of the year! What Im getting at is the fact that there should be some real trophy bucks strutting their stuff under bow stands this year. With bowhunting fast approaching I cannot think of a year where I have seen more wall-e's (shooter bucks) while scouting.
Bucks that would have otherwise been shot before their prime by new hunters or hunters that dont believe in land management seem to have been using all that corn to their advantage to survive and grow into the bucks they were meant to be. Im not a biologist and never have I claimed to be one but I do believe that this bow season in Minnesota is going to be one to remember!! So get your bows zeroed in and dont be surprised if a 160 or bigger class buck shows up to greet you on september 18th!