Changes to Camp Ripley
Minnesota
Are the changes to the Camp Ripley hunt going to change your plans to hunt at Camp Ripley? The change I am referring to is that effective this year, Ripley is not an "bonus" area. You let an arrow fly, you just used your archery "buck" tag. For the record, the MN DNR was NOT in support of this. It was imposed by the Camp Ripley' Military management to get the "notoriety" back into the hunt via a larger deer herd.
Thank God Camp is finally fed up with the way DNR is managing the deer. I think it is a good change. The place has been whacked to heck for far too long. Hardly any big deer coming out of there anymore.
Last time I hunted Ripley there was alot of wolf tracks & very little deer sign. I doubt if the changes being made are going to increase the herd to any noticeable amount.
It will definitely allow the herd to increase. There aren't that many wolves in camp. Deer populations have increased in the presence of wolves forever. Hunting is the main source of mortality in Camp.
How many wolves is "that many"?
A dozen or so. And they don't just stay on Camp.
I was looking for facts & according to Jan/Feb 2007 MN Conservation Volunteer magazine there were 2 packs totaling about 15 wolves; Add this fact from Oct 2013: According to the Wisconsin DNR, "Each wolf kills about 20 deer per year". Given those numbers & not adding an increase in wolf population in Ripley, that's 300 deer harvested by wolves in Ripley which doesn't include bear or hunters. Is this significant? Maybe, maybe not. I just know the sign or lack of I saw at Ripley.
Like I said, they don't stay on Ripley so all their kills will not be in Ripley. Ripley wolves have been followed way west of Camp and as far south as Royalton. And 20 would be a high estimate on annual kills/wolf. Do I think wolves have a significant impact? Yes, but their impact is felt most when hunters first knock down deer numbers. And I guarantee there were a dozen or more wolves back when deer were at an all time high in there.
12 yards, not sure where you are getting your "facts" and I'm certainly not trying to start an argument .... but my family has lived across the river from Ripley for generations and I respectfully and completely disagree with you. Some of my family still live across the river from Camp.
I began hunting in Ripley back in the late 60's, early 70's and continued hunting in there for several (30+) years.
Right from the beginning, every year we saw 15 to 20 deer EVERY DAY we hunted in there. If any of us saw less than 10 deer a day that was a really slow day. These sighting continued right up until a couple years after they introduced the wolves.
****FROM THAT POINT ON .... FROM THAT POINT ON ... FROM THAT POINT ON we saw fewer and fewer deer until it got to the point we just quit going there.
Now I'm talking 70's, 80's, and 90's, a good solid 30 years of continued high deer sightings. If I remember right there were a couple years where we saw fewer deer due to sever winter kill - the worst one was in 1988 or 89 - a LOT of deer died that year.
My point is over those 30+ years there were a lot of deer taken EVERY year - year after year ... up UNTIL the introduction of the timber wolves. THAT was the beginning of the decline of the deer heard in Ripley!
With the existing predators (for the most part we are talking hunters and bears) that deer heard was sustainable for all those years until the Timbers were placed in there.
So, you can put any kind of spin on it you want ... blame it on the hunters, the DNR, the bears, even on the Clinton's - I was there, I hunted through it, I saw it happen. The timber wolves have decimated the deer heard in Ripley! For the deer heard to return to even close to where it once was - one of the 3 main predators has to be eliminated or substantially reduced, take your pick.
The demise of the Ripley herd started when the DNR began giving out bonus tags in 2004. Twelve consecutive years of hammering the doe population is what brought numbers down to the point the hunts have now gone under-subscribed. Make sure to tell Beau Liddell thank you. He's on record saying he wanted bonus tags again this year. Good for the base to kick the DNR to the curb and start increasing numbers again. Should be a destination hunt again in handful of years.
The Ripley hunt has always been about reducing the herd. Well, this is what we get...
I've been hunting it since the early 90's and helped with the hunt in 1991 and 1992. I've seen some highs and lows. I agree with stick33. The herd began it's decline in the early 2000s when bonus permits were allowed. The hunt and my deer sightings in there have declined ever since. Two bad winters and predation of course have not helped. The deer herd can and will increase in the presence of wolves. They will in there just like they will in every other part of the state if mother nature and DNR Wildlife cooperate. I guess I'm more prone to blame hunters than wolves. That is where we disagree. And BTW, wolves were never introduced there. They were first documented in camp in 1993. They got there on their own.
Introduction of wolves?? Hah they always have been there. Hunted the place in 1970s and 1980s, came up on a pack walking in the woods in the dark once. Just about day-break they kinda encircled us , checking us out. After a quick walk back to the car (old trusty rusted out 67 Ford) waited til full sun-up then decided on a different spot.
My Dad hunted that place in the 50s had a buddy who told him a story of a wolf following him like a curious dog, til he turned around and saw it almost face to face. Wolves and deer have always been in that place, probably always will be.
We came upon a herd of about 40-50 deer crossing the road once, (not all that uncommon then) almost totalled the 67 beater cause they all ran in front of us. After hard braking, the rusted lines sprung a leak. Drove all the way back to the cities using the three on the tree tranny to slow us down and stopping periodically to put more brake fluid in the system. It was a Sunday and absolutely nothing was open on Hwy 371 and 10. Dem were the days...
Mostly a "Lurker" here - I'm from MA and spend my bowsite time mostly on that sub forum. My wives family is from Nisswa though... Have to admit that since about 2010, I see far fewer deer when driving through Ripley when visiting family.
Had no idea there were wolves in the area, just assumed they were further north and hadn't really taken up residence that far south. Going to think about my walks and fishing trips in the woods a little harder now :)
Interesting to see your discussion on this guys - Best of luck when things open up for you all.
