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Deer Harvest 2021 Concern

Does it make you wonder why the deer harvest in Minnesota keeps going down each year and the DNR keeps increasing the doe permits for the state? It is down 11% this year from last year. Shouldn't the harvest figures go up with more doe tags issued and youth hunts? I know some areas are hit hard by wolves but they don't have doe permits in that area. I hunt 30-40 days a year with a bow and see fewer deer the last 5 years. Does the DNR just want to keep a low deer population? If harvest numbers are going down I would think they would decrease doe permits to increase the herd.

In zone 3 they want to reduce numbers for the CWD. In many areas it's worked but in others with all the leasing it will never work. An old wildlife manager told me years ago "deer are easy to manage, people aren't".

In my opinion, they want the population as low as possible. A lot of other stakeholders have the DNR's ear. That became very apparent to me after attending various DNR meetings last 20 years and attending forums, etc.

I am seeing less and less deer every year. Of course I hunt the big woods, those deer are hunted 24/7, 365 days a year.

I agree the numbers for deer are very low. If the numbers were high they would have a high deer kill with all the doe tags that are given out.

Deer numbers are good around me here in central MN. But now we've had two years of early antlerless hunting and harvest is down this year after a record harvest last year. I think they are about right now, but DNR will keep up the slaughter I'm sure for more years to come.

I hunted on one of the MBRB metro cull hunts. The hunt was I believe 14 guys hunting three weekends over a six week period, in the western burbs of the twin cities. I’m told that this hunt usually kills about 40 deer per year. This year the kill was in the low 20s. I was in a hot spot, killed three, two anterless and a six point.

lived north of Tomah, Wi. for 21 yrs, deer herd was high and the hunt was good then the DNR set up a Zone T antlerless hunt for 3 yrs and the herd was severely knock dow. 5 antlerless tags were given out and the public land (about 260 sq mi including Ft.McCoy where I lived) was a slaughter. The private land owners just went to the public and left their deer alone, the herd never recovered after this; the insurance co. were the big driver for this ie: crop damage and vehicle damage. The wolves were bought in which added to the deer loss over the years and with the x-bow season running along the bow season has really impacted the buck kill also. Wi. should be a model on what not to do on the Mn. deer management, the introduction to the mainstream archery deer hunt will be a main factor for the deer hunters we know it, the 60 yrs old should have never been enter unless a major disability (if you cannot pull it how is one going to drag it). Where I lived if one drove through the area they would think this has to be a great deer hunting area, it was and not no more.

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