Another strong deer harvest at Camp Ripley in Minnesota

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Cool, wet weather greeted hunters at the second two-day hunt held Oct. 29-30 at Camp Ripley near Little Falls, with archers harvesting 135 deer, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Those deer, coupled with the 287 taken during the Oct. 20-21 hunt, represent the eighth best harvest at Camp Ripley. Although the harvest during the second hunt is about 5 percent below average, the four-day total of 422 deer is 33 percent above the long-term average harvest of 316 deer for the two-hunts.

“The excellent hunting conditions helped hunters achieve another strong harvest and to take about 10 bucks that weighed more than 200 pounds,” said Beau Liddell, DNR Little Falls Area wildlife manager. “The overall harvest is well above average, and administration of the hunt went well too.”

A total of 5,000 permits were issued for both two-day hunts, with 4,305 hunters participating. Hunter success was 13 percent during the first hunt (3 percent above average), and 6 percent during the second hunt (2 percent below average). That is a success rate of just above 6 percent for the two hunts combined (3 percent below the long-term average of 9 percent).

For the eighth year running, hunters at Camp Ripley were allowed to take up to two deer and to use bonus permits to increase harvest of antlerless deer.

“We’re very pleased with the results the past eight years,” Liddell said. “Although Ripley bow hunters are known to be selective for bucks, we have seen increasing proportions of does and fawns taken in recent years to help control the population.”

The proportion of antlerless deer taken at Camp Ripley was 1 percent higher than last year and much higher than the long-term average (55 percent), with about 64 percent of this year’s harvest comprised of does and fawns.

The largest buck taken on the second hunt, which weighed 215 pounds, was taken by Timothy Bilek of St. Paul.

Other hunters who harvested large bucks during the second hunt include:

• Richard Heintz, New Richmond, 210 pounds.
• Andrew Breth, Holdingford, 204 pounds.
• Jeffrey Gertken, Richmond, 204 pounds.

The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The DNR coordinates the hunt with the Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000 acre reservation.

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Minnesota Deer Hunting: Excellent weather benefits Camp Ripley’s first bow hunt

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Archers took a two-day total of 287 deer during the first bow hunt Oct. 20-21, at Camp Ripley Military Reservation near Little Falls.

“Excellent weather greeted hunters during the first hunt and made it possible for hunters to maximize their time in the field and resulted in a tie for the third-highest recorded harvest for the first two days of the hunt,” said Beau Liddell, Little Falls area wildlife supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

For the eighth year in a row, hunters were allowed to take up to two deer and use bonus permits to increase harvest on antlerless deer. Harvest was well above the long-term average with fawns and does comprising 67 percent of the harvest, an increase of 3 percent from last year.

Total harvest so far represents an identical harvest to the 2010 harvest and is 61 percent above the long-term average harvest of 179 deer for the first hunt.

“Unless we get another unexpected Halloween blizzard that shuts down the hunt like it did in 1991, at this point it’s basically a certainty that we’ll register another top-10 harvest. If weather cooperates this weekend, the total take for all four days could easily rival the record 516 deer taken for both hunts in 2008,” Liddell said.

There were 2,500 permits issued for the first hunt with 2,099 hunters participating, a participation rate of 85 percent. Hunter success was about 13 percent, which was identical to last year and 3 percent higher than the long-term average. Seven hunters took their bag limit of two deer.

Four adult bucks tipped the scales at or above 200 pounds. The largest buck taken weighed 210 pounds, taken by Dylan Laudenbach of Coon Rapids. Among the adult does weighed, the largest, taken by Richard Carlson of Maple Lake, weighed in at 123 pounds.

“With 13 consecutive mild winters in this part of the state and strong harvests since 2000, Camp Ripley’s deer herd is in good condition. Many hunters that provided comments indicated they saw numerous deer,” Liddell said.

The second two-day hunt is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 29-30. DNR coordinates the hunts with the Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000-acre military reservation.

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Minnesota deer facts

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Deer: The Animal

• Adult female white-tailed deer weigh about 145 pounds, males 170 pounds – the average weight of female and male humans.
• The biggest white-tailed deer ever recorded was a 500-pound Minnesota buck.
• A whitetail’s home range is about one square mile.
• Minnesota’s deer population is about 1 million deer. Texas is number one with 4.7 million deer.

Deer: Hunting

• Overall success rate for Minnesota hunters in 2010 was 38 percent.
• 70 percent of Minnesota’s firearms deer harvest typically occurs during the first three or four days of the season.
• The average hunter spends five days afield during Minnesota’s firearms deer season.
• Last year’s total deer harvest was 207,313, with 98,834 of those deer antlered bucks.
• License options, which allow hunters to buy individual licenses for all the seasons, now give hunters more choices in where and when they can hunt deer; hunters can take as many as five deer in many parts of the state.
• Minnesota has averaged a deer harvest of 267,000 over the last five years; Wisconsin is number one with an average harvest of almost 450,000.
• The largest typical whitetail buck ever taken in Minnesota had a Boone & Crockett score of 202; it was shot by John Breen in 1918 near Funkley, Minn.
• Minnesota’s number one non-typical whitetail buck had 43 points; it was shot by 17-year-old Mitch Vakoch in 1974. A deer recently taken during the Camp Ripley archery hunt may exceed the record.

Deer: Licenses

• In total, more than 800,000 deer hunting licenses and permits (all types) were sold in 2010.
• Ninety-eight percent of deer licenses are sold to Minnesota residents.
• The DNR Information Center remained open two hours later on the day before last year’s deer opener to answer more than 2,000 telephone inquiries, most of them related to the firearms opener.

Deer: Economics

• 475,000 deer hunters in Minnesota.
• Retail sales – $260 million.
• Overall economic impact – $458 million.
• Salaries, wages, business owner income – $151 million.
• State and local tax revenue – $33 million.
• Number of directly supported jobs – 5,300.
• Economic impact is greatest in Greater Minnesota.

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Minnesota: Hunters reminded not to shoot radio-collared bears

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Hunters participating in Minnesota’s bear season are reminded to avoid shooting radio-collared research bears, which are marked with large colorful ear tags or colorful streamers.

Hunters are likely to find collared bears in and near Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area; the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge; the Chippewa National Forest; Camp Ripley; the Cloquet Forestry Station; Voyageurs National Park; and northern St. Louis County between Ely and Tower near the Eagles Nest chain of lakes.

Photos of some collared research bears are available on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website.

Any hunters who do shoot collared bears should call the DNR Wildlife Research office in Grand Rapids at 218-327-4146 or 218-327-4133.

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Minnesota Hunters: August 19th Deadline for Applications for Camp Ripley Archery Hunts

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began accepting applications on July 21 for the 2011 regular archery deer hunts at Camp Ripley near Little Falls.
Hunters may pick from only one of two hunting seasons, Oct. 20-21 (Th.-Fri.; code 668) or Oct. 29-30 (Sat.-Sun.; code 669). A total of 5,000 permits, 2,500 per two-day hunt, will be made available. Successful applicants must purchase a valid archery license at least two days before their hunt to participate. The bag limit for this year’s hunt is two, and bonus permits may be used to take antlerless deer.
Hunters may choose from four options to apply for the Camp Ripley archery hunts:

• through the DNR’s computerized Electronic Licensing System (ELS) at any one of 1,500 ELS agents located throughout Minnesota
• by telephone at 888-665-4236
• through DNR’s Internet licensing link
• at the DNR License Center, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul.

The application fee for the hunt is $8 per applicant. The application deadline is Aug. 19. Those who apply by phone or Internet will be charged an additional convenience fee of 3 percent ($0.24) per transaction.
To apply, resident hunters 21 and older must provide a valid state driver’s license or public safety identification number. Residents under 21 may also provide a DNR firearms safety training number to apply. Nonresident hunters must apply using a valid driver’s license number, public safety identification number, or MDNR customer number from a recent Minnesota hunting or fishing license.
All applicants must be at least 10 years old prior to the hunt they apply for. In addition, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1980, must have a firearms safety certificate or other evidence of successfully completing a hunter safety course to obtain a license to hunt or trap in Minnesota.
Hunters may apply as individuals or as a group, up to four individuals. Group members may only apply for the same two-day season. The first group applicant must specify “Create New Group” when asked, and will receive a group number. Subsequent group applicants must specify they want to “Join an Existing Group” and must use the same group number supplied to the first group applicant.
The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The DNR coordinates the hunt with the Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000-acre military reservation.

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Minnesota Hunters and Fishermen|More ‘keeper’ walleyes to be allowed on Mille Lacs; hunting application deadlines approaching fast

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Minnesota’s state government shutdown will not affect upcoming hunting seasons or prevent a mid-season walleye regulation change at Lake Mille Lacs.
“Some application deadlines are approaching fast but that’s the only significant impact to hunters,” said Ed Boggess, director of the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Fish and Wildlife Division. “On the angling side, we moved quickly to implement a more liberal walleye length limit regulation on Lake Mille Lacs.” The upcoming regulation change is based on an evaluation of the 2011 walleye harvest through June 30 that deemed a change was warranted.
Effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 27, the walleye length limit regulation on Lake Mille Lacs will change to a 20- to 28-inch protected slot. Currently the walleye regulation is an 18- to 28-inch protected slot.
As DNR services resume operation, the following items relate to hunters and anglers:

• Fishing and hunting licenses: They are again available at any of the state’s 1,500 license agents, as well as over the Internet or by phone.
• Bear license purchase deadline: Hunters who successfully applied in the 2011 bear license lottery must purchase their license by Aug. 1. Licenses that are not purchased will go on sale on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Thursday, Aug. 4. Bear baiting can legally begin Friday, Aug. 12.
• Fall turkey/prairie chicken: The application deadline for fall turkey and prairie chicken licenses is Friday, July 29. Applications may be made online, by calling toll-free 888-665-4236, or through the electronic licensing system wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
• Deer hunting: Licenses will go on sale Aug. 1. The deadline for lottery either-sex permit applications and special deer hunts is Thursday, Sept. 8. The firearms deer season opens Nov. 5. The Camp Ripley archery hunt will be held as scheduled, as will special youth and state park deer hunts. One potential exception is the St. Croix State Park youth deer hunt. The feasibility of going forward with that hunt is under evaluation because of widespread damage to the park from high winds on July 1. Additional information will be announced later.
• Hunting regulations booklet: Printed copies of this year’s regulation booklet won’t be available until mid-August but an online version should be available Aug. 1.
• Waterfowl hunting: Hunting season decisions will be made in mid-August.