DNR expecting more deer gun hunters each year always makes me laugh

Where does the DNR expect these people to hunt and have a reasonable expectation of harvesting deer? Mostly mature bucks. Unless you have private land access most groups in the north are not being that successful (I know there are some). Most are gone after opening weekend. 

A lot of hunters have moved south and find crowded public land areas and get disgruntled. Others are trying to shoot deer out of their backyards and are always confused when the neighboring farmers/hunters won't let them go retrieve their bambi when it runs off their two acre back yard.

Here is a thought DNR, quit giving out all those doe tags and try and work with the Feds to manage wolves. Them are the only options because we cannot control mother nature. 

Master Piker — Not sure where you’re at but usually survival is priority for the whitetail this time of year , In the north woods they “yard” for cover & feed , in other areas of the state it’s common for deer to gather in the winter months where food is easy or plentiful , (picked corn field , grazing ) . Pressure is low  so bedding close to food source is  common .  I’m assuming a few months ago not this many were seen together , before & after corn was picked . 

robertwhite,

Sadly, in 2022/2023 the 'bullets in the gun' will more than likely be the limiting factor! 

All joking aside, I did take a drive out to our land yesterday and my pasture was TORE UP from all the deer eating out there. Glad those guys that said I shot too many deer this fall were wrong (phew!)...I had 6 of them bedded in the cattle corral where I park and two more were watching me from the other side of the pasture while grazing. The neighbor to the west had 23 of them in his picked cornfield when I was leaving at 2:30PM.

Old hunter,

No. No restrictions.

Only thing restricting anyone is the number of tags in their pocket, number of bullets in the gun (or arrows in the quiver), and days available to hunt.

LOL catch up madforlabs, scroll back a few pages, I STARTED this conversation.

robertwhite,    I meant restrictions placed by the landowners.  

"Yes I have read them, unfortunately some cdac's disregard the feedback."

X-2.  

“So what kind of restrictive hunting is in the immediate area?”

None. Only restrictions are 2 free antlerless tags per license. No hunter is forced to do anything. Not sure I want Earn a Buck back though 

All members of my counties CDAC are hunters. Forestry rep, Ag rep, Transportation rep, Private Lands rep. Tourism rep. All are hunters with varying opinions on deer numbers and how to manage them. Some express similar opinions to those shared here. 

Yes I have read them, unfortunately some cdac's disregard the feedback.

Fish, the DNR will just claim that they already do that through the CDAC's. Which is a croc. Thank you, Dr Deer. extreme sarcasm.

Ere-  Have you looked at the comments section from the CDAC meetings in your county?? I am sure there are some counties where there is an overwhelming response on an issue (overall deer numbers/harvest goals etc)  and I would hope this gives some weight to the decision making process.  I live in Washington Cty and I can tell you the responses are all over the board.  The first question on the CDAC is if the responder agrees/disagrees with the Mgmt/Harvest Goal levels.. Last year there were 41 "Agree" (61%) responses and 26- Disagree. One of my pet peeves is the Holiday Hunt and 34 people agreed with this extra season and 34 -disagreed . Of course the comments section has all kinds of Points of View on issues covered on threads here on LL.  Gun hunters want the bow season shortened.  Most folks wanted fewer "public land antlerless" tags given out but a few folks wanted more.. Don't get that sentiment when you can get 3-free ones with your tag??    

Have reviewed meetings goals/comments from other counties I hunt and I see some of the same things. I still think the CDAC concept is a good one with feedback from various stakeholders. Of course reality is a different thing and I get why folks have lost confidence in this process.

Fish, the DNR will just claim that they already do that through the CDAC's. Which is a croc. Thank you, Dr Deer. extreme sarcasm.

Whoever makes the rules needs to take into consideration of hunter feedback. I don't really see that happening.  Lots of public land is crappy wasteland too.  Why not use some funds to improve upon some areas as well?

Yes they could do something, go back to units and they could divide these counties.

it must suck walking around day after day just being miserable, Amen mad4.

" When I walk out my door and count 21 deer in my neighbors hayfield, there shouldn’t be opportunity (tags) to shoot some because someone on the other side of the county sees fewer or no deer? "

So what kind of restrictive hunting is in the immediate area?

  There is a hunting spot couple miles down the road from where I hunt, that is about 200 acres of prime habitat.  It has about 9 nine hunters during firearm season.  Three of the property owners have a no shooting does or small bucks rule. One property owner during both bow and gun season may shoot one or two does and only bigger bucks. Any given time approaching dusk you could easily see 60 to 80 deer in the fields.  

Several miles  away and around, you could sit for days without seeing any deer. 

Do you think the DNR can control that?

If deer have a safe environment, that is where they will congregate. 

Pretty decent discussion and viewpoints presented on this thread for quite some time. Respectful too! Then Littleluck and cm show up and belittle viewpoints that run contrary to their own. As Ted Nugent is fond of saying, "where have we seen this before?"