BWA Newsletter - Spring 2007

During the passing years, BWA has grown and matured from a humble beginning. BWA members have expanded in number and experience resulting from many long hours of discussion about these key issues. BWA has conducted several surveys and spent hundreds of hours visiting with deer hunters and landowners from southeast Minnesota (zone 3). BWA has always considered the deer hunting season structure to be one of the key components to use in reaching our goals. Over the years, many different season scenarios have been discussed and analyzed to consider how well they would help BWA reach their desired objectives.

This winter the BWA directors decided to spend some serious time and put together a formal “deer season proposal” that would help achieve the long-sought goals of BWA members. The BWA directors invited all past board directors to participate in this serious and complicated undertaking. Once getting started on the project with specific ground rules, it was surprising to many involved how similar most of the suggestions were, and how quickly the group came to an agreement on the specific details of the proposal.

Following are the guidelines considered during season proposals:

Zone 3 Season Change Proposal

Youth Hunt:

• Zone-wide youth hunt (12-16) antlerless hunt
• Third weekend in October (four-day MEA weekend)
• Include seniors & handicapped

Benefits:

Archery Season:

First Shotgun Season:

• Current regulations have season opening on the Saturday closest to the 6th of November.
• New proposed season will open one week later than it typically has in the past.
• Five-day season
• Either-sex license

Benefits:

Second Shotgun Season:

• New proposed 3B season will remain the same date as in the past, except 3A is a week closer to 3B season.
• Nine-day season
• Either-sex license

Benefits:

Muzzleloader:

All-Season Tag:

• Hunter can choose either of shotgun seasons
• Any all-season tag used in zone 3 is zone 3 inclusive

Cross Tagging:

• No cross tagging for bucks
• Promotes better herd management (doe harvest)
• Encourages better herd harvest ratio
• Promotes better buck age structure

2007 Minnesota Deer & Turkey Expo

The second annual Minnesota Deer & Turkey Expo was again held in Owatonna at the Steele County fairgrounds March 9th, 10th and 11th of 2007. Once again the Four Seasons Centre was just a bustle of people checking out the many booths and seminars available. As before, BWA worked as a team with Glenn Helgeland and his business Target Communications to host this annual event.

The seminars and great speakers this year included Gary Clancy, Gordon Whittington and others. Their talks will long be remembered, as these gentlemen are highly respected throughout the country.

The BWA booth was really impressive at a whopping fifty feet long. It was represented by BWA board members and full of deer mounts and information, as well as a fine piece of art from Michael Sieve and the story behind it. The booth workers were constantly answering questions and signing up new members.

One fine attraction, as always, is the deer contest where individuals bring in their mounted heads for official scoring and then these are displayed for the public to view. After the show, an awards banquet was held where trophies were handed out in different categories.

BWA has already reserved its same spot for 2008. The date of the expo next year will be March 7th thru the 9th. Target Communications and BWA are already starting to plan for the best one yet.

Speaker Gary Clancy and BWA director Allen Iverson

BWA president Gary Bartsch
	BWA directors Allen Iverson and Colin Williams

A message from BWA's president...

Eighty degrees, high water, mud—lots of mud—looks like winter has passed us by for another year. We are entering what I think is the best part of our year. We have spring, summer, and fall to look forward to. Turkey season is just around the corner. Hopefully, everyone who forgot to apply in December (like I did) ended up with leftover licenses. If you were skunked turkey hunting last year, it’s probably because you didn’t have enough equipment. You still have time to get some new can’t miss calls or some kind of newfangled turkey decoy that big toms can’t resist. Remember, lots of gadgets are the key to successful turkey hunting.

It’s been a busy winter at BWA with the venison donation bill hitting the House and Senate committees, the MOHA banquet, Granger banquet, Owatonna Deer and Turkey Expo, and working on the St. Charles banquet. Some of the newer guys have really stepped up and have done a super job.

When we talk about the end of winter, we have to talk about the beginning of a totally awesome hunting season! No tags to buy, no opening day, no daily limit, and no possession limit; it doesn’t get any better than this. This has to be shed hunting! Since the last of the snow melted, the shed hunters were out in force and have been well rewarded. It’s great to see the enthusiasm and excitement on the faces of some of the more successful hunters.

I had a delightful conversation with a young lad the other day as he was telling me about his brother finding (running and yelling “it’s mine”) a big left-side, four-point. While his brother stood admiring the left antler, he apparently forgot that most whitetails have two antlers. Not to be outdone, the brother that ended up in 2nd place in the race to the left side shed casually took two steps and reached down for the 85” right side with a 13” G-2. Another shed set brought in scored in the 180s without a spread! How about 10 ˝” and 11 ˝” brow tines. WOW! What awesome sheds! Congratulations to the lucky hunters!

Shed hunting with your friends and family can be a very rewarding experience; however, remember to respect the landowners. Always ask permission before entering private land and leave your vehicle near the road as the fields are very soft this time of the year. Do not make ruts!

When we talk to deer hunters at our banquets and expos, more and more hunters are trying to do their part in helping to manage the deer herd. The concept of taking some does and passing on small bucks is catching on. Another strategy that is starting to change relates to the traditional deer drive. Some hunters want a more challenging one-on-one hunt, usually from a tree stand. There are many benefits from this kind of hunting, as more undisturbed deer are seen, other forest critters can be observed, and the deer are not chased off to other property. End result—more bucks survive the hunting season, more sheds to find, more and bigger bucks next fall.

Remember the St. Charles Banquet April 27 at the Moose Lodge. Collin Johnson and his crew are doing a good job, and we’re looking for a sellout! If you need tickets, call Collin at 507-932-5076 or myself at 507-259-7697. Also, send us your photos, especially of the kids, as they are the future of BWA and hunting in general. Thank you.

—Gary Bartsch, president

Shed hunting successes

Tristan Quinn

Board member profile

Dan Bosshart
Stewartville, MN
Wife: Tammy
Children: Madison and Brooke
Occupation: City of Rochester, Park and Recreation Department, Forestry Division

I started deer hunting as a teenager, and after bagging my first deer, I was hooked. As the seasons come and go, I seem to be spending more and more time each year in the woods. Now the seasons are winter, spring, summer, and deer season.

I am also a huge Vikings fan, and a good football game will occasionally make me late for my deer stand on a Sunday afternoon.

Both my daughters received B-B guns for Christmas a few years ago, and I am looking forward to Brooke's first turkey hunt. I am hoping she enjoys the time in the woods as much as I do.

I also make an annual trip to the Rainy River in March or April chasing walleyes and a fall trip to Leech Lake looking for muskies.

I have been a member of BWA for a number of years and was recently elected to the Board of Directors. I got involved in BWA because I think Minnesota can do better. The deer herd continues to grow, so changes are definitely needed.

Member profile

Lance Bartsch
Age: 23
Wife: Josie
Children: Brianna
Occupation: Construction worker

I grew up on a farm near Houston and started duck hunting with my dad when I was four. I learned to sit still and be quiet at an early age as my dad’s motto was “I don’t want you seen or heard.”

At age 12, I was ready to go deer hunting but had one small problem. No shotgun! However, with a little begging, I persuaded my dad into letting me use his Remington 870 (commonly referred to as the “meat pipe”).

Dad showed me which tree to stand behind, and after a couple of hours and a short nap, I was lucky enough to bag a nice nine-pointer. My dad was so proud of my first buck he had it mounted for me. That first buck got me hooked on hunting, especially whitetails.

I started shooting a bow when I was 13 and soon after started going to local 3D shoots with my dad and brother, Scott. We continued getting better and better equipment, and our scores climbed accordingly. The next step was going to the Cabela’s National tournaments and also the International Bowhunter World Championships at Clymer, NY. We had a lot of fun, met some cool kids, and mingled with the pro shooters.

I’ve hunted whitetails every year and started shed hunting and chasing coyotes a couple of years ago. My 22-250 was a little tough on coyotes this winter. I have hunted mule deer in Colorado and black bear in Ontario and Montana. I guess I’ve been pretty lucky as I’ve taken some nice trophies.

I’ll never forget the excitement of taking my first buck or the look on my dad’s face when he first saw it. He was worried when he only heard one shot.

I’ve taken several nice bucks since and have had a lot of good times hunting with bow and gun. I take some does to help balance the deer herd and let the little bucks walk. I appreciate the efforts by BWA to educate deer hunters about herd management and also the effort to try and work with the DNR to try to improve the quality of the deer herd.

Tree planting

Jim Edgar
DNR Division of Forestry, Preston, MN

Spring is one of my four favorite seasons of the year. No matter how much I enjoy winter, I am always eager to see spring come. I enjoy tree planting season as much as I do fishing or turkey hunting. That may be odd (I am), but I really do enjoy spending outdoor hours in the spring seeing little trees go into the ground.

For those of you who have trees to plant this spring, I will share a few things that I have learned over the years about tree planting. Let’s focus on tree planting for reforestation, wildlife cover plantings and other plantings that put large numbers of small seedlings and transplants into the ground in places like fields, pastures and woodlands. Different techniques and types of plants may be needed when you plant trees in a yard, a city landscape or a windbreak next to the house.

• Keep the roots from drying out—dry roots mean dead seedlings. Inspect the seedlings when you get them. Usually the roots will be moist, not saturated. If you don’t get them planted right away, check every day or so and sprinkle them with water to keep moist. Don’t store the trees immersed in water; just keep them moist.

• Plant trees as soon as possible. Keep them cool until planted, storing them in refrigeration (not frozen), a basement or a shed. Plant seedlings within one week of receiving the trees. Protect them from drying wind and warm sunshine during storage. If you can’t plant them soon, they can be “heeled in.” This is digging a trench, placing the roots in the trench and filling soil back over the roots. This allows seedlings to begin to come out of dormancy. Make sure the roots stay moist when heeled in and plant as soon as possible so the roots don’t grow into a tangle.

• Plant seedlings at the correct depth. The root collar should be at ground level when planted. The root collar is the place where the soil surface was when the tree was growing in the nursery. The root collar is identified by the presence of a slight swelling, and usually there is a color difference in the stem above and below the collar.

• Select the proper species of tree for the site that you are planting. Oak, cherry, black walnut and red pine all need full sunlight. White pine and ash will tolerate some shade. Sugar maple and basswood will do well in shade. Red pine and black walnut don’t grow well in soil that is poorly drained. White pine will usually grow in areas with poor drainage if there isn’t standing water all the time.

• Make sure the soil is firmly packed around the roots of a seedling. An air space next to the roots will cause the roots to dry out, killing the tree.

• Make sure the roots aren’t packed into the ground in a wad or poked into the ground into a “J” shape. Roots planted in this configuration will not grow properly and will likely not survive many years.

• If you use a tree planting machine pulled by a tractor, have someone follow behind and make sure each seedling is properly packed, at the correct depth and spaced according to the plan. Even a good machine will not properly pack five percent or more of the seedlings because of sod, roots, rocks or other reasons. You can increase the survival by that five percent by checking those planted trees.

• If there are gophers in the area that is being planted, kill them. They really like to eat trees, and unlike deer, gophers eat the roots. A hardwood seedling can re-sprout if the top is eaten by a deer, but it doesn’t have a chance if a gopher eats the roots.

• Keep those seedlings covered and moist when being planted. Don’t take 10 trees out of the box or bag and walk along planting them. By the time the last one is planted, its roots may be dry, and dry roots mean a dead tree. Keep them in a bag or pail with damp moss, wet leaves, moist sawdust or something to keep the roots moist. On a warm, windy spring day you really have to work to keep those roots moist.

• Plant trees with little (and big) kids. Take pictures, have good snacks and make sure grandma and grandpa are there, too. It is extra effort but is worth it in the long run. The more people you have helping, the faster it goes, the more fun it is and the more family will care about those trees in the future.

• And remember—dry roots mean dead trees.

Age structure

by Colin Williams

I just recently re-read a book written by Dr. Grant Woods, titled, “Deer Management 101." Dr. Woods is not only an avid deer hunter but is one of our country’s top authorities on whitetail biology and management. If your interests in deer go beyond time in a tree stand, this book is a great read. I have had the pleasure to meet Dr. Woods personally and have used his expertise in a good number of articles I’ve written over the past few years. While “Deer Management 101” contains chapters in varying methods of deer management and a descriptive look at herd density and habitat quality, the chapter I found most interesting dealt with age structure.

There are a few out there that may argue managing deer with an emphasis on the age structure of bucks is merely a pursuit in big antlers. This is simply not the case. According to Dr. Woods, older bucks are essential to the normal behavior of a deer herd. “Fully mature bucks play a much greater role in herd performance than most hunters and managers realize,” he wrote, “and an appropriate age structure is crucial if a deer herd is to reach its potential.”

A major contributing factor mature bucks contribute to the overall health of the herd, which can dictate the timing and length of the rut as well as a process known as subordination, are pheromones. These chemical secretions, once tasted, smelled or detected by other animals in the herd, can cause various changes in the receiving animals’ physiology and behavior. The timing of the rut is one effect these pheromones can produce. The presence of mature bucks can do much to keep breeding seasons tightly timed. The significance of this is two-fold. First of all, the timing of the rut is significant to when fawning occurs in the spring. Mother Nature has created the foundation for fawns to be born during prime food availabilities in order to ensure fawns are both strong and healthy enough to endure the winter season. If the rut goes too long, the 200-day gestation period can create a situation where fawns can be born late. While food isn’t in short supply when they are born, they may not have developed enough to endure a hard winter. Seeing those fawns still sporting their spots during the September bowhunt is a good indication of fawns born too late and suggests herd imbalance.

The second reason mature bucks are important to keep the rut timed adequately has much to do with the bucks themselves. If the buck-to-doe ratio is skewed toward way more does than bucks, the rut can drag on. This can mean a very difficult winter for those bucks more interested in breeding than building up their fat reserves for winter; many die because of it.

Another factor these pheromones help create is the process of subordination. Deer, like most ruminants, have social structures. Ever see a doe get up on her hind legs and swing away at another doe, or bucks sparring with each other early in the fall? My guess would be you have. These are just two examples of social structure and dominance at work. According to Dr. Woods, within the whitetail’s social structure, body size (not antler size) and aggressiveness usually drive the social status of bucks. With that said then, only the healthiest, largest-bodied most aggressive bucks climb to the top and are the dominant animals in any given area. Typically, the older bucks, due primarily to their size, are dominant. When a herd has a balanced age structure, the younger bucks play a subordinate role, or they simply get their butts kicked.

This isn’t all bad for the young guys. Research has shown, through the presence and dominance of older animals, these younger bucks experience a sudden decline in production of testosterone. Simply put, during the early pre-rut stages, most bucks feel the urge to breed. That year-and-a-half-old, fork-horn knows what his role is in the world already and is encouraged to do his part. As he continually gets corrected for his actions by older, more mature bucks, he realizes his efforts are futile and his drive to breed diminishes. This subordination role creates the opportunity for those younger deer to go into the winter season healthier, therefore creating the opportunity the following year for him to be larger and stronger and putting him in a better position to fight for dominance as he grows. This also provides the time needed for that young buck to go through his younger years of life stronger and healthier, therefore allowing him to reach his maximum genetic potential.

When you put it all together, dominance and balance in a herd allows bucks to reach their maximum potential, of which, also contributes to a process of natural selection. Natural selection then dictates those scrawny, undersized, docile bucks are bred out of the herd. Sure these mature animals usually sport a larger rack; this is only part of how it’s designed to be. The strongest survive and breed to ensure the health, strength, and stability of the herd.

This age-structure piece of the management puzzle is, according to Dr. Woods, the easiest herd characteristic to manage; simple management through trigger finger control.

Managing our herd isn’t about big racks, it’s about harvesting does, finger trigger control on subordinate bucks and doing what’s best for our deer herd. These aren’t actions on opinions or hearsay; these are actions based on solid research and science.

The only variable in deer management not controlled or provided direction by science and research is people. Yet we are, by far, the largest piece of this management puzzle. Will there ever be a time when we don’t tell ourselves, “If I don’t shoot that buck, he’s just going to cross the fence and get shot anyway?” . . . I hope so.

Youth hunting in Minnesota—what are we teaching our kids?

Marrett Grund, Ph.D.
Farmland Wildlife Populations and Research Group
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

At a national level, hunter numbers are declining at relatively fast rates. Due to these losses, some Wildlife Agencies like Minnesota have developed Hunter Recruitment & Retention Programs to address the issue and preserve our hunting heritage. Previous studies conducted in various regions of the country have concluded that there is a relationship between hunting success (in terms of harvesting a deer) and retention rates among young hunters. Essentially, the probability of a young hunter to hunt deer during their late teens is higher if the individual harvested a deer during their first few years of hunting. Accordingly, Minnesota allows youth hunters to harvest an antlered or antlerless deer with a youth hunting license so that the juvenile has better chances to harvest a deer. This regulation made a lot of sense during the mid-1990s when the regulation was established. At that time, all permit areas throughout the state used lottery management strategies where a hunter could only harvest an antlerless deer if they were successful at drawing an antlerless permit. Today, this regulation only benefits a young hunter who intends to hunt deer in lottery permit areas because all hunters, including adults, have the opportunity to harvest an antlerless or antlered deer in managed and intensively-managed permit areas.

The intent of this regulation is to maximize hunter success rates for juveniles; it is not designed to maximize hunter success rates for other hunters hunting in the party with a young hunter. However, there are harvest data that suggest that some hunters are abusing this regulation. As a general rule, hunters will have higher success rates in areas that have more deer. As deer become scarce, it is more difficult to harvest a deer, and as a result, success rates will drop. Knowing this principle, I have a very difficult time trying to make sense of some of the harvest data throughout the state.

Permit areas in southwestern and south-central Minnesota are primarily managed using a lottery system where a certain number of antlerless permits are allocated based on the harvestable surplus within the deer population. In some Permit Areas, wildlife managers are attempting to increase deer numbers so antlerless allocations are quite small. For example, in the Lac Qui Parle area of Minnesota (Permit Areas 431 and 427), very few antlerless permits are issued so that more antlerless deer survive and reproduce which thereby allows deer densities to increase during future years. A high percentage of adult hunters will not get an antlerless permit in the Lac Qui Parle area due to the small allocation of antlerless permits. Similarly, the DNR still uses a lottery system in the Pipestone-Worthington area of Minnesota (Permit Areas 451, 453, and 458). However, deer densities are managed using a managed strategy in Permit Areas 452 and 456 (which is adjacent to 451, 453, and 458), whereby all hunters automatically can harvest an antlerless deer without applying for an antlerless permit through a lottery. So, in 452 and 456, an adult hunting license has no advantage over a youth hunting license. I would expect that hunter success rates would be higher in the managed permit areas because deer densities are higher in those Permit Areas and hunting regulations are more liberal (hunters can harvest two deer instead of one deer).

However, examination of Table 1 suggests that youth hunters in lottery areas are much more successful than youth hunters in managed permit areas. In the Lac Qui Parle area, approximately one out of four (25 percent) youth hunters register a deer. In Permit Areas 451, 453, and 458, youth hunters hunting under the lottery system actually were more successful (28 percent) than in Lac Qui Parle area. However, right next door to Permit Areas 451, 453, and 458, youth hunting success rates dropped to about 17 percent (about one out of every six youth hunters were successful) in Permit Areas 452 and 456. To really make the point, some of the highest deer densities in Minnesota are located in the Park Rapids area and the Winona area where the permit areas are managed under an intensive-management strategy. However, in both those areas, youth hunting success rates were about 13 percent (about one out of eight) in 2006.

These data suggest that youth hunters hunting in the lottery permit areas are either twice as effective at harvesting antlerless deer as youth hunters hunting in the managed or intensively-managed areas; or adult hunters are harvesting antlerless deer and tagging the deer with a hunting license from a youth hunter in their party. I have no reason to believe that youth hunters hunting in lottery areas are twice as effective at killing antlerless deer as the youth hunters hunting in managed or intensively-managed areas. My best guess is that adults are harvesting antlerless deer and tagging the deer with a hunting license from a juvenile within their party. As hunters, we need to teach youth hunters about good hunting ethics and shooting a deer, and having the juvenile illegally tag the deer for an adult is not promoting good ethics, at least by my standards. I hope other hunters will join my efforts to educate the adults about what good hunting ethics are and pass those ethics on to our youth and put an end to the abuse of this youth hunting privilege.

Table 1. Hunter success rates of youth hunters hunting under lottery permit areas, managed permit areas, and intensive permit areas in Minnesota during 2006.

Are you obsessed?

by Jeff Heil, Sr.

Envision this, it’s the middle of the night; you are suddenly awakened by this… by this feeling, this fear, this mysterious pain, OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING? You have beads of sweat developing on your forehead; your mind is spinning wildly with massive amounts of thoughts and fears that you cannot shake. Finally you get out of bed, head for the bathroom, turn on the lights and look in the mirror—you look bad!

You just remember that you must get up in a couple of hours because you have a job. How can anyone go to work or even eat or go on with life with all this happening in your life right now? Did your spouse or best friend run out on you? NO. Did you just find out you or someone near to you has terminal cancer? NO. Is the new highway going to go through your living room? NO. Well then, what is the problem anyway? Oh yeah, you just remembered. You’re obsessed and you cannot control it.

This obsession is over a whitetail buck you saw earlier this year, or maybe two or even three years ago. This magnificent animal that “you got lucky” to see anyway, has embedded himself in your brain. You think he is yours and no one else’s. You think you have first rights to him—not so. He is as free as he can be and wants to keep it that way. He is not restricted by borders or fences, and your greatest fear is that someone else may get the tag rights before you. You also fear that he may get hit by a car or move out of your hunting area or even die of some unforeseen circumstance.

By now you have decided to hunt every season available. You have spent, or will spend, a ton of money on all the latest equipment, clothing, scents, calls and whatever else catches your eye to aid in the harvest of this animal. You are so determined, you will not stop until you have succeeded in the ultimate goal. I hope it happens for you, but in most cases, it doesn’t. In fact, you will not even take an antlerless deer because he may be following her; so unless a doe meanders by on the last hour of the last day of the last available season, you are going to eat tag stew again.

I am not a professional writer or a doctor in psychology, but I can write about experience, and I have been there and also seen many other stable human beings go through this too. It does not do anyone any good to dwell on one deer, or whatever the case may be, for too long. There are many issues that can arise from an obsession. It can affect a family, a job, or even interfere with something as simple as driving a car. On the other hand, you are not helping promote quality deer management which is so important these days. You could have taken an antlerless deer on many occasions but you didn’t.

There isn’t an easy solution or an answer to this dilemma. It has to be the individual’s own self-control and discipline to determine what will be on the grill or on the wall. It is a great thing to have a goal or a dream, especially when the dream includes that once-in-a-lifetime booner. I will continue to pursue my dream buck, but I must also keep a reality check on the whole picture, and I hope that you do, too.

Just a few things to remember for your next season:

From the treetops

by Jeff Heil, Sr.

I will be giving several safety tips about treestand hunting in every BWA newsletter. These tips will aid in a safe and healthy hunt. After a serious treestand fall in 2002, I have dedicated time to educate the public whenever possible and also donate time to Firearm Safety classes whenever I can.

• Always wear a harness approved by TMA (Treestand Manufacturers Association). Make sure your harness is equipped with the D-rings and a climbing strap to aid in your climb up and down. This is also a very important asset for hanging your stand.
• Always make sure that your treestands and related gear such as climbing sticks, ladders or steps, are checked frequently for wear or worn parts.
• Never use a dead or dying tree because there are not any branches that can be trusted at any time.

Preliminary results on antler point restriction in Missouri (2003-2006)

A rule requiring antlered deer to have a minimum of 4 points on at least one side was implemented in 29 counties for the 2004 deer seasons. The rule applied to the archery season and all but the youth portion of the firearms season. Objectives of the restriction included the following:

Biological objectives

Social objectives

Biological results

Because deer densities and harvest regulations differ in northern and central Missouri, a different biological and social response to the antler point restriction could occur. Therefore, we analyzed data from the north (north pilot) and central (central pilot) counties with the antler point restriction separately (Figure 1). For comparison, we also designated counties adjacent to the pilot counties as north control and central control (Figure 1). To evaluate the impact of the antler restriction, we compared harvest changes in the control and pilot counties from 2003 (prior to the regulation change) to each of the years 2004-2006.

Data collected for analysis included checked deer (classified as button buck, doe, antlered buck) and deer sampled at biological data collection sites (check stations in 2003, meat processors in 2004-2006). At the biological data collection sites (20 in 2003; 24 in 2004, 32 in 2005, 29 in 2006), all deer were aged as ˝, 1 ˝ and 2 ˝ + years old using the tooth replacement and wear technique. For deer at least 2 ˝ years of age, two incisors were collected for cementum annuli aging to obtain extended ages. For antlered deer the number of points (at least 1 inch) on each beam, length of the right beam, and circumference of the right beam one inch above the base were recorded.

Harvest – Annual Comparisons 2003-2006

Total harvest in 2003 compared to 2004 decreased in the north pilot (-6%) but increased in the central pilot (+7%). Total harvest in both north and central controls increased (+8% and +12%, respectively) (Table 1). Total harvest increased in the north pilot and control counties in 2005 but decreased in the central pilot and control, a likely response to abundant acorns which affect more heavily forested areas typical of the central counties than the more agricultural northern counties. Total harvest increased in all counties in 2006 but more so in the pilot counties than in the controls (Table 1).

Antlered harvest decreased between 2003 and 2004 in both the north and central pilots (-29% and -31%, respectively) and increased in north and central controls (+7% and +11%, respectively). In 2005 antlered harvest increased in both the north and central pilots but decreased in the controls, while in 2006 antlered harvest increased in all counties but more so in the pilot counties (Table 1).

Although doe harvest increased in the north pilot (+8%) in 2004, the increase was similar to that in the north control (+9%) (Table 1). Doe harvest in the central pilot increased (31%), considerably more than in the central control (11%) (Table 1). There did not appear to be much effect of the antler regulation on doe harvest in 2005 or 2006 with doe harvest decreasing in both pilots and controls in 2005 and increasing in 2006 (Table 1). The abundance of acorns in 2005 may have had more effect on doe harvest than the antler restriction, especially in the central pilot and central control (Table 1).

Age distribution in harvest estimated from biological collection sites

The harvest of 1 ˝ and 2 ˝+ year old bucks was estimated by multiplying the proportion of each as determined from deer brought to biological data collection sites by the total antlered bucks reported at in-person check stations (2003 and 2004) or through telecheck (2004-2006). The estimated harvest of 1 ˝ year old bucks decreased by 65-70% in both the north and central pilots in 2004 and remained low in 2005 and 2006. This decrease did not occur in either control groups (Table 2). The estimated harvest of 2˝+ males did not differ between pilot and control groups in 2004 but increased in both the north and central pilots and decreased in the north and central controls in 2005, and increased in all counties in 2006 but proportionally more in the pilot counties (Table 3).

To determine the impacts of the antler restriction on harvest we have to take into account the changes that would have occurred in the pilot counties if we had not implemented an antler restriction. We used harvest data from the control counties to determine this. We assumed the harvest changes observed in the north and central control counties would have also occurred in the pilot counties. We multiplied the proportion change observed in the north and central control counties between 2003 and 2006 by the 2003 harvest in the north and central pilot counties, respectively, to produce expected harvests for 2006.

For example, to determine the number of antlered bucks we would expect to have been taken in the north pilot in 2006, we used the change in the number of antlered bucks that was taken in the north control to calculate an expected harvest in the north pilot.

Observed change in antlered buck harvest between 2003 and 2004 in north control:

Assuming that the same increase would have occurred in the north pilot if antler point restrictions had not been implemented

Thus we took 9,313 fewer antlered bucks in 2004 in the north pilot counties because of the antler restriction.

The effects of the antler restriction on harvest of deer in the north and central pilots are shown in Tables 4 and 5. Following is a summary of results thus far:

North pilot counties

• Overall harvest was reduced by 9%
• There was no effect on doe harvest
• Bucks in older age classes increased
• Because doe harvest was not affected, there were minimal effects on population size; slightly higher numbers because of increased adult bucks but no tendency for the population to increase or decline because of the antler restriction

Central pilot counties

• Overall harvest did not change
• Harvest shifted from bucks to does; doe harvest increased, buck harvest decreased
• Bucks in older age classes increased
• Because doe harvest increased there was a potential population reduction effect

Several observations from these data are relevant to our overall objectives.

Meeting objectives - projections based on 2004 harvest data

Based on the results of the first three years of the antler restriction, we can simulate population impacts and project future sex/age structures to help predict if objectives will be met. The model is an accounting based model that uses reproductive and survival rates collected in Missouri and observed harvests in the pilot and control counties. The following projections are based on the 2004 harvest.

Questions remaining to be answered:

• Will buck and doe harvest trends continue?
• Will bucks increase in 3.5 and 4.5 year old age classes
• Will landowner and hunter satisfaction improve

We recommend that the antler restriction evaluation continue through 2007. We will then assess results to determine if we achieved our biological and social objectives, present results to the public (public meetings, publications) along with other possible options for management change and then based on biological and social results, expand or abandon the antler restrictions and possibly implement additional regulation changes intended to help meet management objectives.

BWA Granger banquet held

The second annual Granger Winter Get-Together was held on February 3rd at Jo’s Long Branch. It was a balmy twenty below zero, in the sun, and still 75 dedicated BWA members attended.

This group of folks from the Granger area is a fun bunch to get together. All enjoy deer hunting, and like on the TV show Cheers, everybody knows your name.

The dinner was provided by a joint effort from the Fillmore County Pork Producers and Jo’s Long Branch. The organization of the wait staff had everyone served and full in a short manner.

Raffles for guns, bow, and cam trackers were held. Door prizes were also given away thanks to generous donations from local sponsors.

Thanks to everyone who gave their time and effort to sell tickets and those who helped the night of the event. A special thank you to Jim Vagts, who has arranged these events in the Granger area since the beginning, for his help in making this a successful event. We are looking forward to doing this event again in 2008.

Sponsors for the 2007 BWA Winter Get-Together

Alliance Land Company
Burke Real Estate, Cresco
Chain Drive, Rochester
Cresco Union Savings Bank, Cresco
Fortress Bank, Cresco
Hanson Tire, Preston
Harmony Vet Clinic, Harmony
Kingsley Mercantile, Harmony
Magnum Sports, Chatfield
Peterson’s Sports Shop, Harmony
Ozzie’s Outdoors, Decorah
V&V Insurance
Winneshiek Co-op, Granger

Individual donations were received from:

Jeff Soma, Andy Overby, Jim Vagts, Joe Hammell, Mike Staggemeyer and Gary Bartsch.