WILLMAR - The biggest question heading into any deer season is always, 'Is there going to be a lot of deer out there?'
The answer takes many forms, from the 'Not all the corn is out yet, so it might be tough,' to 'The rut seems to have started earlier this year and the chance of success is great.'
Most of the time, it falls into this category: 'There seems to be enough deer out there, so it could be pretty good.'
That's about where the prospects sit for 2006. Not the greatest expectations, but also not a drought year for hunters.
"The bow hunters seem to be seeing a reasonable amount of deer. I've seen some tracks here and there," said Leroy Dahlke at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife office in Willmar. "Some bucks are starting to get into the rut all ready. The deer are moving a lot right now with corn coming out."
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Dahlke touched on three of the main components to a better-than-average deer firearms season. Bow hunters are seeing deer, bucks are getting into the rut and the deer are moving.
When bow hunters report seeing good numbers, it obviously means deer are moving around and being spotted. It coincides with his third point that the deer are moving because the corn is coming out. Wet summers and early falls prohibit farmers from getting out to the fields for harvest. The tall corn gives deer protection from hunters and there's no reason for them to leave shelter and food. When the harvest starts before deer season begins, it's a good bet the deer have moved from the fields to the timber.
The second point is self-explanatory. If the rut starts late, the males won't be taking as many chances to attract females, which leave all the humans in their deer stands without much opportunity.
"I think we're going have a fairly average season in terms of harvest," Dahlke said. "The numbers are good, but not exceptional."
Zone changes
As proposed in the spring, the DNR changed a couple of zones in the area to better reflect the deer population.
What used to be Zone 417, which was Kandiyohi and southern Stearns counties, has been reorganized. Along with Zone 418, which was most of Meeker County, the two zones merged and split along Highway 55 that runs through Belgrade and Paynesville. The area below it remains in the Region 4, where the herd is small and therefore each zone is in a lottery system. The area above moves to Region 2, where deer numbers are larger and most of the hunting zones allow for managed or intensive harvest permits.
"We did it mainly because they wanted to harvest more deer in the northern part of the area and we were hammering the deer too hard in the south," Dahlke said. "Every time we had over-the-counter permits, we would have another 800-1,000 deer harvested, which was tough on the herd. There's still higher pressure than there used to be."
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Zone 417 includes all of Kandiyohi and most of Meeker counties north of Highway 12, plus smaller portions of Stearns and Pope counties. The new Zone 218 encompasses all of Stearns County between Highway 55 and Interstate 94, plus east-central Pope County.
Zone 417 had 1,100 lottery permits available, the largest number in any lottery zone in the state, for each of the two seasons: Nov. 4-5 and Nov. 11-14.
The season for Zone 218 runs from Nov. 4-12 and licenses can be purchased at any licensed dealer for a two-deer limit tag.
Look out for red tags
Hunters in the Willmar-Svea-Blomkest area are asked to keep their eyes open for any deer with a red ear tag this season. The deer escaped from a deer farm near Svea approximately a month ago, according to Dahlke. Any hunter coming in contact or harvesting a deer with a red tag should notify the Willmar DNR Wildlife office, or contact the local DNR Conservation Officer.
Dahlke said eight deer escaped, and one has all ready been shot by a bow hunter. There are three does and four bucks left.
Because of Chronic Wasting Disease, Dahlke said the escaped deer need to be tested after they are caught. He said samples have been taken from the rest of the captive herd and the results were negative.
