By John Cross
Free Press Staff Writer
April 06, 2008 02:03 am
—
Remember when buying a deer license in Minnesota was a pretty simple affair?
Our choices were pretty much limited to an archery license, a firearms deer license, and in more recent years, a muzzleloader license.
Now fast forward to the fall of 2007.
Someone purchasing a deer hunting license could choose from the following: An archery deer license, a firearms deer license for a specific zone, an all-season deer license, a multi-zone bucks only deer license, or a muzzleloader deer license.
And within those categories, we had to make sense of such intricacies as management areas, lottery areas, and intensive harvest areas.
The upshot is that that funny little sheet of paper spit out by the Electronic Licensing System machine has grown longer and longer.
And while all of this has been intended to maximize hunting opportunities and at the same time manage Minnesota’s deer herd, the promulgation of the additional licenses and regulations also has become a source of confusion.
Chris How, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer based in Le Sueur County, says the confusion more than once has resulted in hunters inadvertently running afoul of regulations.
“Sometimes, it has been confusing to us, too,” said How. “But we have the luxury of calling our partners or clarifying regulations from other sources.”
He said that the average hunter probably gets his advice in the coffee shop or when they buy their license at an Electronic Licensing System site.
“And it’s probably not the best idea for a hunter to get legal advice from the same counter where you return something,” he said.
The growing confusion over deer hunting regulations prompted the DNR last fall to form a Deer Season Simplification Committee in an effort to once again simplify deer hunting regulations, said Ken Varland, the DNR’s regional wildlife manager based in New Ulm.
The committee comprised of 13 citizens with backgrounds and interest in deer hunting met several times in December 2007 and January 2008, to discuss ways of simplifying the myriad statutes and regulations that govern Minnesota’s 500,000 deer hunters.
Varland said the DSC committee discussed various aspects of the existing regulations and agreed on six major recommendations to simplify deer hunting seasons.
Topping the list are a consolidation in the number of deer licenses hunters can select from and consolidating the number of deer hunting zones.
Specifically, the committee recommended the elimination of the all-season and multi-zone buck licenses that have been a major source of confusion for hunters wondering where and what they can harvest.
Varland said that the move could save money for hunters since they would be able to buy a license for only the seasons they hunt instead of all three — archery, firearms and muzzleloader.
What’s more, even though the all-season license came with three tags, hunters still were limited to only one deer in two-thirds of the state anyway last year.
However, in the event the all-season license is eliminated, legislative action will be necessary to change a current statute making it illegal for a hunter to purchase both a firearms and muzzleloader deer license.
Following the committees recommendation for reducing the number of hunting zones, Zone 1 would become Zone 100 and continue with a 16-day season. The present Zone 3 season would become Zone 300 and retain a seven-day A season and nine-day B season.
The biggest change would be that Zones 2 and 4 would be consolidated into a Zone 200 with a nine-day season. A key component would be that the old 4A, two-day and 4B, four-day seasons would be eliminated and instead run a continuous nine days.
Since the anterless deer harvest is controlled by the number of permits available, the move isn’t expected to impact deer populations or hunter success dramatically. However, it could curtail the buck harvest slightly, according to Marrett Grund, the DNR farmland wildlife deer project leader.
“Historically, 70 percent of deer bagged are in the first two days of a season,” he said. “By eliminating one of the opening days, the buck harvest would be reduced by about 5 percent.”
The main concern some hunters have so far expressed over the change, was the possibility of crowding. However, with the bucks-only and all-season licenses, 80 percent of the hunters hunted during the A season and 70 percent hunted the B season. “Overall, there would only be an increase of about 20 percent by consolidating the two seasons,” he said.
The remaining four recommendations coming from the DSC include simplifying the way hunters are required to validate their tags before moving a deer from the kill site, enhancing and improving the regulation book, changing deer registration methods, and simplifying the confusing list of legal calibers hunters may use to hunt deer.
With the exception of the consolidation of hunting zones which can be achieved through rule changes, implementation of the other proposals must be done through legislative statute.
Grund said that the recommendations are not yet a done deal, adding that the DNR wants to gather as much public input as possible before implementing the changes or approaching the legislature with specific proposals.
Assuming the necessary rule changes are implemented and necessary legislation passed, Minnesota hunters can expect the new rules to be in effect for the 2008 deer hunting seasons.
Committee meetings scheduled this month for Worthington, Blue Earth
In order to gather as much public input as possible on such sweeping changes in deer hunting regulations recommended by the Deer Simplification Committee, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has held a series of meeting throughout the state beginning in early March.
Two meetings remain.
One has been scheduled in Worthington from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday at the Fine Arts Building, Minnesota West Community College, 1450 Collegeway.
A final input meeting will be held in Blue Earth from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday, April 15, at Hamilton Hall, 219 South Main St.
Interested individuals who cannot attend the meetings are encouraged to go to mndnr. gov/hunting/deer/simplify. The entire report can be viewed there as well as an online survey that viewers are urged to complete.
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