We drove home well after sunset from a Christmas dinner that was 50 miles away yesterday. There was some light snow falling with a moderate wind, and about a 4-degree temperature. We could see into the fields fairly well and spot deer out and about. I think Minnesota's over-all harvest numbers are down this year and the number of deer we saw last night would be a reflection of that. Just amazing in some places to see maybe fifty deer at a time.
Our archery season is all that remains of the regular seasons but I think there's another CWD hunt yet in January. It seems the harder the state tries to get rid of deer, the more the deer prevail. I think new-hunter recruitment is suffering while at the same time older hunters are leaving the woods. Personally, I feel that all of the CWD toxin that the state spews, more "newer" hunters are just leery of taking a deer and more of the seasoned hunters who rely on processors are put out by the restrictions and fears that have closed many of them down with regards to deer processing.
Deer licenses here are expensive at $35.00 for the primary tag [buck or doe, one buck limit] and $19.00 for management or intensive harvest tags [antlerless only]. Muzzleloader primary tags and antlerless are the same pricing as the regular season tags. Yet the state hands out the CWD tags [either sex] for about $2.00 or, in some instances, even free. I think if the state wants to see better hunter numbers, they should find some equilibrium between the regular license costs and those for CWD hunts so that tag pricing isn't keeping numbers down on the seasoned hunter end... just make the cost fairer for people. It just seems like Minnesota tries harder to chase good hunters away than to keep them.