Another example of a well-run local archery hunt was one hosted by the city of Duluth last year in conjunction with the Arrowhead Bowhunters Alliance. A total of 561 deer were taken last year, of which 86 percent were antlerless. The whitetail herd in the city is still higher than officials would like, and a 2007 hunt was still being considered as this issue went to press. Go online to www.bowhuntersalliance.org or contact the city of Duluth for more information.

Hunts taking place around the Twin Cities metro area are often done in conjunction with the Metro Bowhunters Resource Base. Information on many of these Twin Cities metro hunts can be found online at www.strictlybowhunting.com/mbrb.

Contact city and county natural resources management officials as well to find out what hunts they are offering. Do not forget to ask about special requirements for hunting in each area, because some cities require a permit from the police department or sheriff.

It should be mentioned that while the intent of these hunts is to reduce the deer population -- and many require or encourage the killing of antlerless deer -- there is tremendous trophy-buck potential in these areas. While trophy bucks are tough to find anywhere in the state where firearms hunting is allowed, Pope and Young-class bucks are plentiful in these suburban and exurban areas. Any bowhunter who has had to endure one of these seasons for antlerless deer only or couldn’t shoot a buck until they had arrowed a doe will tell you that there are some real wallhanger racks out there.

TOP 10 PERMIT AREAS
It should come as no surprise that many of the top permit areas across Minnesota for bowhunters coincide with regions that offer special hunts. Last year, the permit area with the highest archery harvest was 228, which encompasses the area of the Twin Cities east of the Mississippi River. A total of 871 deer were arrowed, including 306 bucks, 384 does and 181 fawns.

Permit Area 337 covers most of the Twin Cities west of the Mississippi River, and it had the second-highest kill with 796 deer arrowed, including 250 bucks, 391 does and 155 fawns.

“Archers make up about 20 percent of the kill in the metro zones, while the statewide average is right around 9 percent,” Cornicelli said.

The Duluth area, which is Permit Area 182, had the third-largest harvest with 778 deer, including 158 bucks, 452 does and 168 fawns.

Coming in fourth was the expansive Permit Area 184, which includes the entire Bemidji area. A total of 774 deer were arrowed here, including 151 bucks, 446 does and 175 fawns.

There was a tie for fifth place between the northeastern metro’s Permit Area 236 and Permit Area 343 in the southeastern corner of the state. Besides being prime whitetail habitat, Permit Area 343 encompasses the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area, which is popular among hunters from the Twin Cities, Rochester and Winona. A total of 227 bucks, 406 does and 126 fawns were taken from this area, while Permit Area 236 saw a total kill of 233 bucks, 371 does and 155 fawns.