In most permit areas where harvest is strictly regulated, it's more of a reflection that deer numbers in the area are at or near goals established by the DNR and its citizen deer advisory group. Those areas where intensive harvest is still in place are because the population is still higher than the goals established by this group, and the area wildlife manager in conjunction with Cornicelli are trying to encourage hunters to take more deer.

Uniform commonality areas surrounding urban cores tend to be a good choice for archers looking to take multiple deer. The exurban region surrounding the Twin Cities is a great example, but it also holds true around Duluth, Brainerd, Rochester, Mankato, Alexandria and several other regional hubs.

Archers should cruise the real estate listings and locate the hottest areas for new housing and properties with large lots. These areas are great for archery hunting because deer are still adjusting to urbanization. Find an open piece of property with plenty of cover and you'll have a good place to scout and work to gain permission.

Joel Anderson is area wildlife manager for the area around Nicollet in south-central Minnesota. His area is predominantly agricultural, although there are some wooded areas around the Minnesota River and near farms.

"Bowhunters down here generally go to wooded areas, and so that means any wildlife management area with woods will see hunters as will the river valleys. Blue Earth County is a popular place for archers," he said. Farther north in central Minnesota around Aitkin is the area managed by Dave Dickey, a DNR area wildlife manager. He said it's hard to determine if there are more archers in his area today than in the past, but he's certain that the success ratio for hunters has increased.

There is a nice mixture of public and private land in the area with large blocks of each located throughout the area. Dickey said he thinks hunters would have a tough time getting on to private land because much of it seems to be locked up by friends and relatives of the landowner.

Normally, having big blocks of contiguous habitat is a good thing, but because there are large blocks of both public and private, some problems are being examined.

"We do have some concern that it's possible in some situations where we are overhunting on public land and not taking enough on private land," Dickey said.

This issue is undergoing research and should any decisions or adjustments have to be made, Dickey will make those for next season. It's a situation going on in numerous areas around the state where the same dynamic occurs. Because bowhunters are such a small proportion of the overall deer harvest, they are usually not part of the equation, but in areas where there are no firearms seasons, as is the case near many larger cities and towns, bowhunters can play a major role.

MORE NUMBERS
Check the numbers for how many deer per square mile were harvested by archers and they are very low. In nearly every permit area in the state, the harvest is less than one deer per square mile.

By far, the highest number of archers may be found in old permit area No. 182 that includes the region around Duluth. That coincides with an earlier statement that bowhunters tend be successful in urban centers where deer populations are high but the deer are protected by ordinances forbidding the discharge of firearms.