Photo by Billkenney.com

Hunters who took a few years off from hunting or recently moved back to Minnesota would not recognize our deer regulations or permit area map. Those hunters who liked the old system have had a tough time keeping up with all the changes, but these people are few in number, especially since the changes ushered in additional deer hunting opportunities.

Two years ago the old system of a statewide antlerless lottery was replaced with a permit area classification system. Now hunters in most permit areas don't even need to apply for a permit -- they just need to purchase an additional tag if they wish to kill more than one deer. The All-Season Deer License was introduced and opportunities expanded for hunters who partook in the bow, firearms and muzzleloader seasons.

More changes came this summer when the Department of Natural Resources announced a host of experimental regulations that expanded seasons and permit area reclassifications.

Once again, those hunters who preferred the old system have a reason to gripe, but there are a lot more hunters are excited with the direction the DNR is taking, and are looking forward to the opportunity to take more deer and have more opportunities for a trophy buck in some locations.

Lou Cornicelli is the big-game program coordinator for the Minnesota DNR and that makes him both the hero and goat when it comes to deer management in the state. Of all that he's done during his tenure at the DNR, Cornicelli is most proud of the expanded opportunities for hunters.

"We're expanding them again this year, and I think most hunters are going to be happy with the opportunities," Cornicelli said.

Matt Gindorff has a passion for deer hunting. He grew up chasing deer in central Minnesota like a lot of kids, and he's excited about the expanded opportunities and what it brings to the sport.

"I think it's awesome that Minnesota is stepping up to be a leader in different forms of management, and I hope that the vast majority of deer hunters take advantage of the opportunities for the betterment of the herd," he said.

Gindorff is the owner of Knock'm Down Adventures and is currently putting together a deer hunting video. He said the video is going to be almost exclusively archery and muzzleloader, but that it is going to show the average hunter ways they can grow their own trophy bucks and effectively manage the herd in their area.

"I think that it's great the DNR is going in that direction, but I think more than ever as sportsman we need to take it upon ourselves to manage our own resources," he said.

Shooting antlerless deer is a critical part of managing a herd and preserving the resource, Gindorff said, and it's something that a lot of hunters are still not totally buying into. "Going after a doe can be as big of a challenge as you want it to be," he said. "It's not just about going after the first one you see. Try going for the biggest one in the area or something if you don't think it's a challenge."

Gindorff thinks hunters need to take on the mindset that shooting a doe is a way to be part of the process of herd management, it's a way to put some tasty meat on the table, and it's a great way to introduce youth to the sport. "It's good for the sport because of the management piece, but it's also about feeding the desire and creating the want to go back out there and go after that trophy buck, which is more likely when you are taking more antlerless deer," Gindorff said.