. . . Only 15 percent of Minnesota deer hunters rely exclusively on public land for their deer hunting. That means the other 85 percent spend at least part of their time hunting deer on private land.

Farther north in the Bemidji area, the deer density is also high, and the prospects are great for a terrific season.

"I think we'll have another real strong harvest, and I wouldn't doubt if we have another high harvest like we've had five years in a row," predicted Blane Klemek, the MDNR's assistant wildlife manager in Bemidji.

Klemek lives in the Bemidji area, a destination for many deer hunters, but he said he still drives north to hunt.

"I don't care how far north you are, it always seems better if you go someplace to hunt. Half the fun is preparing (for the hunt) and going to the location you hunt," he admitted.

Along the western border of the state, in the heart of Minnesota's farm country, is Lac qui Parle (LQP) Wildlife Management Area. It is a tremendous location to hunt -- a large continuous tract of managed land that carries stands of mixed hardwoods, river valleys, native prairie, croplands and large cattail sloughs.

Dave Trauba serves as the MDNR's wildlife manager for the LQP WMA. He said deer hunters here have been a bit lazy over the years when it comes to hunting the firearms season.

"This is a popular place for muzzleloaders to hunt late in the season, and a lot of people seem to hunt zones 4A and 4B less intensively as they used to," Trauba observed, "because they figure they can fall back on the muzzleloader season if they don't get a deer."

The lands of Zone 4 are largely agricultural and privately owned. Trauba said it's a tremendous area to deer hunt, as is Zone 3 in the southeastern corner of the state, no matter what time of the deer season.

Where to Find Your Deer
Throw a dart at the map of Minnesota and odds are pretty good that you'll stick it in an area with great deer-hunting opportunities. That's the easy part: Deer hunting in Minnesota takes place just about anywhere you choose to hunt. The complicated part of deer hunting in Minnesota is having the courage to hunt in places other than where your deer hunting traditionally takes place.

In fact, a 2004 deer hunter's survey revealed that 90 percent of Minnesota deer hunters hunt the same place every year. The survey found that only 1 percent of Minnesota's deer hunters change locations every year. The remaining hunters who admit to changing where they hunt, said they change their hunting locations no more frequently than every few years. Considering the average Minnesota deer hunter holds 25 years of hunting experience, many deer hunters appear to be anchored in place.

Another interesting statistic from that survey showed that only 15 percent of Minnesota deer hunters rely exclusively on public land for their deer hunting. That means the other 85 percent spend at least part of their time hunting deer on private land.

That's all fine and dandy. But that also means plenty of deer on Minnesota's public lands are holding up in areas that have not been hunted much.

And because the odds are also good that those who do hunt in the same area every year actually hunt the exact same spot each season, you can expect to find relatively unpressured deer if you choose to move your hunt this season. And you need not move your hunt far. Some close studying of the area you already hunt might reveal some better locations right there under your nose.

"The best thing you can do when you hunt pressured land is to get in and scout it out prior to hunting it," said wildlife expert and avid deer hunter T.R. Michels, who has researched and written about whitetails for decades and recently published The Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual.

Michels' advice for hunters on pressured land is to locate the escape routes deer use to avoid contact with people.