I know this is a food blog for the most part but most of the food on here is wild game. That said I feel this is appropriate. I live just south of the Minneapolis area, it takes me 20 minutes to get to downtown Minneapolis and it also takes me 20 minutes to get to the nearest piece of state land that is legal for me to hunt. I hunt mostly public land for all species of animals that you have read about me cooking on this blog. There are some exceptions to this but I would say that 90% of my hunting takes place on public land. Here in Minnesota a lot of that land is designated Wildlife Management Area.
These are plots of land that have been purchased by or donated to the Department of Natural Resources. There purpose is to provide anyone who would like to get out and experience nature or wildlife an opportunity to do so free of charge. They are mostly used by hunters like my self who do not own land to hunt on. They are also used by people who want to go out and view nature. Whatever the reason for use, the people who use them are there to enjoy nature.
That is a wonderful thing, and should be treated with the respect it deserves. There are a few rules one must follow when using the WMA's in Minnesota. Do not dump trash on these areas, if you brought it out there with you then bring it home with you. Do not dump carcasses at the areas, no promiscuous shooting or target practice and do not clean you game in the parking area.
I was recently out at one of these WMA's this past week to do a little deer hunting and when I pulled into the parking area the pictures you see here are what I saw. Somebody had breasted out a bird and then left the rest of the carcass in the parking area. I like to clean a lot of my game while I am in the field, it keeps the meat fresh and improves the quality of the meal I prepare. I do not do this in the parking area. I usually do this out in the field where I shoot the animal and not where it is going to leave a mess for everyone to deal with.
The target you see here was one of three that were tape to a tree and shot up. Again right in the parking lot, but they weren't the only things that would lead me to believe someone was wasting rounds. As I hunted the area I found 5 pop bottles fit over tree branches that were completely shot up. That leads me to the last thing, the garbage that was thrown out everywhere. Yes these are public lands but they are designated for public use to enjoy the outdoors not for you to get drunk and leave alcohol bottles or soda bottles all over the place.
All of these activities are illegal but clearly no one cares. While I was out that day I saw dozens of squirrels, 2 owls and a decent but not huge 8 point buck. For the most part a good day in the woods but I am not going to get to enjoy days like that for much longer if stuff like this continues to happen. If people continue to abuse the public land that has been set aside for everyone to use the state is going to restrict access to it and we as hunters, wildlife enthusiast and nature lovers are going to lose the access we need. If that happens I say good luck trying to find a farmer who will grant you access to his land so you can dump your trash, get drunk and shoot up his land.
As a farmer with over 1,000 acres, I have to say that our deer hunters really "step up". They post the land, and we issue "permission slips" so they can hunt. Additionally, we assign them specific areas so they aren't on top of each other; and when they get their limit, someone else hunts their space. They've turned in illegal garbage dumpers and local residents who have claimed ownership of the property and harassed them. They are very generous with offering their stands to my family members, and with the seasonal bounty as well. I'm sorry you've had this experience, and I hope you find a private landowner that shares your vision. (ps) the squirrels here in VT are VERY aggressive.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear that there are some farmers out there that still have good relationships with hunters. In the area I live in some farmers have placed signs in front of their houses that read "no hunting, so don't ask". The other problem is the money some farmers are willing to let you hunt but want to lease the land to you for thousands of dollars in some cases. I wish VT wasn't so far away I would really like to hunt some aggressive squirrels. Thank You for reading.
DeleteThere is an Elephant in the room and it's a 25 year old, Unfunded Mandate; whereas there are no public facilities for testing Waterfowl Ammunition. I guess trees and signs fulfill the mandate until this problem is addressed. In the meantime "Pattern Your Gun" needs to be removed from publication.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this had anything to do with patterning your gun this was just target practice for the sake of wasting ammo. Also the garbage and the carcass in the parking area are a no no as well.
Delete-I know its illegal and treacherous to shoot signs and trees; but the government continues to sell hunting licences without providing the public with facilities for practicing and testing ammunition, they (the government) expect hunters to just pull the trigger on an animal, on opening day, without really knowing what will happen. It seems more ethical to take a shot at a tree first, especially for people who live in cities, suburbs, apartments and other "No Discharge Zones". The ammunition for California's Condor area is so hard that it is forbidden at testing facilities because of ricochet.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for public shooting facilities. I live in Burnsville and in and around the twin cities there are no facilities for people to shoot. The dakota county gun club won't even accept new applicants for membership because they have to many members. We as hunters are suffering from a very European model lately and if something isn't done the only people who will be able to hunt are those who can afford to pay for it or land owners, which will leave me high and dry.
Delete