St. Louis County foresters say deer stands, tree-cutting and food plots are getting out of hand on county land
July 7, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
It used to be that a deer stand was a couple of aspen saplings nailed between two trees, just a place for a hunter to see above the brush for a better shot at a trophy buck.
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Simple, no deer stands on public land from December to September like we do in the city bow hunt. If its left out outside of that window it is considered abandoned and can be removed. Each stand should have a hunter’s identification on it as well and if not, can also be removed. I’ve been a deer hunter for 45 years and was taught to “leave no trace” at a young age. This is just another sign of today’s attitude of “fist pumping, in your face, I’m the only one on the planet” mentality and it is out of control. All the DNR has to do is lay down some common sense rules and the law abiding hunters will take care of the rest. If you need a “climate controlled” deer stand you might want to just stick to hunting on your Wii.
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People who do this are not sportsmen they are nature haters, this makes me fell ill.
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The DNR has rules and regs as far deer stands on public land, just enforce them !
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Correct. Most public lands already specify temporary stands only that must be removed each day. This should be the law statewide on any public land, federal, state, county or local and enforced. Simple solution? Just tear down the permanent blinds on public land, give them a month to remove them or they will be destroyed. Baiting versus food plots? A food plot is planted in the spring.
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Now if only we could get rid of all the ORVs that the lazy arses use.
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But all of the raised in the country sportsman are going to spout off about how deer populations are overrunning the area and need to be controlled and all the rest of that nonsensical, justifying, lying garbage. Next they are going to lobby for automatic assault rifles to be used for “hunting”. I say if you come across a mansion on stilts in the woods, burn it right down.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Your comment shows to only do you know nothing of wildlife Management but of Federal law as well!
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I wouldn’t want you to own a cap gun let alone an assault rifle. If you do have one in your possession please take it to the nearest police station immediately or an officer can come by your house to pick it up.
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pffft
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Yawn….
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How much do you want to bet that I could beat him in an arm wrestling competition?
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But would it be worth the required vaccination?
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“I question how much of an issue this is. More likely it’s just something bugging some busybody working for the county.” Yes, probably some busy body who has had to send county work crews out to clean up these messes, then later have to listen to taxpayers complain about how costly government has become.
Or maybe it’s the busy body administrator who worries that kids will play in these dwellings, get hurt, then have their parents sue the county for allowing that shack to be there.
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Why? Really? You need to be told to clean up your own mess? Your comment has proven to the rest of us that you are a bad sportsman.
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My comment was meant for citizen….whose comment must have been moderated because it is gone.
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If a guy wants to build one of these abominations, let him first buy the land, then let him get the proper permits. These things don’t belong on public land. If it’s your own private land, and you have the required permits, knock yourself out.
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I like the simple life. I’d really love to build an efficient, cheap tree house or very small cabin/shack out in the woods. I didn’t realize I could go on public land and do it without having to buy the land! This is a ridiculous use of public land and needs to stop. People shouldn’t be allowed to build what amounts to as a permanent dwelling. My kids can’t even build tree forts on public land here without getting in trouble for it. Allowing hunters to break the laws because they bring in money to the state has to stop. Enforce the rules and stop letting them run the show.
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A simple question please, tell me the real difference between baiting and a “food plot”..?? Seriously!
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A food plot is grown on the land…but IMO there is no difference if the intention is to attract wild game for sport. When deer eat in the same area they spread disease. It’s not natural for them to eat this way.
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A food plot is a crop planted to feed deer and other wildlife to supplement their nutrition. It is no different than a farmers crop that the deer are feeding on except the plot isn’t generally harvested other than by wildlife. I plant quite a lot of food plots on my land and it does help keep them on and traveling to and from my property most of the year. I also have people baiting deer in every direction around me. About a week before rifle season the deer nearly disappear from my property and don’t come back till about the end of muzzleloader season. This has happened with regularity since I bought my property abou 12 years ago. I continue to plant food plots because I like to know the deer have some good supplemental food through the winter. When someone dumps a pile of corn or sugar beets in the woods the deer are coming to that spot and all eating in the same spot, spreading disease and of course making them an easy target. People putting up these palaces, cutting trees and planting plots on public land need to have their butts kicked out of the woods right along with the feed pile sitters. They aren’t hunters.
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Sadly I am betting these slobs that do it whine about Governmental intrusion while failing to see it is their actions that causes it!
Want a permanent Tree House and clear fire lanes? Buy your own property!
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Hunters should not be allowed to build stands on any public land period. Portable stands only and removed daily and all land managers need to get off their lazy butts and start enforcing land and games laws better than they do. This is exactly why I do not allow any one to hunt on my property any more, to many hunters do not respect the land and forest.
It amazes me that a tiny girl like me could walk a half mile across a wetland shoot a nice buck without the use of a deer stand and drag it out myself. But the big tough guys that wanted to hunt here complained about having to walk all that way out to the forested island and wanted me to build a flipping road across my wetlands so they could drive their lazy butts out there. Plus they wanted me to cut shooting lanes through all my forest. I never cut shooting lanes and never will.
There needs to be more restrictions on public lands for hunting and ORV because Minnesota’s forests are headed in the wrong direction. What makes me so angry is that hunters hide behind “we are the ones who pay to keep our forests and wildlife healthy”. Yet they are the biggest destroyers of habitat and the only reason they pay is because legislative law says if you want to hunt you must pay. This article proves the problem.
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Now, not that I’m against deer stands, but once again, WHO is BUILDING THIS STUFF – not women. Why do men ruin things like this for themselves? There are a good number of men who do not engage in this overkill (no pun intended) of resources, animals, and the privilege to hunt. There is a cluelessness about what hunting is supposed to be about for men who do this. There is no thought for future generations of young boys and girls who might enjoy what these fools are ruining! I would BET these so called “hunters” are the first to pee and moan about RESTRICTIONS that are sure to follow, due to the fact that they are breaking laws, disrespecting land boundaries, and downright ruining the very fiber of what hunting is really all about! Maybe it is time to go back to boots on the ground and hunt like the old timers did – they seemed to do just fine taking a deer where the odds are even.
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Wasn’t a woman just convicted of poaching in Two Harbors?
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Hey, what do you expect from an increasingly unparented, me-first generation?
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I don’t think you can put it on a ‘generation’ without knowing who the builders/owners actually are.
I’ve seen a whole lotta old guys do stuff like that because they can afford it and, they don’t want any more exercise than necessary.
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Cairman, I disagree with your point. First generation, me-first attitudes have occurred forever, they didn’t just start now. The provincial attitude of land ownership “because I was her first” is something young people learn from their elders. Public land is PUBLIC land – as in we all own it. That gives me just as much right to use one of these taj mahals as they person who built it. Funny to watch what happens if and when you beat them to the stand or duck blind – mad? Hardly describes their reaction – “it’s mine!” prevails and they will not take no for an answer. Oh it is funny to watch the reactions. After I’m done I usually take a dump right in the stand/blind and leave it right there for them.
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Why not treat it somewhat like ice fishing shacks…?
Sure, feel free to build them as large as you want, but you must get it registered and licensed with the DNR, and you must remove it at the end of the year or face administrative removal with punitive consequences.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I would say their “claiming a piece of public land for their own” claim rings a bit hollow given that St. Louis Co. allows people to build a cabin on public property for a hunting shack.
But they are one of the only forested counties that still has little to no restriction on permanent tree stands. I don’t understand whey they can’t enforce timber trespass laws though–I suspect they’d like to but the judges and/or prosecutors of St. Louis Co. won’t do so?
With a few reasonable restrictions they’d be able to better enforce the intent–don’t think they need to go to a complete ban. Limit the size, ban any roofs or walls or doors or locks, and start allowing prosecution for timber trespass.
Their atv policies are the root of some of this too, if it wasn’t legal to go off the road anywhere you want to haul in materials to build elaborate stands you’d find many fewer people doing so, at least away from main roads.
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So these people, er hunters, who behave as if they are above the law, are the very people the DNR EXPECTs to behave ethically and morally when it comes to the wolf hunt and barbaric snaring and trapping?
What a joke, except it is lethal for the animals.
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These are not hunters, they are slobs, squatters……..
This is also nothing new, good morning St Louis CO!!!
Turn the story on these pukes to CYA at the CO?????
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I say we take this issue into our own hands and simply pull these stands down. Or, fire up the chain saw and cut the tree down. The prevailing provincial attitude – this is my land – that these builders carry does nothing to promote good will and land stewardship – they only make us all look like slobs. Go down on the St Louis River and take a look at this in living color with all the permanent duck blinds built – some are even padlocked to keep other hunters out – these are all on public land too.
Just wrong.
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