Streams of Thought: What do you think of Minnesota’s party-hunting law for deer?

More than once, as I recently worked my way from one holiday gathering to another, to visit friends and family and to eat food prepared not by me, the subject of party hunting during Minnesota’s deer seasons arose.

Honestly, I haven’t in the past given much thought to party hunting. Apparently, however, it’s a bit of a sore spot with some hunters – although they appear to be in the minority, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Per Minnesota’s hunting regulations booklet (Page 69, if you care to look it up), the intent of party hunting “is to prevent parties from shooting more deer than the available number of tags.”

I’d argue that not allowing party hunting – a traditional part of the Minnesota deer-hunting landscape for longer than anyone I spoke with could remember – would have the same desired outcome.

Anyhow, party hunting is allowed if you’re a group of archers, or a group of firearms hunters “who are all afield, hunting together at the same time, and all using (pick your method).”

A party is defined as two or more licensed deer hunters. (Two people constitute a party? Lame party, I’d say … that’s a joke.)

There are a number of other rules, including that a youth tag may not be used on a deer taken by another hunter, but deer taken by a youth may be tagged by an adult party member.

So, is there a problem, officer?

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Ask a state DNR conservation officer – which I did – if the party-hunting system is abused, and he or she likely will offer an emphatic “yes,” especially in the realm of, for example, “Dad using his kid’s tag.”

Another example: groups of hunters gathering for the opening of firearms weekend, a portion heading home after the weekend hunt with no intent on returning, but leaving behind for the hunters who remain their unused tags.

Bottom line: It’s a system that some in Enforcement will tell you is ripe for abuse. But hunting laws, sad to say, are broken or bent all the time, and that affects the resource in ways big and small.

Let’s say party-hunting rules are followed to a T. The tag bearer is always afield, hunting with the same instrument in the same location as the harvester. Any problems then? Well, maybe.

As a friend/colleague/“deer nut” pointed out to me, the party system more or less encourages additional buck harvest during the firearms season (during the rut) – even in locations where over-goal deer numbers might call for greater antlerless harvest. As he put it in an email, “Many hunters don’t want to shoot does during the rut (another story for another time; my words) anyways today, and the ability to party hunt just makes it that much easier and attractive to shoot bucks you would think twice about if you had to use your own tag on (them).”

Barb Keller, the DNR’s big-game program leader, acknowledges that party hunting and its effect on doe harvest in some locations – specifically the southeast and north into the state’s transition zone – “is a concern for us, for sure. We’re always looking for ways (in some areas) to take more does,” she said, adding that Minnesota’s liberal party-hunting system is unique. Some states in the Midwest allow it, but on a more restricted basis.

All that said, it’s a system deer hunters like. A lot.

In a DNR survey from a year ago, 57% said they “strongly support” party hunting. Add in the “somewhat support” and you’re up to nearly three of every four hunters surveyed. Flip side: about 14% to some extent oppose party hunting for whitetails.

I guess sometimes ya just don’t mess with tradition.