Fair skies, antsy bucks greet deer hunters on Opening Day

Aaron Dohmen of Hastings didn't think he would be raking leaves on opening day of Minnesota's traditional deer season.

But by 11:15 a.m. Saturday he was standing at a DNR checkpoint along the Mississippi River, admiring a dandy eight-point buck he harvested on a small patch of land he owns near New Trier. In a matter of minutes, a volunteer veterinary student removed lymph nodes from the deer's neck. The procedure put Dohmen in compliance with a mandatory, opening-weekend testing requirement to help state wildlife officials fight chronic wasting disease (CWD). For data purposes, he pinpointed the location of his kill for the DNR and was free to go.

"I couldn't be happier because it's a good day and there's still time to do yard work,'' Dohmen said.

He and other hunters interviewed at the checkpoint near Lock and Dam No. 2 were complimentary of the DNR's effort to control the disease. "Hopefully a lot of people bring in their deer,'' Dohmen said. "I'd like to know if this is becoming a problem.''

Mandatory CWD testing was a significant part of Opening Day. The collection effort affected hunters in six special zones stretching from the Bemidji area to far southeastern Minnesota in the Driftless Area.

But at Afton State Park and throughout other areas of the state, some 400,000 hunters — young and old alike — were able to marvel once again at the movement of wild deer during the rutting season. It's the one time of the year when bucks, especially, aren't afraid to strike a pose or chase a doe in the wide open.

Gene Pedersen, 15, of Oakdale, was one of the lucky ones. The freshman at Tartan High School underwent a serious heart procedure on Wednesday. When doctors cleared him to hunt two days later, his father, Matt, planned for a no-frills outing at Afton State Park. The family had been chosen earlier to participate in a special youth hunt at Afton. Park Ranger Nick Bartels provided Gene a low-key spot beside a trail on Trout Brook.

Seated in a folding chair beside a fallen tree, the boy heard his father, Matt, whisper: "Buck.''

Gene looked in the direction of his father's stare. When he raised his 12-gauge shotgun to aim, the deer disappeared. Before Gene could lower his gun, a larger buck appeared. As the mature eight-pointer lowered its head and walked toward him, it came to a momentary stop within 30 yards. Gene fired once and the buck fell in its tracks. It was the biggest of three deer he has ever shot.

"He made it easy this year,'' Matt Pedersen said of his son. "It was right there. We didn't have to track it.''

Asked what he liked most about deer hunting, Gene Pedersen said it's all about spending time in the woods.

"Just seeing the movement of the deer,'' he said. "It's fun when they don't know you're there.''

By 10 a.m., the Pedersens were on their way home to butcher the deer themselves. The warming temperatures put some urgency into the task. Some of the trim will be kept for sausage-making by their favorite butcher.

"It's fun to hunt here,'' Matt Pedersen said.

Also bagging a deer at Afton on Saturday morning was Isaac Joesting, 14, of Wyoming, Minn. He and his father, Matt, were notified Friday of a last-minute opening in the youth hunt roster. Afton State Park has capacity for 30 hunters on opening weekend, when the park closes its entrances to the public.

With little time to prepare, Isaac said he and his dad chose a location within 500 yards of the visitor center. They would just sit still in the open air and not attempt to raise a ground blind or portable tree stand.

Like Gene Pedersen, Isaac said his favorite part of deer hunting is to sit and absorb the sights and sounds of the natural world. He was 10 years old when he shot his first deer and he's harvested several more since then.

"I like watching the birds and listening to all the sounds,'' he said. "And then all of a sudden you'll see a deer.''

For two hours on Saturday morning, he watched six different deer parade into and out of his sightlines. One was a seven-point buck. But Isaac was after a "management deer,'' and he harvested a very healthy-looking doe to the delight of state park personnel. A chief reason for staging the youth hunts — available at many other state parks — is to keep the local deer population in check.

Isaac talked about his heart racing when he took aim with his bolt-action slug gun. His shot did not miss. Both boys — Isaac and Gene — used non-toxic ammunition. In turn, both of their families received a 12-month state park pass under a DNR program that steers hunters away from lead ammo.

Back at Lock and Dam No. 2, DNR research scientist Tim Lyons was preparing for a busy day of CWD testing. His checkpoint in Hastings is one of several options this weekend for hunters in Deer Permit Area 605 and in the southerly part of Deer Permit Area 701.

As he collected data from hunters about the location of their kill, he reminded each one of CWD carcass movement restrictions. The checkpoint had a quartering station for hunters to remove venison. Also on hand was a covered dumpster for the disposal of heads and spinal cords. If a deer is infected with CWD, infectious prions reside in the animals neurological system.

Deer hunter Nick Teuber of Hastings said he was happy to bring in his four-point buck for testing. "It's a good thing to do for sure,'' he said.

Paired in a hunting stand with his brother, Nathan, the two were about to give up their hunt Saturday morning when they saw movement on the ground about 9 a.m. When the buck came into view on family land near New Trier, Nick was best positioned to shoot at it. He did so while it was moving and shot a second time to bring it all the way down.

"Good meat for the freezer,'' he said

Tony Dockendorf, also of Hastings, harvested an 11-pointer Saturday morning on his buddy's tree farm south of the city. He said he could have shot a second one, just as big, if he had another buck tag.

"My license was full … so game over,'' Dockendorf said.

He said mandatory CWD testing in his deer permit area makes sense because the disease already has been detected in the region.

"It's important to do this,'' Dockendorf said. "It's the only way we'll get this resolved.''