Second to none
No 32-pointer, but numbers point to successful hunt
CAMP RIPLEY - It was a very different hunt from the first. But that wasn't a bad thing.
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Not bad at all.
While a 32-point non-typical buck taken at Camp Ripley's first archery hunt in mid-October had been the buzz for two weeks among the state's deer hunters, the second and final hunt - Oct. 31-Nov. 1 - boasted even more impressive numbers. Record numbers, actually.
Cory Williams of Pierz showed off his big buck - to the delight of a large crowd that had gathered in the darkness - Oct. 31 at Camp Ripley.
The epic 32-pointer weighed 192 pounds dressed. But on Oct. 31, Cory Williams of Pierz shot a "13- to 14-pointer" that weighed in at a massive 265 pounds dressed - the heaviest deer taken in either of the hunts.
It was one of seven bucks bagged in the second hunt that weighed more than 200 pounds and archers harvested 305 deer over the two days - a record for Ripley's second hunt and only 20 below the record two-day harvest in any Ripley archery hunt. Bow hunters harvested 325 deer in the first hunt of 2008; hunters harvested 191 deer in the second hunt of '08.
A deer was weighed at Camp Ripley on Oct. 31, the first day of the second Ripley archery hunt. The buck tipped the scales at about 188 pounds - about the norm for bucks harvested in the hunt, according to Beau Liddell, DNR wildlife manager for the Little Falls area. » Purchase reprints of this photo.
Word of Williams' big buck traveled quickly at Ripley. One volunteer at the weigh station had a photo of the deer on his cell phone, which he showed off hours before Williams brought the buck in to a large crowd that had gathered at the Ripley weigh station at dark. It's when the crowd - and excitement - is at its height at these hunts.
Early reports had the buck sporting 17 points.
"It wasn't really a 17-pointer. We put down 15, but it was probably borderline. More like 13 to 14," said Beau Liddell, DNR wildlife manager for the Little Falls area. "And we had seven 200 pounds and larger in size. That's typical for Ripley - nice racks."
While snow and cold likely hindered the first hunt - 2,032 hunters harvested 172 deer - ideal conditions no doubt aided the numbers for the second.
"Overall it's one of the best harvests ever out there, thanks in part to the weather," Liddell said.
The hunts are used to help manage the always burgeoning deer population at Ripley. Along those lines, this year's hunts were again a success.
"This year, we had 477 (deer harvested) over all four days," Liddell said (the record is 516 last year). "Our minimum target for the harvest is 400. We were aiming for 450 and, ideally, as close to 500 as possible. We topped 500, including the disabled vets and soldiers and youth hunts" held earlier this year.
The proportion of antlerless deer taken was slightly lower than the last few years but higher than the long-term average of 53 percent, with about 60 percent of this year's harvest made up of does or fawns.
"The second hunt is so selective. Everyone is looking for bucks," Liddell said. "They're all looking for antlers. On top of that, bucks are moving a little bit better. And there's a real high population of bucks."
For the sixth consecutive year, hunters were allowed to take up to two deer and to use bonus permits to increase harvest on antlerless deer.
"We would have liked to see it (antlerless numbers) higher," Liddell said. "Killing bucks doesn't help the population."
A total of 5,005 permits were issued for both two-day hunts, with 4,126 hunters participating. Hunter success during the first hunt was 8 percent but increased significantly to 14 percent for the second hunt. This year's success rate was similar to last year and about 4 percent higher than the long-term average of 8 percent.
BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@ brainerddispatch.com or 855-5864.