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My most frequent hunting companion and I spent this past weekend in some of the wilder corners of northern Minnesota, checking in on a number of our familiar hunting haunts on the weekend before the firearms deer opener. We were not alone, as we observed numerous pickups, SUVs and cars tucked into the entrances of trails and logging roads intersecting the gravel county roads that stitch together this land of glacier-made potholes, shallow lakes, marshes and forest.

One could surmise that many, or most, were doing some last-minute scouting of deer movements, or checking deer stand locations and their state of repair. Every deer season, it seems, someone falls out of a deer stand and is injured, or worse. There are no OSHA safety inspections for deer stands; each of us is responsible for making the effort to ensure our own safety.

The landscape Jim and I traversed was certainly deer hunt-appropriate, covered as it was with two inches of fresh snow that fell Saturday night. Whatever higher power is in charge of weather might have considered waiting another week, for snow is probably the most "prayed-for" variable surrounding deer hunting. "Tracking snow," so called, to help hunters deduce the movements of deer, and to help them trail and find deer that have been hit and do not fall on the spot.

But the snow was not really wasted in coming a week early, being a boon to those who were provident, or fortunate, enough to be out scouting. This would provide perhaps the most immediate evidence possible of where deer were traveling and spending their time. No guarantee things will be exactly the same in a week, but certainly better than "old intelligence."

If there is a universal brand of hunting practiced in Minnesota, it's deer hunting. I know of no other kind of hunting so popular that it has inspired songs to capture the flavor and the humor of the sport, as evidenced by such yearly seasonal hits as "The Second Week of Deer Camp," and "Da Turdy-Point Buck."

There is probably a greater range of competence and experience in deer hunting than in any other brand of hunting. There are many, many supremely dedicated, savvy and skilled deer hunters. There are also some who use the weekend as an opportunity to escape work, home and everyday routine, and consider a deer rifle, a license, and blaze orange clothing to be the essentials and the credentials needed to engage in the sport.

It's great to see a high participation rate in hunting, in an age when time demands, competition from other activities, and limited places to hunt have cut into the ranks of hunters of all kinds. But deer hunting is serious business, too. Some hunters don't take the time to become a skilled and safe shooter, to learn about the habits of their prey, or to develop a proper respect for the dangerous weapons they carry, and the need for a total commitment to safety.

Some also "don't get" the ethics of hunting, and put the appearance of success and "bragging rights" ahead of being responsible hunters. Those who hunt have the weighty responsibility to do all they can to kill cleanly, to cause the animal they hunt as little pain and distress as possible. In deer hunting, this means nothing less than becoming a marksman; someone capable of making - or not taking - a shot when it presents itself. And, in the event that an animal should be wounded, a responsibility to make every effort to find and collect the animal.

A scoped rifle in some super-magnum caliber is not a shortcut to this ability to harvest quickly and cleanly. You can buy a rifle and blaze orange clothing, and an all-terrain vehicle to help you haul your deer out of the woods. But all the money at your disposal is not a substitute for practice and learning.

It's probably unrealistic to expect any more honesty in the deer woods than it is in everyday life. Some people will cut corners, seek unfair advantage, or be downright dishonest in business and in their personal lives. Still, it's always disappointing to ethical hunters to find that the bad habits of everyday life come to the woods with too many hunters.

I've encountered deer stands with apples and turnips piled nearby, illegal baiting under Minnesota law. I've also found where hunters not only built a stand on public land, but cut down trees that were not theirs in order to give them a clear shooting lane at a deer they hoped to see. The worst example of disgraceful behavior I've seen was finding a dead buck whose neck, head, and presumably very impressive antlers, had been severed from the body, which was left to rot once the trophy part of the animal was taken. This had more in common with poaching than hunting.

Minnesotans, and Americans more broadly, have a great privilege in being able to hunt on abundant public land, and even on some private lands, with minimal red tape and expense. In other places, like Europe, hunting is a privilege reserved for the very few, chiefly the wealthy and those of high social status.

But like many privileges, our privilege of hunting comes with responsibility. Deer hunting should be a fine example of this. For the conscientious, competent and ethical deer hunter, it certainly can be.[[In-content Ad]]

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