camp ripley

[deputy338]

looking for any assistance from anyone that has hunted on Camp Ripley military base in MN. trying to locate some ridges and saddles. any help would be great to hear.
Thanks...Deputy

 

[emrah1028]

Dunno, but I'm applying this year.

Emrah

 

[Trigger50]

Deer numbers are down quite a bit. But there is still some monsters in there. Actually, I would recommend hunting the swamps more than the ridges. Other hunters & wolves have conditioned the deer to live in the swamps. A ridge thats funnels down into a swamp is good ! With the deer numbers down...hunt "fresh" buck sign. Even if a spot looks good...if there isnt fresh buck sign...keep looking.

 

[deputy338]

I am guessing that the best thing to do is ground hunt and
Scout the first day and then lock down a spot for the second
Day and sit all day.

 

[Big Sky Dreamin]

The higher elevation is around the impact zones in the middle and on the north end of the post. The space between the north and south impact zones tends to see the least human traffic and on occasion I used to see deer out in the impact areas. There are fairly accurate topo maps out there for the area and I would imagine the post would supply maps so you will know which areas are absolutely off limits.

 

[jvanderlinde]

I hunted there once, I somehow got in the middle of a deer drive with around 20 men.
Never went back...But theres deer and some big ones.

We hunted the north side also.

 

[Epfd217]

You couldn't pay me to hunt that zoo. Have fun.

 

[emrah1028]

Is it really that bad? I've heard the lineup/entrance is kind of a madhouse, but once inside it's not terrible. Never been so I don't know.

Emrah

 

[Epfd217]

I guess it all depends on how you like to hunt. I've always been told at Ripley, if you shoot something, get down and follow it, especially if its a nice buck. There are some dandy bucks taken there every year, but I don't like other hunters influencing my hunt.

I don't want to influence your decision. I have done other types of population control hunts. You just have to keep in mind what the goal is. Any day in a stand is good to me. Have fun!

 

[StrutNut]

I never have been there but have friends who used to go as often as they could. It seems the population outside the park is better than what it is inside the park. The last two times he went there he had only seen one fork horn. He has hunters set up right next to him in areas he had never seen anyone before. I guess with the reduction in deer numbers the hunters are all piling up in areas with sign.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I was actually assigned as the officer in charge of the entire training area for three years, so I gained a pretty good insight into the area. Regardless of what anyone says, there are still plenty of big bucks on post, but hunting them during those two weekends is really just a crap shoot as to whether or not a buck gets pushed past you, or you find one trying to sneak into some thicker cover. The bucks are educated and they know when it is time to bail into the thickest/nastiest hole or into one of the restricted areas (you better believe those deer know where you can't go).

I would say that if you are motivated to hang some horn on the wall, and you don't have a good chunk of private land to hunt for whitetails, there isn't a much better way to spend two days. However, if you are looking for a peaceful hunting experience, it is not worth your time.

The Camp Ripley hunt definately has a reputation, but for what it is worth, I don't hunt it. I do hunt during some of the hunts that are restricted to servicemembers, and have had some awesome experiences there.

 

[deputy338]

well it looks like close to 1000 surplus tags for the hunt. maybe it wont be quite the zoo its been known for in the past.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

well it looks like close to 1000 surplus tags for the hunt. maybe it wont be quite the zoo its been known for in the past.

I hate to tell you this, but the surplus for the 2nd hunt is sold out and only 490 left for the 1st one. My guess is it will be as full as it always is. I personally would never hunt this. Have fun.

 

[deputy338]

Well its not for everybody, but I figured I will at least give it a shot once.

 

[hansontyrel]

looking for any assistance from anyone that has hunted on Camp Ripley military base in MN. trying to locate some ridges and saddles. any help would be great to hear.
Thanks...Deputy

I've hunted there a few times. Very hit and miss with deer. Forget going immediately when the season opens, the vehicles line up forever and a mile. Watch out for the impact zones... X-)