Minnesota Hunters Kill Fewer Deer In 1st Weekend
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hunters in Minnesota killed fewer deer during this year's opening weekend of the firearms deer season than they did last year, the state Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday.
Final numbers show that hunters registered 54,000 deer killed during the first three days of the firearms season, which is 30,000 fewer than last year's opening weekend, the agency said.
Including special hunts and the archery season, Minnesota hunters have killed 67,000 deer this year, which is down from 100,000 at this time last year.
"Comparing this year's harvest to harvests in previous years doesn't necessarily reflect hunter opportunity or the number of deer on the landscape in 2014," DNR big game program leader Leslie McInenly said in a news release.
The DNR is expecting the lowest deer harvest in decades, as wildlife managers seek to rebuild the herd. They're limiting the take of does, in particular, to improve deer numbers in the future.
Most Minnesota hunters will be able to kill only one deer. In much of northeastern Minnesota, where two consecutive severe winters took a toll on the population, hunters can only shoot bucks.
In much of Minnesota, the deer season continues through Sunday.
Minnesota's wolf hunting season also opened Saturday. So far hunters have killed 73 wolves.
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