Deer hunting numbers trending upward

Hunting numbers from Minnesota’s deer firearm season opener are rolling in, and they’re on track to outpace recent seasons.

By the numbers

As of 8:30 a.m. Monday, the harvest was at about 51,000 deer, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Big Game Coordinator Paul Burr. Hunters have up to 48 hours to register their deer, and he expects many more to do so through Tuesday.

Based on previous years’ registration rates, he’s hopeful that opening weekend numbers reach 60,000-65,000 deer, outpacing the five-year average of 59,000.

License sales are up 1-2 percent, too, Burr told Morning Edition Monday. As of late last week, the DNR had sold about 275,000 firearm and 100,000 archery licenses.

The weekend was brisk, and Burr hopes it got hunters excited to be out in the woods. He doesn’t think hunters should worry too much about the cold affecting deer movement. “They're always going to be kind of moving at that morning time and evening time,” he said.

Deer population bounce-back

Deer numbers have been good for much of the state, except for the northeast, where population density has struggled a bit. That’s in part due to habitat and has led the DNR to be more restrictive with its bag numbers in the region.

“It's very forested up there, and winters tend to be a lot stronger up there as far as cold temperatures and snow depth,” Burr said. However, recent harvest numbers in the northeast have been up, which indicates deer have enjoyed the milder winters.

“We're seeing reduced winter mortality, a lot of fawns around as well,” Burr said. “And this year’s bag limits reflect that. We’ve had a number of deer permit areas with increased bag limits, just because we're trying to make sure where we’re keeping the population at goal.”

CWD spread

Chronic Wasting Disease mitigation, however, is “a never-ending battle,” he said.

Every firearm season opener, the DNR conducts sampling statewide. They have gotten more than 7,000 out of 10,000 expected samples back from the weekend. The good news: No new infections in areas without previously known CWD cases have been documented.