DNR: 68K Deer Registered In Firearms Opening Weekend
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It was a busy weekend for deer hunters as the firearms season opened across Minnesota.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, more than 68,000 deer were registered after the first weekend. Preliminary numbers show hunters got 68,958 to be exact.
DNR officials say that's down three percent from last year. Of the deer harvested, 67 percent were bucks. That's down just one percent from the opening weekend last year.
Hunters had the most success in northeastern Minnesota, where the harvest was up 16 percent from last year. In the biggest zone that covers most of the state, it was down seven percent. In southeastern Minnesota, the harvest was down 28 percent.
The DNR is projecting the total harvest this year to be between 165,000 and 185,000 deer. That would be up from last year's 159,000. The projection is based off antlerless permits available and zones that allow more than one deer to be taken.
For most of Minnesota, the deer season runs through Nov. 13. The northern zone runs through Dec. 20, and the muzzleloader season runs through Dec. 11.