Hunters in Minnesota are taking advantage of being able to register their deer on the Internet or on the phone. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Specialist Dave Ingebrigtsen said 53% of firearm deer registrations were completed online or by telephone. It makes gathering the hunt totals a bit challenging, but Ingebrigtsen provided the follow statistics on the firearm deer season.
In Permit Area 126, which is most of the North Shore, down to Manitou River in Lake County, a total of 687 deer were taken. That is fewer than in the 2010 hunt when 777 were taken.
Ingebrigtsen said the buck harvest has varied from 360 to 612 in the last 12 years. The record year of 612 bucks was in 2007.
Ingebrigtsen said three of the last four winters have been severe for deer, with the most severe weather since the 1996 – 1997 seasons. He said there was deep snow inland. “We were rebuilding the herd, and looking at these numbers, the winters may have had more impact than we thought.”
Snow depth is one of the most important factors in the deer population, said Ingebrigtsen, because it pushes the deer down to the shore where there is more deer mortality.
The number of deer registrations is a benchmark that helps the DNR determine how large the deer population is, and the increase in the number of does taken— from 248 to 326—is disconcerting, said Ingebrigtsen. He noted that people who were unsuccessful getting a buck took an antlerless deer just to get meat in the freezer. However, he added, “We’re harvesting our future perhaps more than we should be.”
The DNR will monitor the deer population over the winter and the number of licenses to be issued will be decided in the spring. Since 2004, hunters have been able to take two deer each season. That may change. “Winter is the wild card,” said Ingebrigtsen.
Data for Permit Area 117, which covers the upper Gunflint Trail to Ely, is not complete yet, but Ingebrigtsen said the preliminary count for the Gunflint Trail portion is 16 deer, compared to 20 last year.
Deer hunting continues with muzzleloader deer season ending on December 11 and deer archery season continuing until December 31.
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