REGIONAL— Deer hunters in the region have complained for the past several years about the lack of deer— and based on the bag limits approved for the upcoming firearms deer season, it seems that the Department of Natural Resources agrees.
And that means virtually every hunter in northeastern Minnesota will be limited to bucks only. The DNR will issue 100 antlerless permits in deer permit area 177, which encompasses the Cook and Lake Vermilion area, and 25 in two other permit areas to the south of the Iron Range. The handful of hunters who venture into the Boundary Waters wilderness will still be allowed to take a deer of either sex.
Other than those exceptions, hunters will need to see antlers to legally take a deer in the region during this year’s regular firearms season, which runs from Nov. 9-Nov. 24. The limits are the most conservative in nearly a decade and come despite last winter, which was the mildest ever recorded in the region. While last winter helped boost reproductive success, according to Tower DNR wildlife manager Jessica Holmes, even an exceptionally mild winter by itself isn’t enough to reverse the trend of declining deer numbers in the region. “We’re kind of at rock bottom and northern deer populations need time and multiple mild winters to recover to goal levels,” said Holmes. “It will take a string of mild winters to catch up.”
Holmes said the stricter bag limits reflect the concerns expressed by hunters about the lack of deer in the woods. “Bag limits are the main tool in my toolbox,” said Holmes. “I can’t control the weather.