REGIONAL— Hunters should have a backdrop of white and a full moon when they take to the field Saturday morning for the opening of the 2017 firearms deer season. And they should find plenty of deer as well, thanks to the effects of three mild winters in a row. The season runs through Sunday, Nov. 19.

Strong fawn production and good winter survival the past three years have allowed the whitetail population to rebound across most of northern and central St. Louis County, and that bodes well for hunters starting this weekend. “The deer herd has increased exponentially in the three years since the consecutive severe winters in 2013 and 2014,” said DNR Tower Area Wildlife Manager Tom Rusch. “The 2016 and 2017 fawn crops are huge with adult does in excellent condition following the mild winters,” he said.

The recent strong reproduction will mean hunters should find an abundance of younger bucks, increasing the opportunities for those hunters limited to bucks only. “The deer harvest locally has increased 41 percent over the past two years,” said Rusch, and that’s a trend he expects will continue with this year’s hunt, although he acknowledges that the final results will somewhat depend on weather conditions, which can impact hunter effort and success. The forecast for the weekend looks seasonably cold, a departure from some recent openers. “That should help keep the deer moving,” said Rusch.

Not surprisingly, the deer herd has been recovering most quickly in western parts of the Tower work area, where soils are better and where deer can take advantage of scattered agricultural land. Permit area 177, which extends from the farm country west of Cook to the east end of Lake Vermilion, is already back to a hunter’s choice designation this year, meaning the population is at or near goal. Hunter’s choice means that hunters can take a single deer, of either sex, with their license.

Permit areas 176 and 178 are close to goal, but the DNR is still limiting the number of antlerless permits in those areas in order to allow for continued recovery. The DNR has already allocated the antlerless permits in those areas, which were determined by lottery.

Further east, in the primary moose zone, permit areas 130 and 118 are both designated hunter’s choice. While those permit areas have significantly lower deer densities than areas to the west, the DNR specifically manages these areas for lower deer numbers in order to assist the moose herd. Whitetail deer carry major parasites, particularly liver flukes and a parasitic brainworm, that are either debilitating or deadly to moose.

Permit areas 108 and 119, both in the border country, are the only zones where the deer recovery, or other management considerations, are preventing a return to more liberal bag limits. Rusch said intensive forest management in those areas has significantly reduced critical winter cover, which has kept the deer herd from rebounding as quickly as in other areas. Permit area 119 remains bucks only for this season, while the DNR allowed a nominal 100 antlerless permits in area 108.

In addition to chilly temperatures this weekend, hunters are likely to find wet conditions in the woods following months of above normal rainfall throughout the region. “Hunters may find water in areas that are typically dry this time of year and forest road access may be difficult or impassable in some locations,” said Dave Olfelt, northeast region wildlife manager.

While colder weather may help freeze up some of the wet spots, swamps and boggy areas can take considerably longer to freeze.

Get more info

Hunters will find more information available on all of the permit areas on the DNR’s website, at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/deer/map.html.

Hunters may also want to pay attention to the phase of the moon for opener. Under the bright light of a full moon, deer often remain active overnight, and will often take a breather in the early morning hours, before becoming active again midday. So rather than heading into camp at noon, consider packing your lunch and staying in your stand. Deer experts know that 10:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. can be an excellent time to hunt during the full moon.