REGIONAL— Deer registrations are up over last year in 12 of the 13 deer permit areas in northeastern Minnesota, but DNR wildlife managers are cautioning that hunters shouldn’t read too much into the increase, at least for now.
The DNR released comparison data for deer permit areas across the state this past week and the numbers, along with hunter observations, suggest that last winter’s record warm conditions boosted deer survival.
Deer registrations in the 13 permit areas in the Arrowhead region were up 12 percent over last year, according to DNR data reviewed by the Timberjay. The only permit area to see a decline was PA 177, where the DNR had slashed antlerless permits this year. “I did expect to see a decrease in harvest there,” said Jessica Holmes, DNR Tower area wildlife manager.
While the increase in registrations is largely consistent across the board, Holmes notes that the increase is fairly small and could be a reflection, at least in part, of the exceptionally mild weather hunters experienced during the regular firearms season, which likely kept hunters out on the stand longer than in years with more typical weather.
Holmes did, however, offer some encouraging reviews. “I have heard from deer camps that were seeing more deer this year, especially that yearling age class,” she said. Those yearling deer would have been fawns last winter, a time when fawn mortality can be high during more typical weather conditions. Those yearling deer should go into this winter in good shape after a wetter-than-average summer and an exceptionally mild fall.