As designed, hunters bag fewer deer on opening weekend

Deer hunters told the Minnesota officials they took thousands fewer deer in the first weekend of deer firearms season.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says hunters registered 54,000 deer in the season's first three days. That's down 30,000 deer compared to this time last year. But the DNR says the hunt went according to plan. Officials hope current restrictions will help rebuild the size of Minnesota's deer population.

Overall, hunters have taken 67,000 deer, including from special hunts and archery season. That number is also much lower than last year's total to date of 100,000.

"Comparing this year's harvest to harvests in previous years doesn't necessarily reflect hunter opportunity or the number of deer on the landscape in 2014," said Leslie McInenly, big game program leader for the DNR. "This year's lower harvest is by design because regulations were implemented to place more deer — particularly does — off limits to increase Minnesota's deer population."

Nearly 500,000 hunters were expected to participate in the deer hunt opener. The season for most of the state runs through Nov. 16.

The DNR also reports 74 wolves were taken in the early season so far. Hunters registered 30 of those wolves in northeastern Minnesota. The target there is 37. Three wolves were killed in the east central part of the state in a two-day season that closed last Sunday.

The DNR planned to issue 500 more wolf licenses this year and allow hunters and trappers to kill 30 more wolves than last year.