Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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The youth deer hunt opener kicks off statewide today, as well as the early antlerless-only season throughout other parts of Minnesota. And, according to the state Department of Natural Resources, the outlook for this year’s harvest is very good.

The DNR attributes the favorable forecast to last season’s mild winter, which bolstered wild herd populations.

But Blane Klemek, the DNR’s wildlife manager for the northwest region, said an abundance of acorns are also working to benefit herds in that area.

“Deer are in good shape, putting on some good fat reserves,” he said. “And as a result of some good production from fawning in the springtime we expect deer hunting to be pretty darn good here in the northwest.”

Klemek said the deer herd population in Beltrami County was mostly unfazed by a devastating storm that hit the area in late June.

In the southern region, wildlife manager Joe Stangel said herds there have flourished in areas that were previously farmland, as farmers have moved away from the Minnesota River Valley and the floodplain itself.

“Those lands have started to succeed into better woody habitat,” he said. “In turn, it's turning out to be better deer habitat.”

But that isn’t necessarily better for hunters, who may have a harder time harvesting deer in those areas than in the past, when deer were living in more open landscapes. Now, they have more cover. 

“So, you have more deer surviving that way too,” he said.

Stangle said he’s seen a lot of change in the 15 years he’s worked the area.

“The majority of our DPAs (deer permit area) were lottery DPA or even some bucks only, and I've just slowly seen that evolve into a point now where the majority of our deer permit areas in the southern region are one-, two-, three-deer limits, with very few lottery areas,” he said. “And so again, that trend continues.”

According to the DNR’s field report, one of the most challenging areas to harvest deer this season will be in the northeast region where populations remain low. The best deer harvest opportunities there will be in the southern portion of the region, where deer numbers are higher.

For the central region, which includes the metro area, wildlife assistant manager Brandon Schad said the harvest outlook continues to be very good there, too.

“We have good deer numbers. We had, like much of the state, a relatively mild winter last year, and so winter kill wasn't an issue,” he said. “We should have some pretty good harvest opportunities for folks in 2025.”

If milder winters persist amid waning hunter registration the DNR will likely raise tag limits to offset rising herd populations.

Schad recommends that all hunters go online to familiarize themselves with chronic wasting disease restrictions for their DPA. The firearm deer hunt opener begins Nov. 8.

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Mathew Holding Eagle III

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Youth deer season and early antlerless-only deer season run Thursday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 19. The firearms deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 8. 

Minnesota DNR says deer harvest opportunities look good in most areas of state

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