doug010709.box

Join the Club

Club Outdoors is where you can keep up with Star Tribune experts and others in Minnesota who love fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreation. Click here to access our outdoors newsletter, the Club Outdoors Facebook Fan Page, Twitter and more.

Stay in touch via:

Facebook

Twitter

Blog Topics

Outdoors Women

Newsletters

Keep up with Outdoors news and views. Sign up for the Club Outdoors newsletter.

Home | Sports | Club Outdoors

Deer harvest down but in top 10

Last update: January 7, 2009 - 12:22 AM

Minnesota's 2008 deer registrations haven't been tabulated, but preliminary results show a likely harvest of less than 230,000 deer. That's the lowest harvest in the past six years -- when hunters shot more than 250,000 deer yearly. And that has sparked some disgruntlement among hunters.

"I'm getting a lot of feedback right now on how awful it was, when in reality it was in the top 10 of our harvests,'' said Lou Cornicelli, Department of Natural Resources big-game program leader.

Ten years ago, for example, hunters bagged only 159,000 deer.

Cornicelli said the drop likely is due to a decline in the deer population and bad weather last fall, which hampered hunting. The agency has, for several years, been trying to reduce deer numbers in some parts of the state, so the harvest decline shouldn't be a big surprise, Cornicelli said.

The harvest decline likely will result in changes next fall in hunting opportunities in some areas, he said.

Recent Club Outdoors stories

Kandiyohi boy recovering from hunting accident - January 7, 2009

Kandiyohi boy recovering from hunting accident - Brady Damhof was wounded while duck hunting. Authorities say another member of his hunting party apparently stumbled, and his gun went off. More

Comment on this story | Be the first to comment | Hide reader comments

Join the discussion: Your Voices is a group blog featuring unique perspectives from members of your community. Find commentary on current events, public issues and day-to-day life in Minnesota.