Grand Marais area: Kelston Benson at Buck's Hardware Hank in Grand Marais said the store had registered about 30 deer by nightfall. "It seemed like everyone got their deer right away in the morning, around 7 or 7:30 a.m.," he said. "We had one deer that weighed 230 or 240 pounds, and another one that weighed about 220 that had a spread of about 20 inches." Benson also couldn't get over the weather in the Arrowhead region. "It was unbelieveable," he said. "It was 67 degrees, and it's still warm out tonight, which is unheard of up here. The wind kicked up a little bit this afternoon, they're telling me, but it's been very mild all day."
Bemidji area: Mark Cook, owner of Bluewater Outdoors in Bemidji, reported a normal opener. "We sold 400-plus licenses yesterday, and we've registered 20 deer in the past couple of hours," Cook said. "I've seen two 10-pointers, and one tipped the scales at 200 pounds. Based on the size of the deer herd, I think it will be an average harvest." Cook anticipated seeing more deer registered as the day wore on. "It's such a nice day that people don't bring them in early," he said. "They want to stay out there. But with the warm weather, they have to remember to get the hide off the deer quickly, or they will spoil."
Crosslake area: Aric Larson of the Crosslake Holiday Station store reported beautiful weather and 123 deer registrations, but "nothing too huge."
Winona area: Ashlyn Gibeaut at Mills Fleet Farm in Winona reported a steady day of deer registrations, with a total of about 20 registered by nightfall. "A lot of young kids have gotten deer," she said. "I think the youngest was 10 or 11, and one of them even got a doe and a buck." Gibeaut said most deer registered at the store were bucks, and all were of average size. She also reported wonderful weather. "People have been coming in wearing shorts," she said.
Mankato area: Hunting in the region seemed slower compared to other parts of the state. Mankato's Gander Mountain reported a slow but steady stream of registrations. "It hasn't been as busy as last year," an employee said. "I would say we've registered maybe 10 to 12 deer today, and they were average as far as size."
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