The 700 Minnesota stores that act as deer registration stations likely will see even less traffic from hunters this season then they did last year.
Which won't make them happy.
That's because even more hunters this season are expected to register their deer via telephone or the Internet -- a convenience that began last fall.
About half of the 207,000 deer killed by hunters last year were registered via phone or Internet. But so far during the archery deer season, about two-thirds of successful hunters have used those methods.
"I think more people will use it this year," said Lou Cornicelli, Department of Natural Resources big game program leader.
He caught flak from business owners who saw a decline in foot traffic because of the change, and expects more complaints this season.
"We register deer to collect data," Cornicelli said, not to provide traffic for businesses. "Our clientele are hunters. We developed a system that is quick and easy for our clients. It would be disingenuous to our license buyers to force them to drive 15 miles to a store to register their deer when they don't have to."
Cornicelli said he doesn't expect the registration stations to become obsolete, but he expects far fewer in the years to come.