Hunters Bag Nearly 120K Deer through Second Weekend

Hunters bagged nearly 120,000 deer through the second weekend of firearms deer season. 

Minnesota hunters registered 118,599 deer.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources say the number of deer registered this year increased 13 percent from 2014. 

At this time last year, hunters registered 104,785 deer. 

Buck harvest is up 18 percent from last year. 

The DNR says it’s a strong indication that the population has grown from a low point two years ago. 

DNR officials expect the 2015 deer harvest to be between 140,000 to 155,000.  

In 2014, hunters bagged just over 139,000. 

For much of the state, the last day of firearms season was November 15.  

Additional deer will be harvested during the northern rifle zone, which runs through Sunday, November 22. 

The late southeastern season runs Saturday, November 21 through November 29, and the muzzleloader season kicks off November 28 and runs through December 13.