12 Deer Taken In Season’s 1st Youth Deer Hunts

LITTLE FALLS, (AP) - Wet, windy weather made it challenging for participants in Camp Ripley's 12th annual archery deer hunt for youth.

The hunt drew 137 hunters to the Camp Ripley military reservation last weekend, while 13 other young people hunted next door at the Nature Conservancy's Lake Alexander Preserve. They took 12 deer in all - 10 at Camp Ripley and two at the preserve.

Beau Liddell, the Little Falls area wildlife manager for the Department of Natural Resources, says that's a typical harvest for the special two-day hunt. Many of the 12 deer were the first for these hunters, who were paired with adult mentors who gave advice but did not hunt.

The two hunts last weekend were the first of 18 special youth deer hunts across the state this year.