Deer Hunters Experience Strong Harvest During Opener

UNDATED -- Deer hunters who went out on the opening weekend of the firearms season likely bagged a white-tail this year according to the preliminary harvest numbers.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says 81,158 deer were registered statewide between Saturday and Monday.

The DNR's statistics also show a majority of the deer were bucks, with 46,821 of the registered deer listed as adult males. That figure represents nearly 58% of the entire harvest.

The firearms season continues for most of the state through Sunday.  After November 17th, firearms hunting will only be allowed in special permit areas until the muzzleloader season opens Saturday, November 30.  The archery season continues until the end of December.