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Hunters and their families who^ve been feasting on venison steak already had a hunch, but the official word from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is that the 2000 firearms deer harvest was among the top five on record. Hunters harvested 193,079 deer statewide, an increase of 27,913 deer (17 percent) compared with 1999. The higher harvest was near DNR predictions. Steve Merchant, DNR Forest Wildlife Program leader, attributes the increase to more antlerless permits offered by the DNR and good conditions in the north that allowed hunters to stay afield longer and track deer more easily. "The forested region, where we saw the biggest harvest increase, had moderate temperatures and snow on the ground during opening weekend," Merchant said. "Those are ideal conditions for deer hunting and resulted in a statewide season that was truly exceptional." The harvest by region was: Northwest Region: 54,332, up 17 percent Northeast Region: 31,748, up 42 percent Central Region: 62,668, up 19 percent Southwest Region: 17,501, down 7 percent Southeast Region: 22,461, up 8 percent Twin Cities Metro Region: 4,369, up 7 percent The biggest harvest hike came in the Arrowhead, where hunters have been waiting for three years for increased opportunities to shoot does. Merchant explained that the DNR increased the number of antlerless permits in the forested region because the deer herd there has "fully recovered" from the devastating winters of 1995-96 and 1996-97. "The combination of cutting back on antlerless permits the past three years and three mild winters allowed the northern deer population to quickly recover," he said. Merchant noted that another mild winter would mean the DNR would have to again increase antlerless permits to reduce problems — such as depredation and car collisions — associated with high deer numbers, as has been the case in Wisconsin. Minnesota^s archery deer season continues through Dec. 31. The DNR will issue a final deer harvest report on its web site (www.dnr.state.mn.us) later this winter.

Uploaded: 12/16/2000