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Is this the year that Minnesota deer harvest pushes past 200,000?

A stretch of three straight mild winters across much of the state has aided in what DNR managers say is a growing deer herd in many regions. Total harvest has trended upward each of the last two seasons. There is optimism that will continue this year, and a majority of the state’s harvest happens during the firearms season, which opens Nov. 7 this year. (Stock photo)

When it comes to the state of the whitetail herd in Minnesota, winter is always a top topic of conversation. But there hasn’t been much to talk about in recent years. Most of the state is coming off three straight relatively mild winters, according to the DNR’s winter severity index.
The exception is the far northeast where portions of Lake and Cook county saw more severe ratings. In general, it’s been a long run of conditions that lead to a growing herd, and harvest numbers have followed suit since 2023 when 158,678 deer were shot.

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