Ten-day totals suggest NE deer harvest up slightly

[Lee Borgersen]

 
Ten-day totals suggest NE deer harvest up slightly
Posted on November 16, 2010 by Sam Cook
 
  Northeastern Minnesota deer hunters appear to be doing a little better than last fall, according to Tom Rusch, Department of Natural Resources area wildlife manager at Tower.

“Preliminary deer registration figures indicate the harvest is up slightly over 2009,” Rusch wrote.

He sent along registration figures that compare the first 10 days of this fall’s season to the same period last fall. Rusch offers one disclaimer: Because permit area boundaries have changed in many parts of the area he covers, it’s hard to compare this year’s numbers to last year’s.

However, the boundaries of permit areas 178 and 122 are the same as last year. In 178, the 10-day harvest is 4,284 this year compared to 3,999 last year. That area is just south Hibbing and Virginia down to Meadowlands. In 122 (the Hoyt Lakes/Skibo/Brimson area), this year’s harvest is 759, compared to 592 last year.

This year’s 176 and 177 permit areas compare roughly to last year’s permit area 175. This year’s figures are 3,699 in 176/177, compared to 1,984 in last year’s area 175. Rusch said the harvest in 176/177 appears to be up substantially because 177 was changed from a “lottery” management area to an “intensive” management area, allowing the taking of many more antlerless deer. In area 177, 54 percent of the deer registered were antlerless, Rusch said.

A total of 11,633 deer were registered in northern St Louis and Lake counties through mid-day Tuesday, Rusch said. Of those, 64 percent were bucks, and 36 were antlerless deer, about average for mid-season, he said.

“Field reports indicate good deer movement as the breeding phase of the whitetail rut is now occurring,” Rusch said. “Hunting conditions  changed drastically over the second weekend, as a major snowstorm moved through the area and dumped 3 to 8 inches of snow. Hunters reported good rutting activity in some areas, particularly before and after the storm, for those who were on stand putting up with Mother Nature’s early winter weather event.”

The deer season in Northeastern Minnesota continues through Sunday.