Minnesota DNR prepares for upcoming deer opener

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) -This weekend kicks off the firearm deer hunting in Minnesota, and the Department of Natural Resources is preparing for a big weekend.

The agency expects over 400,000 hunters to hit the trails this season, a number similar to last year’s total.

The DNR said that hunters play a key part in maintaining Minnesota’s ecosystem, and expect around 200,000 deer to be bagged this year.

“Hunters are our tools for managing our deer population” said Regional Wildlife Manager David Trauba. “If we didn’t have hunting, our growth rate in our deer herd would be exponential almost. In this area of the state we don’t have predators. We would just have a lot of human-deer conflicts on the landscape.”

With hunting season being such an important part of the year, the DNR wants the season to go smoothly.

Hunter safety is something that the DNR focuses on year-round, and officials want to remind hunters and non-hunters alike to be wary when hitting the fields.

“We have a very good safety record but make sure hunters are wearing the appropriate amount of blaze orange,” said Trauba. “Some people might be out hiking this weekend, private land or wherever, just put on some blaze orange as well, because there’s going to be a lot of people out in the woods and out in the fields this year, so safety never takes a break.”

Hunters are also encouraged to double-check the regulations in their area by visiting their website.

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