Statewide deer harvests up, success varies across northern Minnesota

Minnesota deer hunters got off to a strong start to the firearms season over the weekend, with preliminary data showing harvest numbers up statewide compared to the same time last year.

The firearms deer season opened Saturday, Nov. 7, with mild temperatures and favorable weather across much of the state, allowing hunters to spend more time in the stand.

Minnesota hunters harvested an estimated 76,000 deer during the first two days of the firearms deer season, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Compared to last year’s firearm opening weekend, that’s “An overall increase of about 17% in harvest,” said Paul Burr, DNR deer coordinator. Burr said last year, over the two-day stretch, hunters harvested around 65,000 deer across the state.

Looking at harvest data from when the deer hunting season began with archery on Sept. 19, through opening firearm weekend, Burr said overall statewide harvests are estimated at “about 15% ahead of where we were last year. And that will probably just increase as the season continues.”

As of Nov. 10, hunters have harvested 121,915 deer statewide, according to preliminary DNR data.

Although preliminary DNR data show an increase in deer harvests statewide this season, hunting success has varied across the state.

Reports from DNR conservation officers across northern Minnesota point to a mixed opening weekend, with conditions and deer activity differing from one hunting area to the next.

Conservation Officer Thomas Wahlstrom, based in the Grand Marais area, said in a Nov. 9 report that favorable weather let hunters stay in their stands, but most hunters he spoke with described a slow opener.

Conservation Officer Trent Anderson, based in the Tofte area, also reported that hunters saw very few deer despite the mild weather.

In Cook County’s Deer Permit Area 126, which encompasses most of the county, hunters have harvested 64 deer (61 bucks, 3 does) since archery season began. The permit area is designated as bucks-only under the DNR’s 2026 deer hunting regulations. The DNR has provisions for hunters to harvest an antlerless deer, including a limited lottery permit system within state parks.

The bucks-only designation has been in place across much of the Arrowhead region for several years as a conservative management practice due to continued low deer populations.

Near Ely, Conservation Officer Sean Williams described the opener as one of the busiest in recent memory, with mild temperatures contributing to increased hunter activity. While hunters were out in force, Williams said that did not appear to translate into greater harvest success, with few deer taken.

Burr said deer populations remain strong in some parts of Minnesota, while other areas, particularly the Arrowhead region, continue to see lower numbers and slower recovery.

“Although in general, most of the state is seeing increases in harvest, there are still some permit areas like that in the Arrowhead region that are just seeing really low harvest,” Burr said.

He said harvest data across the Arrowhead region show no declines in those areas, but the increases have been more modest than elsewhere in the state.

Over by the city of Cook in northern St. Louis County, Conservation Officer Sean Cannon reported good weather and increased deer movement over the weekend. “The consensus from the field was that more deer were seen and harvested than have been in quite a while,” Cannon wrote in a Nov. 9 report.

Farther south and west, reports also varied. Conservation Officer Marc Johnson, who patrols the Hibbing area, said local hunters had limited success harvesting bucks. However, many hunters reported seeing considerably more does and fawns than in previous years.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with DNR Deer Coordinator Paul Burr after the opening weekend of the firearm deer season about statewide and regional harvest numbers, as well as how opening weekend went for hunters with the new CWD surveillance testing system and new electronic licensing system.

Kalli Hawkins November 11, 2026