ST PAUL, Minn. — The warm weather will impact this weekend's firearms deer hunting opener.
In fact, the Department of Natural Resources says it's the third opener in a row that's warmer than normal and that's just one thing contributing to a smaller deer harvest.
"It's a fun time when they have family gatherings, you know, and that's what deer hunting is all about," said Bob Peterson, a former deer hunter turned trapshooter. "You don't see much of it anymore and that was the whole thing why I liked to hunt."
The DNR says the number of deer hunters is declining — by as much as 3% yearly — and the average age is about 57.
"They'll eventually age out of the sport, and we're not replacing them quickly enough with youth hunters or new hunters to accommodate that," said the DNR's Big Game Program Leader Barb Keller.
Keller says fewer hunters means it can be harder to manage the deer population that is stable or increasing in most parts of the state.
But Keller says it's unlikely Minnesota will hit its goal of harvesting 200,000 deer this season. Up to about 70,000 are taken during this weekend's firearms opener.
Chronic Wasting Disease is also a concern. The fatal condition spreads between herds and it's recommended that people don't eat meat infected with CWD.
Keller says it only affects 1% of the deer population compared to 50% in Wisconsin. Keller says CWD is mostly contained to southeast Minnesota, but added it's spreading to some new areas.
"While it is unfortunate that we continue to find it in new places, the fact that we’ve been able to keep that prevalence rate low is encouraging," said Keller.
Deer hunting has a $500 million economic impact on the state and if license sales continue to fall, so too will funding for conservation efforts. But enthusiasts are hopeful it will be a habit for years to come.
For more information about hunting and regulations in Minnesota, click here.
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