NEW ULM — For the fourth straight season, the number of total reported deer harvested is lower than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Hunters harvested 158,678 deer during the 2023 season, 8% less than the 2022 season and 14% less than the five-year average.

The biggest decreases were in northern Minnesota, according to the report. The 2023 harvest in the Minnesota arrowhead (northeast) region was 21% less than 2022 and 8% lower in the northwest region.

Other areas had smaller harvest decreases, 4% lower in southern Minnesota and 3% less in central and southeast Minnesota.

“The reason the deer harvest was down this year is that we had two back-to-back brutal winters with deep snow across most of northern Minnesota, especially the northeast,” said DNR Southern Region Wildlife Manager David Trauba.

“The rest of the state can’t compensate for this lower harvest. This has resulted in a lot of angst directed at Minnesota wolves,” Trauba added.

He disagrees with blaming the lower harvest on wolves.

“Deer and wolves have co-existed in Minnesota for a long time. Northern Minnesota forest deer numbers tend to ebb and flow with winter severity, not predators,” said Trauba.

He said southern Minnesota winters are not the driving factor for most deer harvests because the winters are a little milder and usually end in March.

“Southern Minnesota can have deer mortality, but not like the levels up north. Deer harvest in this part of the state is often related to the amount of standing crop in the field, especially corn, plus weather conditions during the nine-day deer hunt,” Trauba said.

“I think our deer population is healthy overall. This winter was a Godsend to northern Minnesota deer,” he added.

“A mild winter means fatter deer,” said Trauba.

Todd Froberg, big game coordinator at the DNR talked about this year’s extremely mild conditions.

“It bodes well for northern Minnesota deer. Populations in the far north will need several mild winters to start to recover,” said Froberg.

Crossbows were allowed for all deer hunters for the first time in 2023, allowing lost of kids to hunt that didn’t in the past. The archery harvest totalled 24,088 deer, similar to 2022.

Trauba said the mild winter should help the pheasant population too with improved nesting.

“It could set up a tremendous 2024 fall hunting season. That would be great for Sleepy Eye hosting the 2024 Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener (Oct. 11-12),” said Trauba.

The Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce submitted an application on behalf of the community to host the opener. It was selected through a process that considered available hunting land, travel, tourism opportunities, and community support.

The Minnesota DNR and Explore Minnesota (a promotional agency dedicated to growing the state’s economy with tourism, talent attraction and economic development marketing by leveraging public and private partnerships), will assist local partners in planning the event.

The Minnesota deer harvest report including past season reports are available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/mammals/deer/management/statistics.html).