Safety is the theme this weekend at the Governor’s Deer Opener in Bemidji. Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources is making sure safety is on the forefront.

DNR commissioner, Tom Landwehr, says “Minnesota’s really got a phenomenal record of hunter safety and it really goes back a long time. We have since the 1970s I believe required hunters to get a firearms safety certificate before they can buy a license.”

Landwehr says there’s three tips novice or first time hunters should keep in mind during this year’s Governor’s Deer Opener:
1. Be Safe – Wear orange and know the safety rules
2. Know the laws – Know the difference between public land and private land.
3. Get a Map

Landwehr says, “We have an abundance of really good places to hunt in Minnesota; public lands, whether it’s state forest, national forest, county forest. So get a good map it’ll identify where those places are and you’ll have just an astounding number of places to hunt.”

The hunters aren’t the only ones the DNR wants to protect during this year’s governors deer opener. They also want to make sure the deer population are sustainable for next season.

Landwehr says, “The deer populations are lower than what we would like right now. So we do want to rebuild the herd. And that’s what this year is all about, rebuilding the herd.”

The DNR issued a conservative number of tags for this season, especially with the does.

Landwehr says, “The purpose again is to bring more does through to the spring so there will be more fawns next year and rebuild that herd and the next year will be in a much better place the next year.”

This year at the Governors Deer Opener the hunter will be in charge of the safety of other hunters as well as deer populations.

By — Lakeland PBS

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