During the first two days of firearms deer season, almost 70,000 deer were registered, according to a release from the MN DNR.

The MN DNR reported in the release, that 68,958 deer were registered and that the harvest is down 3% from last year.

According to the release, Zone 1 in northeastern Minnesota reported a 16% increase. Zone 2, which is most of Minnesota, and parts of Canada and Iowa, reported a 7% decrease. While zone 3, the southeastern part of Minnesota, reported a 28% decrease.

“Since these are preliminary numbers, it’s too soon to say if the unusual weather had any impact on harvest elsewhere in the state, but as conditions change and hunting continues, we’ll get a better sense of how the season is progressing,” said DNR big game program leader Adam Murkowski.

The DNR estimates that the total harvest this year will be between 165,000 to 185,000 deer, according to the release.

By — Lakeland News