Minnesota hunters have registered 171,000 deer since the firearms season opened on Nov. 6, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported today.
With more deer to be registered and the muzzleloader deer season under way, hunters are "on pace to exceed the 195,000 we harvested in 2009," said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
New rules allowing telephone and online registration of deer that are shot have given the DNR quicker numbers on deer shot. Fifty-four percent of hunters are using the new registration system as opposed to taking their deer to a registration station.
The muzzleloader season runs through Sunday.
