A record number of hunters have applied for Duluth's annual bowhunt for deer, according to the Arrowhead Bowhunters Alliance, which conducts the hunt for the city.
A total of 354 hunters have applied for the hunt, which begins Sept. 18. Of those, 254 are hunters who have participated before, said Brian Borkholder, who keeps records for the ABA.
The hunt has been held annually for the past five years to reduce the number of deer roaming the city. Last year, 318 hunters took part in the hunt and took 586 deer. Hunters must shoot at least one doe before taking a buck in the city hunt.
"This just shows the popularity of the hunt," said Phillip Lockett, president of the ABA. "We're continuing to see deer numbers up, and we'll continue to fill the hunt with as many hunters as we can."
The ABA will limit the number of hunters to about the same number as last year, Lockett said.
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"I wish we could accommodate everybody, but it becomes a management issue for us," he said.
"There's only so much room in the city. We place everybody on public land unless they opt out (to hunt private land)."
On July 21, the ABA will hold two lotteries to place hunters in designated hunting zones across the city. The first lottery will be for returning hunters. After those hunters are placed, new hunters will be assigned to hunting zones, up to a total of 300 returning and new hunters, Borkholder said.
Additional new hunters will be allowed into the hunt if they have permission to hunt on private land, and about 16 of the new hunters have secured permission to hunt private land, Borkholder said.
"The final number (of all hunters) will be in the 315 to 320 range," Borkholder said.
A little more than 20,000 acres of public land are open to hunting, down slightly from last year. Some of the land previously in the hunt has been developed, Borkholder said.
Hunters who participate in the hunt must pay a $20 registration fee to the city, sign an ethics pledge, pass a bowhunting education course and pass a shooting proficiency test.
