DNR Report: Deer opener was slow for most

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports the firearms deer opener started much like last year's season ended with few people and fewer deer. He cited lack of deer, diminished interest in deer hunting and lack of youth hunters as contributors. Area forest roads also were checked with little activity noted.

CO Sean Cannon (Cook) also noted there seemed to be significantly fewer hunters around than last year's opening weekend, especially on Sunday, when there seemed to be no more people in the woods than any other fall weekend. He noticed a large number of deer camps were vacant. Most hunters encountered reported there seems to be more deer in the area this year than the last few, but the numbers are still significantly down. A few nice deer were harvested, including a 10-pointer near Gheen. Enforce