‘Hope’ & ‘Improvement’ Run High In ’24 – MN Deer Hunting Forecast

Archery season for deer hunting is underway, and before we know it the firearms opener will be here. If you are planning on heading out hunting for deer this fall, the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association put out its annual deer hunting forecast. Here's what we learned from the hunting forecast.

The Minnesota Deer Hunter Association posted its deer hunting forecast, and there seems to be a theme. Hope and improvement are the key words in this years forecast for hunters. The mild winter we had last year, meant more deer survived, leading to more fawns being born, which in a year or two could mean some really good harvest numbers, but this year, many deer hunters are pitching hope.

The full report can be found here, but here are a few highlights, including what you can expect to see from your deer stand across the Northern two-thirds of the state:

So, what can we expect for the 2024 deer season? In a word “improvement” and “hope.” More young deer. 

Patience. There will be limited opportunity in the Arrowhead which has the longest, toughest winters and lowest deer populations.

There will be more antlerless permits/opportunity to kill a deer in NC and NW Minnesota but still conservative this year to allow for herd recovery.

If winter 2025 is favorable for deer, the cycle will have come full circle, and we will harvest 200,000 deer in Minnesota for the 1st time since the goal was established in 2012. 

Found hidden towards the top of the report, was one sentence that might bring a smile to your face. "...buck harvest, the best indicator of population growth, will increase."

Buck fever could be real this fall, and there's only one cure for that fever...and it's not more cowbell...