Youth, Antlerless and Archery Deer Hunting Numbers in MN

Minnesota's youth deer hunt ran from October 17-20.  The DNR is reporting that over 6,000 deer were shot, which is up 10% from last year.  The youth deer hunt is available for those 17 and under.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.  The antlerless season was held in 22 specific permit areas where the deer population is at or above where it should be.  Schmitt says 2,559 antlerless deer were shot, which was up 5% from last season.  He says archery hunters shot about 9,500 deer, which was down about 3%.  Schmitt says half of the archery deer shot were shot by cross bows.  He says the popularity of cross bows continue to grow.  The firearms deer season opens November 9.

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Fall fishing continues.  Schmitt says water temperatures are cooling and there is a turnover process happening on larger Minnesota lakes.  He explains that the basic explanation is that the warmer water from the top goes to the bottom while the cooler water from the bottom goes to the top.  Schmitt says when this happens it creates a down turn in fishing for a couple days.  He indicates when the turnover is done you'll see an uptick in fishing success.  Schmitt says for those fishing the fishing is good but with November coming the opportunities for open water fishing could be limited.  He typically targets Thanksgiving for the transition to ice fishing.

Schmitt says the Mille Lacs Advisory Committee met recently with the DNR and proposed a 2-fish limit for this winter, with the size guidelines of 18-20 inches or 18-21 inches.  Schmitt says if approved, it would be the first time a 2 fish limit was allowed since 2015.  He says this is only a proposal at this time.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, it is available below.