Harvested deer number impressive this season

In the County, a very successful deer season continued.
“I would say that deer registrations are up by 75-100 percent over the last few years,” said Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist Rich Hoppe.    Hoppe noted that Ben’s in Presque Isle was up over 100 percent from last year with still a week to go.
“Hunter effort is up, and success rates are up,” he said.
Hoppe has examined a number of the harvested deer, and has come away impressed.
“The deer are in excellent shape headed into this year’s winter. What we noted with moose, with the exceptional weight and antler growth, also seems to be reflected in the deer,” said Hoppe.
“The excellent habitat and mild winters have enabled deer to maintain optimal body condition with high fat reserves,” he added. “This will serve them well going into winter and should translate into higher survival rates.”
Hunting conditions have also been very good as well. During the week of Veterans Day, there was snow on the ground Monday through Wednesday. Hoppe said he saw lots of hunters who took advantage of the excellent conditions to spend some time tracking deer.
If you’ve already tagged out or would rather chase grouse than deer, Hoppe added that there still is some excellent bird hunting in the western part of the region.