Minnesota’s firearms deer harvest was 55,108 after the first two days of the season, DNR statistics show. That compares with slightly more than 47,000 during the 2023 firearms deer opener. Despite the uptick, the opening weekend harvest still lagged 12% below the five-year mean, or average, DNR statistics show.

According to Todd Froberg, big game program coordinator for the DNR in Altura, the cumulative harvest after opening weekend — a number that also includes archery, youth and various special hunts — was 83,426, up 6% from 78,542 in 2023 but 8% below the five-year mean and 6% below the 10-year mean.

The opening weekend harvest by region was as follows:

>> Northwest: 16,631, up 5% from 2023 but down 14% from the five-year mean.

>> Northeast: 10,642, up 6% from 2023 and down 22% from the five-year mean.

>> Central: 19,090, up 4% from 2023 but down 3% from the five-year mean.

>> Southwest: 8,745, up 1% from 2023 but down 8% from the five-year mean.

In an email, Froberg said he was working at a chronic wasting disease sampling station in southeast Minnesota during the opening weekend.

“Most of the hunters said they heard many more shots on opening day than they had heard the past several years,” he said. “But most said Sunday was slow (it was rainy). But I was hearing buck activity was pretty good and lots of rutting activity still.”

DNR conservation officers in northwest Minnesota reported a good opening weekend overall, despite incidents of violations such as baiting, trespassing and shooting from the road.

“Hunters saw great success … with abundant deer activity and lots of nice bucks,” DNR conservation officer Ben Huener, who works the Roseau station, said Tuesday in the weekly update from the DNR Enforcement Division.

Reports farther east were generally slower, with conservation officer Nicholas Prachar saying success in his work area west of Baudette was mixed.

“Some hunters were able to fill tags while others struggled to find deer,” he said.

In the Cass Lake area, conservation officer Mark Mathy said success was poor and he “didn’t hear about or see one deer that was harvested” during opening weekend checks.

Conservation officer Troy Fondie of Orr called the opener “very poor, with little for hunter numbers, numerous vacant camps and even fewer deer.”

For the latest updates on Minnesota deer harvest numbers, check out the “Deer reports and statistics” page on the DNR website at mndnr.gov.