Deer Hunting Becoming A Thing Of The Past On Minnesota’s Iron Range

A lone wolf stood in a field just outside of Cook, Minnesota. It was about 10 am on the morning of Minnesota's firearm season deer opener, and I was headed into town to get some more groceries. A couple of weeks earlier, I saw another wolf from Highway 53 north of Virginia.

I haven't bought a deer license since 2019, because we see so few deer on our property in Northern St. Louis County, that it's not worth the effort. Especially when it's a Bucks-only region. From what I saw driving around, it doesn't look like anyone else is hunting.

Minnesota DNR Conservation Officer Reports

I checked the Minnesota DNR's Conservation Officer reports for opening weekend. It confirmed what I have been thinking: there are fewer hunters and fewer deer.

Conservation Officer Troy Fondie out of Orr reported that this season started like last season ended, with few people and fewer deer. He also had this to say in his report:

Lack of deer, diminished interest in deer hunting, and lack of youth hunters have set the stage for changes to northern MN deer hunting from what once was. Area forest roads were checked with little activity noted.

Large Number Of Deer Camps Vacant

South of Orr, in Cook, Minnesota, Conservation Officer Sean Cannon said there were significantly fewer hunters than last year, and he noticed a large number of deer camps were vacant. The hunters he talked with said there were more deer this year than last year, but still significantly down.

Conservation Officer Aaron Larson in Tower said some people reported seeing does and a few wolves, with limited success in the region.

Read More: Take A Look At This Iron Range Ghost Town

Not Everywhere Is Hurting As Bad

There are quite a few places in Minnesota that are having better success and more deer harvested. But cold, harsh winters, predators, and several years of heavy snow have done their damage to the population in Northeastern Minnesota.

We're Still Trying To Hold On To Traditions

My friend brought his teenager up to try deer hunting this year. It was his first time at deer camp. He was so excited to come up and was really hoping to see a buck on opening weekend. They did see a doe in the distance, so at least they had that, but I still tried to manage his expectations. We'll try again next week and hope to see some deer sign.