Deer Opener Saturday

Some half million hunters will venture out into the fields and forests of Minnesota this weekend in pursuit of the elusive whitetail.

DNR Brainerd Area Wildlife Supervisor Gary Drotts tells KLKS News, hunters in the area ought to have pretty good success. He says 2003 was the peak year when 24 thousand deer were harvested in Crow Wing and Lower Cass counties. Only half that number is expected this season. Still that would rank as the 8th best on record.

Drotts says the mild weekend weather ought to help success, allowing hunters to stay in the field longer. He is urging safety. Rifles should be unloaded while climbing into and out of deer stands.