Deer hunters by the thousands are expected to flood the fields this weekend when North Dakota's season opens.
The Devils Lake and Lake Region areas are expected to be no exception when shooting starts Friday at noon.
“It looks good,” said Roger Johnson, a big game biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish in Devils Lake.
“But there's still a lot of corn and sunflowers out there, so the deer know just where to go to get away from the hunters.”
“So the guys might have to work for them. And the weather doesn't look real good for hunting with temperatures expected near 60 degrees. The deer don't move around too much in that.”
Still, Johnson said there have been some encouraging signs for hunters.
As the deer move toward the rut, they're becoming more and more active, and he says some have been hit alongside the roads in the area.
And Johnson says plenty of bow hunters have told him of nice bucks in the area.
There are a set number of permits for hunters in areas 2-L and 2-E, the primary zones for this area.
“And there are still some doe licenses left,” added Johnson.
Because the season has been expanded to just over 16 days, he says some hunters could feel no big rush to hit the fields Friday, especially if the weather is warm.
In past years, the season has encompassed nine days.
Some hunters put a great deal of time and expense into tracking deer down, however.
One of the newest techniques involves trail cameras, small digital cameras hung on trees along deer trails to track their nighttime activity. Johnson says some guys have 3-4 cameras along deer paths, enabling them to get a handle on their directions and tendencies.
“It can be expensive,” added Johnson. “We've got all the new equipment and techniques, but there's still the old ways too.”
In this northeast section of the state, Johnson said permits are up because of a healthy population here.
But he also figures some numbers could be down because of last winter's tough weather conditions.
