Safety tips from a biologist as deer hunting season begins in ND & MN

North Dakota begins its deer hunting season Friday while Minnesota starts its season Saturday.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — North Dakota Game & Fish Biologist Doug Leier says this season is shaping up to be a good one for deer hunters due to good weather conditions.

He says the deer population is slowly coming back after dealing with drought across the state in the last few years, but wildfires remain a risk.

“You might live in an urban area and realize, ‘Oh, the backyard is kinda dry. It was dry in the garden,’ but you get out into the rural areas where you’re hunting, and the catalytic converters and the tinder dry conditions can really create a bad situation for hunters if they go off trail and get into some grassland and unintentionally start a fire. We really want people to be aware of the fire danger index. It can change from day-to-day and from area-to-area,” Leier says.

Leier emphasizes safety as the most important part of any hunting trip.

“If you wanna make sure that you have a memorable hunt for all the right reasons, then it’s gotta be safe. You have to make sure that you and your hunting group are all wearing blaze orange. Blaze orange hat, blaze orange vest and making sure, when you are hunting, knowing where the other members of your hunting party are at and knowing your target. When you find a deer and you’re aiming at that deer, don’t pull the trigger until you know for sure your target and if you should miss what’s beyond your target,” said Leier.

Hunters can go to their local butcher shop to turn in their kills as many shops across the region expect an influx of deer venison by next week.

“Everybody’s venison is mixed together. When you come in, you don’t actually get your own product back. You get the amount of product back but not your own. Monday will be a very busy day for us. After the weekend hunt, people get their stuff cleaned up and boned out. Monday will be a big venison day for us,” says Wayne Rheault from Meats by John & Wayne.

Leier says as harvest nears its end, it could be harder for hunters to find deer.

He also says it’s vital to stay away from alcohol during your hunt.