New numbers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources show hunters bagged more deer in 2025 than last year.
Hunters reportedly harvested 186,203 deer in 2025, a 9% increase from the 2024 season; it is 5% higher than the five-year average.
“We had a great deer harvest in most areas of the state this year,” said David Trauba, DNR wildlife section manager. “Hunters are critical to managing deer populations, so it’s positive news for conservation when we see hunters having more success out in the fields and forests.”
The DNR said 14,000 deer were submitted for chronic wasting disease(CWD) testing.
CWD was detected in 117 deer across the state in 2025, with most coming from southeast Minnesota. Of all the positive results so far in 2025, only one was harvested outside an existing CWD management zone.
According to the DNR, the most success in deer hunting was seen in the northeast, where harvest numbers increased by 14% compared to last year.
Deer populations boomed in northern Minnesota following mild winters in 2023 and 2024, though wildlife managers are still maintaining a conservative bag limit.
The limit, according to the DNR, is due to the severe winters in 2021 and 2022, which initially caused a regression in the deer population. While the number has since increased, wildlife managers caution that it will take more than two mild winters for the northern deer population to recover.