Deer season opens in Minnesota, North Dakota

David Trauba has high hopes about Minnesota s deer firearms season, in part thanks to some help from Mother Nature — at least in the northwest region of the state, where mild winters the past couple of years and good habitat have helped the deer population. I m optimistic coming into this season, Trauba, wildlife section manager, Division of Fish and Wildlife with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told the Grand Forks Herald. For one, we ve got more opportunities to harvest deer. Up near Grand Forks and in the northwest corner of the state, in much of that area you can harvest either sex or there s a two- or three-deer limit. Depending on the unit and region, Trauba said deer populations are doing well — including in the northwest region, even if the Red River Valley is, as he calls it, habitat limited. However, once you get a little bit east of there, that northwest corner of the state just has excellent deer habitat. It s got that interspersion of w