New data from the state Department of Natural Resources shows hunters killed nearly 50,000 fewer deer last year than in 2018. A report DNR officials plan to present to their board Tuesday shows hunters killed 288,025 deer across all seasons last year, including archery, the traditional nine-day season and the youth hunt. That’s down from 335,243 deer in 2018. Hunters killed 23.5% fewer deer during the nine-day. The report attributes that drop-off to the season’s late start and poor weather. The report says the DNR sold 794,712 deer licenses in 2019, down from 806,442 in 2018.
