If the deer population doesn’t take a turn for the better, Minnesota wildlife officials may place tighter restrictions on hunters.

Outlined in its annual deer harvest report, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says hunters harvested 158,678 deer in 2023 — an 8% decrease from the year before and 14% less than the five-year average.

Big Game Coordinator for the DNR Todd Froberg says a key factor in the recent dips is the harsh and snowy winters of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. He adds that’s tough for deer as they must use more energy to reach food, making them more vulnerable to predators.

“With some of that becomes a more conservative bag limit, so less opportunities for hunters,” Froberg said about the possible impacts.

Froberg also added there isn’t enough evidence to point at wolves as being a big reason for the decline.

Another number they’re watching closely as a reason for the low harvest is the continuing decline in Minnesota hunters.

“This is not specific to Minnesota, this is a nationwide issue,” Froberg said of the fewer hunters, adding: “We’ve lost [about] 1.5-3% of our firearm hunters on a yearly basis. So, it makes our job harder in areas where we need to manage deer populations with less hunters taking deer.”

A bright spot: our current winter — Froberg said it’s too early to tell, but the mild winter could bode well for future harvests.

One lucky hunter who bagged an 8-point buck is Chris Waltz — he’s been hunting for most of his life and plans to pass down the tradition to his kids to help turn the trends around.

“It definitely [instilled] an ethic for conservation [and] care for the resource,” Waltz told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. “I feel, you know, [it’s] very important for me to pass that down.”