BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The number of licenses being issued for North Dakota’s 2017 fall deer hunt is increasing for a second straight year, after seven years of declines from a record high.
The 54,500 licenses approved by the Game and Fish Department are 26 percent higher than the recent low in 2015.
State Wildlife Chief Jeb Williams says the rise corresponds with the rebounding of the state’s deer population from several harsh winters and a recent oil boom.
But habitat loss is still a concern. Williams says it’s likely the days of licenses in excess of 100,000 are over as long as prime grassland remains converted to crop production.
The 2017 deer gun season opens at noon Nov. 10 and runs through Nov. 26. The deadline to apply for a license is June 7.
