"Bowhunters have had some pretty fantastic results the last five years," said Lou Cornicelli, Minnesota DNR big game program director. "Prior to 2003, the largest bow harvest was just shy of 16,000. In 2003, it jumped to 21,000 and the last five years has been the best archery harvest in history," he added.

Cornicelli said a large deer population, combined with liberal harvest strategies, has benefited archers. "Archery success has gone up 10 percent and a lot of that is how we manage deer. Archers can get two deer almost anywhere around the state," he said.

In the not-so-distant past, archers could only take one deer, so most ended up passing on does and waiting for bucks. Cornicelli said the registration numbers from the last several seasons have shown an intensive doe harvest early in the season by archers. That means bowhunters looking to arrow a deer this fall should start scouting now.

Another reason that archers have experienced such increased success is the obvious improvements in technology. Today's compound bows and high-tech arrows are a huge departure from the long bows and wooden arrows of the not-so-distant past. Now an archer, new to the sport, can pick up a bow, shoot consistently for several weeks to develop proficiency and venture into the woods for a successful outing.

"I think technology has helped, but I don't think it's done as much as some people would have you believe," Cornicelli said. "I think maybe wounding loss has gone down and bowhunters are now taking that 25-yard shot they used to pass on, but the 10 percent increase in harvest is more likely because bowhunters can now kill two deer throughout the state," he said.

Speaking of numbers, one of the reasons the deer herd has been so healthy in recent years is due to the lack of serious winters. Last year's winter that never seemed to end was the harshest in a long time, and there were actually some winter severity index numbers in parts of the northeast that were much higher than they've been in recent years.

"Most Minnesota deer came through in pretty good shape," said Mark Lenarz, a DNR wildlife biologist in Grand Rapids. "The northeast region known as the Arrowhead was the only place where the winter was more severe."

The majority of bowhunters tend to hunt the forested portions of the state. Even in the agricultural zones of southwestern and western Minnesota, archers tend to hunt the trees of windbreaks, river valleys and old homesteads. There are some who take advantage of high grass in CRP plots or who walk through cornrows before harvest time, but the best place to find a bowhunter is by a tree, either crouched near it or halfway up.

AROUND THE STATE
Drive around Minnesota and you'll find a deer herd in very good condition. Population numbers are still high and some permit areas are undergoing adjustments to reduce the harvest, while others are still under intensive harvest regulations.