NORTH DAKOTA ( KXNET ) — Deer hunters in North Dakota are hoping to fill a tag this fall, but there is some good news.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department says Mule Deer numbers are up about 1% compared to last year.

Wildlife workers counted about 276,000 White Tail Deer across the state. While many does were successful with new fawns, Game and Fish workers say we still haven’t recovered from a massive deer die-off three years ago.

“So our deer numbers were down across the state because two years ago we had a really really tough Winter we had a disease called EHD outbreak and in portions of the state we lost over 80% of our Whitetail Deer,” said Bill Haase, the assistant chief of the Wildlife Division.

Deer archery season opens on August 30. Game and Fish workers say the deer population is down, especially in Eastern North Dakota.

Game and Fish staff say several deer died from starvation and exposure last winter, but wildlife experts say hunters may have success depending on where they can find private land permission and good habitat.

“It just depends on what state you’re in and where the population is compared to a few years ago,” said Haase.

Meanwhile, more families will get a chance to deer hunt next month during Youth Season, which happens from September 13-22.

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