NORTH DAKOTA ( KXNET ) — While families head out of town for Labor Day weekend, some hunters will spend time away from the crowd.

Deer archery season opened on Friday at noon.

Licenses for the season can be bought online, but already this year, 13,099 people have already bought a bow tag.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department says that’s an increase of nearly 800 people compared to last year.

But Steve Goroski with the North Dakota Bowhunters Association says overall deer numbers remain low and hunters along the Missouri River can once again expect a challenging season.

“A lot of friends of mine had tag soup last year, they kept their tag in their pockets, so you know, they’re conservationists, they understand that the populations are down, they’re not going to be shooting does, most likely,” Goroski said.

“A lot more people are taking up the sport, learning how to do it, and you know, it’s not leaps and bounds, but gradually, year after year we have noticed a definite uptick in archery license sales,” Randy Meissner, licensing manager with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department said.

The season also opened on Friday for bowhunters who have an antelope tag, they have until September 22 to hunt. Deer bow season closes on January 5.

The Game and Fish is also encouraging bowhunters who are successful to send in samples of the deer to get tested for chronic wasting disease .

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