Deer harvest totals reported down this year

Deer firearm hunting season ended this weekend, with area hunters reporting less than usual success filling their tags.
T&L Liquor, the only check-in station in Hamilton County, reported 202 tags checked in as of Monday, down considerably from previous years.
“Usually we’re pushing 300 tags, so we were down quite a bit this year,” reported Missy Kliewer, T&L store manager. “Most guys said they didn’t see anything, or saw a lot fewer deer than they usually see. I don’t know if it was because of the drought or what, but it seems like they kind of moved out of the area this year. Someone mentioned that the North Loup had water in it all year so they may have moved up there, but we’re not sure.”
Kliewer said she spoke with a Nebraska Game & Parks official recently, who reported deer numbers were down across the state.
As for the size of deer reported, Kliewer said there were a couple of 5x5s in this year’s take, as well as one mule deer.
“We’ve seen a few decent deer this year,” she said.
The nine-day firearm season ended Sunday, with hunters required to check in their deer by Monday at noon.