 The start of the 2016 Minnesota deer hunting season is officially here. The governor's opener kicked off today and in just two days the real fun begins. The rifle season opens Saturday morning at sunlight and after harvesting nearly 133,000 deer last year, nearly 20,000 more than 2014, the DNR is excited for a big year this time around. But they say don't wait until the last minute to get your license. The Northwest region is going to have a pretty good deer season altogether. We've increased lottery permits in 184 around Bemidji here over what it was last year. If you're just now thinking about buying your license, you better get it as soon as you can. Tomorrow is traditionally our most busy day last year on Friday before opener or 94,000 license sold. Hopefully people have taken the time to check their deer stand, make sure it's still standing after the blows that we had this summer with the wind and trees knocked down and such. A little scouting just to understand how deer are using the area. We don't have the acorn crop that we had a couple years ago. So things are going to be a little different and just knowing the game is the best way to win at it. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.