One point seven million whitetails!

The DNR is reporting:

The state's deer herd is at near-record levels, and harvest tags are plentiful.

"We estimate the deer population at 1.5 million to 1.7 million," said Keith Warnke, big-game specialist for the Department of Natural Resources. "That's down slightly from last year. We believe we are on the right side of record deer populations. They are coming down."

Coming down? I seem to remember hearing the population was around 1.6 million last year.

Regardless. I'll be taking son #1 out for the youth hunt in October. Earn-a-buck does not apply. Repeat: earn-a-buck does not apply.