A total of 58,146 North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 39,322 deer during the 2020 deer gun hunting season, according to a post-season survey conducted by the state Game and Fish Department.

Game and Fish made available 68,650 deer gun licenses last year. Overall hunter success was 68%, with each hunter spending an average of 4.8 days in the field.

Hunter success for antlered white-tailed deer was 67%, and antlerless whitetail was 63%. Mule deer buck success was 81%, and antlerless mule deer was 83%.

Hunters with any-antlered or any-antlerless licenses generally harvest white-tailed deer, as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 70%, while doe hunters had a success rate of 69%.

Game and Fish issued 12,130 gratis licenses in 2020, and 9,678 hunters harvested 5,612 deer, for a success rate of 58%.

A total of 1,276 muzzleloader licenses were issued, and 1,093 hunters harvested 481 white-tailed deer (234 antlered, 247 antlerless). Hunter success was 44%.

A total of 30,336 archery licenses (27,041 resident, 3,295 nonresident) were issued in 2020. In total, 26,420, bowhunters harvested 9,911 deer (9,058 whitetails, 853 mule deer), for a success rate of 38%.

The department is in the process of determining recommendations for licenses in 2021.