BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The North Dakota countryside will be
dotted with orange as hunters take to the field for the opener of
the deer gun season.
The season opens at noon Friday and runs through Nov. 25.
Hunters in some areas will have to deal with a winter storm, and
the state Game and Fish Department says they also should be wary of
thin ice on frozen stock ponds, sloughs, creeks and rivers.
Only about 65,000 licenses were made available this season _ 40
percent fewer than last year. The drop is in response to a reduced
deer population due to three straight harsh winters beginning in
2008. Deer licenses peaked at more than 149,000 in 2008.