It's opening day of deer gun season.

At noon, tens of thousands of hunters took to the fields.

With a harsh winter and wet spring, hunters will face new challenges Reporter Kate Schell has more.

It's quite a different sight today than it was just one year ago when deer hunters took to the fields for opening day

(Randy Kreil/ND Game and Fish Dept.) "Of course North Dakota and the weather can vary from year to year and we are seeing that this year. Last year we had two feet of snow on the ground and there was major roads still blocked and a lot of the side roads and prairie trails still blocked for the whole season." Opening day this year is another story..it's sunny with temperatures in the 70s

(Randy Kreil/ND Game and Fish Dept.) "I think weather like this is much better for people to get out hunting. The roads are all open. They can safely travel down a highway to their destination. They dont have to worry about tearing up roads and fields because its wet and messy out there. And there is no excuse for not getting out of the truck and getting their boots a little dusty today." If the projections are right...a lot of people will be dirtying their boots. The Game and Fish Department estimates 1 in every 6 North Dakotans will head to the fields during deer gun season

And... in those fields... standing crops that farmers have yet to harvest

(Randy Kreil/ND Game and Fish Dept.) "That can have an affect on deer movements. People will have to hunt a little harder and change their techniques a little more. In some places it may have an affect on the overall harvest. But people have had to deal with standing crops and sunflowers over the years, and they've managed." Hunters will have fewer deer to hunt this year. Two ariel deer surveys show a decline in population due to the harsh winter

(Randy Kreil/ND Game and Fish Dept.) "But even more significant than the losses you experience during the winter, of the animals that are out there, is that lack of reproductive success. Does the next year have fewer fawns and sometimes they dont have any fawns because of the stress of winter." The Game and Fish Department says roughly 100-thousand deer will be killed across the state

With KX News, Im Kate Schell.

The state started with 144-thousand four-hundred hunting license. As of today, 96-percent of those licenses have been issued. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list