Preliminary figures from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources back up claims from deer hunters that the season got off to a slow start.

The DNR reported the statewide deer kill was down 15 percent for the opening weekend of the firearms season. For Saturday through Monday, hunters registered 77,474 deer, compared with 91,223 last year.

Lou Cornicelli, the DNR’s big-game program coordinator, said the miserable weather probably contributed to less deer movement. He says it also meant hunters spent less time in the woods.

But there also might be fewer deer, too. Cornicelli said the DNR’s long-term strategy to reduce the herd in parts of the state is having an impact.