INDIANAPOLIS (AP): The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says deer hunters can expect another productive season this year but they may see fewer deer than in previous years when the firearms season begins Saturday.
 
The DNR is in the third year of a management effort to reduce deer numbers in targeted areas. Another reason for fewer deer was a serious 2012 outbreak of hemorrhagic disease among deer.
 
DNR deer management biologist Chad Stewart says the resulting population is more in line with what should be seen in Indiana.
 
With no hemorrhagic disease reported in 2014 and few reports of deer being affected by last year's hard winter, Stewart anticipates a deer harvest similar to the 126,000 taken in 2013 but short of the record 136,000 taken in 2012.