N.D. — There will likely be more deer hunters in the woods in the late fall in North Dakota than in past years.

According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, just over 72,000 deer licenses will be available to hunters this year, which is almost 3,200 more than last year.

Doug Leier, an outreach biologist with the department, said the upward trend partly comes from a dry winter.

“What that nice winter has done is help the deer make it through the winter, and that equates to having more deer tags available,” he said.

Leier added about 100,000 people are expected to apply for a license this year, and even though some will be turned down, he said the higher number couldn’t have come at a better time.

“There’s hunters that are visiting with some of the other dads and uncles and brothers, and just saying, ‘Hey, we might have better odds this year,’ and that’s good news,” Leier said.

Hunters can apply for a license from now until Wednesday, June 2, and deer season will open again on Friday, Nov. 5.