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N.D. (AP) – Hunters harvested about 34,500 deer during last year’s gun hunting season in North Dakota.

The state Game and Fish Department says hunter success was 63 percent – up from an all-time low of 51 percent in 2011. However, it was still below the long-term average of 70 percent.

The department is in the process of determining the number of licenses that will be made available for this year’s hunting season. The topic will be discussed at Game and Fish public advisory board meetings scheduled for the week of April 15.

Only about 65,000 licenses were made available last year – 40 percent fewer than the previous year. The drop was in response to a reduced deer population due to three straight harsh winters beginning in 2008.