Preliminary results of Nebraska’s November firearms deer season show the statewide harvest was up five percent from last year.

More than 75,000 hunters participated in the season and the harvest was 43,636 deer compared to 41,623 in 2004.

“This increase and should place hunter success over 60 percent for the first time since the 2000 deer season, when 63 percent of hunters were successful,” state official Kit Harris said.

All regions in the state except the southeast experienced significant increases. The southeast harvest remained unchanged.

Nebraska’s southwest region recorded the highest increase at 13 percent.

Number unknown

The total harvest for all seasons is expected to be about 58,000 deer, but because the archery and muzzleloader deer seasons are open through December and the antlerless firearms season will run through Jan. 15, the complete harvest won’t be known until late January.

More than 6,000 lymph node samples were taken from deer throughout the state to test for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

Tests are run by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Veterinary Diagnostics lab in Lincoln.

“Results are back for samples taken from approximately 1,400 deer and, as of Nov. 30, no CWD positive samples had been found.” Hams said.