Submitted photo Craig Soupir of Vesta shot a 10-point buck this past Saturday.

MARSHALL — Wet weather hampered the opening weekend of firearm deer season for some hunters around the Marshall area, but others were more fortunate.

“I think the weather affected the deer hunting, from the die-hard hunters to the ones that did limited hunting,” said Ryan Michelson, sports department manager at Borch’s Sporting Goods. “Even in our group, we didn’t hunt as hard as we normally do just because it was pretty miserable this weekend for weather. The rain just worked its way to your bones.”

Michelson said the warmer than normal temperatures this fall may have been why a lot of people weren’t seeing many deer.

“Normally the deer are rutting this time of year, which helps with the activity of the deer,” he said. “With the warm weather, I don’t think they’re doing that yet. So I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot more success next weekend. With the cold weather, that’ll get them rutting. And it’ll keep them from hiding in the sloughs, too, when it’s cold like that.”

Depending on where people were hunting, a good portion of crops were still in the fields, which provided plenty of cover for the deer.

“A lot of crops are still in yet, they have more places to hide,” Michelson said. “The deer basically had everything going for them, with the weather and the crops.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources anticipated that more than half a million hunters would be out looking for deer this weekend throughout the state. Last year, a total of 197,768 deer were harvested in Minnesota during the various seasons. In Lyon County last year, 523 deer were harvested during firearm season, 75 were killed during archery season and 69 were taken during muzzleloader season.

Craig and Carol Soupir and their children, Wyatt and Marie, were part of a crew of six who hunted private land in the rural Vesta area.

“We hunted multiple places east of Marshall,” Carol Soupir said. “We had some groves we had to kick the deer out of. Otherwise, you really didn’t see much — at least not this year.”

Soupir said the group got two nice-size bucks over the weekend.

“(Wyatt) got an eight-pointer out of the grove where we live,” she said. “It’s the second deer he’s gotten on his own. He was pretty proud of it until his dad got a 10-pointer. Then his excitement dropped a little bit.”

Soupir said both of the deer harvested were filled out really well.

“Both had very nice bodies,” she said. “So (the guys) were pretty tickled. They couldn’t wait to take a picture with them.”

The deer were hauled to a locker to be processed. The family looks forward to enjoying the meat, especially over the winter.

“When we go ice fishing, we like to have deer sausage to bring with,” Carol Soupir said.

Soupir said it’s likely that the antlers will be mounted.

“We might put them both on the same plaque, or we might just wait,” Soupir said. “Maybe our daughter will get a trophy yet.”

Eleven-year-old Jared Gregoire was excited to bag a deer this weekend as well.

“It was really thrilling,” Gregoire said. “It was Saturday night and first this little doe walked by and I decided to pass her by. Then Sunday night, we were out there and that exact same doe was out about 200 yards or something like that. We tried to get her lined up and she moved. We tried again and she moved.”

Finally, the doe came a little closer and Gregoire took aim.

“I shot and she dropped where she was standing,” he said. “I actually shot twice. The first shot, I missed. Then the second shot hit her in the neck. I used my dad’s gun to shoot it.”

Luke Gregoire said the deer marked the second one for the 11-year-old, but that the experience was still exhilarating.

“It was nice Jared got one this weekend,” Gregoire said. “He was pretty excited. He actually got a six-point buck last year.”

The Gregoires were among a group of six who hunted on private land north of Marshall.

“It got a little chilly, but a few years ago, we put up a couple of deer blinds to help keep out the rain,” Luke Gregoire said. “We got sick of sitting up there in the cold and rain.”

Between the six hunters, they got four deer.

“I didn’t get one, but my first goal was to get (Jared) a deer,” Gregoire said. “All the adults were on the same page with that.”

Gregoire said he’ll probably go back out this upcoming weekend, adding that he will most likely bring younger sons Gavin and Connor with this time.

“The other two kids like to just come out and sit,” he said. “They do a good job (of being quiet while out there).”

While it’s great to get a deer, Jared Gregoire said the best part of deer hunting was just being outdoors and observing them.

“It’s fun to be out there and just watch the deer, let them walk by when you see them,” he said. “You’re hoping to see one with big horns.”

Fiream deer season continues through Sunday.