Special deer hunts to be held in 34 Minnesota state parks (October 30, 2007)
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has issued a reminder that deer hunts will take place this fall in 34 state parks for those who have received special deer hunt permits. Most parks holding a special hunt will remain open to the public. However, DNR officials strongly suggest visitors wear blaze orange while they are in a park and take care to remain within the designated no hunting areas.
For safety reasons, public use of some parks will be restricted. These restrictions will range from closing trails or areas of the park, to restricting use of the park to special hunt permit holders only.
RESTRICTIONS FOR SAVANNA PORTAGE AND NORTH SHORE PARKS
The Loon Lake day-use area and campground in Savanna Portage State Park are the only areas in the park that will remain open to the public. All other areas of the park will be accessible to hunters only.
Day-use facilities on the Lake Superior side of Minnesota State Highway 61 and the cart-in campground at Tettegouche State Park on the North Shore will remain open during their hunt. The park’s main campground, all Tettegouche lodging facilities, and all trails on the west (inland) side of State Highway 61 are included in the hunt area and will be closed to the public. This includes the Superior Hiking Trail.
At Judge C.R. Magney State Park, the portion of the park north of State Highway 61 will be open to both the public and deer hunters but the area south of Highway 61 is open to the public only.
The campground at Judge Magney has closed for the season and will not be available during the hunt at the park.
At Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls state parks on the North Shore, areas of the parks that remain open to the public during the hunt include all facilities on the Lake Superior side of Minnesota State Highway 61. For example, at Gooseberry Falls, the campground, picnic areas, Wayside/Visitor Center and trails along the river/falls on the lakeside will remain open to public use. At Split Rock, the Lighthouse historic site, park trail center picnic shelter, pebble beach picnic area, cart-in and backpack sites, Gitchi-Gami State Trail, lakeside hiking trails, Gold Rock Point and the Madeira dive site will remain open. All trails on the west (inland) side of State Highway 61 are included in the hunt area and will be closed to the public. This includes the Superior Hiking Trail.
At Jay Cooke State Park, the campground, River Inn and Swinging Bridge areas of the park will remain open to the public. The rest of the park will be open to hunters only.
RESTRICTIONS FOR PARKS IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
At Beaver Creek Valley State Park in Houston County and Frontenac State Park in Goodhue County, only the campgrounds are open to the public. All other areas of these parks are available to hunters only. Due to the extensive area open to hunting at Lake Shetek State Park, the public is encouraged to visit a neighboring park such as Camden, Split Rock Creek or Kilen Woods instead, during the hunt scheduled for Dec. 1-2.
PICK UP A MAP AND WEAR BLAZE ORANGE
Visitors who plan to use the parks during the special hunt event should stop at the office when they arrive to pick up a map of the no-hunting zones in the park and remember to wear blaze orange. Maps of these zones will also be posted in various locations in the park.
Visitors might also consider choosing an alternate park nearby for recreation if a special hunts is being conducted at the park they had planned to visit. For example, Interstate and Afton state parks on the St. Croix River are alternate choices for fall hiking or picnicking on the weekends in early November when nearby Wild River and William O’Brien state parks are holding their hunts. Likewise, Wild River or William O’Brien would be good alternatives to visit when Interstate holds its hunt late in November. During the hunt at Interstate, the park area south and east of Highway 95/8 will be closed to hunters, but remain open to the public. The public is invited to contact the park, or the DNR Information Center at (651) 297-6157 or 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367) for hunt information or assistance in choosing alternate locations.
SPECIAL HUNTS AS A RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TOOL
The DNR Division of Parks and Recreation annually holds a number of special hunts in order to manage the deer population. While this effort has been relatively successful overall, there are some parks where a combination of factors, such as mild winters and undersubscribed hunts, have has allowed deer populations to expand beyond acceptable levels.
“Deer are part of the natural communities that we seek to preserve or restore in state parks,” said Ed Quinn, resource management coordinator for Minnesota State Parks. “When deer populations in an area become too high, however, they can have significant impacts on native plant and animal communities. Our overall goal is to manage the deer population in the parks so that their numbers are at a level that does not negatively affect the other natural resources. In some cases, that is best accomplished through special hunts.”
STATE PARKS OPEN TO HUNTERS ONLY DURING THE SPECIAL DEER HUNT
Crow Wing State Park (Nov. 30 - Dec. 2)
Nerstrand Big Woods (Nov. 24-25)
St. Croix State Park (Nov. 10-13)
Whitewater State Park (Nov. 17-19)
Wild River State Park (Nov. 3-6) (Accessible elevated platform for disabled hunters available).
William O’Brien State Park (Nov. 3-4)
STATE PARKS THAT WILL REMAIN OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
DURING THE SPECIAL DEER HUNT
Blue Mounds State Park (Nov. 3-4)
Buffalo River State Park (Nov. 3-4)
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park (Nov. 17-19, Nov. 23-25)
Glacial Lakes State Park (Nov. 10-13)
Great River Bluffs State Park (Nov. 17-19, Nov. 23-25)
Hayes Lake State Park (Nov. 3-18)
Itasca State Park (Nov. 3-11)
Lake Bemidji State Park (Nov. 3-6)
Lake Bronson State Park (Nov. 3-11)
Lake Carlos State Park (Nov. 3-6)
Lake Louise State Park (Nov. 24-25)
Lake Shetek State Park (Dec. 1-2)
Maplewood State Park (Nov. 3-11)
Myre-Big Island (Nov. 24-25)
Scenic State Park (Nov. 3-18)
Zippel Bay State Park (Nov. 3-18)
STATE PARKS WHERE ACCESS IS LIMITED TO DURING THE SPECIAL HUNT
Beaver Creek Valley State Park (Nov. 3-4)
Frontenac State Park (Nov. 17-19)
Gooseberry Falls State Park (Nov. 3-18)
Interstate State Park (Nov. 29-Dec. 2)
Jay Cooke State Park (Nov. 24-28)
Judge Magney State Park (Nov. 3-18)
Savanna Portage State Park (Nov. 10-18)
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park (Nov. 3-18)
Tettegouche State Park (Nov. 3-18)
For more information on special hunts, call the DNR Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367) or visit the state park Web site to view the online chart of deer hunts and restrictions.
