(Released September 8, 2009)
Deadline to apply for a special hunt permit is
Sept. 10Thirty-five Minnesota state parks will hold special resource management deer hunts this fall. Park access for visitors will vary around the state during the special hunts.
Twenty-one of the 35 parks will remain open to all visitors, five will have limited public access, and eight will be closed to the public during the special hunts, which generally take place over the course of one or two weekends. Four parks will also be partially closed during youth hunts on two weekends in October. All other Minnesota state parks and recreation areas will remain open as usual.
The special hunts will include regular firearms and muzzleloader options as well as an archery hunt.
Detailed information about access to Minnesota state parks during the special deer hunts will be available online.
Twenty-one Minnesota state parks, predominately in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the state, will remain open to all visitors during regular firearms hunts that will take place in October, November and December.
All park visitors should be aware of the special hunts, and should wear blaze orange or brightly colored clothing if they plan to visit a park during a special hunt. Visitors should check for hunt-related information at the park office during these time periods and look for signage related to the hunt.
Minnesota state parks that will be open to the public during the special hunt are: Beaver Creek Valley (Nov. 7-8), Buffalo River (Nov. 7-8), Crow Wing (Dec. 4-6), Flandrau (Oct. 10-Dec. 31), Forestville/Mystery Cave (Nov. 7-9), Glacial Lakes (Nov. 12-15), Hayes Lake (Oct. 10-11 and Nov. 7-22), Itasca (Nov. 7-15), Judge C.R. Magney (Nov. 7-22), Lake Bemidji (Nov. 7-10), Lake Bronson (Nov. 7-15), Lake Carlos (Nov. 7-10), Lake Louise (Nov. 14-15), Lake Maria (Dec. 5-7), Maplewood (Nov. 7-10), Myre-Big Island (Nov. 28-30), Schoolcraft (Nov. 7-22), Sibley (Dec. 5-6), Soudan Underground Mine (Nov. 28-Dec. 13), Whitewater (Nov. 21-23) and Zippel Bay (Nov. 7-22).
LIMITED ACCESS DURING SPECIAL HUNTS
Five state parks in northeastern Minnesota will be partially closed to nonhunting visitors. Parks that will have limited access during the special hunt are: Gooseberry Falls (Nov. 7-22), Jay Cooke (Dec. 5-9), Savanna Portage (Nov. 14-18), Split Rock Lighthouse (Nov. 7-22) and Tettegouche (Nov. 7-22).
Along the North Shore, Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse and Tettegouche state parks will remain open to the public and closed to hunting south and east of Highway 61. At Jay Cooke State Park, the campground, River Inn and Swinging Bridge will remain open to the public and closed to hunting. At Savanna Portage State Park, areas that will remain open to the public and closed to hunting include the Loon Lake Day Use area and the boat accesses at Lake Shumway, Savanna Lake and Wolf Lake.
CLOSED TO PUBLIC DURING SPECIAL HUNTS
Eight Minnesota state parks will be entirely closed to nonhunting visitors during the special hunts. These parks, and the dates they will be closed, are: Frontenac (Nov. 21-22), Great River Bluffs (Nov. 21-22), Lake Shetek (Dec. 5-6), Nerstrand Big Woods (Nov. 28-29), St. Croix (Nov. 14-17), Scenic (Nov. 7-22), Wild River (Nov. 7-10) and William O?Brien (Nov. 7-8).
OPEN OR PARTIALLY CLOSED DURING YOUR DEER HUNTS
Special youth deer hunts will take place at 10 Minnesota state parks in October. The parks that will remain open to all visitors during the youth deer hunts are: Buffalo River (Oct. 24-25), Lake Bemidji (Oct. 17-18), Hayes Lake (Oct. 17-18), Lake Bronson (Oct. 17-18), Old Mill (Oct. 17-18) and Zippel Bay (Oct. 17-18).
Parks that will be partially closed to nonhunting visitors are: Itasca (Oct. 17-18), St. Croix (Oct. 24-25), Savanna Portage (Oct. 24-25) and Tettegouche (Oct. 17-18).
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS SEPT. 10
Applications for special hunt area permits must be made by Sept. 10. To find license agents, get applications, or purchase licenses by phone or the Internet, select the ?hunting and trapping? link under the ?Recreation? heading at
www.mndnr.gov. The application deadline for permits for the youth deer hunts has already passed.
ONGOING RESEARCH ON HARVEST REGULATIONS
Along with the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Division of Parks and Trails is in the fifth year of a research project evaluating the effectiveness of alternative harvest regulations on deer populations. The purpose of these regulations is to increase the harvest of antlerless deer. One of the regulations being evaluated is the earn-a-buck option, where hunters get to take a buck once they?ve harvested an antlerless deer. The antlerless deer and the buck must both be harvested in the same park. The nine earn-a-buck state parks for 2009 are Beaver Creek Valley, Forestville/Mystery Cave, Frontenac, Great River Bluffs, Lake Bronson, Lake Louise, St. Croix, Whitewater and Wild River.
The other regulation being evaluated is an antler-point restriction where, depending on the park, a deer must have a minimum of either three or four points on one side in order to be taken. For example, at Itasca and Savanna Portage state parks, a buck must have at least three antler points on one side to be taken.
More information about access to Minnesota state parks during this fall?s special deer hunts is available online.
http://www.mndnr.gov/
