Minnesota Hunting – October 2016
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Hunting dates to remember
Saturday, Oct. 15: Pheasant season opens; hunting and trapping in north zone opens for raccoon, red fox, gray fox, badger and opossum
Thursday, Oct. 20-Friday, Oct. 21: First Camp Ripley archery deer hunt
Saturday, Oct. 22: Hunting and trapping in south zone opens for raccoon, red fox, gray fox, badger and opossum
Thursday, Oct. 20-Sunday, Oct. 23: Youth deer season, early antlerless-only season in permit areas 346 and 349
Saturday, Oct. 29-Sunday, Oct. 30: Second Camp Ripley archery hunt
Saturday, Oct. 29: Trapping seasons open for beaver, otter, mink and muskrat
Saturday, Nov. 5: Firearms deer season begins
Saturday, Nov. 19: Firearms deer season 3B begins (southeast)
Saturday, Nov. 26: Muzzleloader season begins
Gear up, pheasant hunting opens this weekend
Pheasant hunting can put food on the table, supports grassland conservation and is a fun sport that doesn’t require a lot of specialized or expensive equipment.
Once you’ve identified some areas you might hunt – the hunting usually takes place in grasslands or frozen wetlands – there are a few things to consider to make the most of time in the field once the Minnesota pheasant season opens on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Gov. Dayton in Montevideo for pheasant opener
Pheasants will be the focus in Montevideo this weekend, as the community hosts the Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener.
Gov. Mark Dayton will lead the festivities, which highlight the many hunting, recreational and community opportunities that the greater Montevideo area has to offer visitors. Activities include a Friday afternoon dedication of the Mills Creek Gun Range, a Friday evening community banquet, and hunting on Saturday.
The 2016 event in Montevideo will mark the sixth annual Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener, initiated by Gov. Dayton in 2011. Montevideo also hosted the inaugural event.
Montevideo has a population of 5,500 and is located 130 miles west of the Twin Cities at the intersections of U.S. highways 212 and 59, and Minnesota Highway 7. The city actively promotes hunting and outdoor recreation. Within 25 miles of Montevideo, there are 25 Walk-In Access areas totaling 3,335 acres, 16 Waterfowl Production Areas totaling 4,366 acres and 76 Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) totaling 47,004 acres. All are open to public hunting.
Storm wins pheasant stamp competition
Sartell artist Scot Storm won the 2017 Minnesota Pheasant Habitat Stamp contest. The painting was selected by judges from among 15 submissions for the annual contest sponsored by the DNR.
Storm’s painting will be featured on the 2017 pheasant habitat stamp. His artwork has been featured on the pheasant stamp in 2011, 2006 and 2000; and on the waterfowl stamp in 2015, 2009 and 2004.
The pheasant stamp validation for hunting is $7.50 and is required for pheasant hunters ages 18 to 64. For an extra 75 cents, purchasers can receive the validation as well as the pictorial stamp in the mail. It also is sold as a collectible. Revenue from stamp sales is dedicated to pheasant management and habitat work.
DNR seeks applications for deer advisory committee
People can apply to serve on a committee that will help the DNR develop the state’s first-ever deer management plan.
The deer management plan advisory committee will meet throughout 2017 to review technical information and public input and make recommendations for the development of the plan. Information about the committee structure, functions, expectations of appointed members, and how to apply are available on the new DNR deer plan webpage or by calling 651-259-5198.
Early voting available to hunters away on Nov. 8
Minnesota’s absentee voting law makes it easy for hunters who plan to be in the field on Election Day to make their vote count on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Minnesota’s firearms deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 5.
Minnesotans can request an absentee ballot to be mailed to them, or they can vote absentee in-person at their county or local elections office. Ballots must be returned on or before the Nov. 8 general election.
Details about early voting are available on the Minnesota Secretary of State website or by calling 877-600-8683, or 651-215-1440 in Twin Cities area.
Youth deer season is Oct. 20-23
Youth, ages 10-15, can participate in a special deer season that runs from Thursday, Oct. 20, to Sunday, Oct. 23, in 27 permit areas of southeastern and northwestern Minnesota, including in the Twin Cities metro permit area 601.
Deer permit areas open to the hunt are: 101, 105, 111, 114, 201, 203, 208, 209, 256, 257, 260, 263, 264, 267, 268, 338, 339, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349 and 601. Blaze orange requirements apply to all hunters, trappers and adult mentors in areas open for the youth deer season. More information about hunt requirements is available on page 34 of the 2016 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook.
Early antlerless season to open in two SE permit areas
Hunters in portions of southeastern Minnesota can harvest antlerless deer in an early antlerless-only season from Thursday, Oct. 20, to Sunday, Oct. 23, in deer permit areas 346 and 349 in Winona, Houston and Fillmore counties.
These areas have high deer densities and private landowners have experienced deer damage to agricultural crops. Be aware that public land is limited in the early antlerless hunt areas, and hunters need to ask permission to hunt private lands.
In the early antlerless hunt, only antlerless deer may be taken, and hunters may use up to five early antlerless permits. Deer harvested during the special season do not count toward a hunter’s statewide limit during the regular season. Early antlerless permits cost $7.50 for residents and may be purchased wherever hunting licenses are sold. Bonus permits may not be used for the early antlerless season.
All deer harvested during this season must be tagged with an early antlerless permit. Hunters also must have a valid archery, firearms or muzzleloader deer license. The early antlerless season coincides with the four-day special youth deer season. More information about deer hunting can be found on the DNR website.
Southeast Minnesota CWD sampling taking place this year
Deer hunters in southeast Minnesota who harvest a deer during the 3A and 3B firearms seasons are encouraged to have their deer sampled for chronic wasting disease (CWD) at one of 30 locations that will be staffed.
Due to the expansion of CWD in Iowa and Wisconsin, the DNR will be conducting CWD surveillance in deer areas 339 to 349 throughout the firearm season, an area that includes nearly all the 300 series permit areas. The goal is to collect 3,600 samples.
Early detection is important from the perspective of limiting disease spread. CWD sampling only takes a few minutes and is done while the hunter registers their deer. To help encourage samples, Bluffland Whitetails Association has donated a compound bow and a muzzleloader and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has donated a muzzleloader. Hunters who submit a sample for testing will be entered into a random drawing for one of those items. Also, every hunter who donates a sample will be given a DNR cooperator patch as a small token of appreciation.
Hunters in the permit areas where sampling is taking place are reminded that they will not be able to register deer by phone or internet during the surveillance period. Deer must be registered in person at a walk-in registration station and hunters are strongly encouraged to allow sampling of their deer. More information including the location of registration stations, participating taxidermists and background on CWD is available on the DNR’s CWD page.
No whole deer carcasses allowed to enter Minnesota
Hunters who harvest deer outside the state are reminded that whole deer carcasses are no longer allowed to be brought into Minnesota from anywhere in North America.
This new restriction that includes all members of the deer family (deer, elk, moose and caribou) is an effort by the DNR to respond to the increasing prevalence and geographic spread of CWD.
Hunters may bring only the following parts into Minnesota, regardless of where in North America the animal was harvested:
Meat that is boned out or that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately).
Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
Hides and teeth.
Antlers or clean skull plates (no brain tissue attached) with antlers attached.
Finished taxidermy mounts.
Nonresidents transporting whole or partial carcasses on a direct route through Minnesota are exempt from this restriction; however, similar restrictions exist in all surrounding states.
Find grouse hunting areas online
Beyond a grouse hunter’s gear checklist – blaze-orange hat or vest, shotgun, pair of boots, small-game license – those with internet access who want to give grouse hunting a try have online tools available that can help make hunting plans a reality.
It’s a great time of year to grouse hunt. Minnesota’s 2016 ruffed grouse season runs through Sunday, Jan. 1, and Minnesota has a network of land specifically managed for ruffed grouse habitat and hunting access. In all, 49 Ruffed Grouse Management Areas across northern and central Minnesota provide destinations for hunters and are located in areas with good potential for producing grouse and woodcock.
Grouse management areas are only a start. Hunters can search for hunter walking trails online, and the DNR website has a new search tool for finding WMAs that lets users search by county, species and wheelchair accessibility. And if it’s state forest land you’re after, you can find that and more using the DNR Recreation Compass (desktop) or the mobile version of the Recreation Compass.
Back to the marsh for waterfowl hunting
Here’s a refresher on waterfowl hunting season dates, and don’t forget to check the DNR waterfowl hunting page for weekly waterfowl migration reports.
The duck season structure is similar to recent years. The waterfowl seasons are based on a federal framework that applies to all states in the Mississippi Flyway. Waterfowl hunting regulations are available wherever DNR licenses are sold, and online.
Duck season this year is open for 60 days in each of the three waterfowl zones:
In the north zone, duck season is Sept. 24 through Tuesday, Nov. 22.
In the central zone, duck season is Sept. 24 through Sunday, Oct. 2, closes for five days, then reopens Saturday, Oct. 8, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 27.
In the south zone, duck season is Sept. 24 through Oct. 2, closes for 12 days, then reopens Saturday, Oct. 15, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 4.
The daily duck bag limit remains six per day. The mallard bag limit remains four per day, including two hen mallards. The daily bag limits remain at three for wood duck and scaup; and two for pintails, redheads and canvasbacks.
Access road at Roseau River WMA under construction
Hunters and other visitors to the west end of the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area in northwestern Minnesota are cautioned that the main access road from the west is under construction this fall.
The road can become impassable at times, particularly after a significant rainfall. Hunters are urged to call the WMA headquarters at 218-463-1130 to find out the latest information on access to this portion of the WMA before traveling there.
The road construction is part of a project to improve water management for wildlife and flood control on the WMA pools and the Roseau River. Construction was delayed by excessive wetness throughout the summer of 2016.
Richfield artist wins duck stamp contest
A painting of a redhead duck by Richfield artist Timothy Turenne will be featured on the 2017 Minnesota Migratory Waterfowl Stamp, after Turenne won the annual stamp contest sponsored by the DNR. This was Turenne’s first time winning the duck stamp contest, and he has now won all the DNR-sponsored stamp contests.
The waterfowl stamp validation for hunting is $7.50 and for an extra 75 cents purchasers can receive the pictorial stamp. It also is sold as a collectible. Revenue from stamp sales is dedicated to waterfowl management and habitat work. Stamp sales generate about $700,000 per year for waterfowl habitat enhancement projects on state WMAs and shallow lakes.
Drowning is biggest safety risk for waterfowl hunters
Hunters preparing to hit the water this fall in pursuit of ducks, geese and other wild game are reminded to include life jackets on their hunting gear checklist.
Each year, more waterfowl hunters die from drowning than from other types of hunting accidents. Swamping, capsizing and falling overboard are all common factors leading to these deaths, but in nearly all cases the hunter would have survived had they been wearing a life jacket.
DNR seeks Minnesotans to serve on spending oversight committees
Minnesotans who would like to serve on committees that review how the Department of Natural Resources spends Game and Fish Fund dollars are welcome to submit an application by Monday, Oct. 10.
The DNR is seeking at least 12 people to serve on the Fisheries Oversight and Wildlife Oversight committees. Appointees will be responsible for reviewing the agency’s annual Game and Fish Fund Report in detail and, following discussions with agency leaders and others, write a report on the findings of this review. About half of the current members’ terms expire on Wednesday, Dec. 14, and are subject to this open application.
Grant aims to help recruit, retain hunters
Groups that will help people start hunting or fishing, or continue these pursuits, are encouraged to apply for grants from the DNR by Thursday, Oct. 13.
The Angler and Hunter Recruitment and Retention Grant Program began this year gives priority to programs that are new and innovative and have an ongoing impact. Types of activities could include fishing and hunting educational programs, clinics, workshops and camps, and funding for fishing and hunting equipment and transportation.
Get Wild hockey discounts with a hunting license
Hunting or fishing license holders can order discounted tickets to select Minnesota Wild hockey games, as the Wild and the DNR again team up for this special ticket offer. New this season, one game will include a free blaze orange Wild hockey logo hat courtesy of the Wild.
The promotion includes these home games:
Tuesday, Oct. 18, vs. Los Angeles Kings
Wednesday, Nov. 23, vs. Winnipeg Jets (includes blaze orange Wild logo hat giveaway)
Sunday, Dec. 11, vs. St. Louis Blues.
A limited number of tickets are available for each game and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket prices vary based on game and seating options. The offer is available only through advance online purchase, to hunting or fishing license holders for 2016 or 2017. The discount is not available at the Xcel Energy Center box office.
Buy fishing and hunting licenses anywhere DNR licenses are sold, online with a mobile or desktop device, or by phone at 888-665-4236. Mobile buyers receive a text or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.
