Minnesota deer season largely unchanged from 2024

The Minnesota Department of Natural Materials has publicized the details for the deer hunting season and it s basically the status quo for hunters in the northwest part of the state According to Blane Klemek Northwest Region wildlife manager for the DNR in Bemidji bag limits in most of deer permit areas DPAs in the northwest are the same as last year while two DPAs three-deer limit and two-deer limit increased from two- and one-deer limits respectively Hunters in DPA which includes much of Red Lake Wildlife Management Area and Beltrami Island State Forest again will be limited to a one-deer limit bucks-only Klemek noted A second consecutive mild winter allowed the DNR to keep the bag limits in the northwest and various other parts of the state relatively unchanged Klemek disclosed The Northwest Region includes counties from Lake of the Woods in the far northeastern corner to Traverse County in the far southwestern part of the region near the South Dakota perimeter It wasn t quite as mild as the winter before that but as Minnesota winters go it was a mild winter Klemek stated Deer were able to move around throughout the entire region in the snow without any difficulty There was about a two-week stretch at the majority when it got pretty chilly But overall Minnesota s winter at least in the northwest wasn t much of a factor at all for deer survivorship Statewide view In a news release the DNR announced DPAs statewide have the same management designation as last season while DPAs have increased bag limits Two DPAs have lower bag limits to reduce the harvest of antlerless deer the DNR explained with the intent of increasing deer populations Minnesota deer permit areas and bag-limit designations for the hunting season Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Tools Harvest designations remain conservative in far northern Minnesota where deer populations are still recovering from the severe winters of - and - the DNR disclosed No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either-sex two-deer limit three-deer limit or five-deer limit designations Hunters should note that DPA has been split into two smaller DPAs and the DNR explained both of which have last year s designation of lottery with a one-deer limit Dates to remember Firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to shoot antlerless deer in a DPA designated as antlerless permit lottery must purchase their license by Thursday Sept the DNR explained Hunters who buy their license by Sept are automatically entered into the lottery for the DPA or special hunt area they declare Season details for each DPA and electronic copies of the Minnesota hunting regulations are available on the DNR deer hunting webpage at mndnr gov hunting deer Print copies will be available in mid-August wherever licenses are sold the DNR stated Regulations translated into Hmong Karen Somali and Spanish will be available online in mid-September We love getting ready for deer season each year Multiple hunters prepare for time out in the forests and fields like it s a major holiday Paul Burr the DNR s acting big match project coordinator announced in a message We re reminding hunters to closely review the new hunting regulations and all the details that apply to them so they re ready to enjoy deer seasons Changes of note The DNR has simplified the process for buying a firearms deer license by eliminating the B season license in the southeast and offering one statewide firearms deer license instead The statewide license is valid during both the statewide Firearms A season and the late Southeast B season Another vital change is related to chronic wasting infection testing Self-service stations will be available in CWD management and surveillance zones during opening weekend of firearms season and the following Monday Saturday Nov through Monday Nov and during CWD special hunts Because of the expanding footprint of CWD in Minnesota the DNR will prioritize collecting baseline surveillance figures in three new areas and will shift staff support to accommodate the increased workload Hunters should check the CWD testing requirements and available sampling options for the DPAs where they hunt Hunters can find DPA-specific information on the DNR website at mndnr gov deerhunt Hunters are required to have deer age or older sampled in all CWD management and surveillance zones if they harvest their deer during the opening weekend of the firearms season Nov - CWD management zones in the Northwest Region are DPA east of Moorhead DPA near the South Dakota confines DPA near Crookston and DPA in the Bemidji area If sampling efforts don t find any new CWD-positive cases in this fall mandatory testing would no longer be required in that DPA Klemek declared The mandatory sampling requirement is removed if no positive samples are revealed for three consecutive years Hopefully fingers crossed it s the last year we need to sample hunter-harvested deer in Klemek declared If we can get by this fall and have no positive samples from we would be able to according to our CWD response plan cease sampling in that CWD management zone Related Articles DNR officer Kittson County deputies rescue orphaned bear cubs Season dates Here s a look at Minnesota deer season dates for Archery Saturday Sept through Wednesday Dec Youth and early antlerless Thursday Oct through Sunday Oct Firearms Saturday Nov with various closing dates depending on location Muzzleloader Saturday Nov through Sunday Dec Late CWD DPAs and Friday Dec through Sunday Dec For a guide on finding the the majority up-to-date information throughout the deer season including details about individual DPAs preparing for hunting to find CWD sampling locations or to request a mail-in sampling kit check out the DNR website at mndnr gov deerhunt