Minnesota fish and wildlife

No matter where you're hunting this firearms deer season, our regional wildlife managers offer overall outlooks for their regions of the state.

If you're one of nearly half a million firearms deer hunters who are preparing for the season that opens Saturday, Nov. 9, find out what regional wildlife managers have to say about the upcoming firearms deer season.

Hunters planning to use portable stands on wildlife management areas should check regulations to know when they need to remove stands after hunting.

In most of the state, leaving stands overnight on WMAs is not allowed and the stands must be removed at the end of the day.

In a specific portion of northwestern Minnesota, roughly north of Thief River Falls and west of Warroad, portable stands can be left out overnight on WMAs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.

Regulations about portable stand use on other types of public land besides WMAs can differ. Hunters should consult the hunting regulations, and always wear a safety harness when using an elevated stand.

A hunting regulations change allows Minnesota hunters to use a leashed dog to locate and retrieve a wounded deer or bear.

The person attempting to locate the animal must have a valid license to take the deer or bear or the dog handler must be accompanied by a hunter with a valid license. People must wear blaze orange/pink. Any light used must be an artificial light carried in the hand or attached to the person.

The dog must be on a leash no longer than 30 feet and the dog owner or handler must physically control the leash at all times. Finally, the dog owner’s name and telephone number must be on the dog while it’s being used to locate a wounded deer or bear.

Complete requirements can be found on page 61 of the Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations book.

Hunters can find videos on a variety of topics including CWD, quartering in the field and caping a trophy deer.

The videos make it easier to get a deer sampled for CWD, quarter a deer in the field, cape a trophy deer and remove lymph nodes from a deer.

In addition to the how-to aspected, you'll find valuable information related to CWD and can help you meet carcass movement restrictions if hunting out of state or within a CWD management or control zone.