Reminder: Deer lottery application deadline is Sept. 7
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery this hunting season to purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 7. Hunters who purchase their license on or before this date are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare.
Successful applicants will receive a postcard in the mail authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area. 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 who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery. That application deadline is also Sept. 7.
More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the Minnesota DNR website and in the 2023 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, available online and in print wherever Minnesota DNR licenses are sold.
Surplus permits available for Camp Ripley archery hunt
Hunters who missed the lottery deadline for the Camp Ripley archery hunt can purchase surplus permits on a first-come first-served basis beginning Friday, Sept. 1 at noon. Hunters who already received a permit will not be allowed to purchase a surplus permit. A total of 254 permits remain for the hunt, which will happen Friday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Oct. 29.
Hunters can purchase a surplus permit at any Minnesota Department of Natural Resources license agent or online at on the Minnesota DNR website. Permits will remain on sale as long as they are available, or until Friday, Oct. 6. The cost of the permit is $14.
Hunters will need to use surplus permit code 677 and then choose the Camp Ripley hunt code 668. Successful applicants will receive a hunt packet with permit in the mail.
The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The Minnesota DNR coordinates the hunt in collaboration with Central Lakes College Natural Resources Department and the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000-acre military reservation. Complete details on how to apply, hunt rules and other important instructions are available on the Minnesota DNR website.
Hunters asked not to shoot ear-tagged, radio-collared research bears
The Minnesota bear hunting season opens Friday, Sept. 1, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is once again asking hunters to avoid shooting marked research bears. These bears are marked with distinctively large, colorful ear tags and wear radio collars.
Researchers with the Minnesota DNR are monitoring 35 radio-collared black bears across the state, especially in bear hunting zones 27, 45, and parts of the no-quota zone. Most of the radio-collared bears live in or near the Chippewa National Forest, Camp Ripley Military Reserve, the Pillsbury State Forest, and the Brainerd/Baxter area. However, the bears also range widely from these sites. More information for hunters is available in a previous news release and photos of collared research bears and some research findings gained from them are available on the Minnesota DNR bear management webpage.
Minnesota DNR webinars focus on Minnesota State Fair, hunting with a crossbow
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the summer program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.
In a webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 30, the Minnesota DNR will broadcast live from the Minnesota State Fair to check out the DNR fish pond, visit with the DNR fish pond manager, get a behind-the-scenes view of the fish tanks, and peruse the Minnesota State Parks and Trail Center.
In a webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 6, Kraig Kiger, Minnesota DNR shooting sports specialist, and Morgan Sussman, Minnesota DNR public information coordinator, will share their experiences as successful crossbow hunters. They will talk about how crossbow equipment differs from traditional archery equipment, related hunting strategies, and ways to get ready to try crossbow hunting this fall.
The Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webinars are free and offered year-round, though registration is required. Visit the Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webpage of the Minnesota DNR website for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.