New electronic licensing system in place
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking deer hunters to buy their deer licenses early this year.
“Buying that license early helps hunters avoid any last-minute delays and protect their hunting time,” said Paul Burr, DNR deer coordinator. “By making the purchase a couple weeks or even a month ahead of the firearms opener, hunters can be confident they have everything ready to focus on deer hunting and enjoy the season.”
The Minnesota DNR launched a new electronic license system in June. The new system is functioning well, but it is a bit different and users may find their first transaction takes a little more time as they acclimate. In addition, some individuals who had multiple records in the old system will require customer assistance from the DNR License Center to transfer their history and establish their account in the new system. For these reasons, hunters are encouraged to leave plenty of time for their license purchase.
More than 400,000 Minnesota hunters are expected to participate in the firearms deer season, which opens Saturday, Nov. 7. Last year, hunters bought nearly 140,000 deer licenses the Thursday and Friday before the season opener.
“Thank you to hunters for your patience and planning ahead as we implement this new way to purchase and use licenses,” Burr said. “While it’s a required step for hunters, buying a license also matters for conservation. Hunters can take pride in knowing their license purchase directly funds work to conserve and manage wildlife populations and habitats. License sales also supports monitoring of season participation and deer harvest.”
How to buy a license
There are three ways to buy a license (mobile app, online, or in person from a license agent) and three ways to carry it (paper, PDF, or stored in the app). Customers can access the system on the Minnesota DNR website or by searching “Minnesota DNR Licensing” in the Apple or Google app stores.
If buying a license in person, hunters should also ensure the place they want to buy it is selling licenses this year. The Minnesota DNR has an online map of 2026 license agents.
In addition to possessing valid licenses, all hunters need to be familiar with current deer hunting regulations, including regulations for validating and registering a harvest. Up-to-date deer hunting regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR deer hunting webpage.
Other seasons, deer newsletter
In addition to firearms deer season, participating hunters should also consider buying licenses well ahead of youth deer season and early antlerless deer season, both of which run Oct. 15-18.
Archery deer hunting began Sept. 19 and lasts through Dec. 31. Muzzleloader season is Nov. 28-Dec. 13.
Hunters and anyone interested in deer topics can sign up for the Minnesota DNR’s Deer Notes email newsletter at the Minnesota DNR email update webpage to get updates about Minnesota deer hunting, research, biology and habitat.