For additional information, please call the park office before you head out.
Upcoming CWD deer hunts in January
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease that affects cervids, including white-tailed deer. These hunts are an important tool in disease management, helping limit disease spread and showing where disease is more prevalent through testing of harvested deer. Forestville/Mystery Cave, Nerstrand and Great River Bluffs state parks and the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area are all holding CWD hunts the first weekend in January. Use the grid on this page to get hunt dates and maps.
Safety tips for those who will be visiting a state park during a hunt:
- Wear blaze orange or other brightly colored clothing, even if you will not be hunting.
- Check with the park office when you arrive, to see if there is any additional hunt-related information.
- Watch carefully for any hunt-related signage in the park, and follow it!
Many Minnesota state parks hold managed hunts as a way to help control the deer population in the parks. Our goal is to ensure healthy natural communities. When too many deer are in one area, the native plants and animals are negatively affected.
Access to the parks varies around the state during these hunts. Some state parks remain open to all visitors, some have limited public access, and some are open only to hunters with special permits.
This site provides information to non-hunters during the hunt season. If you are a hunter, you'll find more information here.
CLOSED
The park is closed to the public and open only to hunters with a valid permit during a particular hunt.
LIMITED
The park is open both to visitors and to hunters OR a portion of the park is open to the public and closed to hunting while another part is open to hunters only.
| State Park | Access | Type of hunt | Dates | Class | Map |
| Afton | CLOSED | Youth | 11/7 to 11/8 | Firearms | youth hunt map |
| Banning | LIMITED | Youth | 10/31 to 11/1 | Firearms | youth hunt map |
| Beaver Creek Valley | CLOSED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/8 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Blue Mounds | CLOSED | Youth Special permit | 11/21 to 11/22 11/21 to 11/22 | Firearms Firearms | youth hunt map |
| Buffalo River | LIMITED | Youth | 11/7 to 11/8 | Firearms | youth hunt map |
| Camden | CLOSED | Youth Special permit | 10/24 to 10/25 10/24 to 10/25 | Firearms Firearms | hunt map |
| Cascade River | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Crow Wing | CLOSED | Special permit | 12/5 to 12/9 | Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Cuyuna Country | CLOSED | 11/6 to 11/23 | Firearms | park map | |
| Forestville/Mystery Cave | LIMITED | Special permit CWD CWD | 11/7 to 11/8 | Firearms Firearms Firearms | hunt map cwd hunt map |
| Franz Jevne | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Frontenac | CLOSED | Special permit | 11/21 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Glacial Lakes | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/12 to 11/15 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Gooseberry Falls | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Great River Bluffs | CLOSED | Special permit CWD CWD | 11/21 to 11/22 12/26 to 12/27 1/2 to 1/3 | Firearms Firearms Firearms | hunt map |
| Hayes Lake | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Itasca | LIMITED LIMITED LIMITED | Youth Adult mentored Special permit Special permit | 10/10 to 10/11 10/10 to 10/11 11/7 to 11/15 11/28 to 12/13 | Firearms Firearms Firearms Muzzleloader | |
| Jay Cooke | LIMITED | Special permit | 12/5 to 12/9 | Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Judge C.R. Magney | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Kilen Woods | CLOSED | Youth Special permit | 10/24 to 10/25 10/24 to 10/25 | Firearms Firearms | park map |
| Lake Bemidji | LIMITED LIMITED LIMITED | Youth Special permit Special permit | 10/16 to 10/18 11/7 to 11/10 12/4 to 12/6 | Firearms Firearms Muzzleloader | youth hunt map hunt map |
| Lake Bronson | LIMITED LIMITED | Youth Special permit | 10/24 to 10/25 11/7 to 11/15 | Firearms Firearms | hunt map |
| Lake Carlos | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/10 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Lake Louise | CLOSED | Special permit | 11/14 to 11/15 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Lake Maria | CLOSED | Special permit | 12/8 to 12/10 | Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Lake Shetek | CLOSED | Youth Special permit | 11/21 to 11/22 11/21 to 11/22 | Firearms Firearms | park map |
| Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine | LIMITED | Special permit Special permit | 11/28 to 12/13 11/28 to 12/31 | Muzzleloader Archery | hunt map |
| Maplewood | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/10 | Firearms | park map |
| McCarthy Beach | LIMITED LIMITED | Special permit Special permit Special permit | 10/23 to 10/24 10/23 to 10/24 11/28 to 12/6 | Firearms Archery Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Minneopa | LIMITED | Youth | 11/21 to 11/22 | Firearms | youth hunt map |
| Minnesota Valley | LIMITED | CWD CWD | 12/26 to 12/27 1/2 to 1/3 | Firearms Firearms | hunt map |
| Myre-Big Island | LIMITED | Special permit | 12/5 to 12/6 | Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Nerstrand Big Woods | CLOSED | Special permit CWD CWD | 12/5 to 12/6 12/26 to 12/27 1/2 to 1/3 | Muzzleloader Firearms Firearms | hunt map |
| Old Mill | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/10 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Rice Lake | LIMITED | Special permit | 12/5 to 12/6 | Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| St. Croix | CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED | Youth Special permit Special permit | 10/31 to 11/1 11/19 to 11/22 12/2 to 12/6 | Firearms Firearms Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Sakatah Lake | LIMITED | Special permit | 12/5 to 12/6 | Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Savanna Portage | LIMITED LIMITED | Youth Special permit | 10/24 to 10/25 11/28 to 12/4 | Firearms Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Scenic | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Schoolcraft | LIMITED LIMITED | Special permit Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 11/28 to 12/13 | Firearms Muzzleloader | hunt map |
| Sibley | LIMITED CLOSED | Youth Special permit | 10/31 to 11/1 11/28 to 11/29 | Firearms Muzzleloader | youth hunt map hunt map |
| Split Rock Lighthouse | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Tettegouche | LIMITED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Whitewater | CLOSED | Special permit | 11/21 to 11/22 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Wild River | CLOSED | Special permit | 11/7 to 11/8 | Firearms | hunt map |
| William O'Brien | CLOSED | Special permit | 11/14 to 11/15 | Firearms | hunt map |
| Zippel Bay | LIMITED LIMITED | Youth Special permit | 10/17 to 10/18 11/7 to 11/22 | Firearms Firearms | hunt map |