Minnesota wildlife

A virtual open house is coming up on April 1 about possible waterfowl season changes.

The DNR is evaluating season dates for each duck zone and considering some additional duck and goose hunting opportunities. Learn, comment and ask questions at event the event. Find more information on the DNR waterfowl management page.

Hunters hoping to bag a tom turkey with a firearm this spring will see similar regulations as last year, and will not be restricted to a single permit area.

A spring turkey license will provide the opportunity to hunt all permit areas in the state, with the exception of three major wildlife management areas.

Starting March 1, all spring turkey hunters can purchase a license over the counter. Turkey season will be from April 14 to May 31. The firearms season for hunters 18 and older is divided into six hunt periods, A through F. Youth and archery-only license holders may hunt the entire season.

Preliminary results of a study testing white-tailed deer spleens for presence of neonicotinoid pesticides show exposure of deer throughout the state.

Neonicotinoids, often referred to as “neonics,” are the most widely used class of insecticides worldwide and are found in more than 500 commercial and domestic products in the U.S. They are present in a wide array of products used for insect control in homes, gardens, yards, and crops, as well as on pets.

The DNR launched a research project in fall 2019 following a study conducted on captive deer in South Dakota that raised concerns about potential adverse effects of neonicotinoid exposure, including reduced fawn survival.

Further analysis is required to determine if the levels of exposure seen are high enough to adversely affect deer health. Additional study results related to exposure levels will be available this spring. Read more in the full DNR news release.

Minnesotans interested in deer populations can help shape deer population goals. Find out more about this process on the DNR deer goal setting page.

Keeping food and attractants away from deer helps limit interaction and close contact among deer. Deer feeding and attractant bans remain in place in several areas of Minnesota.

Deer feeding and attractant restrictions remain in place in Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Rice, Scott and Washington counties. These counties were added on July 1, 2020, to the bans already in place in the following counties affected by chronic wasting disease: Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Hubbard, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Olmsted, Steele, Todd, Wabasha, Wadena and Winona.

Keeping food and attractants away from deer helps limit interaction and close contact among deer that can spread chronic wasting disease, especially this time of year when artificial sources of food may draw deer. Supplemental feeding can also result in enterotaxaemia, a fatal disease commonly called grain overload.

Wildlife managers with the DNR have begun lowering water levels on Nicollet County’s Swan Lake.

This temporary drawdown will improve wildlife habitat and water quality. Plans call for lowering water levels to allow new growth of emergent vegetation. The lowered water levels mimic a drought, which can “reset” the aquatic community in a shallow lake by consolidating sediment and exposing the seed bed for germination. Lowered water levels also may help reduce common carp populations. Read more in the DNR news release.

Hunters can help reduce the population of light geese through a federally authorized spring conservation harvest.

The conservation harvest runs Feb. 18 through April 30. Light geese are snow geese, blue-phased snow geese and Ross’ geese. Harvest regulations can be found on the DNR website. The conservation action aims to reduce the damage these geese cause to fragile ecosystems in Arctic coastal areas and around Hudson Bay.

Minnesotans can apply to serve on committees that advise the DNR about fisheries and wildlife topics.

The DNR seeks to fill open seats on the Minnesota R3 Council and the Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee (MLFAC). The R3 Council is the public’s voice for recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters and anglers in Minnesota. MLFAC is the stakeholder group that advises the DNR on fisheries management for Mille Lacs Lake.

Each team and its work will benefit Minnesotans from all parts of the state. People of all backgrounds and geographies are encouraged to apply. Members will be selected with special emphasis on increasing committee diversity. The DNR will accept applications for both the R3 Council and MLFAC through Monday, March 22. More information is available on the DNR committee page.