The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources predicts a good deer hunting season. Bucks, like these on an area camera, are out there waiting for patient hunters when firearm hunting season opens Saturday, November 9.
Deer hunting should be good when Minnesota’s firearms hunting season opens Nov. 9. That’s the word from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), whose biologists report deer populations are stable across much of the state.
“Minnesota’s deer population is largely stable in the southern half of the state because of mild winters and generally conservative deer management,” said Leslie McInenly, the DNR’s big game program leader. “Mild winters result in more survival of adults, more fawns being born, and more deer in the state’s fields and forests the following hunting season.”
Winter, a significant source of mortality in Minnesota deer, last year ranged from moderate to severe in northern Minnesota. As a result, permit area designations across most of northern
Minnesota will be either lottery or hunter choice.
Last year, Minnesota’s nearly 500,000 deer hunters harvested 186,000 deer. A similar harvest is expected this year. The DNR will be working with hunters and other stakeholders this winter to evaluate deer population goals.
The firearms deer season concludes Sunday, Nov. 24 in Series 100 permit areas, which cover much of northeastern Minnesota. In Series 300 permit areas, which cover the southeastern corner of the state, the first season ends Sunday, Nov.17, but a late season opens Saturday, Nov. 23 and concludes Sunday, Dec. 1. Firearms season ends Sunday, Nov. 17 in Series 200 permit areas, which cover the remainder of the state.
Deer season for archery hunters began September 14 and continues until December 31. Black powder deer hunting season runs from November 30 to December 15 statewide.
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