With Minnesota’s firearms deer season under way, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ approximately 200 conservation officers are traveling the back roads, hiking through the woods, or spending endless hours on patrol ensuring that hunters hunt safely and ethically and abide by the state’s hunting rules and regulations.
“The vast majority of deer hunters in Minnesota abide by the rules and regulations, while a small percentage run afoul of the law,” said Col. Jim Konrad, DNR Enforcement director.
Statistics show conservation officers wrote 1,110 citations or warnings during the 2010 firearms deer season. That compares to 1,035 citations or warnings in 2009. A large number of citations are written each year for failure to validate a site tag.
Minnesota’s deer license and site tag comes as a two-part form. The upper half is the site tag for tagging the deer in the field. The lower half is the deer license and registration slip. At the kill site a hunter must detach the site tag from the deer license/registration slip. “Before moving the deer, validate the tag by using a knife or similar sharp object to cut out the appropriate notches indicating the month the deer was killed, date it was killed and the time of day it was killed. Mark carefully— if more than one month, date, or time is cut out or marked, the tag becomes invalid,” Konrad said.
Remember that the validated site tag must be attached to the deer when the deer is placed on a motor vehicle or an ATV, a vehicle or a trailer being towed by an ATV or brought into a camp, yard or other place of habitation.
Transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle is another recurring deer hunting violation. It is unlawful for any person to transport a firearm, including a handgun, in or on a motor vehicle unless the firearm is unloaded and in a case made expressly for that purpose; unloaded and in the closed trunk of a motor vehicle; or carried under a valid permit to carry a pistol or handgun. However, there are circumstances when a person may transport unloaded, uncased firearms (excluding pistols) in a motor vehicle, including ATVs: while at a shooting range with permission; while lawfully hunting on private or public land or while traveling to or from a site the person intends to hunt or has lawfully hunted that day.
Other common violations include hunting over bait, license not in possession, shooting from the road right of way at big game and hunting without permission on private property.
While conservation officers are constantly working to protect Minnesota’s wildlife, they also depend upon the public to report any instances they might witness of unethical hunters or people who disobey state wildlife laws. Turn-In-Poachers is a non-profit organization also working to protect and preserve Minnesota’s natural resources. The program offers rewards to citizens who report poachers or other resources violations. Callers do not have to reveal their names. To report a violation, call 800-652- 9093 or #TIP on most cell phones.
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