REGIONAL—As 400,000 hunters prepare for the firearms deer hunting seasons, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding hunters about some ways to be safe and successful.
“Know before you go so you can focus on having a great season,” said Barb Keller, Minnesota DNR big game program leader. “It’s easy to use our website to find out what you need to know.”
The Minnesota DNR’s online DPA lookup tool (mndnr.gov/deerhunt) provides a comprehensive step-by-step list of information hunters need to consider before heading to deer camp. Hunters can walk through the steps to consider, including knowing the hunting regulations, planning for deer processing, getting their deer sampled for chronic wasting disease, being safe and making the most out of their hunt. To use the online tool, all hunters need to know is the deer permit area number or DPA numbers where they intend to hunt, which they can find on the interactive deer map (mndnr.gov/deermap).
In Minnesota, the regular firearms deer season gets underway on Saturday, Nov. 9, with various closing dates depending on a hunter’s permit area. Muzzleloader season begins Saturday, Nov. 30, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 15.