Minnesota’s firearms deer season kicks off Saturday

With Saturday’s opening of Minnesota's firearms deer season, thousands of hunters are heading into woods and fields across the state. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports more than 200,000 hunting licenses have been sold so far.  

"Be safe out there, folks. Make sure you know what you're shooting at. You'll hear this again,” Gov. Tim Walz cautioned during a recent DNR roundtable.

He said hunters should know what their backdrop is and to be cautious getting in and out of deer stands to avoid falls.

“It does happen, we just want to make sure that this is a safe opener and a safe season,” he said.

Economic benefits

According to Gov. Walz, outdoor activities in the state are a multibillion dollar industry.

And many greater Minnesota communities rely on hunting for their economic health, said Jared Mazurek, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.

“If you are heading north to deer camp or south to deer camp, I would challenge you to wait till you get to the community that you are recreating in to purchase your groceries, purchase your supplies, your ammo, whatever that might be,” he said.

CWD sampling

The opener also brings with it the need for awareness over chronic wasting disease. Last year the disease was detected in two deer permit areas for the first time – in Hawley (Clay County) and Greenfield (Hennepin County). 

As a result, the DNR is urging hunters to follow any CWD regulations which can be found online using their website: Chronic wasting disease management | Minnesota DNR. 

Erik Hildebrand, wildlife supervisor for the DNR, said if hunters harvest a deer over a year old in a CWD zone, they must submit a testing sample. He said there are several ways to do so, such as providing a sample at a staff check stations or using mail-in kits.

“They can [also] use the partner sampling program, which is mostly made up of taxidermists or they could use a local area wildlife office and set up an appointment with that local wildlife manager."

Stations where hunters can submit samples themselves will not be available after opening weekend this year.

The DNR reports deer populations are up across most of the state, which should present hunters good opportunities to tag a deer.