Deer hunting

The white-tailed deer is arguably Minnesota's most popular wildlife species. Each year, approximately 500,000 hunters harvest roughly 200,000 deer. Read more...

Regular Hunts

As a result of an extensive public process to simplify deer hunting regulations, several significant changes are in effect for the 2008 season. These changes affect all firearm and muzzleloader deer hunters. Hunters should review and understand the following documents, which explain the changes:

• Deer season calendar
• Comprehensive deer season overview [26 pages | 767k]
• Deer season FAQ [4 pages | 52k]
• Deer license buyer's guide [3 pages | 109k]
• Legal big game cartridges
• Venison donation program
• Lead information for hunters
• 2008 Deer registration station list - by county | by town
• 2008 landowners lists: These are lists of landowners who obtained a free landowner deer license. Persons who obtain these licenses must allow public deer hunting on their land during the deer-hunting season for that license, except for the first Saturday and Sunday of the season selected. Hunters still must obtain permission from the landowner, and it is up to the landowner to determine how much public hunting is appropriate on the property.
  
  • Archery
  • Firearm
  • Muzzleloader

Maps

• 2008 season map from the hunting regulations handbook
• Early antlerless season
• Season A
• Season B
• 2008 pre-fawn deer density map

Special Hunts

• Antlerless Deer and Special Hunt: Lottery results
• 2008 Youth Deer Hunts
• 2008 Vermillion Highlands Archery Hunt - Only mailed or hand-delivered applications
• First Camp Ripley Archery Hunt: Lottery results for the Oct.19-20 hunt.
• Second Camp Ripley Archery Hunt: Lottery results for the Oct.26-27 hunt.
• 2008 Camp Ripley Archery Hunts - Oct. 19-20 (code 668) or Oct. 26-27 (code 669) [5 pages | 282k]