Hunt small game this winter!

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minnesota department of natural resources

Minnesota Wildlife

Dec. 1, 2021

Stay informed! Here’s a weekly summary of upcoming wildlife and habitat management activities and ways you can discover, explore and experience Minnesota’s outdoors.

Hunt small game this winter

Hunting pheasants, ruffed grouse, squirrels or rabbits offers opportunities to enjoy the Minnesota outdoors as temperatures fall and snow blankets the landscape. Explore more about hunting a variety of species on the DNR learn to hunt page.

Pheasants – hunting is open through Jan. 2. On Dec. 1, the daily bag limit increases to three roosters, with a possession limit of nine roosters. Tip: Pheasants that found cover in crops now congregate in tall grass or marshes. Be safe around thin ice. Pheasant regulations

Grouse – hunting is open through Jan. 2. Tip: Wintertime grouse hunters may find success during the golden hour, that last hour before sunset when ruffed grouse move out of their snow roosts to feed. Grouse regulations

squirrel hunter holding a bunch of squirrels and a firearm

Squirrels and rabbits – hunting is open through Feb. 28. Tip: Squirrels can be particularly active in the winter because they are in their breeding season. For rabbits, be ready for action around thick cover, such as brush piles, thorn tangles and briars. Small game regulations

three archery hunters walking along a river and smiling in the winter

DNR seeks input on license system

The DNR is looking for input on how Minnesotans currently access the electronic license system, and what they want in the future as systems are modernized.

Feedback from current and potential users — including hunters, anglers, boaters and recreational vehicle operators — is critically important. States throughout the nation are updating their license systems to take advantage of new technology and to improve customer experience. The survey will be open from Monday, Nov. 29 to Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

More details: Access the survey

hunter sitting in cover with a rifle during a deer hunt in snow

CWD hunts coming up

Deer hunters seeking additional opportunities can harvest deer in late season chronic wasting disease management hunts in the southeast, south metropolitan area and along the Minnesota-North Dakota border.

Hunting dates are Friday, Dec. 17, through Sunday, Dec. 19, and Friday, Dec. 31, through Sunday, Jan. 2. Deer permit areas open to these CWD management hunts are 261, 262, 343, 605, 643, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649 and 655. Hunters may participate in both hunts.

More details: Read the CWD hunt regulations

Keep hunting, for a cause,

by donating deer to those in need

Minnesota deer hunters, you can donate harvested deer to food shelves and feeding programs through a program of the DNR in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This program provides an excellent source of protein to people in need while helping reduce local deer populations.

More details: How to participate

Please submit spruce grouse feathers for a research project

If you harvest late-season spruce grouse in northern Minnesota’s boreal forests, please consider submitting feather samples for the final year of a genetics research project. Hunters who would like to assist with the project should collect three to five large wing or tail feathers along with the GPS coordinates of the harvest location.

More details: How to submit feathers

Photo thanks to Beau Liddell

archer with large buck he harvested at Camp Ripley hunt

Archers have good success at Camp Ripley hunt

In case you missed it, archery hunters who participated in the Camp Ripley hunt near Little Falls Oct. 29 through Oct. 31 had a strong harvest. This year, 1,949 participating hunters harvested 273 deer, at least 10 of which were large bucks. Congratulations to Anthony Swenson of Waconia, who harvested the largest deer, an 11-point buck taken during the morning of Oct. 29.

More details: Read about the Camp Ripley hunt

DNR hunting and fishing skills webinars continue this winter

Anyone interested in hunting, fishing and the outdoors can learn about activities like ice fishing, darkhouse spearing, winter camping, tying flies for fly fishing, learning to hunt as an adult, and high school clay target shooting by joining webinars hosted by the DNR.

Webinars are at noon on Wednesdays and last less than an hour. Registration is required in advance and is free. Webinars are recorded and made available online.

Dec. 8 – Ice safety for outdoors sports
Dec. 15 – Fly tying
Dec. 22 – Learning to hunt as an adult
Dec. 29 – Introduction to trapping furbearers
Jan. 5 – High school clay target program
Jan. 12 – Ice angling for panfish
Jan. 19 – Dark house spearing
Jan. 26 – Winter squirrel hunting
Feb. 2 – Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing basics
Feb. 9 – Introduction to winter camping
Feb. 16 – Introduction to maple syruping
Feb. 23 – Archery bow hunting basics

More details: Register for the webinars

Hunting regulation booklet translations are available

People who speak Hmong, Karen, Somali or Spanish can now access Minnesota’s hunting regulations in their language.

The DNR translated the state’s hunting regulations into four languages. Previously, they had been available only in English.

More details: Get the regulations

Get hunting information

Find hunting and trapping regulations, harvest registration, how to contact a conservation officer and information about pursuing a variety of species at mndnr.gov/hunting. New to hunting? Check out the DNR learn to hunt page.