Reminder: Deer lottery application deadline is today

Firearm and muzzleloader hunters: Reminder that if you want to harvest an antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery this hunting season, purchase your license today if you haven’t already. Hunters who purchase their license on or before today, Sept. 7, are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare.

Successful applicants will receive a postcard in the mail authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit or five-deer limit designations.

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery. That application deadline is also Sept. 7.

More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the Minnesota DNR website and in the 2023 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, available online and in print wherever DNR licenses are sold.

“She knew that I didn’t have a doe tag” photo courtesy of Clayton Cozad

Make a plan for archery season

Ready for archery season? Minnesota’s archery deer season opens Saturday, Sept. 16. We’re encouraging archery hunters to make a plan for the season by considering safety, hunting regulations, chronic wasting disease and steps they need to take to process their deer. Read more about factors to consider for this season.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Dunlop

Deer hunters: please share your wildlife observations

Deer hunters, please consider sharing your observations of wildlife to help broaden our knowledge about deer and other wildlife species. This is our fourth year using a community science approach, and we’re hoping to build on the helpful results from the last few years.

The Minnesota DNR uses the information to supplement population estimates, which are an important tool for managing wildlife.

Using a mobile device or desktop computer, deer hunters can enter information on the DNR website about wildlife they see while in the field including deer, turkey, bear, fisher and other species.

Please fill out a report after each hunt even if you don’t see any deer that day. Filling out a report even if no deer are observed is important as it allows for an accurate estimate of the number of deer observed per hour of field observations, which provides a useful comparison to deer density modeling results.

Photo courtesy of Terry Graham

Walk-In Access lands open

Hunters can access 29,000 acres of private land across 41 counties in western and south-central Minnesota through the Walk-In Access program, which pays landowners to allow public hunting on their property. Hunters with a $3 Walk-In Access validation can access these lands from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset during open hunting seasons between Sept. 1 and May 31. No additional landowner contact is necessary. Digital maps for individual Walk-In Access sites, along with more information for hunters, can be found on the Minnesota DNR website.

E-scouting for whitetails  

While nothing beats boots on the ground scouting, e-scouting (electronic scouting) can be a powerful tool to get you started hunting in an unfamiliar area. E-scouting is the process of using digital maps to learn an area’s key features and characteristics to identify potential hunting spots.

The first step in e-scouting is to identify property boundaries and access points, such as parking areas, roads and trails. This can be done for public land using the Minnesota DNR Recreation Compass. Next, you’ll want to identify key landscape features related to terrain and vegetation which influence deer movement. Terrain features can best be identified by using topographic maps which show the elevation and contours of the land.

One feature to look out for are ridge lines, which deer like to travel parallel to and near the top of. Points coming off ridge lines are also good places to be as deer tend to use them for travel and for bedding. Funnels, or pinch points, are great areas for hunting as either the topography or vegetation layout forces deer to travel through a narrow corridor. Examples of funnels include tree rows, riparian zones, fence lines or an area between deep draws.

Lastly, transition lines or habitat edges are where two different types of terrain or vegetation meet and are areas that routinely see increased deer activity. In general, deer like to travel in cover and usually follow the path of least resistance. Keep that in mind as you e-scout for the upcoming season. Check out the DNR’s learn to hunt deer course video archive of class 5 for a more in-depth tutorial on e-scouting. 

Deer season quick reminders

With deer season approaching, here are a few quick reminders.  

• Hunting deer with bait continues to be illegal statewide in Minnesota. 
• The shotgun zone remains the same as last year (location is available in the deer permit area map PDF)
• Here’s an answer to a frequently asked question: Yes, an archery hunter can choose to harvest an antlerless deer with an archery license in a deer permit area designated as lottery. There is no need for archery hunters to apply for a lottery permit in these DPAs. 

For more information, check the Minnesota hunting regulations, including page 8 that lists what’s new this year.

“First deer” photo courtesy of Isaac Brand

Twins offer free hats

Anyone with a 2023 Minnesota fishing or hunting license can receive a free special edition orange Minnesota Twins logo cap and a ticket discount from the Minnesota Twins through a partnership between the Twins and the Minnesota DNR.

The final DNR Days at the Twins game for this season is 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. the New York Mets. Promotion details, instructions for purchasing tickets, and information on buying a fishing or hunting license are available on the Minnesota DNR Days webpage. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time using a special DNR link to receive this offer.