Additional deer hunting opportunities will be available this fall as deer numbers continue to rebound, and many areas have populations at or above goal levels.
There are also more deer permit areas where hunters can use bonus permits to harvest more than one deer, and fewer areas where hunters need to apply in a lottery to shoot an antlerless deer.
Mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease (CWD) continues: In the disease management zone (deer permit area 603) during all deer seasons; in most permit areas in southeastern Minnesota during the first two days of both the A (Nov. 3 and 4) and 3B (Nov. 17 and 18) firearm seasons; and in several deer permit areas in Crow Wing and Meeker county areas in north-central and central Minnesota during the first two days of the A firearms season.
Hunters can now buy deer licenses and apply for the antlerless deer permits lottery. Sept. 6 is the last day to apply for the antlerless permit lottery. Archery deer season opens Sept. 15, and firearms deer season opens Nov. 3.
Hunters who purchase a license by Sept. 6 are automatically entered into the lottery for an antlerless permit. Those who do not wish to harvest an antlerless deer are encouraged to purchase their license after the lottery deadline.
Hunters may apply using both their firearm and muzzleloader licenses. If a hunter is selected for both licenses, only one antlerless deer can be taken.
Deer hunting licenses, lottery applications and special hunt applications are available at any DNR license agent, by calling (888)646-6367 or online.
Lottery winners will be notified in October.
Changes to permit area boundaries made last year remain in effect.
In southeastern Minnesota, portions of permit areas 347 and 348 were merged to form permit area 603 when CWD was detected. In northeastern Minnesota’s moose range, all or some of permit areas 122, 127, 176, 178, 180 and 181 from 2016 were realigned to form permit areas 130, 131, 132 and 133.
Mandatory CWD testing of deer harvested within the disease management zone – deer permit area 603 – throughout all hunting seasons continues this year. Carcass movement restrictions remain in place until a test result is reported due to continued infection found in this area.
Sampling of hunter-harvested deer for CWD is mandatory during the first two days of both the A (Nov. 3 and 4) and 3B (Nov. 17 and 18) firearm seasons this year in most permit areas in southeastern Minnesota. Those areas are 255 (Nov. 3 and 4 only), 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348 and 349 (Nov. 3-4 and Nov. 17-18).
The expanded area is due to the discovery of CWD found in nine farmed deer in Winona County, two wild deer in Forestville State Park and a wild deer in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.
Hunter-harvested deer from permit areas surrounding two CWD-positive deer farms in Crow Wing and Meeker counties will again be tested for CWD this fall during the first two days of the A firearms deer season (Nov. 3-4), but mandatory testing will be in smaller, more focused areas:
North-central (Crow Wing County area): Deer permit areas 242 and 247.
Central (Meeker County area): Deer permit areas including portions of 277 and 283 east of state highway 4, the portion of 219 south of state highway 55, and the portion of 285 north of Minnesota Highway 7.
Additional maps and CWD sampling stations can be found in the 2018 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations handbook.
Complete CWD sampling, testing and disease management information is regularly updated.