In This Issue
A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.
Registration open for Minnesota DNR webinars on spring outdoor skills and stewardship
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the spring program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.
Webinars in the coming weeks will cover turkey hunting with youth, wildfire season, the National Archery in the Schools Program, barotrauma in fish, bear survival, effects of climate and landscape changes on cold water fisheries, southeast brook trout conservation, spring warbler migration, the Minnesota DNR record fish program, preparing for the fishing opener, creating lawns with biodiverse native plant species, jumping worms, and hiking the Superior Hiking Trail.
In a webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 28, Lori Naumann, DNR Nongame Wildlife Program information officer, will discuss Critical Habitat License Plates, created in 1995 to provide an opportunity for Minnesotans to contribute to conservation of the state’s natural resources and show their commitment and individuality with a special vehicle license plate. Naumann will discuss how people can get one of these plates for their vehicle and how the funding enhances Minnesota’s natural resources.
In a webinar on Wednesday, March 6, Scott Mackenthun, a DNR fisheries supervisor and also an avid turkey hunter, will discuss turkey hunting with youth. Spring turkey season is a great way to introduce kids of all ages to hunting. Mackenthun will share tips on getting kids excited and prepared for a successful turkey hunt.
The Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webinars are free and offered year-round, though registration is required. Visit the Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webpage of the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/discover) for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.
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 Photo credit: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
In the latest in a series of tag, track and capture operations, commercial fishers working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources captured 82 silver carp and one bighead carp Feb. 13-14 in Pool 5A of the Mississippi River, near Winona. The DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are examining the captured fish to evaluate age, reproductive condition, and information about their origin.
“As with previous captures, it is unlikely that these adult fish were the result of reproduction in Minnesota waters,” DNR Invasive Species Unit Supervisor Kelly Pennington said. “The DNR and partner agencies will continue to use a range of aggressive prevention and management techniques, consistent with the recently updated Invasive Carp Action Plan.”
Over the past several years, the DNR has significantly increased its efforts to tag, track and capture invasive carp in the Mississippi River. The DNR encourages Minnesotans to stay up to date on these efforts, including the most recent large captures, by visiting the DNR invasive carp webpage (mndnr.gov/invasive-carp). The webpage also includes a link to a timeline of invasive carp milestones in Minnesota.
Additional information about invasive carp in Minnesota
Invasive carp have been moving upstream since escaping into the Mississippi River from commercial fish farms in Arkansas in the 1970s. These fish compete with native species, and silver carp are known to jump out of the water in a way that can pose a risk to boaters.
Invasive carp have been caught as far upstream as Pool 2 of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro area (bighead, grass and silver), the King Power Plant on the St. Croix River by Oak Park Heights (bighead and silver), and just downstream of Granite Falls in the Minnesota River (bighead).
State and federal funding sources, including the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund and Outdoor Heritage Fund, have provided key funding for the DNR’s invasive carp detection and response program.
Invasive carp captures in Minnesota must be reported to the DNR immediately by calling 651-587-2781 or emailing [email protected]. People are asked to take a photo and transport the carp to the nearest DNR fisheries office or make arrangements for it to be picked up by a DNR official. A permit can be requested (files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/invasives/
aquaticanimals/asiancarp/angler_caught_carp_permit.pdf) to keep captured invasive carp for consumption or disposal.
More information about invasive carp is available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/invasive-carp).
Most fish house owners in the southern two-thirds of Minnesota already have removed their fish houses from the lakes, given poor ice conditions and forecasted warm weather. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anyone who still has a fish house on the ice to start planning for its removal.
The statutory shelter removal deadline for the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59 p.m. on March 4. In some areas, lakes are almost totally open. Others are difficult to access due to ice already pulling away from the shoreline, while on others the ice is degrading rapidly.
“Safety is the top priority, and we are pleased that many bodies of water already are clear of ice shelters,” said Col. Rodmen Smith, DNR Enforcement Division director. “However, there are still fish houses on some lakes affected by this first removal deadline, and we encourage people to pay attention to the forecast as they make their removal plans.”
If shelters aren’t removed by the deadline, they may be confiscated and removed, or destroyed by a conservation officer. Shelters may not be left at public accesses, and no trash or other materials – including wooden blocking materials – may be left on the ice.
As they venture out, anglers always should keep in mind that ice conditions vary widely, that ice is never 100% safe, and that they should check the ice thickness for themselves.
The removal deadline for shelters in the northern one-third of the state is 11.59 p.m. on March 18, though the DNR urges people to monitor ice conditions and consider removing shelters in advance of the deadline. Exceptions to the removal deadlines are Minnesota-Canada border waters (March 31), Minnesota-South Dakota and North Dakota border waters (March 5), Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters (March 1) and Minnesota-Iowa border waters (Feb. 20).
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Habitat conditions, severe winters and wolf predation influence northern deer numbers
Hunters harvested 158,678 deer during the 2023 hunting season, a lower total harvest than in recent years. Harvest was down 8% compared to the 2022 season and 14% less than the five-year average.
The greatest decreases were in the northern part of the state, where deer harvest compared to 2022 was 21% lower in the northeast region and 8% lower in the northwest region. Other regions saw smaller decreases in harvest, with 3% lower in central and southeast Minnesota, and 4% lower in southern Minnesota.
“In recent years, deer populations have been lower in northern Minnesota, particularly following the severe winters of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023,” said Todd Froberg, big game program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Several factors can drive these declines, resulting in fewer deer on the landscape during subsequent hunting seasons.”
Deer numbers can suffer during prolonged severe winters, especially in areas with deep snow or insufficient winter habitat. In these conditions, deer must expend more energy to acquire food, making them more vulnerable to predators. Wolves play a large role as a predator of deer, especially in winter, but there is little evidence to suggest that northern Minnesota’s low deer numbers are directly due to wolf predation. The influence that wolves play in influencing deer populations likely change over time and space, and can be exacerbated in response to other changing conditions, like poor quality wintering habitat.
Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, also hit hard by severe winter, saw similar declines in deer harvests in 2023.
“This year’s extremely mild conditions do bode well for deer in northern Minnesota, but deer populations in the far north will need several mild winters to start to recover,” Froberg said.
Crossbows were allowed for all deer hunters for the first time in 2023. Archery harvest totaled 24,088 deer which was a similar total compared to 2022. In 2023, crossbows accounted for 43% of the total archery harvest.
“During this first year of crossbows being legal for all hunters, we sold 6% more archery licenses and youth licenses made up most of that increase,” Froberg said. “Lots of kids who weren’t archery hunting in the past were able to use crossbows and go hunting during the archery season.”
Analysis of the 2023 deer harvest is available in a final deer harvest report. This report and past season harvest reports are available on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/mammals/deer/management/statistics.html).
The Minnesota DNR sets hunting seasons with projected harvest levels designed to move deer populations closer to established goals for each deer permit area throughout the state. These goals are reached through goal setting processes informed by public input and guided by Minnesota’s deer plan (mndnr.gov/deerplan). Many of the permit areas in the northern part of the state have conservative regulations to support increases in deer populations. A midpoint review of the white-tailed deer management plan, with a variety of opportunities for public engagement including questionnaires, webinars and meetings, is planned for this summer.
CWD management update
Chronic wasting disease remains relatively rare in Minnesota, and the Minnesota DNR needs hunters’ help to keep it that way. CWD was detected in 43 hunter-harvested deer during the 2023 fall hunting seasons. Of these, 91% were from the southeast, a region that continues to see persistent CWD infections in wild deer.
“Our fall surveillance efforts detected a CWD positive deer in one new deer permit area, while all other positive cases were found within existing CWD management zones where we have confirmed the disease previously,” said Erik Hildebrand, wildlife health supervisor. “We greatly appreciate hunters’ help monitoring these areas.”
The new area was DPA 342, where a hunter harvested a CWD-positive deer near Wabasha. Before the 2023 season, the Minnesota DNR had added DPA 342 to the CWD surveillance zone in response to detections of CWD in wild deer in bordering Buffalo County, Wisconsin in 2022.
Targeted culling is a management action used to slow the spread of CWD where it is known to exist. The Minnesota DNR does not cull deer across a broad area; all efforts are focused within 2 miles of a known positive location. All culling is conducted with landowner permission. Of the total CWD-positive deer found in Minnesota since 2010, nearly 30% were removed through culling efforts.
Targeted culling efforts in the southeast started Feb. 5 and will continue through the end of March. Targeted culling also took place in January near Grand Rapids (part of DPA 679) and in a focused area in Crow Wing County (part of DPA 604). Test results are available on the Minnesota DNR CWD page (mndnr.gov/cwd). All deer that are culled are processed by a licensed meat processor and the venison is stored until test results are received. Deer that receive a “not detected” test result are given back to participating landowners or donated to food banks for distribution to local food shelves. All deer that test positive are brought to the University of Minnesota Diagnostic Laboratory for disposal in an alkaline digestor.
Hunters and conservation partners are critical in helping control CWD and maintaining the health of Minnesota’s deer herd. The DNR thanks hunters, taxidermists, meat processors, tribal nations and deer conservation partners (Minnesota Conservation Federation, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Bluffland Whitetails Association and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers) that helped collect or submit samples for testing.
For more information about deer hunting in Minnesota, visit the Minnesota DNR deer hunting webpage (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer). Additional information on CWD can be found at the Minnesota DNR CWD webpage (mndnr.gov/cwd).
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 Photo credit: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has named Merwyn Larsen, who has been a snowmobile safety instructor with the St. Francis Sno-Ghosts for 47 years, as the 2023 volunteer snowmobile safety instructor of the year.
As part of the club, Larsen has taught snowmobile safety each year since he was first certified as an instructor in 1976. An avid snowmobile rider himself, Larsen is the longest-standing member of the Sno-Ghosts and, along with other instructors, has taught classes that included up to 100 students. In his time with the club, he’s served in every officer capacity available, including as president. He was a driving force in creating snowmobile trails in Anoka County, doing everything from working with landowners to provide access across their properties to clearing trees. He also manages the grant-in-aid trail program for the Sno-Ghosts.
“Merwyn really was a visionary when it comes to riding opportunities in Anoka County and is directly responsible for teaching hundreds of students how to enjoy riding safely,” said Conservation Officer Bruce Lawrence, the Enforcement Division’s recreational vehicle coordinator. “He’s consistently gone above and beyond, sets the bar high for all of our volunteer instructors, and is extremely deserving of this honor.”
Larsen is among the more than 1,000 volunteer instructors who teach DNR snowmobile safety classes across the state and are the backbone of the program. Minnesota residents born after Dec. 31, 1976 are required to have a snowmobile safety certificate to ride, but DNR safety officials recommend all people who ride a snowmobile complete a safety training course.
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