In This Issue
A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.
Apply through Aug. 16 for special youth deer hunts
Hunters can apply for special youth deer hunt permits through Friday, Aug. 16. The number of permits for each hunt is limited. Individual hunts will be held in several state parks on various dates in the fall. These firearms hunts are for youth who are ages 12-15 at the time of the hunt and are accompanied by an adult.
The youth archery hunt in the Sand Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Sherburne County is for youth ages 10-17. Youth archery hunters at the Camp Ripley Archery Hunt in Morrison County can be ages 12-17.
Special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 17-20 and does not require an application. More information is available on the?Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer/special-deer-hunts.html).
In most instances, hunters may only possess and use nontoxic ammunition when participating in a special hunt in a Minnesota state park; however, nontoxic ammunition requirements do not apply to special youth hunts in the shotgun-use area if hunters remove all parts of harvested deer from the field, including the entrails.
Where nontoxic ammunition is required, bullets, slugs, muzzleloader ammunition and other single projectiles must be made entirely of nontoxic material approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For deer hunting, this typically means copper ammunition. More details about nontoxic ammunition can be found on the?Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer/special-deer-hunts.html).
Apply through Aug. 16 for prairie chicken hunt lottery
Hunters can apply through Friday, Aug. 16, to be chosen for one of 125 permits for the 2024 Minnesota prairie chicken hunting season. The nine-day prairie chicken season begins Saturday, Sept. 28, and is open to Minnesota residents only. The hunt takes place in northwestern Minnesota from St. Hilaire south to Breckenridge. Hunters who are awarded a permit in the lottery are required to purchase a prairie chicken hunting license prior to hunting. Hunters can find details about the season on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (mndnr.gov/hunting/prairiechicken).
Bear hunters: remember to buy license, check regulations
Bear hunters who enter the lottery for bear hunting licenses should watch their mail to see if they were selected for a license, as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has mailed postcards to lottery winners. Hunters can also look on the Minnesota DNR website to see if they were selected. The deadline to purchase a lottery bear license is Thursday, Aug. 1. Unsold lottery awarded licenses will be available at noon Tuesday, Aug. 6 to any eligible person. Bear baiting may begin Friday, Aug. 16, and the hunting season is Sunday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Oct. 13. Hunters should note that the hunting season begins on a Sunday this year. Find more details on the Minnesota DNR?s bear hunting webpage (mndnr.gov/hunting/bear).
Minnesota DNR webinars focus on topwater bass fishing, micro fishing
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the summer program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.
In a webinar on Wednesday, July 24, Eric Altena and Jeff Ledermann, DNR staff and bass tournament anglers, will talk topwater bass fishing. Watching a big bass splashing out of the water as it gulps a topwater lure is one of the most exciting and memorable moments while fishing. Altena and Ledermann will discuss the gear and tactics needed to find and target active bass that are feeding on the surface.
In a webinar on Wednesday, July 29, Tony Long, DNR natural resource specialist, will discuss the challenge and fun of micro fishing. Long will provide tips on this growing sport, and how and where to catch little fish by hook and line.
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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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Grove Lake, near the town of Grove Lake in Pope County, and Charlotte Lake, near Long Prairie in Todd County.
A lake property owner contacted the DNR after finding a zebra mussel attached to a native mussel in Grove Lake. A DNR invasive species specialist later found another zebra mussel at the city park access, about one-half mile from the location of the initial discovery.
After receiving two reports of zebra mussels from people recreating at the public beach on Charlotte Lake, a DNR invasive species specialist found multiple zebra mussels in the beach area. Charlotte Lake is about 1.5 miles upstream of the Long Prairie River, where zebra mussels were previously confirmed.
While zebra mussels and other invasive species can be introduced to a lake via private docks and accesses, public accesses and beaches are typically the first places to be surveyed when the DNR receives a zebra mussel report.?
Whether or not a lake has any invasive species, Minnesota law requires people to:
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Clean watercraft, trailers and equipment to remove aquatic plants and prohibited invasive species.
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Drain all water and leave drain plugs out during transport.
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Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash.
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Never release bait, plants or aquarium pets into Minnesota waters.
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Dry docks, lifts and rafts for 21 days before moving them from one water body to another.
These additional steps reduce the risk of spreading aquatic invasive species:
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Decontaminate watercraft and equipment ? find free stations on the courtesy decontamination page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/decon).
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Spray watercraft and equipment with high-pressure water or rinse with very hot water (120 degrees for at least two minutes or 140 degrees for at least 10 seconds).
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Dry watercraft and equipment for at least five days before using in another water body.
People should contact a Minnesota DNR aquatic invasive species specialist (mndnr.gov/invasives/ais/contacts.html) if they think they have found zebra mussels or any other invasive species that was not already known to be in the water body.
More information is available on the aquatic invasive species page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/ais).
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Lake drawdown in Sibley County will improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will begin to temporarily lower the water levels of Silver Lake in Sibley County to improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. The 697-acre lake has been overwhelmed by large populations of common carp, causing turbid water and impeding aquatic plant growth.?
Common carp can have a negative impact on water quality when they uproot native plants and disturb phosphorous-rich bottom sediments through their feeding habits. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizen Lake monitoring data from June 2008 to September 2017 found that Silver Lake had phosphorus levels more than four times the level that delineates an impaired water from non-impaired.
A 2022 survey of Silver Lake found the lake was nearly devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation, which plays an important role in maintaining water clarity and fish and wildlife habitat. Both indicators were a significant decline from a survey in 2015.
The planned drawdown will lower water levels to mimic a drought, acting as a natural ?reset? to a shallow lake ecosystem. Unless future rainfall keeps water levels too high, the drawdown will begin in the current open water season and continue into 2025.
The management plan calls for the lowering of water levels to a depth of about 2 feet to create conditions for a winterkill and reduce common carp populations. The drawdown will also allow sediments to consolidate, which will permit new growth of submerged and emergent vegetation. Following the drawdown, the Minnesota DNR will stock walleye fry in Silver Lake in alternate years and continue to assess winterkill severity from either managed drawdowns or natural winterkill events.
Anyone with questions about the Silver Lake project can contact Tim Koppelman, assistant area wildlife manager at [email protected] or at 507-386-3923 or Steve Kittelson, wildlife lake specialist, at [email protected] or 507-578-8891. Fisheries questions can be directed to Scott Mackenthun, area fisheries supervisor, at [email protected] or 320-753-0324.
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