July 14, 2025



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*Minnesota DNR News
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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*

July 14, 2025




*For more information:*

Contact the DNR Information Center

by email  <[email protected]>or call 888-646-6367





In This Issue

* Wildlife Drive closed at Roseau River Wildlife Management Area [ #link_1491411839600 ]
* Apply for special youth deer hunts through Aug. 15 [ #link_1491411977526 ]
* Zebra mussels confirmed in Ethel Lake in Otter Tail County [ #link_1491412003165 ]

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Wildlife Drive closed at Roseau River Wildlife Management Area

The 27-mile Wildlife Drive within the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area will not open as planned this July. The opening has been canceled due to the discovery of damages to a key dike on the route. The Wildlife Drive is closed to vehicles, but bicycle and foot traffic is welcome and encouraged.

The self-guided Wildlife Drive traverses wetland, woodland, brushland, grassland and farmland habitats, providing visitors ample opportunity for wildlife viewing at the Roseau River WMA, located 20 miles northwest of Roseau.

Updates about reopening the Wildlife Drive will be available on the Roseau River WMA webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/wmas/detail_report.html?id=wma0900600), emailing [email protected], calling 218-452-7610, or stopping by the Roseau River WMA office, 27952 400th St., Roseau, MN 56751. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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Apply for special youth deer hunts through Aug. 15

Once again in 2025, young people will be able to hunt deer with an adult in a number of state parks during several application-only special youth deer hunts. These hunts offer more individualized experiences in unique places, and often on different dates than the statewide youth deer season.

“The special youth deer hunts create positive experiences and also help state parks manage their deer populations,” said Paul Burr, acting big game program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Youth who apply can explore new places to hunt in state parks with great opportunities to see and harvest deer and make great hunting memories.”

These firearms hunts are for youth who are ages 12-15 at the time of the hunt and are accompanied by an adult. Hunters can apply for a limited number of permits through Friday, Aug. 15.

Young hunters can also participate in special youth archery opportunities. Sand Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Sherburne County is open only to youth archery hunters ages 10-17 during the regular archery season. Camp Ripley in Morrison County offers a special youth archery hunt for ages 12-17. 

Special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 16-19 and does not require an application. More information on special hunts is available on the DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/specialdeerhunts). For more information on the Camp Ripley youth archery hunt, contact Jan Ekert, Minnesota State Archery Association, at [email protected] <[email protected]> or 320-339-9927.

In most instances, hunters may only possess and use nontoxic ammunition when participating in a special firearms 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 DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/specialdeerhunts).

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Zebra mussels confirmed in Ethel Lake in Otter Tail County

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Ethel Lake, near the town of Ottertail in Otter Tail County.

A DNR staff person found zebra mussels attached to native mussels while visiting Ethel Lake.

Whether or not a lake has any invasive species, Minnesota law requires people to:


* *Clean* watercraft, trailers and equipment to remove aquatic plants and prohibited invasive species.
* *Drain* all water and leave drain plugs out during transport.
* *Dispose* of unwanted bait in the trash.
* *Never release* bait, plants or aquarium pets into Minnesota waters.
* *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:


* *Decontaminate *watercraft and equipment – find free stations on the courtesy decontamination page of the DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/decon).
* *Spray* watercraft and equipment with high-pressure water or *rinse* with water if high-pressure water is not available.
* *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 [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/invasives/ais/contacts.html) if they think they have found zebra mussels or any other invasive species that are not already known to be in the waterbody.

More information is available on the aquatic invasive species page of the DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/ais).

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*Minnesota Department of Natural Resources  |  mndnr.gov [ [link removed] ] *

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