Plus, please buy your hunting license early this year



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minnesota department of natural resources


*Minnesota Wildlife*



"Aug. 31, 2026"

Stay informed! Here’s a summary of upcoming wildlife and habitat management activities and ways you can discover, explore and experience Minnesota’s outdoors.

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Walk-In Access lands open Sept. 1
a Walk-In Access sign near grassland with a butterfly near the sign

Walk-In Access lands are open Tuesday, Sept. 1! In 2026, there are around 22,000 acres of private land enrolled across more than 220 Walk-In Access sites in west, central and southern Minnesota. In addition to hunting, the public can use these sites for activities like birdwatching or nature photography.

The sites are open [ [link removed] ] from Sept. 1 through May 31, 2027. All users of the sites must purchase a $3 Walk-In Access Validation online [ [link removed] ] or in person from a license vendor.

Also did you hear the good news about Walk-In Access? The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded Minnesota DNR $2.1 million dollars to increase public access to private lands for wildlife-based recreation through the Walk-In Access program, which pays landowners to allow public access to their property without additional landowner contact.

Walk-In Access is funded by this award through the USDA, a $5 surcharge on nonresident hunting licenses, and donations.

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Waterfowl hunting seasons on the horizon
young hunter with shotgun, and dog and waterfowl harvested, scene is in the marsh

"“Bonding in the wild: young hunter and his furry sidekick” courtesy of Chris Polley"

Minnesota waterfowl seasons are around the corner, and hunters have a wide variety of opportunities to look forward to in 2026. Early teal and early goose seasons start Saturday, Sept. 5. Some reminders before the hunt:


* Review the regulations and hunting season dates this year.
* Now is a great time to be scouting and preparing for the season.
* Be aware there are early teal season restrictions within the boundaries of the Mille Lacs, Leech Lake and White Earth reservations.
* The waterfowl hunting regulations are now found in the hunting and trapping regulations. The DNR merged the waterfowl regulations with the main booklet to provide a single, comprehensive booklet.
* Find waterfowl hunting information, shooting hours, shooting restrictions for early teal season, season dates and limits, and the regulations, on the DNR waterfowl hunting webpage [ [link removed] ].

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Small game survey results available
ruffed grouse standing in forest

"Ruffed grouse courtesy of Alyssa Sheffield"

The number of small game hunters in Minnesota in 2025 decreased 2% from 2024 and was 6% below the 10-year average. Overall, 223,740 small game licenses were sold for the 2025-26 hunting seasons, compared to the 10-year average of 237,867 small game licenses. Ruffed grouse and ring-necked pheasant hunters had success rates similar to the 10-year averages, but duck and Canada goose hunters had success rates below the 10-year averages, according to the Minnesota DNR’s small game hunter mail survey.


The annual survey estimates the number of hunters, and harvest and hunter success rates for two dozen species. The survey asks small game license buyers if they hunted, what species they hunted, how many days they spent hunting and the amount of harvest by species. Highlights of the 2025 results include:

Ducks

80,339 state duck stamps were sold, which was down 2% from 2024 sales and 5.5% below the 10-year average. There were 51,563 hunters, which was 12% higher than the previous year but 15% below the 10-year average of 60,796 hunters. Overall harvest was 410,760 ducks, down 34% from the 10-year average of 619,010 ducks. Hunter success was 80%, and successful hunters bagged 10 ducks on average, compared to the 10-year averages of 85% and 12.1 ducks.

Canada geese

There were 29,679 hunters in 2025, which was 25% below the 10-year average of 39,434 hunters. An estimated 93,733 geese were harvested, 55% below the 10-year average of 209,758 geese. Hunter success was 66% and successful hunters bagged 4.8 geese on average, compared to the 10-year averages of 75% and 6.8 geese.

Ruffed grouse

An estimated 66,353 hunters pursued grouse in 2025, which was 5% below the 10-year average of 69,892 hunters. They harvested 235,831 grouse, a 10% decrease compared to the 10-year average. Hunter success was 70%, which was the same as the 10-year average. Successful hunters bagged 5.1 grouse each, which was similar to the 10-year average of 5.3 birds per hunter.


Pheasants

75,784 pheasant stamps were sold in 2025, which was 1.8% less than 2024 sales but similar to the 10-year average of 76,246 stamps. An estimated 58,358 hunters went afield, which was 10% above the 10-year average of 53,266 hunters. Approximately 228,337 roosters were harvested, which was 9% more than the 10-year average of 209,146 roosters. Hunter success was 72%, which was similar to the 10-year average of 70%, but mean harvest was 5.4 roosters, which was slightly below the 10-year average of 5.7 roosters.

Trends and full report

In recent years, duck and pheasant stamp sales have been quite a bit higher than the numbers of hunters pursuing these species, which could reflect those with a hunting tradition who curtailed their hunting but continue to support conservation efforts by buying stamps. The complete small game hunter survey report is on the DNR website [ [link removed] ].

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Please do not shoot research bears
a collared research bear up close

The DNR is asking hunters [ [link removed] ] to avoid shooting marked research bears. These bears have large, colorful ear tags and wear radio collars. The Minnesota bear hunting season opens Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Researchers with the DNR are monitoring 50 radio-collared black bears across the state, especially in bear hunting zones 27, 45 and parts of the no-quota zone. Most of the radio-collared bears live in or near the Chippewa National Forest, Camp Ripley, the Brainerd/Baxter area and Duluth. However, the bears also range widely from these sites. All but two of these bears are female.

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Antlerless lottery deadline is Sept. 10
a doe in snow in dim light by pine trees, walking broadside

"“This doe, or one other seen, could have been made meat if only I’d had a doe tag” courtesy of Gary D. Siesennop"


Firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery must purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 10. Hunters who purchase their license [ [link removed] ] by Sept. 10 are automatically entered into the lottery for the DPA 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. The authorization will be valid for both the firearm and muzzleloader season; however, you must still have a valid license for that season.

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. Some hunters do not need to apply to the lottery including youth age 17 and younger, residents 84 and older, and those listed on page 81 in the hunting regulations [ [link removed] ]. Archery hunters also do not need to apply to the lottery. 

Special hunt deadline also Sept. 10

The application deadline for adult special firearms or muzzleloader hunts is also Sept. 10. New this year, hunters can apply to both the antlerless permit lottery and special hunts. In the past, hunters were only allowed to apply to one or the other. More information about special hunts is available on the DNR website [ [link removed] ] and on page 101 [ [link removed] ] in the Minnesota hunting regulations book.

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New electronic licensing system
image of the DNR Licensing app with the validate option available, from a how-to video

Changes in how hunters buy licenses, validate harvests and register harvests will be in place for all hunters in all seasons with the new electronic licensing system that the Minnesota DNR launched in June.

There are three ways to buy a license (mobile app, online, or in person from a license agent) and three ways to carry it (paper, PDF, or stored in the app). Customers can access the new system on the Minnesota DNR website [ [link removed] ] or by searching “Minnesota DNR Licensing” in the Apple or Google app stores.

Buying a license

Hunters who wish to buy licenses online or via the new mobile app [ [link removed] ] will need an online account before buying a license. Anyone who has purchased a license online, by phone or in person in the past will need their nine-digit MNDNR number (visible on their latest license) when creating their account in the new system. A how-to video on signing in to the electronic licensing system is available on YouTube [ [link removed] ].

As a first step for hunters, we recommend you purchase your license early this year. Create an online account if you do not already have one, sign in and get acquainted with the system, and give yourself a bit of extra time this year to purchase that license.

Validating and registering harvests

When you purchase your license you will be able to choose how you want to validate and register a future harvest. Please consider getting acquainted with the process before you choose how you will buy your hunting license. The process on how to validate and then register a harvest is detailed on pages 28-29 in the regulations booklet [ [link removed] ]. Also please be aware that there is no longer an option to register a harvest via a phone call.

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Wildlife photo highlight
a sandhill crane in flight

"“Soaring sandhill"” "courtesy of Maxdihnn Theis. ""Do you have Minnesota wildlife photos? Share them on the DNR photo uploader [ [link removed] ]!"






Let’s talk about wildlife

Hunters, trappers and wildlife watchers benefit from the management, habitat and oversight work of the Minnesota DNR’s area wildlife office staff. Have a question, comment or concern? Area wildlife staff [ [link removed] ] are happy to talk with you!

Find hunting and trapping regulations, harvest registration, how to contact a conservation officer and information about pursuing a variety of species at the DNR hunting page [ [link removed] ]. New to hunting? Check out the DNR learn to hunt page [ [link removed] ].







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minnesota department of natural resources [ [link removed] ]

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

Email us: [email protected]  |  Call 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367

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