In This Issue
A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife and habitat management.
Teach a kid to hunt small game during Take a Kid Hunting Weekend
Getting youth outdoors in pursuit of squirrels, rabbits and other small game is the focus of Take a Kid Hunting Weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20, adult Minnesota residents accompanied by a youth younger than age 16 may hunt small game without a license, although they must comply with open seasons, limits and other regulations.
Hunting small game is a great way to introduce kids to hunting. Kids learn how to tell where wildlife have been, how to properly and safely handle firearms and how to access hunting land. Anyone who wants to learn how to hunt can find helpful how-to guides on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources learn to hunt webpage (mndnr.gov/gohunting). Small game hunting season details and regulations are available at the Minnesota DNR small game hunting webpage (mndnr.gov/hunting/smallgame).
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It’s an exciting time of the year for archery deer hunters as they look forward to Minnesota’s archery deer season that runs from Saturday, Sept. 19 through Thursday, Dec. 31.
“Archery hunters benefit from having a long season to get out into the woods and fields, experience the change of seasons, and see deer and have opportunities to harvest them,” said Paul Burr, deer coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We encourage hunters to take advantage of opportunities to harvest antlerless deer, which are abundant in much of the state.”
Deer hunting is critical for deer population management. While parts of northern Minnesota continue to experience lower deer numbers than in recent decades, many areas need help reducing local deer populations. In the areas with an abundance of deer, hunters are allowed to harvest multiple antlerless deer.
“Hunting helps balance the size of local deer herds with the available natural forage and habitat conditions,” Burr said. “Early in the archery season is a great time to go out and harvest a doe or two.”
Many archery hunters do harvest antlerless deer. In 2025, 55% of archery-harvested deer were antlerless, and archery hunters were responsible for one-fifth of all antlerless deer harvested in Minnesota. Last year, 30,043 deer were harvested during Minnesota’s archery season, which is an all-time high for the state. Roughly half of those deer were harvested with crossbows, and the other half with vertical bows.
ELS updates in effect this season
Archery deer hunters are reminded that changes in how hunters buy licenses, validate harvests and register harvests are in place for all hunters in all seasons with the new electronic licensing system 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 (mndnr.gov/buyalicense) or by searching “Minnesota DNR Licensing” in the Apple or Google app stores. In-person license agents can be found on a map on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/licenses/agents-map.html).
When hunters purchase their license, they will choose if they want to validate a future harvest using the mobile app, or a paper tag. Then they will be able to register the deer in person, online or using the mobile app.
“We are encouraging hunters to buy their licenses early and get familiar with the process of validating and registering harvests this year,” Burr said.
The process on how to validate and register a harvest is detailed on pages 28-29 in the regulations booklet (mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting).
Hunters who are validating harvests using the mobile app are reminded to make sure they are logged into the app before leaving for their hunt. This allows the hunter to validate their harvest in the field even if they are out of cell service range. Once the hunter is back in cell service, the app will then send the harvest data.
CWD testing reminders
Hunters should check chronic wasting disease requirements, including new carcass disposal rules, and available sampling options for the deer permit areas where they hunt, on the Minnesota DNR CWD webpage (mndnr.gov/cwd).
Archery hunters should note that self-service sampling stations will only be available during the opening weekend of firearms deer season within the 2026 CWD surveillance block. And within the surveillance block, testing is mandatory for archery hunters during the opening weekend of firearms season. Information about the different ways to get deer tested for CWD is available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/cwd/cwd-testing.html).
Blaze clothing requirements and safety reminders
Archery hunters are reminded that blaze orange or blaze pink clothing is required during the youth and early antlerless seasons from Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18, and during any other open firearms deer season.
Since archery season overlaps with small game firearms season, hunters should wear an article of blaze clothing when hunting on public land to ensure they are visible to other hunters in the field.
Hunters are strongly encouraged to be safe when using tree stands, with more information on tree stand safety (mndnr.gov/safety/treestand/index.html) available online.
In addition, deer hunters, including archery hunters, who are hunting deer in a fabric or synthetic ground blind on public land must have a blaze orange safety covering on top of the blind that is visible from all directions, or a patch made of blaze orange material that is at least 144 square inches (12x12 inches) on each side of the blind.
Tips and information
Hunters can learn more about what to expect this deer season in an upcoming webinar at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Registration is required. Register and find more details on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/discover). If you are unable to attend the live webinar, it will also be recorded and posted on that webpage. Registration is not required to view the recorded webinar.
Detailed information for every deer permit area, including last year’s harvest, hunters per square mile, public hunting ground, and land cover types, is available through the interactive deer map (mndnr.gov/deermap) by selecting “DPA Details.” Deer hunting regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR’s deer hunting webpage (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer) and in the hunting and trapping regulations booklet.
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Community science helps broaden understanding of deer, other Minnesota animals
With archery deer season just around the corner on Saturday, Sept. 19, now is an ideal time for hunters to familiarize themselves with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ online log for deer and other wildlife sightings.
“We will again welcome hunters to use our online hunter field log to share what wildlife they see once the season begins,” said Tyler Obermoller, DNR research scientist. “We get valuable information from deer hunters about the deer and other wildlife species they observe.”
This is the sixth year of this community science effort. The Minnesota DNR uses the information to supplement its model-generated population estimates, which are an important tool for managing wildlife.
Using a mobile device or desktop computer, deer hunters can enter information about wildlife they see while in the field on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/mammals/deer/management/deer-hunter-field-log.html), including deer, turkey, bear, fisher and other species.
Hunters are encouraged to fill out a hunter field log after each hunt. Filling out the log, even if no deer are observed, allows for an accurate estimate of the number of deer observed per hour of field observations, which provides a useful comparison to deer density modeling results. The log will remain open through the end of 2026.
More information on the hunter field log is available on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/mammals/deer/management/deer-hunter-field-log.html).
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of starry stonewort and zebra mussels in Six Mile Lake, near Bena, in Cass County and zebra mussels in Little Wolf Lake, near the town of Cass Lake, in Cass and Hubbard counties.
Both lakes are within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation.
An angler reported zebra mussels on vegetation pulled up from Little Wolf Lake. DNR invasive species staff found additional adult zebra mussels attached to native mussels near the location of the initial report.
A lake service provider contacted the DNR after finding zebra mussels on a boat lift in Six Mile Lake. DNR invasive species staff found numerous juvenile and adult zebra mussels in the lake near the location of the initial report.
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Department of Resource Management staff contacted the DNR after finding the invasive algae starry stonewort while conducting a snorkel search for aquatic invasive species in Six Mile Lake. DNR invasive species staff found a low abundance of starry stonewort near the Six Mile Lake public access.
Starry stonewort is usually identified by the star-shaped white bulb-like structures on the plant for which it is named. These bulbils typically become visible in late summer. People can find more information about how to identify starry stonewort on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/invasives/aquaticplants/starrystonewort).
Since it was first found in Minnesota in 2015, starry stonewort has been confirmed in 40 waterbodies in the state. Starry stonewort can form dense mats, which can interfere with recreational uses of a lake and compete with native plants. The algae primarily spreads when fragments have not been properly cleaned from water-related equipment.
Starry stonewort has never been eradicated from any U.S. lake or river, but treatment or careful removal from waterbodies can help reduce the risk of spread and relieve associated nuisance impacts. Early detection is key to effective management.
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 water if high-pressure water is not available.
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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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