Stearns County to Hold Public Hearing on Whether to Keep Shotgun-Only Deer Hunting Zone

(KNSI) – The Stearns County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to hold a public hearing April 7th to gather resident feedback before deciding whether to adopt an ordinance keeping the county a shotgun-only zone for deer hunting.

The hearing will be held during the board’s evening rural meeting inside Melrose City Hall. The decision comes after Minnesota eliminated its statewide shotgun zone last year, giving counties the option to either allow rifles for deer hunting or formally adopt an ordinance to remain a shotgun-only zone. If Stearns County takes no action, rifles will be permitted within the county. The DNR has asked counties to make their decisions by early May so the information can be included in the annual deer hunting rule book.

County Commissioner Steve Notch said they’ve already been flooded with emails on the issue and feels a public hearing is in order before making a decision. “I think we’ve all got emails and spoken to people. So I think it would be important that we probably listen to the public.”

After one commissioner commented they’d received at least 40 emails about the topic, Commissioner Jeff Bertram said he’s received more than that and that people are sharply divided. “I can tell you mine are a lot more than 40. And again, that’s great, but there is no in-between. They’re either adamantly for or adamantly against.”

Commissioners also noted that the DNR has made clear it will not send representatives to the public hearing and does not want to be involved in the county-level decision-making process. Several board members said they hope to bring in evidence-based information before the final vote.

The board encouraged residents to continue submitting written correspondence, which will be compiled into the public record. A final vote on whether to adopt the ordinance is expected at the board’s April 21st meeting.

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