Minnesota Deer Opener Means Tradition and Big Bucks as 400,000 Hunters Head Out

(KNSI) – About 400,000 hunters are expected to take part in Minnesota’s firearms deer opener this weekend, a yearly ritual that Explore Minnesota says is worth nearly $500 million a year to the state’s economy.

The DNR and Explore Minnesota are marking the start of the season at the Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener in Grand Rapids. DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen says the pull of opening weekend goes well beyond filling a tag.

“Deer hunting in Minnesota is a time-honored tradition. It’s something that people do year after year with friends and family. And it’s like a, you know, annual holiday for many, many people heading off to deer camp.”

Those trips add up for towns far from the Twin Cities. “It’s also big business in Minnesota. And we will see that in communities across the state as the season opens. People in their blaze orange in the gas stations and the restaurants heading out into the woods and the field.”

Deer hunting is a big contributor to the state’s $14 billion outdoor recreation industry, and this year’s early numbers are giving the DNR reason for optimism.

“We are really excited that heading into deer season, our license sales are up significantly over where we were last year. So people are buying their licenses early and they are excited for deer season.”

Harvest numbers are also up significantly through the archery and youth seasons, according to Strommen with a little over 32,200 deer taken so far.

Hunters will notice a few changes this year. Minnesota has a new electronic licensing system that lets hunters buy a license and register a harvest online. The state also eliminated the shotgun zone in parts of Minnesota, so hunters in those counties should check whether their county adopted the change. There are also new rules for disposing of deer carcasses.

Testing for chronic wasting disease is mandatory in southwest Minnesota this year which includes Stearns, Morrison and Wright county, as the DNR moves to sampling one of four quadrants of the state at a time. Voluntary testing is available statewide.

The firearms season opens Saturday, with closing dates varying by deer permit area. Archery season runs through December 31st, and muzzleloader season runs from November 28th through December 13th.

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