Minnesota firearms deer season opens this Saturday

Many deer hunters look forward to the firearms opener every year for the anticipation of being out at dawn to watch for a flick of the tail or listen for a slight crunch of leaves, but also the traditional and rich memories that come from spending time with friends and family together outdoors.

More than 400,000 Minnesota hunters are expected to participate in the 2026 firearms deer season, which opens Saturday, Nov. 7. Ahead of the season, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources encourages hunters to review the updated hunting regulations and ensure they complete their license purchase well in advance.

“This is a great time to get your hunting plans in place, buy your deer license early if you haven’t already, and review changes to chronic wasting disease sampling for the season,” said Paul Burr, DNR deer coordinator. “Putting some extra thought toward your hunt now can make deer opener that much more enjoyable.”According to Appleton Wildlife Manager Curt Vacek, the herd is looking strong throughout the area.  

“For the most part we are within our population goal levels in all the local deer permit areas.  But, in some of our deer permit areas we are getting very close to exceeding those goals and thus we're being a bit more aggressive with our season strategies,” said Vacek. “For instance, in DPA 275, we've now transitioned from lottery to either-sex.  So, hunters no longer need to apply for an antlerless permit in that DPA. Instead, their base license is good for one deer of either-sex: buck or doe.  We hope this will lead to a higher harvest on adult does and bring that population down a bit.”

Things will be interesting now that hunters will be allowed to use rifles during the firearms season. The former statewide shotgun zone is no longer in effect. In most Minnesota counties, hunters may use any legal shotgun, handgun or rifle during firearms deer season. Counties in the former zone may adopt local restrictions. Shotgun-only rules cover all or parts of Brown, Clay, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Houston, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Nobles, Pope, Rock, Watonwan and Wilkin counties.

Vacek stated that an important reminder is that CWD monitoring will be done in all of southwest Minnesota, including all the DPA's surrounding Ortonville. 

“All hunters who are successful during the first two days of the firearms season are required to bring their deer to a CWD Check Station so the deer can be tested,” said Vacek.  “Locally, we'll have check stations in Ortonville, Madison, Graceville, Appleton, and Benson.” He added that other stations and further details can be found online at the MN DNR Deer Hunting page.

This four-year statewide rotational surveillance plan for CWD begins this year, with sampling required for deer harvested in southwest Minnesota on Nov. 7-8. If successful hunters want their deer tested at any other time during the fall, they can request a home kit or seek out their local DNR Wildlife Office for assistance.

A modernized electronic licensing system has changed how hunters buy licenses and register harvests. Online license sales, license agent locations, and resources for help with using the new system are available on the Minnesota DNR buy a license webpage (mndnr.gov/buyalicense).

Deer hunters are reminded of the following:

• Hunters may not take deer with the aid or use of bait.

• Ensure you are using legal equipment for taking big game.

• Hunters using firearms to take big game must use legal ammunition.

• Legal bucks have one antler at least three inches long.

• Fawn bucks, sometimes called button bucks, are not legal bucks.

• Antlerless deer are deer without an antler at least three inches long.

• Know the difference between a deer and an elk.

Hunter safety is a top priority. Blaze clothing has been found to be one factor that has helped make hunting one of the safest outdoor activities.

All hunters and trappers in the field during the open firearms/muzzleloader deer seasons must display blaze orange or blaze pink on the visible portion of the person's cap and outer clothing above the waist, excluding sleeves and gloves.

Shooting hours for big game are 1⁄2 hour before sunrise to 1⁄2 hour after sunset.