Minnesota deer bag limit

[Archerysniper]

Bag Limits

Bag limits can be confusing if you move around a lot and take deer in more than one area. However, the licensing system is designed to provide for maximum flexibility and allows people to travel and hunt statewide. The trade-off for this flexibility is time spent learning how many deer you can take in an area. The licensing structure is designed to allow for the over-harvest of deer in local areas and it is the hunter’s responsibility to know the bag limit for the areas they hunt. The alternative to flexibility is to limit the number and type of licenses a person can buy, which is the opposite of what hunters have requested. Below is a general explanation of statewide bag limits and what you can and cannot do.

• Only one buck is allowed per calendar year, without exception.

• Although you can buy 3 licenses, the bag limits for individual areas may not allow you to fill all 3 licenses.

• Most Minnesota deer hunters only tag 1 deer. In 2009 individual hunters tagged:

o 1 deer – 86%

o 2 deer – 12%

o 3 deer – 1.5%

o 4 deer – 0.4%

o 5 deer – 0.1%

• The total allowable bag limit for youth antlerless, lottery, managed, and intensive areas is 5 deer.

• Deer area limits are as follows:

o Youth Only Antlerless – 1 buck for adults, 1 either-sex deer for youth who are successful in the lottery. Unsuccessful youth or those who don’t apply are limited to one buck

o Lottery – 1 deer per year in 1 lottery area.

o Managed – 2 deer per year, using any combination of licenses and permits.

o Intensive – 5 deer per year, using any combination of licenses and permits.

o Early Antlerless – 2 extra antlerless deer during this season.

o Metro and Bovine TB – unlimited number of antlerless deer.

• You can mix and match seasons, areas, and permit types to reach fill your tags.

• Bonus permits are not allowed in any youth-only antlerless or lottery areas.

• Examples of what you CAN do:

o 1 lottery, 2 managed, 2 intensive = 5.

o 1 lottery, 1 managed, 3 intensive = 5.

o 1 managed, 4 intensive = 5.

o 5 intensive, 2 early antlerless = 7 (yes, you can do this).

• Examples of what you CAN’T do:

o 1 lottery, 1 youth only.

o 2 lottery.

o 2 youth only.

o 2 managed, 4 intensive = 6.

o 3 managed.

• Important points:

o You can only take 1 deer in any one lottery or youth antlerless area. In other words, you can’t kill deer in 2 different lottery or youth only areas.

o You can take up to 2 deer total in any 2 managed areas. In other words, you can’t kill 2 deer in 3+ different managed areas.

o You can take up to 5 deer in any of the intensive areas. Again, mix and match but don’t exceed the general limit.

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[skee0025]

I see the DNR's attempt to make the regs easier to understand is working like a charm