2008 Deer Hunting Information

[lcornice]

I don't start many posts, but I figured I'd let you all know that the 2008 deer season information has been posted on the DNR site. There are several files, the first being a large document containing everything you ever (or never) wanted to know about the deer season. It can be found here:

2008 Deer Information PDF

The main deer hunting page, DNR Deer Hunting has a variety of files including season dates, maps, a FAQ, and license buying guide. It's the same information that's in the main document, just broken out individually.

The deer information basically expands on what is in the regulations book to include more detail that can't be included in the book because of space limitations. Happy reading.

[harvey lee]

Thank-You.

[AndyM]

Very helpfull... Thanks

Andy

[deerhunter10]

B

[deerhunter10]

Big help

[Powerstroke]

Thanks LC. You've been a huge help with clarifying these changes. I know there will be more of it as the season nears.

[UMDSportsman]

Thank you for posting that and answering all questions about the new regs.

[jlm]

I agree, this is very helpful, thank you for posting!!!

[lient]

I have one question...if I am hunting in a lottery area during ML season, and I have not yet bagged a deer would I have to have been successful in the lottery to shoot a doe or is ML either sex in a lotter area?

This is what it says on the HSOforum:

Lottery Deer Area (BLUE): Hunters interested in hunting antlerless deer during either the firearm or muzzleloader season must apply for an either-sex permit through the lottery following the same procedure that has been used in previous years. Application deadline is Thurs, Sept. 4, 2008, and lottery winners will receive permits via U.S. mail. Archery and regular muzzleloader hunters who do not by a firearms license can take a deer of either sex without applying for an either-sex permit. Regular firearm and people who hunt both the firearm and muzzleloader seasons must apply for an either-sex permit if they want to hunt antlerless deer. Otherwise, those license holders will be restricted to bucks only. Important: Bonus permits are not valid in lottery permit areas, regardless of weapon type.

So my understanding of this is If I buy a regular firearms and ML license I would have to be successful in the lottery to shoot a doe during the ML season but if I just buy a ML license I could shoot either or. Am I correct?

[lawdog]

I hope we all appreciate how fortunate we are to have lcornice here providing us info!!!! I for one want to say thanks for that Lou!!!!!

[picksbigwagon]

I agree!!!!! I usually keep the regs next to my computer at home, it is sure comforting that Lou is here and can answer questions quickly and accurately. Thanks Lou!!!

[lcornice]

So my understanding of this is If I buy a regular firearms and ML license I would have to be successful in the lottery to shoot a doe during the ML season but if I just buy a ML license I could shoot either or. Am I correct?

You are exactly correct.

[lient]

Thanks lcornice

[mrklean]

Does anyone know what zone number Brainerd is? I know last year i think it was an intensive harevest area cause you could get a bunch of extra permits. So my question is i hunt bow and gun so if i buy both i would need to get the extra permits to take more doe then i go by the season limits? I guess i dont really like the changes.

[Powerstroke]

The rules haven't changed in the Brainerd area that I know if. There are several zones that meet in the general area, but the one closest to town is 242.

Bonus permits are still needed to take more than one deer per license. That has not changed since they started. One tag for one deer.

[westb]

Maybe this is a dumb question but i cant seem to find a map with zone numbers and road numbers to indicate zone boundrys. Can anyone help with this.

[mrklean]

I went to walmart and got a full sized and the book so i could figure my stuff out, a lot easier

[benbosh]

try this:

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/regs/hunting/2008/zonemap.pdf

[rockman]

Lou,can you clarify that when the amended regs. state that any caliber larger than .220 in a centerfire round can be used,this also means I can legally carry and hunt/take game with my .45 ACP, if I was reckless enough to do so? Does this also cover .40 S&W,9mm Luger,or most any of the usual daily self protection/carry calibers? I am by no means advocating using any of these calibers to take whitetail deer,but this issue came up on another handgun carry forum with differing opinions, of course. I am not trying to open up the proverbial can of worms on which caliber is better than the other,but as a carry permit holder, I would like to see where the DNR is on this. I already read the online version of the amended regs. from the revisors office, and would like Lou's take on this. Thanks, by the way, for contributing here.

[lcornice]

Lou,can you clarify that when the amended regs. state that any caliber larger than .220 in a centerfire round can be used,this also means I can legally carry and hunt/take game with my .45 ACP, if I was reckless enough to do so? Does this also cover .40 S&W,9mm Luger,or most any of the usual daily self protection/carry calibers? I am by no means advocating using any of these calibers to take whitetail deer,but this issue came up on another handgun carry forum with differing opinions, of course. I am not trying to open up the proverbial can of worms on which caliber is better than the other,but as a carry permit holder, I would like to see where the DNR is on this. I already read the online version of the amended regs. from the revisors office, and would like Lou's take on this. Thanks, by the way, for contributing here.

It means everything so the answer is yes. One of the goals of the project was to try and not regulate common sense. It's certainly my expectation that people will not attempt to cap a deer with their 9. Obviously, if it's truly a problem, it'll get addressed next time around and we'll be back to complex cartridge restrictions. Heck, the the 10mm has been legal through exception for years.

[Scott M]

DNR News: Now is the time to plan for 2008 deer license options.

Minnesotans who intend to hunt deer this fall may want to start scouting their license-buying options now. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding hunters that 2008 deer hunting licenses will be a departure from the past.

“We’ve simplified license-buying and a number of regulations,” said Dennis Simon, DNR Wildlife Section chief. “And because of that, we ask that hunters, during this transition year, familiarize themselves with those options now. Our aim is to avoid potential confusion during the last-minute rush of license buying in early November.”

Deer hunting licenses are now available for purchase. The regulation book, which includes a color map, helps explain the new system.

Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game coordinator, said the new license options will benefit hunters in a number of ways. For example, deer hunters now can buy multiple licenses for the specific types of hunting they do rather than a single inclusive license, have more flexibility in where they hunt, and may choose from a wider selection of firearms.

“Minnesota had more types of licenses and options than any other Midwestern state,” Cornicelli said. “The changes for the 2008 season fulfill the hunting community’s desire to dramatically simplify deer hunting regulations.”

The changes were developed by a group of stakeholders during the last year and approved by the Legislature this spring. They allow deer hunters to buy a firearms, archery and muzzleloader license singly or in any combination. This a la carte approach eliminates the all-season deer license and multi-zone buck license, which in many cases will save hunters money.

“We found that the vast majority of hunters who spent $78 on an all-season deer license were only hunting two seasons: archery and firearms or firearms and muzzleloader,” Cornicelli said. “The new regulations allow hunters to buy an archery and firearms license, for example, saving them $26 a year.”

Hunters need to be aware that bag limits in the area they choose to hunt take precedence over the number of licenses they can purchase. Hunters can buy a maximum of three licenses - archery, firearms and muzzleloader - but not all deer areas allow hunters to harvest three deer. Hunters should consult the regulation book to determine the bag limit for the deer area they hunt.

Deer areas are annually designated as lottery, managed, intensive, or early antlerless, so hunters should read the regulations to determine if they need to apply for an either-sex permit.

A second major revision consolidates the six traditional firearms zone licenses, the all-season deer license, and the multi-zone buck license into two license types: a statewide A license and a late southeast B season license.

The statewide A license is valid in all deer areas that begin on Nov. 8 and hunters are no longer required to stay in their traditional zone. The $26 statewide A license is valid during the following seasons: Nov. 8-23 in northeastern Minnesota (deer areas in the 100 range); Nov. 8-16 in most of southern, central and northwestern Minnesota (deer areas in the 200 range); and Nov. 8-14 in southeastern Minnesota (deer areas in the 300 range).

The late southeast B license preserves the traditional nine-day season in southeastern Minnesota, which will begin Nov. 22 and end Nov. 30. Hunters may purchase a regular firearms deer license in either the statewide A or late season B license, but not both.

The muzzleloader season runs statewide from Nov. 29-Dec. 14. This year, any hunter can purchase a muzzleloader license. This new rule includes traditional 3B deer hunters who were formerly excluded from that season.

In areas of Minnesota where deer populations are below goals and either-sex permits are limited, hunters who opt to buy a firearms and a muzzleloader license must apply for an either-sex permit by Sept. 4. Lottery winners will receive a permit valid for either the firearm or the muzzleloader season. Hunters who purchase only a muzzleloader license in these areas can take an either-sex deer without applying in the lottery.

A third regulation revision allows hunters to harvest deer with firearms that shoot centerfire ammunition of .220 caliber or larger, which is consistent with the regulations of most other Midwestern states. There no longer is a shell casing length provision. Although the centerfire law has changed, the rifle-shotgun line has not, so hunters are cautioned to know what constitutes a legal firearm in the area they hunt.

The final regulation revision eliminates the need to for hunters to cut a notch in their license. Tagging rules still require that the site tag be notched at the kill site to indicate time and date of kill and properly attached to the animal according to the regulations. The only change is hunters do not need to validate their deer license.

[WaveWacker]

Your understanding is correct. If you buy a firearms license and a ML license you would have to have been successful in the lottery to shoot a doe in the ML season. Just purchase a ML license and you can take either or.