Outdoor Notes for Aug. 7

The team of Kevin and Lucas Hacker finished in first place in the Northerns Inc. fishing tournament recently held on Mission Lake.

The hackers finished with a total length of 98 ½ inches of northern pike caught. Coming in second was the team of Rob and Roberta Carper with 94 inches and in third place was the team of Jeff and Tracy Wohl with 91 ¾ inches.

The Lunker of the Day was a 35 ¼ inch northern pike caught by Jim Falenschek.

All fish were measured, photographed and released back into the lake after being caught.

Deer hunting licenses can be purchased starting today and the 2022 Minnesota hunting regulations are now available on the DNR website ( mndnr.gov/Hunting ). Print copies of the regulations will be available in early August wherever licenses are sold.

When deer hunters venture out into fields and forests this fall, they will find healthy deer populations faring well in most of Minnesota, ample harvest opportunities, and a continued commitment to managing chronic wasting disease management adaptively statewide.

“We’re excited about deer hunting this year,” said Kelly Straka, wildlife section manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Hunters in 20% of our deer permit areas will have increased opportunities for harvest, and opportunities in 70% of DPAs remain unchanged from last year. In some areas of northern Minnesota, severe winter conditions have impacted low deer numbers, so hunter opportunity in these areas is designed to help stabilize or increase those populations.”

Minnesota has the following deer seasons:

• Archery: Saturday, Sept. 17, through Saturday, Dec. 31
• Youth and early antlerless: Thursday, Oct. 20, through Sunday, Oct. 23
• Firearms: Saturday, Nov. 5, with various closing dates depending on a hunter’s DPA
• Muzzleloader: Saturday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 11

Changes for this year include:

• Eight more DPAs included in the hunt. Hunters will also have more license options for the early antlerless season.
• Increased bag limits or lottery permits in 28 DPAs, the same limits in 90 DPAs and decreased limits in 12 DPAs.

In addition to deer seasons, hunters can participate in special deer hunts. The DNR, municipalities and organizations across Minnesota offer opportunities to hunt at special times and in areas that might regularly be closed to hunting. Participation in these hunts is limited and often requires special registration. More information is available on the DNR website ( mndnr.gov/Hunting/Deer/index.html#SpecialHunts ).

Hunters can get the information they need for each DPA by using the interactive deer map on the DNR’s deer hunting page ( mndnr.gov/Hunting/Deer ). By clicking within the borders of a DPA on the map, hunters can access a “make a plan” link that takes them directly to the DNR’s Make a Plan tool, where they can view the steps deer hunters in that DPA must follow to legally harvest deer. The tool also provides information for determining where and how to submit a sample for CWD testing and whether sampling is mandatory in the DPA.

Firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a DPA designated as lottery need to purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 8. Hunters who purchase their license by Sept. 8 are automatically entered into the lottery for the DPA or special hunt area they declare. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit, or five-deer limit designations.

As part of an adaptive approach to chronic wasting disease management statewide, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is broadening the options this year for hunters to get their deer tested for CWD.

“Keeping Minnesota’s deer healthy remains a top DNR priority,” DNR Wildlife Section Manager Kelly Straka said. “The DNR’s commitment to sound surveillance and aggressive management of CWD has not changed. What is different is how we’re accomplishing that from place to place and improving options for hunters to help us with disease surveillance.”

Hunters will be able to submit samples through taxidermists who are partnering with the DNR or by dropping off deer heads at self-service sampling stations. Other options available include using mail-in kits (hunters remove the lymph nodes from deer themselves), dropping by one of the DNR-staffed sampling stations during the opening weekend of firearms season, or making appointments at area wildlife offices within CWD zones at any time during the deer hunting season.

One notable difference this fall will be fewer self-service sampling stations than in previous seasons. Self-service stations will be available only in firearms season, with the exception of point-based surveillance zones, which will have stations available starting in archery season and will remain available until sampling goals are met. Hunters should visit the DNR’s Make a Plan page ( mndnr.gov/Hunting/Deer/Make-Your-Deer-Hunting-Plan.html ) to learn more about self-service sampling station availability for the DPA they plan to hunt.

This year’s revised approach to sampling will allow the DNR and hunters to work cooperatively to ensure robust data collection, particularly in CWD zones, while also making efficient use of limited resources. The DNR listened carefully to hunters’ expressed preferences and also evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of last year’s data collection in developing this year’s sampling plan. “We’re encouraging archery and muzzleloader hunters in CWD zones to use one of the alternative methods available to get their deer tested for CWD,” Straka said. “We’re still rigorously sampling in areas where CWD has been detected and samples from hunter-harvested deer provide critical information about the disease.”

CWD sample submission will be mandatory in all CWD zones during the opening weekend of the firearms A season (Nov. 5-6) for all hunter harvested deer one year or older. Locations of CWD sampling partners and DNR-staffed CWD sampling stations will continue to be updated on DNR’s website ( mndnr.gov/CWD ) throughout the fall.

Carcass movement restrictions are in effect for CWD management and control zones during all seasons. Whole carcasses cannot leave these zones until a “not detected” test result is received. More about carcass movement restrictions can be found on page 73 of the Minnesota Hunting Regulations. The regulations and links to complete deer season information are available on the DNR website ( mndnr.gov/Hunting/Deer ).