Minnesota hunting and fishing laws

Minn. Stat. section 97B.020: a person born after December 31, 1979, may not obtain an annual license to take wild animals by firearms unless the person has a firearms safety certificate or equivalent, a driver's license with a valid firearms safety qualification indicator, a previous hunting license with that indicator, an apprentice-hunter validation, or other evidence of a recognized course.

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Active-duty military who completed basic training are accommodated. The apprentice validation is a short-term exception to the requirement for completing trapper education or hunter firearms safety training, and it may be purchased in two license years in a lifetime.

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Applies to: Big game

Children 9 and younger may not hunt big game in Minnesota. Ages 10-11 need no firearms safety certificate, get a free license and must have a parent or guardian within immediate reach; ages 12-13 need a firearms safety certificate and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Ages 14-17 with a firearms safety certificate may hunt on their own.

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Applies to: Deer

During firearms and muzzleloader deer seasons, all hunters and trappers must display blaze orange or blaze pink on the visible portion of the cap and outer clothing above the waist, excluding sleeves and gloves. Blaze camouflage qualifies at 50 percent or more per square foot. Exempt are archery-only areas, waterfowl hunting on water or from a stationary position, and trapping on water.

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Applies to: Upland and small game

When no firearms or muzzleloader deer season is open, small game hunters need at least one article of clothing above the waist that is blaze orange or blaze pink. Exempt then are stationary archery deer hunters also taking small game, turkey, migratory bird and bear hunters, raccoon and predator hunters, furbearer trappers, and falconry for small game.

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No Sunday hunting restriction appears in the agency regulations.

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Applies to: Big game

Minn. Stat. section 97B.075 provides that big game and wolves may be taken from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. Note that an extract of the DNR handbook rendered firearms deer hours as one-half hour before sunrise to sunset; the statute is used here, so re-check the current handbook.

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Applies to: Waterfowl

Waterfowl may be taken from one-half hour before sunrise until sunset. For other protected wild animals, except raccoon and fox, the evening and morning times are set by commissioner's rule.

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Applies to: Deer

Baiting deer is illegal. Bait is placing, exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering bait capable of attracting or enticing deer, and includes grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, hay or other food placed by a person. Liquid scents, sprays, salt, and minerals are not bait if they do not contain liquid or solid food products. All bait must be completely removed for 10 days prior to hunting.

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Applies to: Deer

Agricultural crops from normal farming, forest management, wildlife food plantings, orchard management or similar land management are not bait, but concentrated piles of crops where hunting occurs do qualify as illegal baiting. Penalties are a one-year license revocation on a first offense and three years on a second conviction within three years, doubled for trophy deer scoring 170 or more.

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Applies to: Bear

Bear baiting is legal and registered. A person may not place bait for bears unless the person has a current year bear license or is operating under the direction of a person with a current year bear license, and bait stations must be registered.

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A person cannot shine artificial light, for example onto a highway, field, or forest, to find or take a wild animal while possessing a gun, bow, or any other tool that could be used to hunt big game, small game, or unprotected animals.

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Applies to: Furbearers

There is a coyote and fox exception during the winter window set in the regulations, permitted only under all of the following conditions: while on foot and not within a public right of way, using a shotgun, using a calling device, and not within 200 feet of a vehicle.

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Applies to: Deer

Minnesota no longer uses physical carcass tags for deer. Before moving the deer, validate the harvest at the kill site in the MN DNR Licensing app or on your paper license, then register it within 48 hours and before it is processed.

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Minn. Stat. section 97B.001: permission is required on agricultural land even if it is not posted. Agricultural land is land that is plowed or tilled, has standing crops or crop residues, is within a maintained fence for enclosing domestic livestock, or is planted grassland, hay or short-rotation woody crops. Non-agricultural land must be posted annually with no trespassing signs.

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A person may enter unposted land to retrieve a lawfully shot animal and must then leave immediately, and a person without a firearm may enter to retrieve a hunting dog and must then leave immediately. Firearms may not be discharged within 500 feet of an occupied building or livestock without written permission, except during established seasons on public land.

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