Minnesota Deer Hunting Season: Regulations and What You Need to Know

Whitetail deer hunting can be a rite of passage, a pastime amongst friends, and for others, a means to fill the freezer and provide sustenance for their family. Whatever brings you out in the field, you will want to ensure that you are abiding by all of the necessary laws and regulations. So, if you happen to be successful, you can keep your triumphant harvest and not be fined, have your gear seized from you, or potentially end up behind bars. Reference this Minnesota Deer Hunting Season guide for all of the basics that you’ll need to know before you head out into the fields.

Season Dates

Archery

For archery season in Minnesota, you can deploy a lot of different archery tools to harvest a whitetail deer including a compound bow, recurve bow, long bow, or crossbow. Crossbows are now legal for everyone. They are no longer age or physical impairment restricted. There are certain stipulations you still need to abide by like a minimum 30 Lb draw weight and certain broadhead types being legal as well.

Archery
- September 14th – December 31st

Firearms

During firearm seasons in Minnesota, all methods of archery can be legally deployed, handguns, rifles, shotguns, and even muzzleloaders are legal. For handguns and rifles, the MN DNR (Department of Natural Resources) states you must have a firearm that is centerfire .22 caliber or larger.

Firearm: Season A
- 100 Series Zones: November 9th – 24th
- 200 Series Zones: November 9th – 17th
- 300 Series Zones: November 9th – 17th
Firearm: Season B
- 300 Series Zones: November 23rd – December 1st

Muzzleloader

For muzzleloader season in Minnesota, you can legally use fiber optic iron sights and riflescopes as of a few years ago. Also, you must ensure that smooth-bore muzzleloaders are at least .45 caliber, and rifled muzzleloaders are a minimum of .40 caliber in size.

Muzzleloader
- November 30th – December 15th

Allowable Hunting Times during the Day

Legal shooting hours for hunting whitetail deer in Minnesota are 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.

Finer Points about Regulations

Can you bait?
- NO – Hunters are not allowed to take whitetail deer with the aid or use of bait. The MN DNR also cites that baiting significantly increases the risk of transmitting disease amongst wild deer populations for not allowing people to bait while hunting.
Can you use salt blocks?
- YES – You can use salt blocks. The MN DNR does allow for liquid scents, sprays, salt, and minerals if they do not contain liquid or soft food products.
What kind of gun(s) and ammo can you use?
- Archery: Compound bows, recurve bows, long bows, crossbows
  - 30 Lb draw weight or greater
  - Broadheads must have 2 metal cutting edges, barbless, 7/8″ in diameter
- Firearms: Archery, Handgun, Rifle, Shotgun, Muzzleloader
  - Handguns and Rifles must be centerfire .22 caliber or larger
  - Archery methods are legal during firearm season
  - All shotgun gauges are legal for harvesting whitetail deer
  - Muzzleloader methods are legal during firearm season
    - Ammunition must have a projectile that is a soft point or expanding bullet type
- Muzzleloaders: Muzzleloading Rifles and Muzzleloading Handguns
  - Smooth-Bore Muzzleloaders must be at least .45 caliber
  - Rifled-Bore Muzzleloaders must be at least .40 caliber
    - Ammunition must have a projectile that is a soft point or expanding bullet type

What Do You Need for Hunting in Minnesota?

Is a treestand a must?

NO, you do not need a treestand to hunt whitetail deer in Minnesota. Many different methods can be used such as ladder stands, hang-on treestands, saddle hunting, ground blinds, elevated box stands, and spot-and-stalk. While a treestand – and its many variations are popular – you do not need to invest money in a treestand if you don’t want to.

Can you use a blind?

YES, using a blind – whether it is a ground blind or elevated blind – is legal for hunting whitetail deer in Minnesota as well as many other species such as upland birds, waterfowl, black bear, turkey, and more.

Where Can You Hunt?

Suggested Public Land Parcels

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge – The Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge is nestled in central Minnesota and is home to a bevy of wildlife species from sandhill cranes to whitetail deer, and many others. With a sprawling mix of dense forest, lowland marsh, and flat plains areas, it retains wildlife well and is a favorite for hunters who are looking to hunt public property.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is an area of remote wilderness that will require you to travel on foot or canoe and portage your way to many intended destinations. It is comprised of 1,090,000 acres of pristine forests, glacial lakes, and streams and is within the boundaries of parts of the Superior National Forest. Home to a lot of game that is not native anywhere else in Minnesota, you can see moose, timberwolves, black bear, pine marten, fisher, plentiful trout streams, small populations of whitetail deer, and even the occasional Bigfoot which locals would love to hear your story and share their own.

Minnesota Specific Things to Know about Whitetail Deer Hunting

Terrain

Minnesota offers a lot of varying terrain. The flats and bluffs of southern Minnesota are very wide open forcing hunters to rethink their tactics. The agricultural central regions of Minnesota offer robust fields of corn, hay, and soybeans which act as inadvertent food plots for hunters until farmers harvest all of their crops. Then, they are left to contend with the hardwood forests that abound the region. Finally, you have the northern regions that are heavy in timber, bogs, and marshes making them difficult to navigate even for the most seasoned hunters at times.

Weather

Minnesota can be a beautiful state to live in, as well as hunt, because we are blessed enough to experience all four seasons that Mother Nature has to offer – sometimes all in the same day! The weather in Minnesota can turn on a dime and you might be hunting in the morning donning a coat with snow on the ground, and the next thing you know you are peeling layers because it is 70 degrees in the afternoon. So, to survive a Minnesota hunting season you need to be prepared for anything: wind, rain, snow, and heat.

Gear Choices

With all of that being said, the ability to layer your clothing and have extra clothing on standby – either in a vehicle or balled up in a hunting pack – is important. You never want to end a hunt early because the weather is too miserable. So, plan accordingly with layers for your tops and bottoms, and even consider multiple pairs of footwear for cold mornings and hot afternoons.