2022 Minnesota Deer Season Details

Looking forward to deer season!

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.

Want to know the regulations for where you hunt? Try using our make a plan tool. By using your deer permit area number you’ll be able to see the details specific to that area. If you don’t know your DPA number they are available on our interactive deer map.

More details: Make your deer hunting plan

Photo courtesy of Tom Dougherty

Hunting regulations are available

The 2022 Minnesota hunting regulations and Minnesota waterfowl hunting regulations are both available online. Print copies of the regulations will be available in early August wherever licenses are sold.

More details: Get the hunting regulations

Purchase your license by Sept. 8 to get into the antlerless lottery

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.

More details: Find deer season details

Photo courtesy of Clayton Cozad

Get CWD details for your area

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

CWD sample submission will be mandatory in most CWD zones during the opening weekend of the firearms A season (Nov. 5-6) for all hunter harvested deer one year or older. Additionally, there will be a variety of voluntary testing options available.

You have options for how to get your deer sampled for CWD that depend on when and where you hunt in Minnesota. You can find the options and requirements for your deer permit area using our online lookup tool. Simply enter your DPA number and find the details you need for where you hunt.