Antlerless permit lottery deadline Sept. 10
Rieger would like to see more deer permits issued
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NEW ULM -- Firearm and muzzleloader hunters that want to harvest antlerless deer in a permit area (DPA) designated for the lottery must purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 10.
Hunters who purchase a license at mndnr.gov/buyalicense by Sept. 10 are entered into the lottery for the DPA they declare.
Successful applicants will receive a postcard from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area. The authorization is valid for the firearm and muzzleloader season, as long as hunters have a valid license for the season they plan to hunt.
No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either-sex, two, three or five-deer limit designations.
The special hunt application deadline is also Sept. 10.
New this year, hunters can apply to both the antlerless permit lottery and special hunts this year. In the past, hunters were only allowed to apply to one hunt or the other.
Hunters wishing to buy licenses online or with the new mobile app (mndnr.gov/buyalicense), must create an online account before buying a license.
Anyone who purchased a license online by phone or in person in the past should use their nine-digit MNDNR number (visible on their latest license) to input when creating their account in the new system where possible for the best experience, according to the DNR.
A how-to video about signing into the new electronic licensing system is available on YouTube.
R & R Bait & Tackle owner Francis Rieger said there are enough deer in New Ulm area for every hunter that wants one this year.
"I think there are a lot of deer out there. I see them in New Ulm quite often," he said. "I've even seen a lot of does with two fawns. A lot of them get hit by vehicles. The deer need to be thinned out a bit."
Rieger said he supports checking deer for diseases.
"If we get overloaded with deer, they're more likely to have disease," he said. "We need more permits given out in certain areas. There are a lot of deer around now. I think farmers would agree more deer permits are a real good idea. Right now, there are enough deer for everyone."
Mankato deer hunter Bruce Roe visited Rieger's business Wednesday and sold him a couple guns.
Roe said he used to hunt with his dad in the Minnesota River Valley near New Ulm and had good luck.
In more recent years, he's deer hunted north of Duluth on family-owned land.
"My cousins and I haven't had any doe permits up there for about four years. When we did, we got one doe, but it's fun to be up there with family and friends," he said. "The past few years, we haven't seen anything. A lot of timbering was done up there this past winter, so we hope the deer hunting is a little bit better. There will be 25 permits awarded this year, but it's for a large area."
He said deer hunting in northern Minnesota is much different than hunting this area.
"There's other animals up there. There may be may be moose and elk. We may hear or see wolves," said Roe.
He said family members rented a place on the Minnesota River bottom prior to 1989 and he and his family deer hunted near New Ulm and had good luck.
Roe sold two of his guns to Rieger.
"I used to use the guns for duck hunting, but I'm done duck hunting," he said.
Minnesota deer seasons include the archery hunt Sept. 19 to Dec. 3; youth Oct. 15-18; statewide firearms Nov. 7 to Nov. 22; and muzzleloader Nov. 18 to Dec. 13;
For more information, visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/index.html.