Well guys and gals, it’s that time of the year again. Doesn’t it seem like we just had summer? Besides fantasy football and late night card games in the basement, what are we to do when the days get shorter and colder? We stock our freezers with good ‘ole game meat and wait for the chili to be ready, right? Some may be new to the area and others might like a refresher but this blog entry is all about hunting so read further and follow us for more hunting blogs to come!

Minnesota reputation boasts some of the best hunting around, and if you looked it up, we would be right due to its abundance of land and deer population. Minnesota has mixed use of state forests, WMAs and WPAs that make the hunting quite the sport.

Minnesota was home to 1 million whitetail deer but last year’s harsh winters did the deer population little good, leaving lots of deer starving. Minnesota’s DNR responded to this problem by spending emergency money to feed the deer to keep the population thriving. The harsh winters have also made Minnesota impose a “Bucks” only regulation this year, making it one of the most conservative in the past decade. This regulation forbids the shooting of antlerless deer in 95 percent of the state and applies to EVERYBODY except those in a lottery. Be sure to read and always refer back to the Minnesota Guidebook to observe new laws and regulations this year at:  You can find up to date information on age requirements, trespassing, disability and active duty regulations and gun law changes in this year’s guidebook.

How Do You Count Points?

1. At least 1 antler is 3 inches long with a minimum of 4 points on one side.
2. An antler, brow tine, and any broken tine has to be at least 1 inch.
3. You also need to count the end of the main beam.

While only 67,000 deer were tagged opening weekend, down from last year, reports from hunters all over the state haven’t really noticed a decline in seeing deer. The recent opening weekend could have been dented due to a snow storm that blew in. Only time will tell if anything benefited from the feeding of the starving deer, the harsh winter and the bag limit.

What do you expect from this year’s deer hunting season? Do you think the 1 deer bag limit and “bucks” only regulation is a good thing or bad? We want to know! Also, stay tuned, follow and share our blog for more continual coverage on hunting and other locally, time sensitive information on Minnesota!

Coming up next! Where the best areas in Minnesota are for hunting, wild game recipes and even finding your perfect deer camp, which doesn’t always have to be a hole in the wall cabin. Take your pick, we got them all at RentMinnesotaCabins.com