Apply through Aug. 19 for Camp Ripley archery hunts

Hunters can apply for the fall archery deer hunt at Camp Ripley near Little Falls through Friday, Aug. 19. This year, the three-day hunt will happen on Oct. 28-30 (Friday through Sunday, application code 668). A total of 2,500 permits will be made available. The bag limit is two and bonus permits may be used to take antlerless deer.

The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The DNR coordinates the hunt in collaboration with Central Lakes College Natural Resources Department, and the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000-acre military reservation.

Application details, hunt rules and other instructions are available on the DNR website.

Apply through Aug. 19 for special youth deer hunts

Hunters can apply for special youth deer hunt permits through Friday, Aug. 19.

These hunts are for youth who will be 12-15 years old at the time of the hunt. Youth archery hunters in Sand Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Sherburne County can be 10-17 years old. There is a limited number of permits for each hunt. Individual hunts will be held in several state parks, and in the Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, on various dates in the fall. Adults must accompany youth during these hunts. More information, including special youth hunt locations and dates, is available on the DNR website.

Special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 20-23 and does not require an application.

Hunters may only possess and use nontoxic ammunition when participating in a special hunt or disease management hunt in a Minnesota state park or Scientific and Natural Area. Bullets, slugs, muzzleloader ammunition and other single projectiles must be made entirely of non-toxic material approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Apply through Aug. 19 for prairie chicken hunt lottery

Hunters can apply through Friday, Aug. 19, to be chosen for one of 125 permits for the 2022 Minnesota prairie chicken hunting season. The nine-day prairie chicken season begins Saturday, Sept. 24, and is open to Minnesota residents only. The hunt takes place in northwestern Minnesota from St. Hilaire south to Breckenridge. Hunters can find details about the season on the DNR website.

DNR webinars cover hunters as citizen scientists,
clay target shooting 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites Minnesotans interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to tune in to upcoming webinars that will discuss how hunters can contribute data to help monitor wildlife populations, and clay target shooting for beginners.

The first webinar on hunters as citizen scientists is at noon Wednesday, Aug. 10. DNR researchers are tasked with assessing the populations of many game species to inform wildlife management efforts, including efforts to set hunting seasons and regulations — but they don’t collect all of the necessary the data themselves. In this webinar, participants will learn about two science-based surveys in which hunters are integral to contributing the data needed to help monitor deer and turkey populations.

The second webinar on clay target shooting is at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17. Sheri Brengman, DNR Becoming an Outdoors Woman program volunteer steering committee member and instructor, will talk about the basics of trap shooting and other clay target shooting games.

The webinars are part of the DNR’s Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series, which aims to give participants quick, relevant information on upcoming seasons and events, as well as skills to enjoy these opportunities. The webinars are free, but registration is required. More information, including registration information for webinars and recordings of past webinars, is available on the outdoor skills and stewardship page of the DNR website.