Outdoors Notebook: DNR accepts applications for prairie chicken season lottery; other tidbits
Jul. 21—ST. PAUL — Hunters can apply through Friday, Aug. 19, to be chosen for one of 125 permits available for this year's 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 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website at
mndnr.gov/Hunting/PrairieChicken
. — Herald staff report
ST. PAUL — Hunters can apply for the fall archery deer hunt at Camp Ripley near Little Falls, Minnesota, through Friday, Aug. 19. This year, the three-day hunt will happen on Oct. 28-30, and 2,500 permits will be 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 in Brainerd, and the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000-acre military reservation. — Herald staff report
ST. PAUL — Here's a way to introduce youth to deer hunting: special youth deer hunts. These hunts take place in several state parks, including Itasca, Lake Bemidji, Lake Bronson and Zippel Bay in northwest Minnesota, and at Rydell National Wildlife Refuge near Erskine, Minnesota, on various dates in the fall. Adults must accompany youth during these hunts.
Apply for special youth deer hunt permits
on the DNR website
, by phone at (888) 665-4236 (1-MN-LICENSE) or in person at any DNR license sales agent through Friday, Aug. 19. Keep in mind there is a limited number of permits for each hunt. These special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 20-23 and does not require an application.
More details:
Find hunt information and how to apply
at mndnr.gov and doing a search for "youth deer hunts." — Herald staff report
ST. PAUL — The DNR has mailed postcards to successful license recipients in the bear season lottery. Prospective hunters can also
check the DNR website
to see if they were selected. The deadline for lottery winners to purchase a bear license is Monday, Aug. 1. Surplus licenses will be available at noon Thursday, Aug. 4. Bear baiting begins Friday, Aug. 12, and the hunting season begins Thursday, Sept. 1, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 16.
As always, licenses in the no-quota bear hunting zones, including much of northwest Minnesota, will be available over the counter.
More info: mndnr.gov. — Herald staff report
ST. PAUL — Hunting seasons will be here before you know it, and it's not too early to prepare. The DNR offers these tips:
* Get your hunter's safety certification if you're new.
* Buy ammo now to avoid missing out on seasons.
* Scout spots; look for paths and potential food sources.
* Avoid the wait, buy your license and stamps early. Deer licenses go on sale Aug. 1.
* Plan your hunt dates
More details:
Review our learn to hunt information
to start preparing or go to mndnr.gov and type "learn to hunt" in the search window. — Herald staff report
BISMARCK — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking applications for its annual Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest, and photographers who are interested in sending photos must follow guidelines for submitting their work.
Photographers should go to the Game and Fish Department's website at
Then, it is a matter of providing some pertinent information about the photo and uploading it. Doing so helps both with ease of submitting photos for the photographer and managing those images for department staff.
The deadline for submitting photos is Oct. 3.
The contest has categories for nongame and game species, as well as plants/insects. An overall winning photograph will be chosen, with the number of place winners in each category determined by the number of qualified entries.
Contestants are limited to no more than five entries. Photos must have been taken in North Dakota.
By submitting an entry, photographers grant permission to Game and Fish to publish winning photographs in North Dakota OUTDOORS, and on the department's website.
For more information or questions, contact Patrick Isakson, department conservation biologist, at pisakson@nd.gov. — Herald staff report
DEVILS LAKE — The Barnes County Veteran Service Office in Valley City, North Dakota, in cooperation with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, is taking applications for the annual Camp Grafton Disabled Veteran Deer Hunt at Camp Grafton on Devils Lake.
Veterans who are 50% disabled or greater are encouraged to apply. The hunt will take place Monday, Nov. 7, and Monday, Nov. 14, at Camp Grafton, with five hunters allowed per day.
The hunt is limited to shotguns with slugs, organizers say, and no rifles will be allowed or provided this year.
Veterans interested in participating in the hunt should apply by Sept. 30 to be considered. Applications are available at county Veteran Service offices across the state. — Herald staff report
