Minnesota Wildlife

Explore public land this summer

Whether you’re hiking, wildlife watching, fishing, or scouting for the upcoming hunting seasons, Minnesota has a wealth of public land to explore. If you’re looking online for public land, one place to check is the Minnesota DNR Recreation Compass, as it shows a variety of land types, including wildlife management areas, Walk-In Access sites, state forests and more. We also have online tools to search for hunter walking trails and ruffed grouse management areas.

Did you know you can search for recently added wildlife management areas using our WMA finder? Just check the “new lands added/acquired in the last year” box.

Also make sure to check out this DNR webinar all about Minnesota WMAs and aquatic management areas.

Public land highlight: Carp Swamp WMA

Carp Swamp Wildlife Management Area has an additional 1,300 acres! The land was acquired in partnership with Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society, Minnesota SCI, and the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Carp Swamp WMA now encompasses more than 15,000 acres of public land.

Funding for the 1,300 acres was provided by the Outdoor Heritage Fund, made possible by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The new tract features traditional Minnesota northwoods forest area plus a known sharp-tailed grouse lek. Special thanks to Jackie Paschke of the Paschke Family who sold the tract to Pheasants Forever in 2024.

Learn more about Carp Swamp WMA on the DNR website.

Photo courtesy of Sabin Adams, Pheasants Forever

Be BearWise this summer

When you’re outdoors this summer, here’s a reminder to be aware of bears and learn how to prevent conflicts with bears.

Minnesota is bear country. People can peacefully share the outdoors with bears by paying attention to where and when they are most likely to be encountered. Black bears are naturally cautious animals that typically avoid human contact for their own safety; however, it’s important to be proactive to prevent human-bear conflicts.

When recreating in bear country, people should follow these six outdoor BearWise Basics:

• Stay alert and stay together when hiking. Pay attention to your surroundings and keep kids within sight or close by.
• Leave no trash or food scraps. Double bag your food when hiking and pack out all food and trash. Don’t burn food scraps or trash in your fire ring or grill.
• Keep dogs leashed. Letting dogs chase or bark at bears is asking for trouble.
  Camp safely. Do not store food, trash or toiletries in your tent. Store these items in a bear-resistant container or locked out of sight in a hard-sided vehicle.
• If you encounter a black bear:
  • If you see a bear before it notices you, don’t approach. Stand still, enjoy, then quietly move away.
  • If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Never run; running may trigger a chase response.
  • If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell “Hey Bear” until it leaves. Always stay with your group. If it keeps approaching, use bear spray.
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it. It is not a bear repellent so don’t spray your belongings with it.

Learn more about how to safely recreate in Minnesota on the DNR bear safety webpage and at BearWise.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Arndorfer

Check out these wildlife webinars

Check out these wildlife and hunting-related webinars included in the summer series of the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series:

• June 25 – Living with wildlife, about ways to reduce human-wildlife conflict, and increase social tolerance by understanding the social values we place on wildlife.
• July 23 – Buckthorn management, about the buckthorn species found in Minnesota, their impacts and how to manage these invasive plants.
• Aug. 20 – Early teal season, with tips on scouting, hunting strategies and mastering teal identification.
• Aug. 27 – Why we manage for CWD, on why the DNR uses aggressive tactics to manage CWD, the DNR’s response plan, shifts in the disease and ongoing research.  

The live webinars are at noon on Wednesdays and last an hour or less. Find a full list of summer webinars on the DNR website.

Green-winged teal photo courtesy of the USFWS

DNR adds eight counties to deer feeding and attractant ban

The Minnesota DNR has added eight counties to a deer feeding and attractant ban to reduce the risk of chronic wasting disease spread, after CWD was detected in wild deer in new areas of the state last year.

Added to the feeding and attractant ban are Anoka, Clay, Ramsey, Sherburne, Steele, Traverse, Wilkin and Wright counties. The ban now includes 32 Minnesota counties and remains in effect for Aitkin, Beltrami, Carver, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Le Sueur, Mower, Norman, Olmsted, Polk, Rice, Scott, Sibley, Wabasha, Washington and Winona counties.

The feeding and attractant ban is one tool to reduce unnatural congregating of deer and lower the risk of CWD spread. It’s a tool used where it provides the greatest benefit to the health of Minnesota’s white-tailed deer.

In areas outside the ban, the Minnesota DNR recommends that the public not feed deer. People interested in helping deer should focus efforts on improving habitat to provide long-term food resources and shelter.

Elk hunt license applications open

Hunters have through Thursday, July 3, to apply for one of four elk licenses offered this year by the Minnesota DNR. This is a once-in-a-lifetime hunt for Minnesota residents. 

The Minnesota DNR reduced opportunities for elk harvest this year to make sure Minnesota’s elk populations continue to thrive. The number of permits available is based on the lower-than-expected number of elk counted during the 2025 aerial flights and recent trends in population growth.

The DNR will continue to work with Tribal nations, local landowners, agricultural producers, legislators, local government officials and state agencies to sustainably manage Minnesota’s elk.

Fawn survival study continues

It’s the fifth and final year of the fawn survival study! Wildlife researchers have been fitting newborn white-tailed deer fawns with GPS-tracking collars in southwest Minnesota. Fawns are located with the aid of a contracted drone pilot. A team of researchers are deployed after finding a fawn to catch it.

Once caught, researchers measure and weigh the young animal and check its overall health. Before releasing, it’s fitted with an ear tag and an expandable GPS collar that grows with the fawn. The whole capture process is typically completed in about four minutes to minimize stress on the fawn.

Minnesota DNR’s fawn study team has collared about 100 fawns each year and plans to do so again this year. Here’s a video with more about this research project.

See you at the ballpark!

DNR Days with the Twins is back for the 2025 season. If you have a valid Minnesota hunting or fishing license, you get access to a special ticket package with the Minnesota Twins.

Buy your tickets in advance through this special link to receive a limited edition hat with your purchase. 

The remaining DNR Days with the Twins for the 2025 season are:

• Friday, June 20, Milwaukee Brewers
• Friday, July 11, Pittsburgh Pirates
• Tuesday, July 29, Boston Red Sox
• Saturday, Aug. 16, Detroit Tigers
• Sunday, Aug. 31, San Diego Padres
• Tuesday, Sept. 16, New York Yankees

Wildlife highlight: The ‘whistlepig’

Minnesota’s largest member of the squirrel family is the woodchuck! Called by many names, including groundhog, whistlepig, or marmot, woodchucks (Marmota monax) are a common resident across the state.

If you’ve found a large hole in your yard, you may be looking at a woodchuck’s porch. They’re excellent at tunneling and create complex burrows with multiple chambers and an escape route. These hefty critters dine primarily on plant life. If they wake up in spring to snow on the ground and very little green, they’ll live off their fat reserves and supplement with grubs and other insects they can find. Learn more about the woodchuck in the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer.

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service