Big Changes To Hunting Regulations Now Hitting Minnesota Hunters

With fall creeping closer and hunters across Minnesota already eyeing the woods, the state has rolled out its 2026 hunting and trapping regulations, and this year's booklet comes with some of the biggest changes hunters have seen in a while.

Licenses go on sale Saturday, August 1st, and officials are urging everyone to read the fine print before heading out.

The new updates touch deer seasons, waterfowl rules, chronic wasting disease testing and even how you buy your license.

"What's new this year will affect every hunter, and deer hunters in particular need to pay close attention because there are many significant changes applicable to them," said David Trauba, wildlife section manager with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

For Deer Hunters, A New Four-Year Plan for CWD Testing

The DNR is shifting to a four-year statewide rotational surveillance plan for chronic wasting disease, dividing Minnesota into four quadrants.

Each year, hunters in one quadrant must have every deer they harvest during firearms opening weekend that's a year old or older tested for the disease.

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Mandatory sampling starts in southwest Minnesota this fall, followed by the northwest in 2027, the northeast region in 2028, and the southeast in 2029.

Hunters also get more flexibility with carcasses this year, as deer taken inside a CWD zone can now be moved out as long as they're disposed of through a trash hauler, a landfill, or a meat processor. As a result, reports indicate the DNR is ending its dumpster program starting this fall.

Remember: The Statewide Shotgun Zone Is Gone

Thanks to a 2025 law change, Minnesota's old statewide shotgun zone for deer hunting has been eliminated.

Counties can still adopt their own ordinance to stay shotgun-only, and so far 13 have done so, including Brown, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Houston, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Nobles, Pope, Rock, Watonwan, and parts of Clay and Wilkin.

Everywhere else, legal shotguns, handguns, and rifles are all fair game during firearms seasons — so it's worth checking your county's rules before opener.

Waterfowl Rules Have Been Moved Into the Main Booklet

Duck and goose hunters, take note: the waterfowl regulations have been folded into the main hunting and trapping booklet this year. The DNR merged the two to give hunters and trappers a single, comprehensive guide, rather than having separate publications.

A Modernized Licensing System

Perhaps the change every hunter will notice is the new electronic licensing system the DNR launched back in June.

There are now three ways to buy a license — mobile app, online, or in person from a license agent — and three ways to carry it, whether that's paper, a PDF, or stored right in the app.

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Anyone who's bought a license before will need their nine-digit MNDNR number to set up an account, so officials suggest signing up early rather than scrambling on opening morning.

Minnesota's 2026 firearms deer season opens on Saturday, November 7, which gives hunters a few months to get squared away.

Print copies of the regulations will be available wherever licenses are sold, with translated versions in Hmong, Karen, Somali and Spanish coming to the DNR website in mid-September.