Field reports: What Minnesota deer hunters can expect this season
News | Published on October 21, 2025 at 2:36pm EDT | Author: frazeevergas
0More than 400,000 deer hunters are preparing for the firearms deer season, which opens Saturday, Nov. 8. The season offers opportunities to spend time outdoors with friends and family, find adventure and put venison in the freezer.
Deer hunting is the primary tool Minnesota Department of Natural Resources uses to manage deer populations, and hunters help keep deer numbers in line with population goals across the state. Managing deer populations contributes to the overall health of Minnesota’s landscapes, natural systems and economy.
DNR wildlife staff report that there should be good opportunities to harvest deer in most areas.
Hunters should know the deer permit area number for where they plan to hunt prior to buying a license and ensure they understand chronic wasting disease regulations and sampling requirements and options for that area. Hunters can find these details using the DPA lookup tool. Hunters should also note that the shotgun zone remains in place for the 2025 deer season.
Deer hunters in all CWD management and surveillance zones are required to have deer one year or older sampled for chronic wasting disease during the opening weekend of the firearms A season Saturday, Nov. 8, through Sunday, Nov. 9, and during late CWD hunts Friday, Dec. 19, through Sunday, Dec. 21. In CWD management zones, carcass movement restrictions apply during the entire deer season. Additional information about CWD requirements and sampling can be found at the Minnesota DNR’s CWD webpage.
Northwest deer report
Last winter was one of the mildest winters on record, following the moderate to severe winters of 2021-22 and 2022-23. As a result, the deer population is in good condition throughout the northwest part of the state.
Reports abound of does giving birth to twins and even triplets in many parts of the region this spring and early summer. This level of reproduction will help local herds recover from mortality events experienced during harsher winters. The acorn crop this year was good. When abundant, acorns are one of the most important and nutritious natural foods for deer and other wildlife. Additionally, with prolonged warm temperatures and relatively late frosts, grass and forbs, various food plot crops, and hay fields have remained green throughout much of fall, which helps deer enter winter in good shape.
Many DPAs in northwest Minnesota have two- or three-deer harvest limits, whereas hunters in DPAs 111 and 203 are limited to bucks only. Some DPAs continue to have lower harvest limits, with the objective of returning local deer herds to established population goals following recent severe winters.
Hunters should also know that CWD sampling will be mandatory during the opening weekend of the regular firearms deer hunting season in four CWD management zones (DPAs 661, 666, 671 and 684) and four CWD surveillance zones (DPAs 239, 262, 269 and 270).