What You Need To Know About Minnesota’s Deer Hunting Opener

Firearms deer hunting season opens on Saturday morning. This year more hunters will be out because of a larger herd growth than normal. Here's what you need to know.

Blaze orange is required, which should be obvious to any hunter, but there's some new changes the DNR wants you to understand; including boundary changes.

Go to www.mndnr.gov/hunting/deer for updated information.

You need a license to deer hunt. Get your license early, don't wait to pickup your license last minute. Lines get long and can be frustrating at license locations.

If you bag a deer, you must register it prior to processing it. That means before you remove the antlers or take it in to process the venison meat. It's required that you register your deer within 48 hours of shooting it. There's plenty of options for doing this, via telephone, internet or going to an office.

Go to www.mndnr.gov/gameregistrationhelp for more information.

You need a firearms safety certificate (FAS) to hunt in Minnesota if you were born after 1979. For those who want to try out hunting before getting the required certificate, you can apply for an Apprentice Hunter Validation. These are for hunters without an FAS, who may firearm hunt two license years in a lifetime under the supervision of a licensed adult hunter. Classes are required to obtain your FAS, so registering for a class early is suggested as they fill up quickly each year.

Go www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/apprentice/index.html for more information.

Finally...

The DNR is encouraging you to get your deer sampled for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. The DNR is offering prize drawings for those who participate in this.

Go to www.mndnr.gov/cwd for more information.