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Minnesota Hunting: Game Species, Seasons & How to Hunt

A guide to hunting in Minnesota: every major game species with where to find it and how it is hunted, the season calendar, methods and gear. Seasons, licenses and limits change every year, so each one is shown “per MN DNR” with the date it was verified and a link to the DNR.

18 Minnesota game species

Habitat, where in Minnesota to find each one, methods and tips. Every season date, license and limit on the page is shown “per MN DNR” with the date it was checked and a link to the DNR.

  • White-tailed deer Minnesota's most popular hunt, from September bow stands to November deer camp.
  • Black bear A northern forest hunt run by lottery in quota areas, over-the-counter in the no-quota area.
  • Moose Minnesota's icon of the north woods. There is no state moose hunting season.
  • Elk A once-in-a-lifetime, residents-only lottery hunt in far northwestern Minnesota.
  • Ruffed grouse The king of the north woods trails. Minnesota is one of the top ruffed grouse states.
  • Sharp-tailed grouse Open brushland birds of the northwest; the east-central zone is closed.
  • Ring-necked pheasant Rooster season on the prairie, from October opener into the snow.
  • Wild turkey Spring gobbler hunts in six time periods, plus a fall either-sex season.
  • Gray & fox squirrel The classic first hunt: hardwoods, a .22 or shotgun, and patience.
  • Cottontail, snowshoe hare & jackrabbit Winter beagle music in the swamps and brush piles.
  • American woodcock The timberdoodle: a migratory bonus bird in grouse cover.
  • Mourning dove Fast September shooting over harvested fields and water holes.
  • Greater prairie-chicken A short, lottery-only hunt in western Minnesota's prairie.
  • Ducks, coots & mergansers Cold mornings, decoys and wings over the marsh: Minnesota duck season.
  • Canada goose & light geese Field hunting honkers in September, and big-water geese into January in the south.
  • Sandhill crane A limited hunt in the northwest goose zone only.
  • Rails (sora & Virginia) and common snipe Overlooked marsh birds with generous early-fall seasons.
  • Fox, raccoon, coyote & other furbearers (hunting) Winter predator calling and hound hunting, with zone-based seasons.

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