Archery deer season and grouse season underway in Cook County
Hunters will take to the backroads and forests across Minnesota starting Sept. 14 for the opening weekend of grouse season and white-tailed deer archery season.
The past few years have been favorable for ruffed grouse in northeastern Minnesota. However, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said hunters may see the impacts of the June flooding on grouse populations.
Charlotte Roy, the Minnesota DNR grouse project leader, said although the spring drumming population counts showed a 10 percent increase in the northeast region, the wet spring conditions in June across much of the Northland may have impacted the survivability of nesting chicks.
“In areas where there’s been these heavy rainfalls when the chicks are young. In those areas, I think, probably, we’re going to see a lot fewer young birds than we would expect,” said Roy. The heavy rains and flooding conditions in isolated areas may have washed out nests and resulted in the loss of broods. “So we might not see as many young birds in the fall.”
Ruffed and spruce grouse hunting season started Sept. 17. It lasts through Jan. 1.
As for the start of the white-tailed deer hunting season, many Cook County and northeast archery hunters are preparing for a deer season with minimal optimism, given the continued low deer population.
Despite recent conservative management practices and a mild winter during 2023-24 across northeastern Minnesota, white-tailed deer populations remain low ahead of the upcoming deer hunting season.
With continued low numbers, many hunters this fall will have similar bag limits to those of the 2023 season.
On Aug. 1, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released the 2024 hunting regulations for the Superior Uplands—Arrowhead region, encompassing Cook and Lake Counties. The region is divided into six deer permit areas: 117, 118, 126, 130, 131, and 133. All six deer permit areas received the same bag limit designation as the previous season.
Deer permit areas 118, 130, 131, and 126 will remain bucks-only for the 2024 season. DPA 117, which sits inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and generally has low hunter participation, will remain one deer limit: either sex, and DPA 133, closer to the Lake Superior shore, near Two Harbors, is designated as one deer limit with 25 antlerless lottery permits.
Archery season is open Sept. 14 until Dec. 31. Firearm deer season begins Nov. 9.
Kalli Hawkins September 14, 2024
