Grouse, woodcock, and archery deer seasons open Sept. 19 across northern Minnesota

Hunters will head into the forests and backroads of northern Minnesota on Sept. 19 for the opening of grouse and woodcock season and the start of the 2026 white-tailed deer archery season.

For grouse hunters, this year’s opener comes as Minnesota’s ruffed grouse population moves into the declining phase of its population cycle.

The spring 2026 drumming counts averaged 1.7 drums per stop statewide, down from the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The population peaked in 2024 and is now declining, consistent with the roughly eight- to 11-year population cycle seen in Minnesota.

The DNR uses spring drumming surveys to track long-term population trends, but the agency said counts don’t necessarily predict how many grouse hunters will encounter in a particular area.

Ruffed and spruce grouse hunters can harvest a combined daily limit of five birds, with no more than two spruce grouse. On Sept. 19, the season for Hungarian partridge and sharp-tailed grouse in the northwest zone of the state will also open. Ruffed and spruce grouse season runs through Jan. 3, 2027, and woodcock remains open until Nov. 2.

For deer hunters, archery season also opens Sept. 19 and runs through Dec. 31 statewide.

The DNR said winter conditions were favorable for deer populations across most of Minnesota for the third consecutive year, contributing to increased harvest opportunities in many areas in 2025. Northeastern Minnesota, including the Arrowhead region, was an exception, with deer populations remaining below population goals.

“Much of the north-central and northeastern Minnesota will remain under conservative bag limits,” the DNR said. “Primarily with antlerless lottery or bucks-only designations, as deer populations in those areas remain below population goals.”

The Superior Uplands-Arrowhead region, which encompasses Cook and Lake Counties, is divided into six deer permit areas (DPAs): 117, 118, 126, 130, 131, and 133.

DPAs 118, 130, 131, and 126 will remain bucks-only in 2026. 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 50 antlerless lottery permits.

Statewide, the DNR said 43 deer permit areas have increased bag limits for 2026, while 87 will maintain the same designation as last year. No deer permit areas have reduced their bag limits.

This year marks the beginning of the DNR’s new four-year statewide rotation for chronic wasting disease surveillance.

Minnesota has been divided into four surveillance blocks, and hunters in one block each year must have deer harvested during firearms opening weekend that are 1 year old or older tested for CWD.

Mandatory testing begins in southwest Minnesota this year, followed by northwest Minnesota in 2027, northeast Minnesota in 2028, and southeast Minnesota in 2029. The DNR says the expanded approach is intended to provide a more complete picture of where CWD is present across the state, including areas without targeted surveillance in many years.

Several changes to deer hunting regulations also take effect this year.

The statewide firearms deer season begins Nov. 7, with season dates and regulations varying by deer permit area. Muzzleloader season runs Nov. 28 through Dec. 13.

Kalli Hawkins September 9, 2026