Minnesota DNR seeks public input on midpoint review of 10-year deer management plan

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is undergoing a midpoint assessment of its 10-year deer management plan.

The statewide plan, released in 2018, set goals and priorities covering 15 performance metrics ranging from research, disease management, public engagement, and population health.

The midpoint assessment is available for the public to review and provide comments until Friday, Feb. 7. View the Minnesota White-Tailed Deer Management Plan here and access the Minnesota Deer Plan Midpoint Review Questionnaire here.

“This is a good opportunity to assess our progress toward the eight goals in the deer plan, identify what is going well and where more work is needed,” Barb Keller, DNR big game program leader, said in a press release. “This midpoint is also a great time to decide what work we should focus on over the next phase of the plan implementation.”

Among the achievements identified in the review, the Minnesota DNR revised deer population goals in all deer permit areas through a four-year process, expanded the youth deer season statewide, established a public deer advisory committee, sampled more than 70,000 deer for chronic wasting disease, acquired 28,000 acres of public land dedicated to hunting and managed a total of nearly 370,000 acres of public land to benefit deer habitat, according to the press release.

While the DNR has met various management plan performance metrics, the midpoint assessment identified a handful of metrics that have not yet been met. According to the midpoint assessment, metrics not yet met include having deer populations in 75% of deer permit areas within the deer population goal range, achieving an annual target of 200,000 deer harvested each season, communicating about the deer hunting regulations significantly earlier in the year, and eliminating core areas of disease in the wild deer population.

The midpoint assessment document also includes a list of emerging considerations since the plan was adopted in 2018. Among them are public concerns about wolf and deer numbers, the growth of the footprint of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state, technological advances in hunting equipment, plans for a new electronic licensing system, increased hunter selectivity in what deer are harvested, and the long-term decline in deer hunter participation.

“As we consider what’s accomplished so far, we are hoping people will review our recommendations for the next phase of the plan and share their thoughts on how they think the midpoint assessment has characterized deer management since 2018,” Keller said. “Importantly, the plan also contains a look at what’s changed in deer management since the plan was adopted, and we will need public awareness and participation on those issues as well.”

In addition, the DNR is seeking public input regarding deer populations and observations following the 2024 deer hunting season. The public is invited to take the Deer Population Management Survey 2025 to provide insights about deer observations during the hunting season, crop or landscape damage incurred by deer, and other deer-related issues. The DNR will use the feedback in the coming months to set regulations for the 2025 deer hunting season.

Kalli Hawkins February 4, 2025