02-28-2008, 12:10 AM
Spring light goose season begins March 1. Minnesota hunters will be allowed to harvest snow geese, including blue-phased and the smaller Ross' geese, this spring under the provisions of a federal conservation order.
The conservation order is part of an international effort to reduce populations of lesser snow geese, which breed in high Arctic coastal areas and the Hudson Bay area.
Since 2000, when Minnesota began participating in the conservation order, the state spring harvest of light geese has varied from a few hundred to over 6,000 birds. Harvest usually depends on the weather and migration time frames.
Minnesota is at the extreme eastern edge of the spring migration through the Midwest. The amount of snow and ice in March tends to have a major effect on migration routes of light geese.
A spring light goose permit is required, but no other license, stamp or permit is required to hunt the season. This year the season begins March 1 and lasts through April 30.
2007 deer harvest ranks as fourth-highest in history
It's official: Minnesota hunters harvested just over 260,000 during 2007, the fourth-highest deer harvest ever recorded.
In total, firearms hunters harvested 224,500 deer while archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 24,200 and 12,000 deer respectively. During the expanded early antlerless season, hunters registered 7,166 deer.
Overall, the statewide firearms harvest was down 2 percent, archery was 4 percent lower, and the muzzleloader harvest dropped by 11 percent from 2006.
The declines likely were caused by management changes that reduced the number of deer that could be taken in some areas, according to Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
Hunters had never harvested 250,000 deer in any one season before 2003. But in each of the last five years total deer harvest has exceeded that annually.
Temporary hunting rules to become permanent
The Minnesota DNR is accepting comments on a number of hunting regulations, including several already set forth as temporary rules, that will be permanently added to state regulations this year.
Among the rules that will be made permanent include:
» Registration of deer
» Seasons and zones for taking deer by archery
» Zone descriptions
» Arms use areas and restrictions
» Taking deer using disease management permits
» Bear permit procedures
» Application procedures for a moose license
» Moose zones
» General regulations for taking elk
» Elk license application procedure
» Elk zones
» Registration blocks
» Wild turkey permit area descriptions
» Prairie chicken permit area description
A copy of the proposed rules is available on the DNR Web site at mndnr.gov and written comments will be accepted through March 20. Comments can be submitted to Jason Abraham, Box 20, MN DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155 or by e-mail at Jason.Abraham@dnr.state.mn.us.
The conservation order is part of an international effort to reduce populations of lesser snow geese, which breed in high Arctic coastal areas and the Hudson Bay area.
Since 2000, when Minnesota began participating in the conservation order, the state spring harvest of light geese has varied from a few hundred to over 6,000 birds. Harvest usually depends on the weather and migration time frames.
Minnesota is at the extreme eastern edge of the spring migration through the Midwest. The amount of snow and ice in March tends to have a major effect on migration routes of light geese.
A spring light goose permit is required, but no other license, stamp or permit is required to hunt the season. This year the season begins March 1 and lasts through April 30.
2007 deer harvest ranks as fourth-highest in history
It's official: Minnesota hunters harvested just over 260,000 during 2007, the fourth-highest deer harvest ever recorded.
In total, firearms hunters harvested 224,500 deer while archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 24,200 and 12,000 deer respectively. During the expanded early antlerless season, hunters registered 7,166 deer.
Overall, the statewide firearms harvest was down 2 percent, archery was 4 percent lower, and the muzzleloader harvest dropped by 11 percent from 2006.
The declines likely were caused by management changes that reduced the number of deer that could be taken in some areas, according to Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
Hunters had never harvested 250,000 deer in any one season before 2003. But in each of the last five years total deer harvest has exceeded that annually.
Temporary hunting rules to become permanent
The Minnesota DNR is accepting comments on a number of hunting regulations, including several already set forth as temporary rules, that will be permanently added to state regulations this year.
Among the rules that will be made permanent include:
» Registration of deer
» Seasons and zones for taking deer by archery
» Zone descriptions
» Arms use areas and restrictions
» Taking deer using disease management permits
» Bear permit procedures
» Application procedures for a moose license
» Moose zones
» General regulations for taking elk
» Elk license application procedure
» Elk zones
» Registration blocks
» Wild turkey permit area descriptions
» Prairie chicken permit area description
A copy of the proposed rules is available on the DNR Web site at mndnr.gov and written comments will be accepted through March 20. Comments can be submitted to Jason Abraham, Box 20, MN DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155 or by e-mail at Jason.Abraham@dnr.state.mn.us.