Like many of you, my eagerness for targeting mature “Northwoods” whitetail bucks has grown tremendously over the past several years. Although I have always had an unwavering passion for whitetail hunting, growing up hunting farmland deer in the Bertha-Hewitt area since 1998, though I still hunt there from time to time, the challenge of tracking down these tough, free-roaming deer in the North has me captivated. These elusive animals are like an entirely different breed of bucks altogether. 

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MDHA is committed to preserving our hunting heritage, promoting habitat education as well as building and protecting habitat to benefit deer and deer hunters in Minnesota. The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association’s Hides for Habitat program is a recycling program to turn donated deer hides into dollars to be used for habitat. Since 1985, MDHA’s Hides for Habitat program has aided us in our commitment with the collection of 1,034,708 donated deer hides to raise over $5.9 million dollars.

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Minnesota deer hunters have learned throughout the years to be leery of regulation changes that are the product of the state Legislature. 

This year was no different. 

When the legislative session’s dust settled this spring, a new law had been approved – OK’d by both the House and Senate and the bill signed by Gov. Tim Walz – that will allow anyone and everyone to use crossbows to kill deer during the entirety of the state’s archery season, beginning this year. 

For both casual and ardent Capitol observers, the rule change came as a surprise – out-of-the-blue legislation that will no doubt have its supporters and its detractors. Will it affect deer harvest? Will it affect the state’s deer herd? Officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources say it’s up to them to make that determination as best they can, with somewhat limited tools at their disposal. 

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I get the question a lot of times, when building a new food plot for someone, where should I put the deer stands? What I generally say is, “Let's wait to see how and where the deer will be coming to the plot first.”  Basically we have just changed the landscape and the deer will also change their travel patterns because of this.  It doesn't take long and you will be able to find a good location for your stand.

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What makes winter rye a good choice for food plots is that it will grow just about anywhere, even from poorer soil that might range from dry to wet, poorly drained soil.

Winter rye is not to be confused with rye grass. Rye grass is a perennial grass that I have never found to be on top of the deer’s choice of something good to eat.

Winter rye is the hardiest of all cereal grains. Compared to other cereal grains, rye grows faster, requires little or even no fertilizer, but, of course, some fertilizer is always advised. Rye also produces a lot of tons-per-acre of good palatable food for deer that is as high as 20% protein well into the winter and comes up early in the spring to give the deer the first good food of the year.

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Get your CWD test kits now from the Minnesota DNR and MDHA. Claim your free kits online today and discover more about CWD management areas and new regulations that could impact your 2023 hunting season.

Request your kit from MDHA Website

Request your kit from  MNDNR Website

Minnesota Hunting Regulations 2023