Discover how MDHA has improved Minnesota's public lands for over 40 years through collaboration with our chapters and partners. Explore some of our past projects on this page, showcasing just a glimpse of the countless habitat enhancements done since 1980.

Archived projects from before 2010 will not be listed. Some projects are still in process and may be updated. Check back as we will update as time goes by.

Hides For Habitat© is our most impactful fundraising program, running every hunting season and making a real difference across Minnesota. Not only does it raise money for vital Habitat Projects, but it also helps keep discarded deer hides out of landfills and ditches in your community. It’s a win-win for Minnesota hunters and wildlife lovers alike.

Here’s how it works: hunters donate their deer hides, and we turn them into funds for habitat preservation. Since 1985, this program has raised over $6 million to support Minnesota’s natural spaces. That’s more than just numbers—it’s countless acres of thriving habitats, healthier ecosystems, and a legacy we can all be proud of.

Want to get involved or bring your organization into the fold? We’re always looking for passionate partners to join us in making a difference. Together, we can keep creating a brighter future for Minnesota’s outdoors!

Learn More about the Hides For Habitat Program

The Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) Grant Program funds conservation projects that restore, enhance, or protect forests, wetlands, prairies, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife in Minnesota. Funding for the CPL grant program is from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, created by the people of Minnesota. 

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is committed to building habitat benefiting deer and deer hunters in Minnesota. We have participated in 87 Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) grant projects since 2010 with over $5.5 million worth of habitat projects accomplished or in progress across the State of Minnesota.  As part of that total, in 2018 MDHA applied and was fully funded for 6 new grant projects totaling over $253 thousand.

The CPL Grants Program funds conservation projects from $5,000 to $400,000 with a 10% match. MDHA applies for these grants to further our mission of “building our hunting and conservation legacy through habitat, education and advocacy.” The required match is made possible due to MDHA Chapter’s efforts to raise funds to support habitat projects throughout Minnesota. MDHA Chapters depend on their members who support local chapter’s meetings, banquets, fundraisers and MDHA’s Hides for Habitat donation program. MDHA’s success is also due our collaboration to receive match funds from groups such as The Ruffed Grouse Society, Pheasants Forever, The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The National Wild Turkey Federation, and many local conservation groups and private individuals. 

MDHA’s CPL grant program provides us the opportunity to ensure the future of Minnesota’s natural resources to acquire land to increase public hunting opportunities as well as enhance, restore and maintain critical habitat for deer and other wildlife species. The work varies greatly depending on the area of the state and type of native habitat. Much of the work is centered around efforts to:

• Create fresh browse and other food sources for wildlife through mowing or shearing decadent brush and grasses.
• Release work that encourages rapid growth in trees that provide mast crops, prescribed burns, and tree planting work that can provide both a food source and thermal cover.
• Invasive species treatments, especially buckthorn removal, help maintain native forbs and grasses as both food sources and cover for wildlife.

Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council was established by the legislature with the responsibility of providing annual funding recommendations to the legislature from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which was created by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to “…restore, protect, and enhance Minnesota’s wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife…”

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) has been awarded 4 LSOHC grants for $10,868,000 since 2011. These grant projects include acquisition and enhancement projects with budgets of $400,000 and larger. The larger budget and scope of this level of grant requires much planning and preparation to obtain funding as well as carry out the scope of the grant project to its completion. MDHA thanks the many partners such as Ruffed Grouse Society, The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, USFS, as well as various tribal entities and county land departments, who have collaborated in time, money, and efforts to assist MDHA in making these projects possible. This great level of planning and collaboration allow us to continue our mission of building habitat benefiting deer and other wildlife across the state of Minnesota.