Hunters will always be allowed to continue the tradition of hunting game in Minnesota. The question is, should they be allowed to use a high-power rifle in Lyon County?
The hunting public can offer their thoughts on the matter next month, as the Lyon County Board of Commissioners will hold a listening session at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the basement of the Law Enforcement Center in Marshall.
“If the statute said you could use rifles strictly in sniper shacks, blinds, I wouldn’t have an issue with it, but not everyone uses them,” Commissioner Rick Anderson said. “We still have got people who drive (to hunting areas).”
Commissioner Todd Draper said he reached out to District 15A House Rep. Chris Swedzinski for his thoughts on the matter and discussed the safety factor with highpower rifles.
“I don’t think as a county commissioner I want to tell people what guns they can and can’t use; I don’t think that’s our place,” said Draper. “(The State Legislature) made the law, leave it alone.”
The law Draper was referring to states that the state’s long-standing “shotgun only” restriction in southern and western zones is being repealed, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The change allows hunters in those areas to use rifles — along with shotguns, muzzleloaders, and handguns — for deer hunting during the regular firearms season.
The Minnesota Senate passed the Environment Omnibus bill on June 9 outside of regular session, removing the shotgun-only hunting zones. The “shotgun only” law was passed in 1942 to increase the deer population at that time.
The topic has been debated from both sides. While some consider shotguns safer, others argue that rifles are more accurate from long range.
Giving counties the option to determine what type of weapon hunters can use is tantamount to the State throwing counties “under the bus,” Chair Gary Crowley said, “so that we look like the bad guys.”
Draper said demographics plays a role in who might opt to use a rifle.
“People my age, they don’t like the idea of bullets traveling further,” Draper said. “If you miss the target, it’s going to go into somebody’s side of their house, or in a car driving on the road.”
Rifles have always been allowed in northern Minnesota. Commissioner Paul Graupmann, referring to a newspaper article he read, said when the DNR set up the shotgun zone in southern Minnesota, it was for deer population management more than safety reasons.
“There’s been multiple upper midwestern states that have already done this — and they’ve had time to do studies — and they don’t see any safety difference,” said Graupmann.
Crowley said if counties go against the use of high-power rifles, it will make it more difficult for hunters.
Draper added that if a landowner chooses to allow someone to hunt on their land, they can prohibit the use of rifles on their property.
The board decided to to move on the issue after determine it would be better to hear from the hunters themselves at the listening session.
“If we don’t go along with it, we’re trying to basically manage the gun laws,” Crowley said.
In other news from Monday … • The board continued its discussion on the 2026 operating budget, with talks suggesting a double-digit levy increase. No final number has been decided on yet, as the budget certification doesn’t have to take place until late September.
• The board ratified the Disaster Declaration from the flood event on July 18.
• The board discussed the backlog of tax-forfeited properties in the county, including 16 in Tracy, four in Balaton and one just outside of Garvin in Custer Township. The board approved the classification of all parcels as non-conservation.
