News and notes from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
SPRING TURKEY HUNTING SEASON CONTINUES THROUGH MAY 31
Licensed firearms turkey hunters who have not yet harvested a turkey during one of the 2026 A-E seasons can participate in the F season from Wednesday, May 20, through Sunday, May 31. Hunters who have not yet bought a turkey license can also purchase a license for the F season. Archeryonly and youth ages 17 and younger with a license are allowed to hunt during any of the spring A-F seasons. Hunters cannot purchase both a firearms and archery-only license.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports that spring turkey harvest is just under the pace for 2025. Through the C season, hunters harvested 11,695 birds compared to 13,480 at the same point in 2025. The total for the B season alone was 3,675, the second highest B season harvest of all time.
Weather was unseasonably cool for the beginning of the D season but improved throughout the weekend. Some toms have been observed staying close to hens while others are roaming to look for hens. The majority of the hens have transitioned to incubating nests.
Turkey licenses can be purchased online (mndnr. gov/buyalicense), by phone at 888-665-4236, or in person from a license agent. More information about turkey hunting in Minnesota can be found on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (mndnr.gov/hunting/turkey).
REPORTING FISH MORTALITY EVENTS HELPS DNR, OTHER AGENCIES RESPOND
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources encourages Minnesotans who see multiple dead fish in one area of a body of water to file a report by using a new online form or calling the state duty officer.
“Reports from members of the public are an important way we receive information about fish mortality,” said Isaiah Tolo, fish health supervisor. “Those reports help us facilitate timely water and fish sampling and other response actions, if needed, so we’re glad we can offer this new online reporting option.”
People can report fish mortality events by: Preferred: Using the online form on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/fishkills) Calling the Minnesota duty officer at 651‐649‐5451 or 800‐422‐0798 — the duty officer line is staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week “Using the online form speeds up and simplifies our interagency response process, so we prefer people to use the online form. Still, if they desire to call the duty officer, that also remains an option,” Tolo said.
In the report, it’s especially helpful to know the types of fish and their general sizes. Fish mortality events can occur for a variety of reasons and may be classified as a fish die-off or a fish kill depending on what contributed to the event.
