Once again in 2025, young people will be able to hunt deer with an adult in a number of state parks during several applicationonly special youth deer hunts.
These hunts offer more individualized experiences in unique places, and often on different dates than the statewide youth deer season. These firearms hunts are for youth who are ages 12-15 at the time of the hunt and are accompanied by an adult. Hunters can apply for a limited number of permits through Friday, Aug. 15.
Young hunters can also participate in special youth archery opportunities. Sand Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Sherburne County is open only to youth archery hunters ages 1017 during the regular archery season. Camp Ripley in Morrison County offers a special youth archery hunt for ages 12-17.
Special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 16-19 and does not require an application. More information on special hunts is available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/specialdeerhunts). For more information on the Camp Ripley youth archery hunt, contact Jan Ekert, Minnesota State Archery Association, at [email protected] or 320-339-9927.
Nontoxic ammunition requirements do not apply to special youth hunts in the shotgun-use area if hunters remove all parts of harvested deer from the field, including the entrails.
