November Minnesota Outdoors Roundup: Deer Opener, CWD and WMAs
November is when a lot of Minnesota land owners finally get to use their land the way they pictured it: sitting in a stand on opening morning, pulling the dock, and walking the woods once the leaves are down. The Minnesota DNR put out a busy run of news over the past few weeks, and several items matter to anyone who hunts, owns lakeshore, or just keeps a few acres up north. Here's our plain-language roundup, with a link to each original release so you can read the details yourself.
Firearms Deer Season Opens Saturday, Nov. 7
On Oct. 26, the DNR released its deer hunting outlook and regulation reminders. The firearms season opens Saturday, Nov. 7, and the DNR expects more than 400,000 hunters to take part.
A few points from the outlook:
Central Minnesota: deer numbers are increasing, with most permit areas trending upward and a few near their goals. The DNR credits good habitat and a good acorn crop, and many permit areas have multiple-deer bag limits.
Northwest: herds are in very good condition after mild winters, and more permit areas offer two- or three-deer limits than last year.
Northeast: numbers vary. The far northeast is still low after a severe winter, so limits stay conservative there, and the better opportunities are in the southern part of the region.
Southern Minnesota: the population is stable or increasing and should look similar to 2025.
The DNR also eliminated the old shotgun zone for deer hunting this year. Counties that were in it may set their own restrictions, so check locally before you head out.
New This Year: Rotating CWD Sampling and Simpler Carcass Rules
In an Oct. 12 release, the DNR explained how chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing works under its new four-year rotation. The state is split into four blocks, and each year one block gets mandatory sampling: the southwest in 2026, the northwest in 2027, the northeast in 2028 and the southeast in 2029.
This year, that means hunters in southwest Minnesota must have deer that are a year old or older sampled on opening weekend, Nov. 7 and 8. Everywhere else, sampling is voluntary but available all season, through sampling stations, free mail-in kits, or participating taxidermists and meat processors.
The other big change is about carcasses. The old movement restrictions for deer taken in a CWD management zone are gone. In their place is a disposal rule: hunters can move a carcass as long as it ends up with a refuse hauler, a landfill or a meat processor. For deer taken on private land, the carcass can be left on site with the landowner's permission. Other dates to keep in mind are muzzleloader season, Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, and archery, which runs through Dec. 31.
Registering Your Deer, and Staying Safe in the Stand
This is the first firearms season under the DNR's new electronic license system, which launched in June. A Nov. 2 release walks through the features. The basics:
Every deer must be registered within 48 hours, and before it's processed or the antlers are removed.
On the DNR app, you can validate and register at the same time. The app saves your harvest with no cell signal and sends it once you're back in range, which is handy on rural parcels.
A new "quick registration" option works online without logging in or using the app.
One sign-in on the app lasts 30 days, so sign in or print a paper license before you leave home.
The DNR's Oct. 29 safety reminder is worth a read too. It notes that tree stand accidents are the leading cause of injury to hunters. The DNR suggests checking harnesses, haul lines, the stand itself, and steps and ladders before the season and keeping three points of contact as you climb. Wear the required blaze orange or pink, and tell someone where you'll be hunting and when you plan to be back.
Zebra Mussels Turn Up at Dock-Pulling Time
On Oct. 29, the DNR confirmed zebra mussels in Pearl Lake, south of Rockville in Stearns County. A lake property owner found them on a dock that had just come out for the season, and a DNR specialist then found more on a boat lift.
The DNR says several recent finds were first reported the same way, by owners and lake service providers pulling docks, boats and lifts in the fall. If you own lakeshore, that's a good reason to look over your equipment as it comes out. One rule to remember for spring: docks, lifts and rafts must dry for 21 days before they're moved from one lake to another. Boaters also need to clean off plants and invasive species, drain all water, and leave drain plugs out while trailering.
Wildlife Management Areas Turn 75
Minnesota's wildlife management area (WMA) system is celebrating its 75th year with a photo contest, announced Oct. 26. The system grew out of a 1951 effort called "Save the Minnesota Wetlands," which set out to protect 250,000 acres of wildlife habitat. Today it covers more than 1,500 areas and 1.4 million acres.
The contest runs through Friday, Jan. 2, 2027, and you can enter as many photos as you like: wildlife, a family tradition, a good day afield, or a quiet spot you like. For land owners, WMAs are a nice bonus. A small private parcel can be your home base, with public ground nearby to roam.
Plan Next Spring's Tree Planting Now
If you've been thinking about adding a windbreak or some cover for wildlife, the DNR's State Forest Nursery opened its spring 2027 seedling sale on Oct. 13. It has more than 3.5 million native bareroot trees and shrubs, including white pine, white spruce, dogwoods, nannyberries and cherries.
Minnesota landowners can order online. The minimum is 300 seedlings, or one 250-seedling mixed packet. Conifers cost less than a dollar per tree and hardwoods $1.25, with a $20 flat rate to pick up at a drop site near you. Sales run through March 12, 2027, or until stock runs out.
What It Means If You Own Land Up North
Put together, this is a good season to be a land owner in central Minnesota. Deer numbers are climbing, registration fits in your pocket, and planting cheap native trees can make a parcel better habitat every year you own it.
We have several parcels that suit a November like this one. Marshfront Land Great For Camping Or Hunting Stand near Randall is a .58-acre spot on the edge of a marsh, listed at $8,995. Close by, Vacant Off Grid Land Bordering Marsh offers .77 acre of woods for $10,995. If you'd rather be near the water, Land Near Crookneck Lake in Lincoln is a 0.2-acre parcel with electric at the road for $16,995.
You can see everything we have for sale on our available land page. Browse the current parcels, and reach out anytime with questions. We're happy to help you find your own spot up north.
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