Natalie Ryder

In response to information circulating on social media related to hunting near food plots, Minnesota DNR Enforcement officials are clarifying what is illegal and legal about hunting near such plots, designed to provide whitetail forage as well as attract other wildlife.
Food plots – areas of grain, corn, soybeans, or clover – offer refuges for deer to graze throughout the year, including during winter. These food plots may be located on public or private lands.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 18, the state’s approximately 380,000 gun deer hunters had harvested 122,276 deer during Minnesota’s firearms deer season, which is about a 7% increase over last year’s harvest thus far.
The 2024 harvest was up a bit from the year prior, with hunters harvesting more than 124,400 deer compared with 117,142 deer taken in 2023 during the firearms hunt. Here is a deep look into the numbers this season.