News & Info

Starting with the 2026 deer season, Minnesota will allow rifle hunting in zones that have, for more than 80 years, been restricted to shotguns only. While counties may choose to maintain shotgun-only rules locally, the statewide restriction ends. This blog explores why this change makes sense - and why many counties should consider opting in to allow rifles. History and Purpose of the Shotgun-Only Zone The shotgun-only zone was originally implemented in 1942 as a wildlife-management tool in southern and western Minnesota, where deer populations were historically low. At that time, shotguns-especially smoothbore slug guns-had much shorter effective ranges than...