Minnesota DNR Asking Deer Hunters to Make Wildlife Sighting Reports

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking deer hunters to do something for them that helps them manage wildlife.

Archery deer season is open now through the end of the year, and firearm season starts on November 5th and wraps up at various times throughout the state before the end of November. While you are out in the woods driving deer or sitting in a stand, the DNR is asking that you observe and report the deer and any other wildlife spotted on the hunt.

Eric Michel is a research scientist at the DNR and he says, "By participating in this questionnaire, hunters provide another way to check our estimates of deer populations, in addition to observations from DNR wildlife managers.” He also goes on to say that it will "help broaden our knowledge about deer and other wildlife species."

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Submitting an observation is simple, it can be done from a smartphone or a computer, just visit here and make a report of anything you may have encountered, this includes, deer, turkey, bear, fisher, Bigfoot, or any other species.

Even if you don't see a deer and run into other wildlife during the day, they ask that hunters make a report after each hunt, and if you are lucky enough to bag a deer, hunters will be able to submit "specific information about any deer they harvest, including antler size."

This is the third year that the DNR is running this program and they share the results with the public here.