People who hunt in Minnesota or are interested in hunting typically take place in the fall and spring, and must know when each species’ hunting season is.

Did you know that in Minnesota last year, 1,400 people got ticketed for hunting violations? Hunting dates are important because if you hunt during the wrong time, you may face fines or even have your hunting license revoked. Knowing when the season starts and ends is important. Depending on your animal you are going to be hunting, you might need tags or stamps. 

There are a lot of different types of hunting methods for deer hunting. There is bow hunting, gun hunting, crossbow hunting, and muzzleloader hunting. One of the different seasons is archery season, which starts this year on September 13th, 2025, and ends on December 31st, 2025. There is a season for youth which the ages that can hunt are 10 years old to 17 years old, and they can use firearms during this time frame. That season starts this year on October 16t, 2025, and ends on October 19th, 2025. 

Firearms season starts on November 8th and ends on November 23rd. That one is for the 100 series and 604, 679, 684. The next firearms season starts on November 8th and ends on November 16th. That one is for 200 series and 338, 341, 605, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 655, 661, 666, and 671. Then there is a late firearms season for the southeast that starts on November 22, 202,5, and ends on November 30th, 2025. That one is for 338, 341, 605, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, and 649. 

The first time you can hunt is for geese, which is called early geese starts on September 6th, 2025, and ends on September 21st, 2025. That time frame is for the whole state of Minnesota. Geese hunting in the North Zone starts on September 27th and ends on December 26th. The Central Zone starts on September 27th and ends on October 5th. Then it reopens on October 11th and ends on December 31st. Hunting for geese in the southern part of Minnesota, the opening day is September 27th and ends on October 5th. Then it reopens on October 18th and ends on January 7th, 2026.

Ducks have three zones: North, South, and Central, and it’s the same as the geese. The north season starts on September 27th and ends on November 25th. The central zone starts on September 27th and ends on October 5th. Then it reopens on October 11th and ends on November 30th. For the south, it starts on September 27th and ends on October 5th. Then it reopens on October 18th and ends on December 7th.

Tags are typically for larger mammals like Deer, Bear, and Moose. A hunting tag is a physical or digital copy that grants the hunter permission to hunt the species they are going to hunt. A tag has specifications like weapon type, hunting methods, sex of the animal they can harvest, and the time frame they can use the tag for. Stamps are for certain birds like waterfowl and turkeys, and pheasants. Waterfowl includes ducks and geese. The reason they are called waterfowl is that they are known as water-loving birds that spend most of their time around water. The stamps’ primary purpose is to raise funds for wildlife habitats.