Minnesota hunting regulation reforms

In late July 2026 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources first opened a public comment period on an optional three‑duck‑per‑day bag limit for waterfowl hunting. The simplified limit was presented as a way to lower identification hurdles and draw new, returning, or former hunters, building on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study that showed the option attracted beginners and reduced harvest of sensitive species.

A week later the agency released its comprehensive 2026 hunting and trapping regulations, the most sweeping update in recent years. The package adds a four‑year rotational surveillance plan for chronic wasting disease, requires mandatory testing of harvested deer in rotating quadrants, eliminates the statewide shotgun zone for deer hunting in favor of county‑level ordinances, merges waterfowl rules into the main hunting booklet, and introduces an electronic licensing system. The optional three‑duck limit introduced earlier is incorporated into this broader regulatory overhaul.