With Minnesota's archery deer season already under way, and the firearms deer season set to get under way on Nov. 4, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds hunters to review deer baiting rules before heading into the field.
During the 2007 Legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers made some changes to the baiting statute. DNR's Chief Conservation Officer, Col. Mike Hamm, said those changes are generating some questions from hunters, so a review of the 2007 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook is important.
"Flip to page 72 and you'll see the law is quite clear: a person may not hunt deer with the aid of bait, period," Hamm said. "You will also notice there's new language regarding people hunting on their own property when they have not participated in, been involved with, or agreed to feeding wildlife on adjacent land owned by another person."
Before the revision, Hamm said lawful hunting opportunities were being lost because a person who owned land was being restricted from taking deer on their own property, even though they weren't involved with the feeding or baiting of deer on adjacent land. In turn, conservation officers received reports from disgruntled hunters that their neighbor's were illegally baiting.
"On the one hand, you had legal hunters trying to hunt who were being told they were hunting in baited areas due to their neighbor's choice to feed wildlife. On the other hand you had landowners who were reluctant to suspend feeding activity during the open deer seasons because they enjoy watching wildlife. It created some real ethical dilemmas between those who hunted deer and those who enjoyed feeding deer," Hamm said.
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With the new legislation, Hamm says that's no longer the case.
"The new language allows a hunter to hunt on private property when the person has not been involved with, or agreed to feeding wildlife on adjacent land owned by another person," Hamm said.
He said conservation officers will continue to respond and investigate reports of illegal baiting activity, one of the top three violations among deer hunters in the past few years. The others are trespassing and transporting an uncased firearm.
The base fine for illegal baiting has jumped from $100 to $300. A hunter can be charged an additional $500 in restitution if a deer is shot over bait. Add in the court surcharge and local law library fee and taking a deer over bait could easily top $900.
Here's a summary of the deer baiting law.
A person may not hunt deer:
- With the aid or use of bait;
- In the vicinity of bait if the person knows or has reason to know that bait is present;
- In the vicinity of where the person has placed bait or caused bait to be placed within the previous 10 days.
This restriction does not apply to:
- Food resulting from normal or accepted farming, forest management, wildlife food plantings, orchard management, or other similar land management activities;
- A person hunting on the person's own property, when the person has not participated in, been involved with, or agreed to feeding wildlife on adjacent land owned by another person.
