Mucho DNR Updates!

[Lee Borgersen]

Deer lottery application deadline is Sept. 6

Firearms and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as lottery this hunting season are reminded they must purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 6. Hunters who purchase their license before this date are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare.

This season, antlerless deer permits are issued by lottery in 39 of Minnesota 130 deer permit areas. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with hunter choice, managed or intensive designations.
Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery, and that application deadline is also Sept. 6.
More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, is available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/hunting/deer and in the 2018 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook.
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DNR seeking input on Lake of the Woods and Rainy River regulation changes.
Angling regulations that would change on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River in northern Minnesota are the topic of an open house for the public to give input on the proposals from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8, at Lake of the Woods School.
The changes under consideration by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources would reduce the number of walleye and sauger allowed to be kept in the winter on the lake, and on the river allow only catch-and-release fishing for those fish in the spring. The changes would take effect on March 1, 2019.
Winter walleye and sauger proposal

The current winter regulation from Dec. 1 to April 14 on Lake of the Woods allows anglers to keep eight walleye and sauger, with no more than four walleye. There is a protected slot limit requiring anglers to immediately release any walleye between 19.5 and 28 inches, with only one fish over 28 inches allowed in possession.

The proposed winter regulations would match the current summer regulations on Lake of the Woods, reducing the aggregate walleye and sauger limit to six, with no more than four walleye. The protected slot limited would remain in effect.
 
Expanding winter pressure has resulted in sauger harvest exceeding management objectives with 80 percent of the sauger harvest coming in the winter season, said Phil Talmage, DNR Baudette area fisheries supervisor.

 
Rainy River spring season proposal:

The current Rainy River spring season regulation allows anglers to keep two walleye or sauger, and requires the immediate release of walleye 19.5 inches in length or larger.
The proposed regulation change is a catch-and-release season that would be in effect March 1 to April 14 on the Rainy River and Fourmile Bay. Increasing pressure and harvest focused on pre-spawn male walleye have impacted the spawning population in the Rainy River.

This regulation would maintain the spring sport fishery while protecting the long-term sustainability of the Rainy River spawning population and reducing the overall harvest of walleye from the Lake of the Woods-Rainy River system.
Walleye and sauger populations on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River are doing well, but increasing fishing pressure has resulted in increased harvest and stress on the fishery, Talmage said. These regulations are intended to be a proactive approach to ensure the high quality fishery that anglers have come to expect from the border water region.

There will be a short presentation at the open house. Following the meeting, comments will be accepted through Thursday, Oct. 18. Those not attending the meeting can provide comments by calling the Baudette area fisheries office at 218-634-2522 or by emailing baudette.fisheries@state.mn.us.
 
Anglers who can't make the meeting in Baudette can attend an open house about that and other regulation proposals from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the DNR headquarters in St. Paul, 500 Lafayette Road.
More information on fishing regulations can be found on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/fishing.


DNR seeking input on Leech Lake proposed walleye regulation change:

A proposed walleye regulation change on Leech Lake would allow anglers more opportunities to keep walleye beginning when the 2019 open water fishing season opens.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking input on the change at an open house from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, at the Walker Area Community Center.
The current walleye regulation on Leech Lake is four fish, requiring the immediate release of any walleye that are within a 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit. Only one fish over 26 inches allowed in possession. The four-fish walleye possession limit on Leech Lake has been in effect since 2005.

The regulation was initially put in place to help protect spawning fish, said Doug Schultz, DNR Walker area fisheries supervisor. �Regulation goals have been exceeded, prompting the DNR to propose increased harvest opportunity at this time.
The proposed regulation change would remove the 20- to 26-inch protected slot and replace it with a regulation similar to the statewide regulation, but with a four-fish walleye limit, only one of which can be over 20 inches.

Carl Pedersen, the DNR large lake specialist on Leech Lake, said the walleye population is in excellent condition at this time and can afford some additional harvest.
We have an abundant population of spawning-age fish with a wide distribution of sizes, and multiple year classes of smaller fish entering the fishery, Pedersen said. Protective fishing regulations combined with very consistent production of year classes over the past 10 years have put us in a very good position.

When future fisheries assessments indicate harvest should be reduced, the DNR anticipates revisiting the protected slot limit at that time.
At the meeting, there will not be a formal presentation but DNR staff will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the proposed regulation with individuals who attend. Following the meeting, comments will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 5. Those unable to attend the meeting can provide comments by calling the Walker area fisheries office at 218-547-1683 or by emailing walker.fisheries@state.mn.us.
 
Anglers who can't make the meeting in Walker can attend an open house about that and other regulation proposals from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the DNR headquarters in St. Paul, 500 Lafayette Road. No formal presentations will be made at the open house.
More information on fishing regulations can be found on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/fishing.