Minnesota rifle zone update

[CJ6]

Minnesota recently passed the Statewide rifle regulation for 2026. I've been following this because the State is allowing counties to "opt out " and keep the shotgun/pistol zones intact if they chose. I'm happy to say our county ( Mower) will be rifle.....
Talking with the County Commissioners several neighboring counties have been asking which way they were going and I'm hoping they will follow suit.

 

[jplahr]

I hunt in Carver country and It looks like they will bring this up at the March 10 meeting. I shot trap with one of the commissioners and he is all for allowing the rifle to be used. I can only hope as I don't like hunting with a shotgun. I use the Savage 220 20ga. with a Leupold 3.5x10, but the 265gr slug is not the same as a rifle bullet.

 

[Leo_B]

Other than control and bans, what is the demented logic behind this?

 

[Adam in WI]

Other than control and bans, what is the demented logic behind this?

The misguided notion that a slug is less dangerous than a bullet if it fails to meet its target.

 

[CJ6]

Other than control and bans, what is the demented logic behind this?

It's actually a REPEAL of an act from the late 30s early 40s that the DNR placed to reduce the amount of deer harvested because of low numbers .

 

[CJ6]

I hunt in Carver country and It looks like they will bring this up at the March 10 meeting. I shot trap with one of the commissioners and he is all for allowing the rifle to be used. I can only hope as I don't like hunting with a shotgun. I use the Savage 220 20ga. with a Leupold 3.5x10, but the 265gr slug is not the same as a rifle bullet.

That's what my daughter uses, except Leup 4.5x14.

Freeborn County (neighboring County) is having their vote in a couple weeks too.
I hope they also go with the Statewide rifle because the farm we hunt is in both Mower and Freeborn counties.

 

[timeout]

The misguided notion that a slug is less dangerous than a bullet if it fails to meet its target.

Misguided notion is correct. Nothing bounces around of the ground worse than those shotgun slugs. We dealt with that mentality here in Southern WI. a few years ago. One guy was writing in the paper how people were going to be shot left and right if rifles were allowed. That never came to fruition. I would quit deer hunting if I had to go back to shotguns.

 

[Adam in WI]

I would quit deer hunting if I had to go back to shotguns.

I grew up in shotgun only Fond du Lac County. I agree 100%. I remember the days listening to 11-87s being emptied off in the distance.

 

[WrathOfMan]

Here in South Dakota, it has always been rifle. I am glad to see MN, or at least some of MN, is finally coming to their senses. Unfortunately, you could end up with a patchwork of legal vs. illegal counties, and that can be a pain in the butt for guys like CJ6 who have land in more than one county to hunt. Good Luck to my MN neighbors!

 

[White Eagle]

So what happens do you have to have your gun checked before you walk out hunting?
Point is how are they to know if you shoot a rifle or not.
We had that idiotic law in southern Wis like others have said, luckily I never hunted in southern Wis. so I have used rifles all my hunting career.

 

[Leo_B]

Probably you have to not be in possession of a rifle when the game warden happens upon you during a hunt, which many people randomly experience.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

I have no idea how your laws work but I watched a YT video where a guy was hunting out of a blind on private land and the next moment (after sitting almost the entire day waiting) two game wardens were standing right in fort of his rifle asking to see his ammo and if he was using a magazine. Crazy if you ask me

 

[Rat44]

I have no idea how your laws work but I watched a YT video where a guy was hunting out of a blind on private land and the next moment (after sitting almost the entire day waiting) two game wardens were standing right in fort of his rifle asking to see his ammo and if he was using a magazine. Crazy if you ask me

Glad I don't live where that BS is allowed .

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

The most unsafe/unlawful hunting season in my home county is firearms deer(currently shotgun zone). Lot of road hunting where there is no public land in the township. The only thing that limits the poaching(actual killing of deer) is the distance/accuracy of slugs. With that said, I'm in for the change. Mainly because I have some old rifles I would enjoy hunting with(we can only have 1 buck/deer per year). I think clowns will be clowns whether they have a loaded shotgun or a rifle on the seat next to them.

 

[Treerat-sniper]

I've been participating in organized deer drives in Iowa since the mid-80's. We were shotgun only for decades. I couldn't tell you how many times I've had to hit the dirt from slugs whizzing over my head! One slug impacted about a foot over my head in a tree I was leaning against. Had many close calls with the 1100-1187 slug chuckers over the years. I no longer set foot on public land during IA deer gun 1 & 2 season.

 

[CJ6]

The most unsafe/unlawful hunting season in my home county is firearms deer(currently shotgun zone). Lot of road hunting where there is no public land in the township. The only thing that limits the poaching(actual killing of deer) is the distance/accuracy of slugs. With that said, I'm in for the change. Mainly because I have some old rifles I would enjoy hunting with(we can only have 1 buck/deer per year). I think clowns will be clowns whether they have a loaded shotgun or a rifle on the seat next to them.

Pretty much what the County Commissioners said too. The same tube dumpers will be the magazine dumpers. It's sad, but most likely true. Ethics and Riflemanship are NOT what it should be these days.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Fall of '24 I was on the MN Ia border on Ia firearms opener. First time I have heard 9 shots from same rifle, reload 9, reload 9 more. The new straight wall cartridge regs and an AR deer hunter.

 

[CJ6]

The farm we hunt borders 3 different public access lands. It's a regular shooting gallery in there. We give them a wide berth. Marksmanship isn't their strong suit.

 

[Leo_B]

There'd be far fewer hunters if a gun safety IQ test was part of the license requirement.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Some hunters can't read English at all, not sure how many languages our regs in Mn are available in. We give drivers lic to ANYONE. I know how we got here.