Minnesota hunting license

How much is a Minnesota hunting license?

An adult resident Minnesota hunting license for small game costs $22 for ages 18 to 64, and the nonresident small game license is $102, as listed by the Minnesota DNR for the current license year. Neither price includes the issuing fee, which the DNR lists as a $1.00 agent fee. Minnesota has no single base license: the small game license is the core, and deer, bear and turkey are bought separately.

Deer is where most of the cost sits. A resident deer license (firearms, archery or muzzleloader) is $34, while nonresidents pay $185. Spring or fall turkey is $26 for residents and $96 for nonresidents, and a resident bear license is $44.

If you hunt and fish, look at the sports licenses. An Individual Sports license (angling plus small game) is $41, and the Super Sports license at $100 bundles angling with a trout validation, small game with pheasant and waterfowl stamp validations, and one deer license. Pheasant and state waterfowl stamps are $7.50 each if bought alone.

For a resident adult who wants to hunt grouse and deer, that means $22 plus $34, or $56 before fees. The table below lists the youth, senior and short-term prices, and the DNR hunting licenses page links to every license type.

Do you need firearms safety for a Minnesota hunting license?

Yes, if you were born after December 31, 1979. To buy a license to hunt with a firearm, you need a firearms safety certificate, a past license showing a firearms safety mark, proof of a course from another state, or an apprentice hunter validation. A carry permit does not count.

Students can start at age 11 and the certificate becomes valid at 12. Youth take either a classroom course or the online course, and both finish with a required in-person field day that includes shooting a .22 rifle. Adults 16 and older have an independent study option. The DNR course fee is $7.50, and class listings are on the firearms safety page. Field days fill quickly, so register for one while you work through the online portion.

Certificates matter by age: 12-year-olds need one for big game and turkey, and everyone 13 to 17 needs one for all hunting. Archery hunters 12 to 15 also need a certificate.

• Apprentice hunter validation: $3.50, for residents and nonresidents 12 and older who would otherwise need a certificate.
• Covers small game, bear, turkey and deer, and can be bought in two license years in a lifetime.
• The apprentice must stay within sight and hearing of a licensed adult hunting the same species.

Where can you buy a hunting license in Minnesota?

Licenses come from the DNR's Electronic Licensing System, which you reach online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense, through the MN DNR Licensing mobile app, or at more than 1,200 license agents such as sporting goods stores and some retail chains. If you buy online you can email yourself the license PDF and also view it in the app.

Questions about a license go to the DNR Information Center at 888-646-6367. Lifetime licenses are the exception to the usual channels: the first purchase is only handled by the DNR License Center, by mail or fax.

1. Check your status: firearms safety certificate if born after 1979, or plan to add the $3.50 apprentice validation.
2. Choose the core license (small game, sports or Super Sports) and add deer, turkey, bear or stamps as needed.
3. Buy online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense, in the MN DNR Licensing app, or from a license agent, and expect the issuing fee.
4. In the field, validate any deer, bear, elk or turkey at the kill site, then register it within 48 hours.

Buy a Minnesota hunting license on the official site

How do deer, bear and elk licenses work in Minnesota?

Deer, bear and turkey each need their own license, and bear, elk and some antlerless deer permits come through lotteries. Physical site tags are gone. After a harvest you validate it at the kill site, either in the mobile app (no cell signal needed if you are logged in) or by marking a paper validation, before moving the animal.

Registration follows within 48 hours, online or in the app, and it applies to deer, bear, elk and turkey. Online registration is the norm, so once you are back in signal range, open the app to sync.

If you buy in person, the agent hands you a paper license with a paper validation. You notch or mark it at the kill site and keep it for registration, but it no longer has to be attached to the animal. Fisher, pine marten and river otter follow a different path and must be registered in person.

Lottery timing for this year and next: the antlerless deer lottery and special firearm and muzzleloader hunts closed September 10, 2026, and special youth hunts closed August 14. Bear applications for 2027 open in April 2027 with a May 1, 2027 deadline, and elk applications for 2027 open in May 2027. A bear application costs $4. The 2026 hunting regulations list zone maps and permit areas.

Do kids need a hunting license in Minnesota?

Youth under 16 do not need a small game license, whether resident or nonresident, and 16- and 17-year-olds pay $5. Big game is cheaper too: deer licenses are free for ages 10 to 12 and $5 for ages 13 to 17, turkey is free for hunters under 13, and youth bear licenses are free or $5.

Age decides how closely a parent must stay. Children 12 and under, and 13-year-olds, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, while hunters 14 to 17 may hunt small game on their own. For deer, ages 10 and 11 need a parent or guardian within immediate reach.

Stamps are lighter for kids as well: residents and nonresidents 15 and under need no pheasant or state waterfowl stamp. Youth deer licenses go by age on opening day of the season, and small game youth licenses go by age on September 1.

What does a nonresident Minnesota hunting license cost?

A nonresident small game license is $102 for adults 18 and older, and big game is added on top: deer is $185, turkey $96 and bear $230. Nonresident youth 16 and 17 pay $5 for small game, and those under 16 need none.

Short trips have their own option. The consecutive 72-hour small game license is $75 for nonresidents (and $19 for residents) and already includes the state waterfowl and pheasant stamp validations, which saves buying them separately. A nonresident who wants raccoon or bobcat with a firearm needs a $183 furbearer license on top of small game.

Stamps catch some visitors off guard. Nonresident adults pay $7.50 each for the pheasant and state waterfowl validations, and waterfowl hunters also need a federal duck stamp validation plus HIP certification, which you can add when you buy.

A spouse of a Minnesota resident on active military duty can buy at resident rates with proof, and nonresident members of Minnesota's National Guard can get resident licenses (not elk). Hunting a border trip? Compare the Wisconsin hunting license and the North Dakota hunting license, or browse every hunting license by state.

What other Minnesota hunting license rules apply?

Minnesota licenses run from March 1 through the last day of February. A license bought in the fall covers the rest of that period, and spring turkey licenses for the next year go on sale March 1.

• Blaze orange or pink: during firearms and muzzleloader deer seasons, everyone in the field wears it on the cap and outer clothing above the waist. Outside those seasons, small game hunters need one blaze article above the waist, with exceptions for turkey, waterfowl and predators.
• Ground blinds on public land during deer seasons need a blaze orange top or 144 square inch patches on each side.
• Landowners: residents may hunt small game without a license at their principal residence. Deer still needs a license, though a separate landowner deer license exists.
• Seniors 65 and older pay $13.50 for small game.
• Veterans: residents with a 100% service-connected disability get a free small game license and one free deer license.
• Military: residents on leave hunt small game free and get free deer, bear and turkey licenses.
• Lifetime licenses for residents 16 to 50 cost $430 for small game and $741 for firearms deer, with other ages listed on the lifetime license page.