Dakota County has managed deer populations in its parks by using controlled hunts. Controlling deer populations contributes to natural reforestation and reduces damage to agricultural crops and landscaping.
Reducing deer populations also improves the parks’ habitat for other wildlife that benefit from diverse ground and shrub layer plants.
Deer Hunt Locations
Things to remember for the 2017 season
- An application fee of $5 will be charged for each hunt applied for.
- A preference point system will be in effect, using information from previous year’s registration information. Hunters who have applied to any prior hunts, but were not selected in the lottery ,will have a point added for each year they were not chosen. In order to take advantage of earned points, you must use the same registration information that you have used in previous years.
- Mondays of the Lebanon Hills Regional Park archery hunt will be full days. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be half-day hunts, 5 a.m.–noon.
- The Spring Lake Regional Park archery hunt will continue in 2017 for six full days.
- A nine-day shotgun hunt will be held at Miesville Ravine Park Reserve in late November, and a nine-day muzzleloader hunt will be held in early December.
Important dates
Lottery applications open: Aug. 1, 10 a.m.
Lottery applications close: Aug. 31, midnight
Notifications to lottery applicants sent out: By Sept. 18
Park closure dates
Dakota County Parks will be closed for controlled deer hunts at the following dates and times:
Lebanon Hills Regional Park (
Deer hunt map): Nov. 6–8, Nov. 13–15, Nov. 20–22; Mondays, all day; Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 a.m.–noon
Lower Spring Lake Park Reserve (Deer hunt map): Nov. 10–12, Nov. 17–19; all day (Schaar’s Bluff area will remain open)
Miesville Ravine Park Reserve (Deer hunt map): Nov. 18–26, all day for shotgun hunt; Dec. 2–10, all day for muzzleloader hunt
Hunt requirements
To be eligible for hunting, you must complete an online application, and you must obtain a valid hunting license from the Minnesota DNR prior to the hunt. A link to the registration site will be provided prior to the application open date.
