Deer Hunting

​​Dakota County manages 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.

2021 deer hunting options

• Lebanon Hills Regional Park (archery): Registration opens Aug. 1.
• Nov. 15–17, Nov. 22–24 — these are full-day hunts
• Spring Lake Park Reserve (archery): Registration opens Aug. 1.
• Nov. 11–14, Nov. 18–21 — these are full-day hunts
• Miesville Ravine​ Park Reserve (shotgun and muzzleloader): Register through Department of Natural Resources.
  
• Nov. 6–14, full day for the shotgun hunt (This is during the 3A season.)
• Dec. 4–12, full day for the muzzleloader hunt
  

Important information and changes for 2021

• The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be processing registrations for the Miesville Ravine deer hunts. Find out more.
• The Lebanon Hills and Spring Lake deer hunts will continue to be processed by Dakota County Parks. Find out more.
• The Miesville shotgun and muzzleloader hunts will be changed from antlerless only to earn-a-buck.​​
• The Lebanon Hills hunt will again be six full-day hunts instead of three full-day and six half-day hunts.
  

Deer hunt maps

Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Deer hunt map)
Lower Spring Lake Park Reserve (Deer hunt map)
Miesville Ravine Park Reserve (Deer hunt map)

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. ​

Chronic Wasting Disease in Dakota County

In spring 2020, a deer infected with Chronic Wasting Disease was found in Dakota County which has created some regulation changes for these hunts. The DNR has created a new Area 605 which encompasses all of what used to be Area 339 and parts of 701 and other areas in Scott County. Lebanon Hills Regional Park and Miesville Ravine Park Reserve are both inside of the new South Metro CWD Management Zone, but Spring Lake Park Reserve has remained in Area 701.

Due to COVID 19, all CWD testing in these management zones has changed to voluntary but even though Spring Lake is not in the new zone, you can still bring deer in for testing. In areas where CWD has been detected, which includes Lebanon Hills and Miesville Ravine, regulations require whole carcasses of deer, including fawns, to stay within specified zones until a “not detected" CWD test result is received.

To help hunters comply with these legal carcass movement restrictions, the DNR will provide dumpsters to allow hunters to dispose of carcasses (head and spinal column) after quartering or butchering so they can leave the CWD areas immediately. A list of taxidermists in the area also will be provided. Additional information will be posted by the DNR closer to hunting season.