Time to buy new fishing and hunting licenses It’s the time of year when hunters and anglers need to buy new fishing and hunting licenses. Minnesota fishing, hunting and trapping licenses for 2020 expire Sunday, Feb. 28. Licenses for 2021 are now available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense and by telephone at 888-665-4236. All 2021 fishing licenses become effective Monday, March 1. New licenses are required for 2021 hunting and fishing seasons that continue past Feb. 28. Current ice shelter licenses, though, are valid through Friday, April 30. Anyone who wants to start fishing or hunting can visit the DNR’s learn to fish and learn to hunt pages.

Reminder: Deer feeding ban in effect Deer feeding and attractant restrictions remain in place in Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Rice, Scott and Washington counties. These counties were added on July 1, 2020, to the bans already in place in the following counties affected by chronic wasting disease: Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Hubbard, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Olmsted, Steele, Todd, Wabasha, Wadena and Winona. Keeping food and attractants away from deer helps limit interaction and close contact among deer that can spread chronic wasting disease, especially this time of year when artificial sources of food may draw deer.

DNR accepting applications for fisheries and wildlife advisory committees Minnesotans can apply to serve on committees that advise the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources about fisheries and wildlife topics. The DNR seeks to fill open seats on the Minnesota R3 Council and the Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee (MLFAC). The R3 Council is the public’s voice for recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters and anglers in Minnesota. MLFAC is the stakeholder group that advises the DNR on fisheries management for Mille Lacs Lake.

Each team and its work will benefit Minnesotans from all parts of the state. People of all backgrounds and geographies are encouraged to apply. Members will be selected with special emphasis on increasing committee diversity. The DNR will accept applications for both the R3 Council and MLFAC through Monday, March 22. Committee and application information is available on the R3 Council page and the MLFAC page.