Title Minnesota Statutes, Minnesota Statutes

97B.411 BEAR SEASON AND RESTRICTIONS. The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe the open season and the areas and restrictions for the taking of bear. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 34; 1991 c 259 s 23

97B.415 TAKING BEAR TO PROTECT PROPERTY. A person may take a bear at any time to protect the person's property. The person must report the bear taken to a conservation officer within 48 hours. The bear may be disposed of as prescribed by the commissioner. History: 1986 c 386 art …

97B.421 PERMIT REQUIRED TO SNARE BEARS. A person may not use a snare to take a bear except under a permit from the commissioner. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 36

97B.425 BAITING BEARS. Notwithstanding section 609.68, a person may place bait to take bear and must display a tag at each site where bait is placed and register the sites. The commissioner shall prescribe the method of tagging and registering the sites. The tag displayed at each…

97B.426 BAITING BEAR; USE OF DRUM. (a) Notwithstanding section 97B.425, clauses (4) and (5): (1) a private landowner or person authorized by the private landowner may use a drum to bait bear on the person's private land; and (2) a resident may use a drum to bait bear on public la…

97B.431 BEAR-HUNTING OUTFITTERS. (a) A person may not place bait for bear, or guide hunters to take bear, for compensation without a bear-hunting-outfitter license. A bear-hunting outfitter is not required to have a license to take bear unless the outfitter is attempting to shoot…

97B.501 MOOSE LICENSE REQUIRED. A person may not take moose without a moose license. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 39

97B.505 MOOSE SEASON AND RESTRICTIONS. The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe the open season and the areas and conditions for the taking of moose. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 40; 1991 c 259 s 23

97B.515 TAKING ELK. § Subdivision 1.License required. A person may not take an elk without an elk license. § Subd. 2.Season and restrictions. The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe the open season and the areas and conditions for the taking of elk when the precalving population…

97B.516 PLAN FOR ELK MANAGEMENT. (a) The commissioner of natural resources must adopt an elk management plan that: (1) recognizes the value and uniqueness of elk; (2) provides for integrated management of an elk population in harmony with the environment; and (3) affords optimum …

97B.601 SMALL-GAME LICENSES. § Subdivision 1.Requirement. A person may not take small game without a small-game license except as provided in subdivision 4. § Subd. 2.Trapping small game. A person may not take small game with traps without a trapping license and a small-game lice…

97B.603 TAKING SMALL GAME BY PARTY. (a) While two or more persons are taking small game as a party and maintaining unaided visual and vocal contact, a member of the party may take and possess more than one limit of small game, but the total number of small game taken and possesse…

97B.605 COMMISSIONER MAY RESTRICT TAKING SMALL GAME ANIMALS. The commissioner may by rule set open seasons for, prescribe limits and restrictions on, and designate areas where small game as defined in section 97A.015 may be taken and possessed. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 43; 198…

97B.621 RACCOONS. § Subdivision 1. [Repealed, 2014 c 290 s 70] § Subd. 2.Treeing raccoons. Notwithstanding section 97B.005, subdivision 1, a person may use dogs to pursue and tree raccoons without killing or capturing the raccoons during the closed season and a license is not req…

97B.641 COUGAR, LYNX, AND WOLVERINE. There is no open season for cougar, lynx, or wolverine. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 50; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 112

97B.645 WOLVES. § Subdivision 1.Using dogs and horses prohibited; using guard animals. Except as provided in this subdivision, a person may not use a dog or horse to take a wolf. A person may use a guard animal to harass, repel, or destroy wolves to protect a person's livestock, …

97B.646 WOLF MANAGEMENT. (a) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of agriculture, shall adopt a wolf management plan that includes goals to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf in Minnesota, to reduce conflicts between wolves and humans, to minimize depred…

97B.647 TAKING WOLVES. § Subdivision 1.License required. Except as provided under section 97B.645 or 97B.671, a person may not take a wolf without a wolf-hunting or wolf-trapping license. § Subd. 2.Open seasons. Wolves may be taken with legal firearms, with bow and arrow, and by …

97B.648 WOLVES; UNLAWFUL TAKING; PENALTY. A person who unlawfully takes, transports, or possesses a wolf in violation of the game and fish laws, and has one or more prior convictions involving the taking of wolves, is liable for a civil penalty equal to the restitution value for …

97B.651 UNPROTECTED MAMMALS AND BIRDS. § Subdivision 1.Taking unprotected mammals and birds. Mammals that are unprotected wild animals and unprotected birds may be taken at any time and in any manner, except with artificial lights, or by using a motor vehicle in violation of sect…

97B.655 TAKING ANIMALS CAUSING DAMAGE. § Subdivision 1.Owners and occupants may take certain animals. (a) A person or the person's agent may take bats, snakes, salamanders, lizards, weasel, mink, squirrel, rabbit, hare, raccoon, bobcat, fox, opossum, muskrat, or beaver on land ow…

97B.657 TAKING WILD ANIMALS TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY. A licensed peace officer may, at any time, take any protected wild animal that is posing an immediate threat to public safety. A peace officer who destroys a protected wild animal under this section must protect all evidence a…

97B.661 REMOVING BEAVER FROM STATE LANDS. The commissioner may remove beaver at state expense from state land if the county board where the land is located adopts a resolution requesting the removal. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 54

97B.665 BEAVER DAMS; THREATS TO SAFETY OR PROPERTY. § Subdivision 1. [Repealed, 2010 c 361 art 4 s 83] § Subd. 1a.Removing beaver dams; agreement by landowner. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), a beaver dam that is causing damage to property may be removed or destroyed by …

97B.667 REMOVING BEAVERS, BEAVER DAMS, AND LODGES; ROAD AUTHORITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS. § Subdivision 1.Road authorities. (a) When a drainage watercourse is impaired by a beaver dam and the water damages or threatens to damage a public road, the road authority, as defined…

97B.668 ANIMALS CAUSING DAMAGE. § Subdivision 1.Game birds causing damage. Notwithstanding sections 97B.091 and 97B.805, subdivisions 1 and 2, a person or agent of that person on lands and nonpublic waters owned or operated by the person may nonlethally scare, haze, chase, or har…

97B.671 PREDATOR-CONTROL PROGRAM. § Subdivision 1.Authorization to take predators. If the commissioner determines that predators are damaging domestic or wild animals and further damage can be prevented, the commissioner shall authorize the taking of the predators by predator con…

97B.701 PROTECTED BIRDS. § Subdivision 1.Authorized taking. Protected birds, their nests, and their eggs may be taken only as authorized under the game and fish laws. § Subd. 2.Prohibited methods of taking. A person may not take protected birds: (1) with a trap, net, or snare; (2…

97B.705 RESTRICTIONS ON TRAPPING BIRDS. (a) Except as provided in this section, a person may not take a bird with a steel jaw leg-hold trap mounted on a pole, post, tree stump, or other perch more than three feet above the ground. (b) A person that has a permit to take great horn…

97B.715 PHEASANTS. § Subdivision 1.Stamp required. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) or section 97A.405, subdivision 2, a person required to possess a small-game license may not hunt pheasants without a pheasant stamp validation. (b) The following persons are exempt from th…

97B.716 PRAIRIE CHICKENS. § Subdivision 1.License required. A person may not take a prairie chicken without a prairie-chicken license. § Subd. 2. Registration. The commissioner may by rule prescribe requirements for the registration of prairie chickens. [See Note.] § Subd. 3.Limi…

97B.721 LICENSE REQUIRED TO TAKE TURKEY; REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) or section 97A.405, subdivision 2, a person may not take a turkey without possessing a turkey license. (b) An unlicensed adult age 18 or older may assist a licensed wild-tu…

97B.722 POSSESSING FIREARMS; HUNTING TURKEY. (a) While afield hunting turkeys, licensees may not have in possession or control: (1) any firearm that is not a legal firearm as defined in paragraph (c); or (2) any bow and arrow except those defined as legal for taking turkeys in ru…

97B.723 COMMISSIONER MAY LIMIT NUMBER OF TURKEY HUNTERS. The commissioner may establish a method, including a drawing, to impartially select persons eligible to take turkeys in an area. Preference must be given to persons that have previously applied in the general selection but …

97B.725 GUIDING HUNTERS. A person may not guide turkey hunters for compensation. History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 62; 2005 c 146 s 38

97B.731 MIGRATORY BIRDS. § Subdivision 1.Migratory game birds. (a) Migratory game birds may be taken and possessed. A person may not take, buy, sell, possess, transport, or ship migratory game birds in violation of federal law. (b) The commissioner shall prescribe seasons, limits…

97B.735 SWANS. A person who takes, harasses, destroys, buys, sells, possesses, transports, or ships a native swan in violation of the game and fish laws is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. History: 2023 c 60 art 4 s 61

97B.801 MINNESOTA MIGRATORY-WATERFOWL STAMP REQUIRED. (a) Except as provided in this section or section 97A.405, subdivision 2, a person required to possess a small-game license may not take migratory waterfowl without a migratory-waterfowl stamp validation. (b) Residents under a…

97B.805 RESTRICTIONS ON METHOD OF TAKING WATERFOWL ON WATER. § Subdivision 1.Taking in open water. (a) A person may not take migratory waterfowl, coots, or rails in open water unless the person is: (1) within a natural growth of vegetation sufficient to partially conceal the pers…

97B.811 DECOYS AND BLINDS ON PUBLIC LANDS AND WATERS. § Subdivision 1.Blinds and decoys prohibited before season. A person may not erect a blind or place decoys in public waters or on public land more than one hour before the open season for waterfowl. § Subd. 2.Hours for placing…

97B.901 REGISTRATION AND TAGGING FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. (a) The commissioner may, by rule, require persons taking, possessing, and transporting fur-bearing animals to tag the animals. The commissioner shall prescribe the manner of issuance and the type of tag, which must show the y…

97B.903 USE OF BODY-GRIPPING TRAPS. A person may not set, place, or operate, except as a water set, a body-gripping or conibear-type trap on public lands and waters that has a maximum jaw opening when set greater than 6-1/2 inches and less than 7-1/2 inches measured from the insi…

97B.905 FUR DEALER'S LICENSES. § Subdivision 1.License requirement. (a) A person may not buy or sell raw furs without a fur-buying-and-selling license, except: (1) a taxidermist licensed under section 97A.475, subdivision 19, and a fur manufacturer are not required to have a lice…

97B.9251 BEAVER SEASON. The commissioner may establish open seasons and restrictions for taking beaver from 9:00 a.m. on the Saturday nearest October 26 in the North Zone and from 9:00 a.m. on the Saturday nearest October 30 in the South Zone. The seasons shall be open until May …

97B.926 PINE MARTEN AND FISHER ZONE. Where a combined pine marten and fisher trapping zone exists, the commissioner must provide an option of a combined limit of fisher and marten. History: 1997 c 226 s 35

97B.928 IDENTIFYING TRAPS AND SNARES. § Subdivision 1.Information required. (a) A person may not set or place a trap or snare, other than on property owned or occupied by the person, unless the following information is affixed to the trap or snare in a manner that ensures that th…