Minnesota Canned Hunt Statutes and Regulations

Partial Ban: The DNR has banned all canned hunts; however, certain facilities may continue under regulation by the DA. 

Statute

Minnesota Game and Fish Laws define the term big game as "deer, moose, elk, bear, antelope, and caribou," the term contraband as "a wild animal taken, bought, sold, transported, or possessed in violation of the game and fish laws, and all instrumentalities and devices used in taking wild animals in violation of the game and fish laws that are subject to confiscation," the term protected wild animals as "big game, small game, game fish, rough fish, minnows, leeches, alewives, ciscoes, chubs, and lake whitefish, and the subfamily Coregoninae, rainbow smelt, frogs, turtles, clams, mussels, gray wolf, mourning doves, and wild animals that are protected by a restriction in the time or manner of taking, other than a restriction in the use of artificial lights, poison, or motor vehicles," and the term unprotected wild animals as wild animals not protected, including "weasel, coyote (brush wolf), gopher, porcupine, striped skunk, and unprotected birds" (§97A.015).

A person may "breed and propagate fur-bearing animals, game birds, bear, or mute swans only on privately owned or leased land and after obtaining a license" (§97A.105).

The commissioner may issue a license "to operate commercial shooting preserves and private shooting preserves" if in the public interest and without any adverse effect on wild game bird populations. Species that may be released and hunted in a licensed shooting preserve "are limited to unprotected birds, adult pheasant, and bob-white quail for private shooting preserves and adult pheasant, bob-white quail, turkey, mallard duck, black duck, and other species designated by the commissioner for commercial shooting preserves" (§97A.115).

The fee for a shooting preserve license is $100 if private, and $500 if commercial. The fee for a game and fur farm license is $16.50 (§97A.475).

Regulation

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Regulations defines a shooting preserve as "a privately operated facility where protected wild animals are released for shooting outside regularly established seasons and regulations. Only species authorized on the shooting preserve license may be released and taken." A shooting preserve may be private or commercial, and cannot be operated without a license (6242.0100).

In addition to the species authorized by statute, "the following species are designated for commercial shooting preserves: A. gray partridge; and B. unprotected birds" (6242.0200 Subp.7).

A game farm licensee "may acquire protected captive-reared mammals and game birds or their eggs only from a licensed game farm operator or other person exempt from the licensing requirement (6242.0800).

However, "a game farm license is not a license to possess, breed, propagate, sell, or dispose of any threatened or endangered species, unless the threatened or endangered species is specifically listed on the game farm license and has been lawfully obtained (6242.1200). 

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