Deer Hunts

Three Rivers Park District actively works to keep white-tailed deer herds in balance with the available habitat. As part of its deer management plan, scheduled hunts are offered at several parks. Upcoming hunt information is listed below when available.

Sharpshooting with trained staff is also used to remove deer from areas not suitable for hunting. Each year, aerial deer surveys are conducted in January or February to help determine where deer hunts should take place.

Deer in wooded area

Hunt Safety

Three Rivers takes several precautions to ensure the safety of hunters, park guests and nearby residents.

All hunters are required to attend a pre-hunt orientation and select their stand sites before the hunt. Because of these safety precautions, parks remain open to the public during archery hunts, including the following areas:

  • Paved and turf trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding
  • Dog off-leash areas
  • Picnic areas
  • Golf courses
  • Visitor centers

Only the following areas are closed during hunts:

  • Group campsites
  • Cleary Lake Campground

Park users and nearby residents are informed of hunts through posted signage at park and trail entrances, and notices on the website, social media and in local newspapers.

During shotgun hunts, parks are closed completely, including all trails and facilities. During archery hunts, parks will remain open with access to paved and turf trails, dog off-leash areas, horse trails, golf courses and picnic areas.

2024 Hunt Information

Shotgun hunt

There is no shotgun hunt scheduled for 2024. A shotgun hunt is scheduled for the fall of 2025 at Carver Park Reserve.

Archery hunts

Three Rivers Park District conducts special permit archery hunts in a number of its parks on select weekends from September through November. 

General archery hunt information

Hunt locations

Hunts currently take place in Baker, Crow-Hassan, Lake Rebecca and Murphy-Hanrehan park reserves and Cleary Lake, Eagle Lake, Fish Lake and Spring Lake regional parks, and at Gale Woods Farm. 

Hunt period dates

The hunts are two three-day hunts. One hunt period is early in the season and one is later. The hunts run Monday to Wednesday or Friday to Sunday, depending on the park. Applicants are expected to hunt both hunt periods and are required to attend the corresponding orientation.

2024 archery hunt schedule
First Hunt PeriodSecond Hunt PeriodHunt DaysPark
Sept. 27-29Oct. 25-27Fri.-Sun.Cleary Lake Regional Park
Sept. 27-29Oct. 25-27Fri.-Sun.Lake Rebecca Park Reserve
Sept. 30-Oct. 2Oct. 28-30Mon.-Wed.Fish Lake Regional Park
Sept. 30-Oct. 2Nov. 4-6Mon.-Wed.Gale Woods Farm
Oct. 4-6Nov. 1-3Fri.-Sun.Elm Creek Park Reserve
Oct. 7-9Nov. 4-6Mon.-Wed.French Regional Park
Oct. 7-9Nov. 4-6Mon.-Wed.Spring Lake Regional Park
Oct. 14-16Nov. 11-13Mon.-Wed.Eagle Lake Regional Park
Oct. 11-13Nov. 15-17Fri.-Sun.Baker Park Reserve
Oct. 11-13Nov. 15-17Fri.-Sun.Crow-Hassan Park Reserve
Oct. 11-13Nov. 15-17Fri.-Sun.Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
How to apply

Three Rivers selects archery hunters through a preference lottery through the Metro Bowhunters Resource Base (MBRB). Refer to the MBRB website for additional information.

 

Contact Us

For questions, please contact the Three Rivers Park District Wildlife section at 763-694-7840 or wildlife@ThreeRiversParks.org.