Minnesota Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy

A Minnesota hunting license costs $22 for a resident adult and $102 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).

Minnesota's small game license is one of the more affordable entry points in the Midwest, but deer, the license most hunters actually care about, is a separate purchase on top, and non-resident pricing runs well above what neighboring Wisconsin and Iowa charge.

What a Minnesota hunting license costs

Residents pay $22 for the annual small game license; non-residents pay $102. Deer hunting requires a separate license: $34 for residents, $185 for non-residents pursuing firearms deer. Turkey, waterfowl and other species each carry their own additional license or stamp requirement layered on top of the small game base.

Firearms Safety Certification

Anyone born after December 31, 1979 must complete Firearms Safety Certification before buying a Minnesota hunting license. The minimum age to take the course is 11, though the certificate isn't valid for hunting until the student turns 12. Youth 12 and under can still hunt small game with a parent or guardian under an Apprentice Hunter Validation before completing the course, a one-time option per person.

License year and deadlines

Minnesota's license year runs March 1 through the end of February, which is unusual among Midwestern states and means licenses bought in late winter cover the entire fall hunting season without needing a renewal mid-season.

How to buy your Minnesota hunting license

The Minnesota DNR's online license system handles small game, deer and stamp purchases, and licenses are also sold at major retailers statewide including Fleet Farm, Walmart and many bait shops, or by phone.

Hunting in Minnesota: what to expect

Minnesota is a genuine waterfowl destination, with the Mississippi Flyway funneling ducks and geese through the state's marshes and river bottoms each fall, and the state markets itself heavily around that reputation. Deer hunting concentrates in the northern forest zone, Itasca, Beltrami and the Arrowhead region near Lake Superior, where large tracts of state and county forest give hunters room to spread out, while the southern farmland zone offers a different, agricultural-edge style of deer hunting closer to the Iowa border.

Public land: state forests and WMAs

Minnesota's public hunting access is unusually large for the Midwest: millions of acres of state forest in the north, plus over 1,400 Wildlife Management Areas scattered statewide specifically managed for hunting access. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the far north adds a wilderness-hunting option for grouse and small game for anyone willing to paddle in, a genuinely different experience from drive-up WMA hunting further south.

How to renew a Minnesota hunting license

There is no separate renewal process in Minnesota. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs March 1 through the end of February.

The fastest route is the official Minnesota online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.

Planning more than one? See the Minnesota fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.