DECEMBER 21, 2009
Media contacts: Colleen Coyne, DNR communications director,
651-259-5023; Patricia Arndt, Minnesota State Parks planning and public
affairs manager, 651-259-5578.
Itasca State Park's youth deer hunt gets kids outdoors
Itasca State Park hosted its first firearms youth deer hunt earlier
this fall. Forty young hunters participated in the event, with a
confirmed harvest of seven deer. The two-day hunt was meant to help meet
the park's deer reduction goals while encouraging new hunters. This
event was in addition to a regular season hunt with yearly participation
of nearly 500 hunters.
Although the number of deer has decreased across the region, the
population is still higher than Park Resource Specialist Cathy Handrick
would like to see. "We are still seeing deer browse that is affecting
our forest regeneration efforts," she said.
Prior to the hunt, the young hunters had an opportunity to attend a
day-long mini-camp, where they learned the basics of deer hunting from
members of the Park Rapids Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters
Association (MDHA). The mini-camp covered topics such as tracking, tree
stand safety, and compass use. Both the MDHA and park officials believe
educating and encouraging young hunters is critical to instilling the
importance of Minnesota's outdoor heritage in future generations.
Some participants bagged their first deer during the youth hunt, while
others simply enjoyed the time spent in the woods with a parent or
mentor. One young hunter who didn't see any deer said he was still
excited, because he had never heard a grouse drum before.
"Whether these young hunters bagged a deer or not, the underlying goal
was to get youth engaged in the outdoors," said Matt Snyder, Itasca
State Park manager, "Anytime you can get youth involved outdoors, it
gives them an appreciation of the natural resources and what Minnesota
has to offer."
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