Top 10 Deer Hunting Violations in Minnesota

Conservation officers with the Minnesota DNR issued 1,110 citations or warnings during the 2010 firearms deer season, up from 1,035 in 2009. With Minnesota’s firearms deer season starting Saturday, Nov. 5, the DNR is reminding hunters of some of the more common violations.
“The vast majority of deer hunters in Minnesota abide by the rules and regulations, while a small percentage run afoul of the law,” said Col. Jim Konrad, Minnesota DNR Enforcement director. “Hunters can best help us protect and preserve the resource by simply following the rules.”


Top 10 Deer Hunting Violations

1. Fail to validate tag: 180 citations
2. Hunt over bait: 150 citations
3. Untagged: 131 citations
4. Transport uncased/loaded firearm: 127 citations
5. Fail to register: 110 citations
6. Misdemeanor shining: 92 citations
7. License not in possession: 89 citations
8. Trespass: 87 citations
9. Shoot from road right of way at big game: 81 citations
10. No license: 63 citations

A large number of citations are written each year for failure to validate a site tag.

Minnesota’s Deer License and Site Tag come as a 2-part form. The upper half is the Site Tag for tagging the deer in the field. The lower half is the Deer License and Registration Slip. Konrad said that at the kill site a hunter must detach the site tag from the deer license/registration slip.

“Before moving the deer, validate the tag by using a knife or similar sharp object to cut out the appropriate notches indicating the month the deer was killed, date it was killed and the time of day it was killed,” Konrad said. “Mark carefully -- if more than one month, date, or time is cut out or marked, the tag becomes invalid.”
The validated site tag must be attached to the deer when the deer is placed on a motor vehicle or an ATV, a vehicle or a trailer being towed by an ATV or brought into a camp, yard or other place of habitation.

Transporting a loaded firearm in a vehicle is another recurring deer hunting violation. There are circumstances when a person may transport unloaded, uncased firearms (excluding pistols) in a vehicle, including ATVs: while at a shooting range with permission; while lawfully hunting on private or public land or while traveling to or from a site the person intends to hunt or has lawfully hunted that day.

Other common violations include hunting over bait, license not in possession, shooting from the road right of way at big game and hunting without permission on private property.

Blaze orange is required on your cap and outer clothing above the waist, excluding sleeves and gloves while hunting deer. Blaze orange includes a camouflage pattern of at least 50 percent blaze orange within each square foot.
Approximately 200 DNR officers will be traveling the back roads and hiking through the woods to ensure hunters hunt safely, ethically and abide by the Minnesota’s hunting rules and regulations.

-http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/top-10-deer-hunting-violations-nov-1-2011