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Carver County closes public hearing and takes no action on shotgun-only hunting ordinance; rifles allowed under state law for 2026
Summary
After a staff presentation and extended public comment, the Carver County Board of Commissioners closed a March 10 public hearing and did not adopt an ordinance to keep deer hunting shotgun-only. County staff said the decision means the state law allowing rifles will apply for the 2026 season; commissioners may revisit the issue next year.
Carver County commissioners closed a public hearing March 10 and declined to adopt an ordinance that would have limited deer hunting to shotguns, allowing a state law that permits rifles to take effect for the 2026 hunting season.
County staff opened the formal hearing and reviewed the legislative change that removed the old “shotgun zone” line and gave county boards the option to adopt ordinances to retain shotgun-only rules. The presenter summarized DNR maps, estimated local hunter counts (Zone 338 roughly 1,264 hunters; countywide estimates provided as high-level figures), and reviewed 23 years of incident data and ballistics comparisons before offering a recommendation. “My recommendation would be to close a public hearing and take…
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