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Hundreds speak at Clay County public hearing as board weighs keeping shotgun-only deer zones or allowing rifles
Summary
Nearly 40 written comments and dozens of residents testified at an April 7 public hearing in Clay County on whether to keep shotgun-only deer hunting zones, carve the county at a highway, or take no action and allow rifles per a 2025 state law; commissioners will review comments and decide by the DNR deadline.
Clay County held a lengthy public hearing April 7 on whether to preserve shotgun-only deer hunting zones or allow rifles following a 2025 change to state law.
County administrator Steve Larson opened the hearing and reviewed three options for the board: take no action and allow rifle hunting countywide (default under the new statute); adopt an ordinance keeping the county shotgun-only; or adopt a geographic carve‑out (for example, using County Road 9 or Highway 32 as a dividing line). Larson said the DNR prefers a clear, simple boundary if the county adopts an ordinance and noted a May 5 deadline for adoption so changes appear in the DNR hunting materials.
The hearing drew a broad cross-section of views. Nick Olsgaard (Clark Township) told commissioners he supports allowing rifles, saying rifles “provide better accuracy, which leads to a more ethical…
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