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Carver County closes public hearing, takes no action on ordinance limiting deer hunting to shotguns
Summary
After a staff presentation and more than an hour of public comment, the Carver County Board closed the public hearing on a proposed shotgun-only ordinance and took no further action, leaving the state law that permits rifle hunting to stand for the 2026 season.
County staff opened a formal public hearing on March 10 on whether Carver County should adopt a local ordinance limiting firearms used to take deer to shotguns only. Presenter Hamzy summarized the 2025 legislative change removing the shotgun zone and explained the county’s options, noting DNR mapping and an estimate that Zone 338 includes about 1,264 hunters with roughly 600 deer harvested in 2024 (about 414 by firearms).
Hamzy recommended closing the public hearing and taking no further action so the state law permitting rifles would take effect: "my recommendation would be to close a public hearing and take no further action," he told the board. Commissioners asked about enforcement (the sheriff’s office and the DNR were identified as enforcement authorities) and whether townships could adopt separate rules; county counsel said the statute expressly references county boards and did not plainly give townships the same authority.
The board heard more than a dozen public commenters who were split on safety and ethics of rifles versus shotguns. After questions and discussion by commissioners, a motion to close the public hearing carried and the board declined to adopt an ordinance at this meeting, which staff said would allow rifles under state law for the 2026 deer season. The board may revisit the issue in a future year but must consider DNR notification timelines if it chooses to adopt an ordinance later.
