Kilen Woods State Park will be closed to all visitors on Saturday and Sunday for a special deer hunt. The purpose of the hunt is to prevent overpopulation of deer and to protect natural resources.
“Too many of one animal or plant species in an area can start to throw off the balance of other species in that area,” said Tavis Westbrook, Natural Resource Program coordinator for Minnesota State Parks and Trails. “When there are too many deer in a park, they feed too much on certain trees and native plants, so occasionally we allow deer hunts as a way to protect natural resources and bring the deer population back into better balance.”
Hunts also will take place at some other Minnesota state parks and recreation areas this fall, and access to these areas will vary. Some will remain open to all visitors, some will have limited public access and some will be open only to hunters with special permits. The deadlines have passed for youth and adults to apply for the permits to participate in the hunts.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources thanks visitors for their patience and understanding during the hunts.
For a list of state parks and recreation areas that are open, partially open or closed during the 2023 hunting season, visit mndnr.gov/parkhunts, contact the DNR Information Center at info.dnr@state.mn.us or call 888-646-6367 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sat.). Details on which areas of each park affected by the special deer hunts can also be found in the “Visitor Alert” boxes on the individual park website pages at mndnr.gov.
