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   Hunters can apply for special youth deer hunt permits through Friday, Aug. 16. The number of permits for each hunt is limited. Individual hunts will be held in several state parks on various dates in the fall. These firearms hunts are for youth who are ages 12-15 at the time of the hunt and are accompanied by an adult.

   The youth archery hunt in the Sand Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Sherburne County is for youth ages 10-17. Youth archery hunters at the Camp Ripley Archery Hunt in Morrison County can be ages 12-17.

   Special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 17-20 and does not require an application. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer/special-deer-hunts.html).

   In most instances, hunters may only possess and use nontoxic ammunition when participating in a special hunt in a Minnesota state park; however, nontoxic ammunition requirements do not apply to special youth hunts in the shotgun-use area if hunters remove all parts of harvested deer from the field, including the entrails.

   Where nontoxic ammunition is required, bullets, slugs, muzzleloader ammunition and other single projectiles must be made entirely of nontoxic material approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For deer hunting, this typically means copper ammunition. More details about nontoxic ammunition can be found on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer/special-deer-hunts.html).

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