Hunting in Minnesota Minnesota offers more public hunting lands than any state east of the Mississippi River. With more than 1 million acres of public wildlife management areas and 3 million acres of state forests, hunters have access to plenty of woods, wetlands, and uplands. The biggest draw for nonresident hunters is ruffed grouse . During a high-population year, hunters can flush 20 to 30 birds on a good day.
Hunters shoot more grouse in Minnesota than in any other state.
Currently, the state's grouse population appears to be coming down from it's 10-year peak in 1997, but even when grouse numbers are at the bottom of their cycle they are higher here than in most states. Minnesota also has some of the biggest deer in the United States, ranking among the top four states for whitetail entries in the Boone and Crockett record book since 1984. Minnesota also harvests more Canada geese than any other state and offers more goose and duck hunting marshes and lakes than any state. Bear hunting is also good here, with roughly 3,000 harvested each fall.