Whether they love them, or hate them, Minnesota hunters will soon be welcoming crossbows to the fall deer season and spring turkey season.
The new ruling on the use of crossbows for Minnesota deer and spring turkey hunters comes following a law change passed in the 2023 legislative session.
Starting this fall, hunters who purchase a Minnesota archery deer license may possess and take deer with a crossbow during the archery deer season. The sale of deer licenses will begin August 1st.
In the past, crossbows were limited to hunters with a special permit, were age 60 or older, or for use during firearms seasons for deer and turkey.
Crossbows have also been allowed in the past for all hunters during the fall wild turkey and bear seasons.
The new ruling is praised by many for creating additional hunting opportunities. However, crossbow critics complain that crossbows aren’t legitimate archery equipment, and should not be allowed during archery-only hunting seasons.
What do you think? Should crossbows be allowed during archery season? Comment below, and let us know your thoughts.
