The most common violation given to deer hunters last year by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers?
Failure to validate site tags.
The DNR this week reminded hunters that the upper half of the state's deer license is a site tag that must be validated before a downed animal is moved, using a knife to notch the tag, indicating the month, date and time of kill.
Before a deer is placed on a vehicle or ATV or a trailer, or brought to a camp, yard or home, the validated site tag must be attached to the deer.
Hunters are reminded as well that blaze orange is required on a deer hunter's cap and outer clothing above the waist, excluding sleeves and gloves. Blaze orange camouflage with at least 50 percent blaze orange within each square foot is allowed.
Trespassing on private land is also a common violation by deer hunters. Various rules also govern the use of public lands. Overnight use and camping on federal waterfowl production areas, for example, isn't allowed, and rules govern closed hours and camping on state wildlife management areas, and can vary by area. Erecting and using hunting blinds and stands on public lands also can be restricted. Hunters are advised to check DNR or other regulations.
A total of 1,110 citations or warnings were written by DNR officers last firearms deer season, compared with 1,035 in 2009.
The 10 most common violations last year included failing to validate tag (180 citations); hunting over bait (150); untagged (131); transporting uncased/loaded firearm (127); failing to register deer (110); misdemeanor shining (92); license not in possession (89); trespass (87); shooting from road right-of-way (81); no license (63). Hunting violations can be reported by calling 800-652-9093, or #TIP on most cellphones.
