Anderson: In Minnesota, women and kids seek solace of deer camp — and challenge of the hunt

Recent license sales indicate about 14% of Minnesota deer hunters are women, with a larger portion — about 29% — of youth licenses going to girls.

More tellingly, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, about a third of all new hunters are females — a trend that, if it continues, might fill the license-sales gap created by male hunters who gray out of the sport.

Below, in their own words, are vignettes of six women and youth whitetail hunters who will be in the field this weekend when the 2025 Minnesota firearms deer season begins.

“I grew up in Ohio and came to Minnesota in 2010 to work as an intern at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in southeast Minnesota. I’m now the center’s executive director. I didn’t grow up hunting. But I took a DNR Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) workshop, which was great and introduced me to various types of hunting, including bow hunting for deer. I also learned about hunting from my husband, Tony. In the years since, I’ve become very passionate about the sport. I’ve already killed a buck this fall with my bow, and I’m looking forward to the firearms opener, when Tony and I and his mom, LaRae, will hunt together. All of the meat we eat is wild, whether it’s venison or birds. My big passion now is teaching other people about hunting, because it has changed my life in so many ways.”

Foehrenbacher’s opening morning report: “It was super fun. I saw two coyotes and had two small bucks in range. I passed. But my husband, Tony, shot a bruiser of an 8-pointer!”

“I’m really excited about this year’s deer opener. Last season, I sat in a blind with my dad, but I didn’t have a gun. This year I’ll be carrying my own gun, a 20-gauge with slugs. I’ve practiced quite a bit with it, and I’m optimistic we’ll see deer because the guy whose land we’ll be hunting has been out quite a bit with his bow and he’s seen deer on the property, which is about 40 minutes from our home. The weather forecast is for temperatures in the upper 20s with a chance for snow or rain. But my dad and I should be comfortable in our ground blind. My goal is to shoot a bigger buck. I like to eat venison, too!”

Nelson’s opening morning report: “When two does walked by our blind, dad said, ‘Don’t shoot,’ that a buck would follow. That didn’t happen. A spike buck did show up later, but I didn’t have a shot. A guy in our group shot an 8-pointer, however.”

Knaak’s opening morning report: “It was slow at sunup, but I saw two does with fawns that came by later. I passed. By noon our group did have two bucks and two does, however, which was great.”

“I’m in sixth grade and hunting under the DNR apprentice hunter program, with Colleen Foehrenbacher as my mentor. I hunt with an 870 Remington 20-gauge shotgun. I already shot one deer, a button buck, while hunting with my dad during the youth season. We were hunting in southeast Minnesota, near Lanesboro, when two deer came walking toward us. I shot one at about 40 yards. On the opener, my dad and I will sit together on a friend’s property, like we sat together in the youth season. I’ve practiced with my shotgun out to 100 yards, but I won’t take shots that long. When I see a deer, I get really excited and my heart starts pumping fast! My dad butchers any deer we shoot. My favorite part to eat is the back strap, which my dad cooks on the grill.”

Feichtinger’s opening morning report: “No deer, it was pretty slow. We did hear other hunters shoot, and on the way to lunch, my dad and I saw a rooster pheasant and a bald eagle. We’ll hunt again in the evening.”

“I’ve hunted in a family deer camp up north, but more recently my dad, brother and I hunt just outside the Twin Cities on my uncle’s land. My dad, Mark, is a former DNR commissioner — in fact, my first deer hunt, when I was 12, was at a Governor’s Deer Opener. On this opener, my brother, Cody, will be in a stand, but dad and I will hunt from my uncle’s elevated deck. Usually we hear shooting, and we see deer, but not always within gun range. My dad’s whole thing is making sure I get a deer. We won’t shoot a doe until the last weekend, and any deer we do get, we’ll gut, skin and butcher together. A big reason I hunt is to spend time with my dad. But I also love the venison summer sausage we have made, and the deer sticks!"

Holsten’s opening morning report: “The morning was oddly quiet. I saw one doe with two fawns, but I didn’t shoot. Neither did my brother or dad. We heard some shooting. But it was less than normal for opening day.”