Lake Bemidji State Park welcomes youth hunters in October 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says there are still spots available for the youth hunt taking place in Lake Bemidji State Park, Oct. 18-20. It’s open to hunters aged 12-15 years of age. 

Shannon Bungart, assistant park supervisor, said as of Thursday the park had 19 slots still open. 

“The youth do need to have a mentor that goes out hunting with them,” she said. “They do need to have a firearm safety certificate, and they do need to attend mandatory orientation, which we have the date before the hunt starts.” 

Bungart said the orientation will be held at the park’s visitor center on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m., and should last about an hour. She added park visitors on the hunt days shouldn’t be concerned while the hunt is in progress.  

“They’re not hunting in areas that are typically utilized by the public, and that these younger kids, have recently gone through safety training, and they were very hyper focused on safety training at this point in their hunting career,” she said. “So, I feel much safer honestly, with the youth out in the field than I do with the adults.” 

According to Bungart last year there were about 13 reports of hunter injuries statewide. However, most of the instances involved the hunters hurting themselves.  

Bungart said the youth hunts, which have been declining in popularity over the years, are an important tool for park management. 

“It helps us out with our native plant communities,” she said. “When the deer population get too big, they can decimate those plant communities, and we need these hunts to keep the deer population in check.” 

Deer harvested in the youth hunt count toward the young hunters’ statewide total, but they can still take part in the regular hunt. Youth hunts have been held in Lake Bemidji State Park since 2002.