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Minnesota Take-a-Kid Hunting Weekend, 2026-27
Minnesota Take-a-Kid seasons and rules for 2026-27.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
This guide follows the 2026-27 DNR booklet for youth and mentor small game hunts: the first legal day is Sep 26, 2026 and the last is Sep 27, 2026, each row with its source.
Take-a-Kid Hunting Weekend at a glance
- Bag limit: Regular small game limits.
- Methods: Sept. 26-27, 2026.
- Notes: Adult residents with a youth under 16 hunt small game without a license.
DNR source page (as of Sep 15, 2026), checked October 28, 2026.
GearHeading out for small game season? Small game gear checklist →
When youth and mentor small game hunts are open in Minnesota
These are the 2026-27 Take-a-Kid rows; state game refuges, state parks and special hunts can add their own rules.
| Segment | Area | Limit | First day | Last day | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Take-a-Kid | Statewide | Regular small game limits | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | 2 |
Fine print for youth and mentor small game hunts
- Adult residents accompanied by a youth under 16 may hunt small game without a license (date corrected Sept. 14, 2026 from Sept. 19-20).
From booklet p. 62, checked October 28, 2026.
Take-a-Kid Hunting Weekend: limits, licenses, stamps
Buying a Take-a-Kid license
| License | Residency | Who | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice hunter/trapper validation | resident | $3.50 | |
| Small game license | resident | Under 16 | Free (not required) |
| Apprentice hunter/trapper validation | nonresident | As resident | $3.50 |
Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1979 needs a firearms safety certificate or an apprentice validation to buy a firearm hunting license.
booklet p. 18, booklet p. 20, checked October 28, 2026.
Public land for youth and mentor small game hunts
Public ground for youth and mentor small game hunts: 1360 WMAs. The table shows the largest WMAs by acreage.
| Place | Type | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lake | WMA | Beltrami · | 322,246 |
| Roseau River | WMA | Roseau · | 75,163 |
| Thief Lake | WMA | Beltrami · | 54,650 |
| Mille Lacs | WMA | Kanabec · | 38,678 |
| Lac qui Parle | WMA | 33,623 | |
| Wapiti | WMA | Beltrami · | 31,759 |
| Beaches Lake | WMA | Kittson · | 30,623 |
| Whitewater | WMA | Wabasha · | 27,451 |
| Carlos Avery | WMA | Chisago · | 24,598 |
| Moose River | WMA | 21,273 | |
| Mud Goose | WMA | 17,011 | |
| Moose Willow | WMA | 16,946 |
WMA game lists are the DNR’s own; WPAs and refuges use their federal hunting categories. On WMAs, vehicles use only designated roads and parking, target shooting is banned and stands are removed each day.
DNR WMA finder and WMA rules, checked October 28, 2026.
Field rules for youth and mentor small game hunts
For youth and mentor small game hunts, legal time opens half an hour ahead of sunrise and closes at sunset, without the big game evening half hour.
Small game rules ask Take-a-Kid hunters for one blaze orange or pink item above the waist, and during the firearms deer season the full deer rule applies.
Minnesota has no Sunday restriction; every Take-a-Kid season runs seven days a week.
booklet shooting hours, blaze rules, validation and registration, checked October 28, 2026.
Take-a-Kid Hunting Weekend legal hours on key dates
Computed times, not DNR tables: the booklet now refers hunters to NOAA, so this table applies the Take-a-Kid rule to the sun at three county centres.
| Day | Why | County | Sun up | Sun down | Shooting time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | First day | Clay | 7:16 a.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | First day | Ramsey | 7:03 a.m. | 7:05 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 7:05 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | First day | St. Louis | 7:00 a.m. | 7:02 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 7:02 p.m. |
| Sep 27, 2026 | Last legal day | Clay | 7:18 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. |
| Sep 27, 2026 | Last legal day | Ramsey | 7:04 a.m. | 7:03 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 7:03 p.m. |
| Sep 27, 2026 | Last legal day | St. Louis | 7:02 a.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
Rule from the booklet shooting hours page; sun times computed for the county centre (NOAA method, Central Time) and checked against U.S. Naval Observatory tables; checked October 28, 2026.
Legal gear and laws for youth and mentor small game hunts
Take-a-Kid Hunting Weekend: rules from the statutes
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Duty to render aid | A person who believes a shot injured someone must check and give reasonable help. |
| Firearm transport | Unloaded and fully cased or in a closed trunk (Personal Protection Act handguns excepted); uncased unloaded long guns allowed while hunting or traveling to/from hunting, except in Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey counties, cities of 2,500+, school grounds and refuges. |
| Hunting while intoxicated | No taking wild animals with a firearm or bow under the influence or with alcohol 0.08+; includes cannabis products. |
booklet p. 16, booklet p. 30, Minnesota Statutes 97B.065, checked October 28, 2026.
How chapter 97A groups youth and mentor small game hunts
| Group | Species | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Big game (97A.015 subd. 3) | deer, moose, elk, bear, antelope, caribou | Open seasons only for deer, bear and elk; no open season on moose, antelope or caribou (booklet p. 32). |
| Fur-bearing animals (97A.015 subd. 22) | mammals that are protected wild animals, except big game | Seasons for raccoon, foxes, badger, opossum, weasels, bobcat, fisher, pine marten, mink, muskrat, beaver, otter. |
| Unprotected birds | house (English) sparrow, European starling, common pigeon, Eurasian collared dove, chukar partridge, quail other than northern bobwhite, monk parakeet | Booklet list. Statute 97A.015 subd. 52 also lists cormorant and mute swan and omits monk parakeet (flagged). |
| Predators (97A.015 subd. 37) | wolf, coyote, fox, lynx, bobcat | Predator hunters are exempt from the small game blaze rule. |
From Minnesota Statutes 97A.015 and the DNR booklet, checked October 28, 2026.
Take-a-Kid Hunting Weekend: common questions
When does legal light end for youth and mentor small game hunts?
For youth and mentor small game hunts, legal time opens half an hour ahead of sunrise and closes at sunset, without the big game evening half hour.
Must Take-a-Kid hunters wear orange?
Small game rules ask Take-a-Kid hunters for one blaze orange or pink item above the waist, and during the firearms deer season the full deer rule applies.
What public ground holds youth and mentor small game hunts?
Red Lake WMA, Roseau River WMA, Thief Lake WMA are the biggest of 1,360 WMAs that name youth and mentor small game hunts.
Is Walk-In Access open for youth and mentor small game hunts?
Walk-In Access is open to Take-a-Kid hunters: 23,000 acres at 230+ private sites open Sept. 1-May 31 with a $3 validation; no vehicles, trapping, dog training, target shooting or camping.
Do any days close for youth and mentor small game hunts?
Sundays are open for youth and mentor small game hunts, like every other day of the season.
When can I hunt youth and mentor small game hunts in Minnesota?
Sept. 26-27, 2026. Overall that spans Sep 26 to Sep 27, 2026.
Which limits govern Take-a-Kid hunting?
The booklet says: Regular small game limits.
How much does a Take-a-Kid license cost?
The main items are Apprentice hunter/trapper validation (resident, Born after 12/31/79 age 12+ (hunters); born after 12/31/89 age 13+ (trappers)): $3.50; Small game license (resident, Under 16): Free (not required); Apprentice hunter/trapper validation (nonresident, As resident): $3.50.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (CC BY 2.0); grendelkhan (CC BY-SA 2.0); Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).