Minnesota · Elk · 2026 Edition
Minnesota Elk Season 2026: Archery, Muzzleloader & Rifle Dates
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone note | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Season A — either-sex (1 license) | Zone 10 (Grygla herd) | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| Season B — antlerless (1 license) | Zone 10 (Grygla herd) | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| Season C — either-sex (1 license) | Zone 20 (Kittson Central herd) | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| Season D — antlerless (2 licenses) | Zone 20 (Kittson Central herd) | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| Season E — either-sex (1 license) | Zone 30 (Kittson Northeast/Caribou-Vita herd) | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| Season F — antlerless (2 licenses) | Zone 30 (Kittson Northeast/Caribou-Vita herd) | Sep 12 – Sep 20 |
| Season G — antlerless (4 licenses) | Zone 30 (Kittson Northeast/Caribou-Vita herd) | Sep 26 – Oct 4 |
Minnesota's entire elk range sits in the extreme northwest corner of the state in Kittson and Marshall counties, split into three zones tied to the state's three distinct, geographically separated herds: Zone 10 (Grygla herd), Zone 20 (Kittson Central herd, near Lancaster) and Zone 30 (Kittson Northeast/Caribou-Vita herd, which ranges across the Manitoba border) — a license is valid only in the single zone printed on it.
02 — Tags & bag limits
| Either-sex license (Seasons A, C, E) | One elk of either sex, valid only in the zone and season printed on the license |
|---|---|
| Antlerless license (Seasons B, D, F, G) | One antlerless elk only, valid only in the zone and season printed on the license |
| Statewide | A person who has ever been issued a Minnesota elk license may never apply again — one elk license per lifetime |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 12, 2026) 06:22 — 20:03
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset — the 2026-27 regulations booklet states 'Shooting hours for big game are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset', and elk is big game. Note Minnesota's SMALL game runs different hours (½ hour before sunrise to sunset), so the two do not share a rule. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Minnesota sun times for any other date.
04 — License & tags
Elk hunters in Minnesota need a Minnesota hunting license plus an elk tag. Minnesota residents only, $5 non-refundable application per person during the roughly June-to-July application window; a drawn applicant then pays the full elk license fee before hunting.
Minnesota hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Minnesota — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a unit before Minnesota's opener usually means glassing basins and running a trail camera through summer.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does elk season start in Minnesota?
The earliest 2026 opener is September 12, 2026 (Season A — either-sex (1 license)). See the table above for every method.
When does elk season end in Minnesota?
The latest 2026 closing date is October 4, 2026. Individual seasons close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need to enter a draw to hunt elk in Minnesota?
Every Minnesota elk license is won through the DNR's annual lottery — there is no over-the-counter option, and by statute a person who has ever previously held an elk license may never apply again, making it a genuine once-in-a-lifetime tag. Of the 12 licenses issued in 2026, two are set aside for applicants with ten or more years of elk-application history, and one is reserved for an eligible agricultural landowner in Zone 30.
How many elk can you shoot in Minnesota?
2026 bag limits: Either-sex license (Seasons A, C, E) — One elk of either sex, valid only in the zone and season printed on the license. Antlerless license (Seasons B, D, F, G) — One antlerless elk only, valid only in the zone and season printed on the license. Statewide — A person who has ever been issued a Minnesota elk license may never apply again — one elk license per lifetime. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting elk in Minnesota?
On opening day (September 12, 2026) legal light runs 06:22 to 20:03. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset — the 2026-27 regulations booklet states 'Shooting hours for big game are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset', and elk is big game. Note Minnesota's SMALL game runs different hours (½ hour before sunrise to sunset), so the two do not share a rule. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Minnesota sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt elk on my own land in Minnesota without a license?
Minnesota's exemption is narrow: it covers small game only, and only on land that is your actual principal residence — owning land you don't live on doesn't qualify. Deer, bear, and turkey always need a license and tags, even at home.
Verified · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Season-letter-to-zone mapping, license counts and season date ranges read directly from the DNR's elk hunting page and the DNR's June 15, 2026 news release 'Application period is open for license to hunt elk in Minnesota' (dnr.state.mn.us/news/2026/06/15/application-period-open-license-hunt-elk-minnesota); both were 403-blocked to a direct fetch and were instead read via the r.jina.ai text-extraction proxy. Cross-checked against Outdoor News' June 17, 2026 coverage of the same release. Zone identities (Zone 10 = Grygla, Zone 20 = Kittson Central, Zone 30 = Kittson Northeast/Caribou-Vita) and the note that 2026 is the first Grygla-herd hunt since 2012 both come from the DNR's own release. Application fee ($5) and residents-only/once-in-a-lifetime eligibility rule read from Minnesota Statute 97A.433 (revisor.mn.gov) and corroborated by the DNR release; the $288 total license fee for a successful drawn applicant is a secondary-source figure (stateoutdoors.org) not independently verified against a DNR fee schedule this round. Not independently confirmed: a documented elk-specific shooting-hours rule — the DNR's elk pages do not state one explicitly, so shootingHours is omitted here rather than guessed; confirm against the current Minnesota hunting regulations handbook before hunting.