Three Rivers Park District will conduct scheduled deer hunts this fall with the intention of keeping deer herds in balance with local habitat.

Archery deer hunts will take place in a number of parks overseen by the Park District, including Spring Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake from Oct. 6-8, and Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve in Savage, from Oct. 10-12.

Parks will remain open, including normal access to amenities such as paved and turf trails, dog off-leash areas, horse trails, golf courses and picnic areas during the hunt period.

Archery hunts are also scheduled for these parks operated by the district: Lake Rebecca Park Reserve, Rockford; Fish Lake Regional Park, Maple Grove; Gale Woods Farm, Minnetrista; Eagle Lake Regional Park, Plymouth; Baker Park Reserve, Medina; Crow-Hassan Park Reserve, Rogers; and Elm Creek Park Reserve, Maple Grove. All parks listed have had hunts in previous years.

A shotgun deer hunt is also scheduled for Nov. 15-16 at Carver Park Reserve in Victoria. During the shotgun hunt, Carver Park will be closed to visitors.

Three Rivers Park District selects a number of archery hunters by a preference lottery through the Metro Bowhunters Resource Base (MBRB). A limited number of shotgun hunters are selected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Hunters have already been selected for this year’s archery and shotgun hunts.

In addition to temporarily closing Carver Park Reserve to the public during the shotgun hunt, the district takes several measures to ensure the safety of nearby residents. For parks that have homes located adjacent to park borders, hunting boundaries are established well within park property. Hunters may not go beyond the boundaries unless they are accompanied by a Park Police officer. In addition, all archery and shotgun hunters must attend a pre-hunt orientation that stresses hunt safety procedures and ethics. Deer hunters must also follow all applicable DNR regulations.