The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Department of Military Affairs still are planning to hold the 2013 Camp Ripley archery hunts scheduled for Oct. 26-27, and Nov. 2-3.

“Hunts at Camp Ripley are important to our archers, and many plan for this event a year in advance,” said Beau Liddell, area wildlife supervisor at Little Falls. “In addition, hunter harvest is the only means available to efficiently manage deer populations on the installation. However, effects of the federal government shutdown have made it challenging for our partners at Camp to meet their military training mission. We are sympathetic to those needs which take precedent over hunting at Camp.”

Many hunters have contacted the DNR to inquire about impacts of the shutdown on the hunt. While the National Guard is impacted by the shutdown, it appears there will be sufficient military resources available to assist with managing the hunts, and as of today no significant impacts to the timing of the hunt are anticipated.

The current situation may change if the shutdown continues for a significant period of time and results in additional major impacts to military training. The DMA and the DNR are monitoring the situation and will release information as soon as it appears that changes to the timing of the hunts may occur.

Hunters should remain vigilant for statewide news releases, public service announcements, and should monitor the DNR’s deer hunting Web page frequently in case changes to this year’s events become necessary. If major changes are needed, the DNR will attempt to contact hunters via letter regarding such changes at least a week prior to the first hunt.

The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The DNR coordinates the hunt with the DMA, which manages the 53,000-acre military reservation.