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Permanent Free Angling — and Free Deer and Small Game

At 100% service-connected, the angling licence is free and PERMANENT — issued once, never renewed — with free firearm and archery deer and free small game beside it, and the driver’s-licence veteran designation accepted as the evidence at any agent.

Verified August 20, 2026

What this benefit is

At 100% service-connected, the angling licence is free and PERMANENT — issued once, never renewed — with free firearm and archery deer and free small game beside it, and the driver’s-licence veteran designation accepted as the evidence at any agent.

What it's worth: Angling: free and permanent. Deer (firearm and archery) and small game: free

  • The angling licence is permanent — one issue for life; the deer and small game licences issue per season without fee.

Who is entitled to it

  • You have a 100% service-connected disability.
  • Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Get the veteran-disability designation on your Minnesota driver’s licence or ID first — the statute names it as satisfactory evidence at EVERY agent, which turns a paperwork errand into a counter transaction.
  2. 2Take the permanent angling licence once; it never renews.
  3. 3Claim the free deer licences — firearm and archery both — and small game each season; the fee is waived, the season rules are not.
File with
Any licence agent, or the DNR
Documents you will need
dd214 · va benefit summary letter
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThe evidence rule is the practical finding: the §171.07 veteran designation on a driver’s licence or state ID is accepted at all agent locations — no VA letter at the counter, ever.
Worth knowingBig game beyond deer, and stamps, follow their own rules — the statute waives the named licences, not the whole schedule.

Sources

Why only one source type: The statute on the revisor’s own site states the free permanent angling licence, the free deer and small game licences and the driver’s-licence evidence rule in terms.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.