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Two Years After Discharge: Fish and Small Game With No Licence, Deer Licence Free

A Minnesota resident discharged from federal active service may take small game and fish WITHOUT A LICENCE for 24 months after discharge, and the commissioner shall issue a deer licence with no fee. Carry your discharge papers — they are what stands in for the licence. The window is the whole of the benefit: it opens on discharge and closes 24 months later, which is exactly the period when someone is least likely to be reading a state benefits page. A further subdivision taking effect 1 March 2027 will add reduced-fee deer, small game and angling licences.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

A Minnesota resident discharged from federal active service may take small game and fish WITHOUT A LICENCE for 24 months after discharge, and the commissioner shall issue a deer licence with no fee. Carry your discharge papers — they are what stands in for the licence. The window is the whole of the benefit: it opens on discharge and closes 24 months later, which is exactly the period when someone is least likely to be reading a state benefits page. A further subdivision taking effect 1 March 2027 will add reduced-fee deer, small game and angling licences.

What it's worth: No licence needed for small game or fishing for 24 months; deer licence free

  • The window is 24 MONTHS from discharge from federal active service.
  • Small game and fishing need NO LICENCE at all in that period — not a free licence, no licence.
  • The commissioner SHALL issue a deer licence without fee.
  • You must be a Minnesota resident and must CARRY YOUR DISCHARGE PAPERS while hunting or fishing.
  • A separate subdivision 9, effective 1 MARCH 2027, will add reduced-fee deer, small game and angling licences.
  • Season rules, limits and stamps are unaffected by the licence exemption.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You were discharged within the last 24 months.
  • Minnesota residents.

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

Deadline: 24 months from discharge
  1. 1Work out your 24-month deadline from the discharge date and diary it.
  2. 2Carry your discharge papers when hunting or fishing. They take the place of the licence and a conservation officer will ask.
  3. 3Ask the DNR for the no-fee deer licence — that one is issued rather than assumed.
  4. 4Check the federal stamp and state stamp rules separately. The licence exemption does not cover everything.
  5. 5After 24 months, check the reduced-fee licences that start on 1 March 2027.
Form
No application for small game and fishing; ask DNR for the free deer licence
File with
No filing; DNR for the deer licence
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThis is one of the few benefits in the corpus with a hard expiry that nobody reminds you of. If you were discharged within the last two years, it is live today and will not be later.

Sources

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