Olmsted County Parks Disabled Veterans Deer Hunts

This is the county's own programme, run by its Parks and Trails department with Disabled American Veterans Chapter 28. "The 15th annual Tom Eckdahl Memorial DAV Chapter #28 and Olmsted County offer limited controlled hunting opportunities for veterans at Chester Woods Park and Oxbow Park." The hunts in 2026. Chester Woods (shotgun): November 12 through 15, 2026, with a mandatory safety meeting, check-in and dinner on November 11; the park is closed to the public during the hunt. Oxbow Park (archery): October 29 through November 30, 2026, with a mandatory safety meeting on October 24; the park stays open. Who and how. "All applicants must be service-connected disabled veterans." An applicant may enter one hunt, not both. "30 successful applicants for the Chester Woods hunt and 15 successful applicants for the Oxbow Park hunt will be selected by random digital lottery", with backup hunters drawn too. Hunters bring a picture ID, a current deer licence and at least one disease management harvest tag to the safety meeting, where the permission slips are issued. Registration for 2026 ran from August 11 to September 11. Contact DAV Chapter 28, 507-258-3083. What the county says of it. The Veteran Services Manager told the county's Health, Housing and Human Services Committee on November 4, 2025 that the 2025 Chester Woods hunt took 30 veterans, 23 of them new, with training, a welcome dinner and accessible facilities.