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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Public Recreation Information Maps (PRIM) can assist people in finding land open to public hunting this fall. The set of 51 separate maps identify a wide variety of federal, state and county lands available for public recreation activities such as hunting, camping, hiking and boating. "Maps are updated on a three- to five-year rotation, so they are kept as current as possible," said Rick Brandon, DNR cartographer. "Eighteen maps have been updated this year. That makes 37 of the 51 maps ‘GPS friendly.' Latitude and longitude lines have been added to provide information to find an approximate location to plug into your GPS unit." Minnesotans who hunt are fortunate because the search for that place is not nearly as difficult as it is in many states, where public land is rare. In this state, hunters can choose from 1,300 state wildlife management areas, 56 state forests, two national forests, federal waterfowl production areas and county lands.
Not all public lands allow hunting. It's a good idea for hunters to check ahead and become familiar with boundaries of public-owned land so they do not inadvertently trespass onto private property. Hunters can find information about these sites by picking up PRIM maps. In addition to hunting opportunities, more specifically, PRIM locates campgrounds, trails, forests, parks, wildlife management areas and refuges, natural and scientific areas, and much more. PRIM maps, which cost $5.95, are available from the DNR gift shop in St. Paul, Minnesota's Bookstore, and sporting goods and map stores around the state. PRIM maps may also be purchased online at http://www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/category.asp?category=F5&CatID=30.
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