Pheasants will be the focus in Mankato on Oct. 9 and 10, as the community hosts the Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener.
Gov. Mark Dayton will lead the festivities, which highlight the many hunting, recreational and travel opportunities that the greater Mankato area has to offer visitors.
“For sixty years, I have enjoyed pheasant hunting in Minnesota,” Dayton said. “Over the past five years, we have held terrific Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener events in Minnesota. I thank our wonderful hosts in Mankato and the surrounding area for all of their hard work and gracious hospitality.”
On Friday night, Oct. 9, the public is invited to join Dayton for a governor’s banquet at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato. Social hour will begin at 6 p.m., dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and a program featuring Dayton and other notable speakers will follow. Tickets are $35 each or $60 per couple. They are available (until sold out) at the Visit Mankato office, Suite 1645, in the Mankato Place Mall, or by calling 507-385-6660.
Following a morning of pheasant hunting on Saturday, the public is invited to the O.A. Vee Wildlife Management Area for a land dedication and celebration. The dedication begins at 12 p.m. and will feature DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and others. From Mankato, the parcel is located 6 miles west and 1 mile south of Mankato on U.S. Hwy. 169. Turn west on 204th Street and go half a mile.
The 2015 event in Mankato will mark the fifth annual Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener, initiated by Dayton in 2011. Previous host communities have been Montevideo, Marshall, Madelia and Worthington.
Explore Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are assisting Visit Mankato in planning the event.
Mankato is nestled in the scenic river valley of south-central Minnesota, along the intersection of U.S. highways 14 and 169. The Mankato – North Mankato area has a population of 98,478. Within 20 miles of the city there are more than 9,100 acres of public hunting land.
For more information on the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener, call 507-385-6660 or visit www.mngpho2015.com.
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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 8, 2015
Media contacts: Scott Roemhildt, DNR information officer, 507-359-6014,
[email protected]; Eric Anderson, Blue Earth County chapter of Minnesota Pheasants, Inc., 507-420-0753, [email protected].
Chris Willaert, sports commission director, Visit Mankato, 507-385-6663, [email protected]
Scott Roemhildt, DNR information officer, 507-995-9832, [email protected].
