Pheasants Forever Celebrates Minnesota’s Pheasant Hunting Opener with Land Dedication in Brown County

Sleepy Eye, Minn. - Oct. 11, 2024 - Today, Pheasants Forever celebrates the 2024 Minnesota pheasant hunting opener by dedicating a brand-new piece of public property. The Roseneau-Lambrecht East Unit Wildlife Management Area addition in south-central Minnesota will help ring in pheasant hunting season across the state. The ceremony will be part of the Minnesota Governor’s pheasant hunting opener, which will take place October 11-12 in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.

“Governors’ pheasant openers have been a tradition for Pheasants Forever for decades, as we help celebrate the arrival of autumn hunting seasons across the Midwest — from Kansas to Iowa to the Dakotas,” said Marilyn Vetter, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s president and CEO. “It’s especially meaningful in Pheasants Forever’s home state of Minnesota, where this year we have an additional reason to celebrate, with the dedication of a brand-new piece of habitat we can all cherish for years to come.” 

The new parcel will add 140 acres to the existing Roseneau-Lambrecht Wildlife Management Area, bringing the tract’s total size to over 550 acres. The new 140 acres of additions are split into two portions, each of which adds value to the extensive habitat corridor in Brown County. The smaller, 40-acre portion sits on the eastern edge of the complex and is open and ready for public access for hunting this season. A larger, 100-acre section further to the west will undergo habitat restoration in the coming months. 

The project was made possible in large part by the Brown County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, who is also hosting the weekend’s festivities. The dedication takes place on Friday, October 11 at 4:30 p.m., where Vetter is slated to speak about the importance of public lands. A community gathering will follow in downtown Sleepy Eye. 

“Having Marilyn here for the dedication and the hunt is very meaningful,” said Tim Kraskey, the president of the Brown County Chapter of Pheasants Forever. “Brown County PF has worked hard to get the amount of habitat we have here, and this new piece of public ground is a great addition. There’s a direct correlation between habitat and bird numbers, and we can’t wait to celebrate that this weekend— it’s all about the habitat.”

For more information about the Minnesota Governor’s pheasant hunting opener celebration, visit the Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce website

About Pheasants Forever 

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 477,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000 habitat projects benefiting 28.8 million acres.

Media Contact
Casey Sill
402-657-4143
csill@pheasantsforever.org