Minn. Stat. » CHAPTER 97A. GAME AND FISH
Minnesota Statutes

Minn. Stat. § 97A.025 (2026)

Ownership Of Wild Animals

✓ current as of May 2026
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The ownership of wild animals of the state is in the state, in its sovereign capacity for the benefit of all the people of the state. A person may not acquire a property right in wild animals, or destroy them, unless authorized under the game and fish laws or sections 17.47 to 17.498.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1993–2015 · leading case: Swenson v. Holsten, 783 N.W.2d 580 (Minn. Ct. App. 2010).
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Swenson v. Holsten, 783 N.W.2d 580 (Minn. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 8× “” Minn.Stat. § 97A.025 (2008); State v. Rodman, 58 Minn.”
Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians v. Minnesota, 861 F. Supp. 784 (D. Minnesota 1994). · cites it 2× “” Minn. Stat. § 97A.025. Property owners do not own the wildlife on their property, and they may take the wildlife only as authorized by the sovereign.”
Mertins v. Comm'r of Nat. Resources, 755 N.W.2d 329 (Minn. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 4× “See Minn.Stat. § 97A.025 (2006) (stating that state owns wild animals within its borders for benefit of all).”
In the Matter of Minnesota Dep't of Nat. Resources Special Permit No. 16868 (December 21, 2012) issued to Lynn Rogers, 867 N.W.2d 522 (Minn. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 2× “On certiorari review, we consider whether an agency’s decision violates a constitutional provision, exceeds the agency’s statutory authority, is arbitrary or capricious, is unsupported by substantial evidence, is made upon an unlawful procedure, or is affected by other error of…”
Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians v. Minnesota, 989 F.2d 994 (8th Cir. 1993). “It points out that under Minnesota law, the State of Minnesota holds public natural resources, such as fish and game, “in its sovereign capacity for the benefit of all the people of the state,” Minn.Stat.Ann. § 97A.025 (West Supp.1993), and argues that the state’s management of…”
Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians v. Minnesota, 152 F.R.D. 587 (D. Minnesota 1993). · cites it 2× “” Minn.Stat. § 97A.025. The Commissioner of the DNR must “preserve, protect, and propagate desirable species of wild animals,” but shall also “make special provisions for the management of fish and wildlife to insure recreational opportunities for anglers and hunters.”
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