Gov. Mark Dayton announced Friday night that the city of Luverne will be the host community for the 2018 Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener.
Dayton made the announcement at the Governor’s Banquet during the 2017 Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener festivities in Marshall. The 2017 event wrapped up Saturday with a hunt – a kickoff to the statewide pheasant-hunting season – and lunch, led by Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith.
Earlier Friday, Dayton and Smith helped the DNR and conservation groups dedicate the new, 155-acre James Meger Memorial Wildlife Management Area, about 22 miles northwest of Marshall. It’s named for a late wildlife artist and Marshall area native who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for wildlife habitat and conservation groups across the Midwest through sales of his artwork.
Luverne was selected through an application process that considered available hunting land, event facilities, travel recreation opportunities and community support.
The 2018 event, scheduled for Oct. 12-13, will be the eighth annual Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener, which was initiated by Dayton in 2011. Previous host communities have been Montevideo (2011 and 2016), Marshall (2012 and 2017), Madelia (2013), Worthington (2014) and Mankato (2015).
Luverne has a population of 4,658 and is the county seat of Minnesota’s southwestern-most county – Rock County.