Thief River Falls – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the seventh annual Minnesota Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener will be held in the Thief River Falls area on November 6 and 7, 2009.

“The opening of deer hunting season is a special time, and I look forward to enjoying Northwestern Minnesota’s great outdoors,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Thief River Falls provides an ideal setting for friends and families to come together and celebrate the long-held Minnesota tradition of deer hunting.”

The event will highlight opportunities to enjoy the natural resources of Minnesota and the Thief River Falls area. This year’s opener will also build upon the success of the past six Governor’s Deer Hunting Openers, which have raised thousands of dollars for wildlife habitat and conservation projects in Minnesota.

Deer hunting is one of the most popular activities in the state. Minnesota’s nearly half-a-million deer hunters spend $260 million in retail sales every year and create nearly 5,300 jobs in Greater Minnesota, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Media guests who attend this year’s event will have a range of opportunities to experience and report on various aspects of deer hunting, and Governor Pawlenty will brief the media on his own hunt on Saturday morning of the Opener.

Governor Pawlenty began this event in 2003 as an opportunity to showcase Minnesota’s great deer hunting heritage and the economic benefits to the state. The first six Governor’s Deer Hunting Openers were held in the Brainerd Lakes area, Grand Rapids, Perham, Rochester, Hibbing and Cambridge/North Branch/Isanti areas.