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Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, to host 2024 Governor's Pheasant Opener

Oct. 25—SLEEPY EYE — Sleepy Eye will host the 2024 Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Gov.

Tim Walz

announced.

The 2024 event, scheduled for Oct. 11-12, will be the 12th annual Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, according to a news release from Walz's office.

The

Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors' Bureau

submitted an application on behalf of the community to host the 2024 event. Sleepy Eye was then selected through a process that considered available hunting land, travel, tourism opportunities and community support.

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to host the 2024 Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener," said Christina Andres, Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce executive director, in the news release. "Sleepy Eye, Brown County and its area sporting and wildlife organizations have a strong history of collaborating together, so we are confident this event will be another great opportunity to showcase our southern Minnesota hospitality, habitat and hunting."

Sleepy Eye is located in Brown County on Sleepy Eye Lake. It has a population of 3,428 and is located at the junction of U.S. Highway 14 and Minnesota Highway 4.

Initiated by

Gov. Mark Dayton in 2011

, the Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Opener has been hosted by eight different communities. Most recently, Owatonna held the opener Oct. 13-14, 2023.

Other host cities have included

Montevideo

(2011 and 2016),

Marshall

(2012 and 2017), Madelia (2013),

Worthington

(2014 and 2022), Mankato (2015),

Luverne

(2018), and

Austin

(2019).