# Minnesota numbers



## goldfishmurderer (Jul 1, 2008)

Does anyone here think that Minnesota will be any better this year than it has been in the last 3 or 4 years? Every year I like to be hopeful but come October there aren't many ducks at all. Just wondering if anyone has any insight or any reason they might think that duck hunting in MN will be back to what it was 6 to 8 years ago. :sniper:


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## Bustem36 (Feb 5, 2008)

I think its has been getting better than it was 4 or 5 years ago. I dont think it will get better everywhere but here and there numbers seem to be going up. I have a cabin south of Alexandria and had a good shoot last year during deer season (gun).


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## waterfowladdict (Mar 23, 2008)

There is good duck hunting in MN, but in order to find it you really got to put on the miles. The geese are everywhere tho.


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## goldfishmurderer (Jul 1, 2008)

its easy to say there is good duck hunting in MN and that you just have to put on the miles. What I was getting at is that the best spots that were SO good 6 to 8 years ago aren't producing any ducks and I don't think any duck hunter in MN will disagree that duck numbers in general have gone down big time. Just look at the reduced bag limits over the years, that says something. I know there are good duck hunting spots in MN and that it wouldn't be hard to find them if I drove all over the state, but it shouldn't be like that, we never used to have to drive more than 50 miles one way to find a good concentration of ducks.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Many things have affected this outcome you are seeing.

1. Late migrations because of weather patterns.

2. Pressure from the goose hunting. Think about it....ducks are getting shot at everywhere. So they blow through the state or find a refuge.

3. Migration has shifted. The dakota's have been wet (for the most part). So the ducks further west....yes...western MN too.

4. Loss of Nesting habitat in MN! More cities growing, more land getting tilled up, loss of crp, etc. Loss of habitat. (Dakota's are losing it now to crops as well)

5. Breeding numbers are down compared to the past.

6. Crops are getting out of the field faster and better farming practices...what I mean by that is not as much crop left over or spillage in the field.

I am sure there are more that I am not even thinking of. You see in the 90's I would see thousands of mallards on the creeks in my area. The past few years only hundreds. Yep. Now that is because of everything I have mentioned.

But this year waterfowling will be like some past. If weather moves in you could have some great shoots.


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## goldfishmurderer (Jul 1, 2008)

I like your enthusiasm chuck...but a few of those points i don't agree with.

1. I think that might be a shot in the dark as to a reason why duck number have declined exponentially, especially since if the weather has changed over the years, it has only made the migration EARLIER

2. I don't think goose hunting really affects ducks that much in MN. Besides the early goose season when you can shoot 5 geese each compared to 1 goose during regular season, I don't think that many people go out just to shoot A GOOSE. And if they would find a refuge then I wouldn't be complaining, I do most of my hunting on a refuge.

3. ND is super dry lately. And western MN is right where I'm hunting, and studies show that Western MN has declined the most.

4. In my county the WPA's have increased about 25% over the last 5 years. More water being saved for the ducks instead of zoning and crops.

5. I agree

6. Very very few crops are in the water. Where most hunt in MN.

I guess a couple more than a few i don't agree with, I just don't know where you are getting your information from.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

One thing is MN is a huge state. So I am seeing things different than others.

1. Is is warmer....so the migration is happening later. (in my area SE MN)

2. The state limit in most areas is 5 and SE 2. What I mean is ducks are getting harassed by goose hunters. They are not feeding in the fields. They can't because people are hunting in them.

3. 2 years of dry in the dakota's compaired to 10+ years of wet.

4. Not sure of your area....but in my....Not much happening. Towns are getting bigger. Wetlands are getting drained. All the developer has to do is make a pond and it is considered ok that they drained the wetland. Loss of nesting habitat.

6. Less left over crops means less feed. So birds move to where feed is located.


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

> I do most of my hunting on a refuge.


Aren't wildlife refuges closed to hunting?


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## Bustem36 (Feb 5, 2008)

huntinND said:


> > I do most of my hunting on a refuge.
> 
> 
> Aren't wildlife refuges closed to hunting?


No not all of them... I know of some in ND that you can deer hunt on and I hunted one in Minnesota for deer, waterfowl, and predators.

Just check the regulations or contact the refuge managers.


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## goldfishmurderer (Jul 1, 2008)

I'm sure its different in ND from MN. The refuges are open in MN, but not to everything and not the whole refuge and not all season. They all have specific regulations. I know around where I live the parts that are closed are mostly called sanctuaries, but I think those are owned by the state. The only thing that sucks about hunting the refuge is everyone and their brothers and their brothers' friends are out hunting come deer hunting time.


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## maanjus11 (Nov 17, 2006)

I certainly have noticed a later migration in MN. Last year we were fishing on the Mississippi (near st. paul) after the duck season closed and you wouldn't believe the mallard flight coming through at the time. It's been like that the last few years actually. Right after the season closes, here comes the mallards.


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

I have seen a lot more ducks in MN this year then recently. If the bump the wood duck limit to 3 the harvest numbers should increase. Just my .02.


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## MrSafety (Feb 22, 2005)

The moisture we had early helped some, but most potholes have not recovered from two hard drought years. I cover a lot of ground in some good areas of western and WC Mn and have not seen much for numbers.......except for geese. I too agree that the early goose season forces out ducks prematurely.....case in point last season was one slough approx. 10 acres had roughly a thousand birds on. The afternoon of the goose opener they were gone.......completely....and never came back. I look for this season to be similar to last.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

come out where i grew up and you'll see why duck production is down in minnesota. there are no seasonal wetlands anymore. farmers are installing more tile every year. sure it could be worse without crp, but when minnesota only has like 2% of seasonal wetlands left compared to 200 years ago, you can see why there arent as many ducks. i will agree that certain parts of the state that have grass and water are doing fine for ducks, and ive had no problem shooting ducks in minnesota on the weekends i hunt there, but i can see after being spoiled like everybody else with clouds of mallards working flooded corn fields in the mid and late 90's that people yearn for the "old days". my humble advice is for anybody wanting more ducks; join du, delta, mwa, etc; buy some hen houses, and trap some fox!


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## FullClip (Jan 22, 2007)

PJ said:


> I have seen a lot more ducks in MN this year then recently. If the bump the wood duck limit to 3 the harvest numbers should increase. Just my .02.


So that gets us until about oct 20th when the first cold front comes and they leave along with all the teal. Then what? I wish farmers would quit tiling everything. They wont though, until its too late. :eyeroll:


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## MN Waterfowler (Jun 27, 2007)

My dad has been hunting the same hunting spots for over 40 years of his life and never had a problem with limiting out in all of those same spots from then till' now. I am not limiting out with him in those same spots. I plan on taking my future kids to those spots as well. MN has ducks, just have the right set up.

Hunter


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## rwjtaz (Sep 8, 2005)

I was out in western MN along the SD border for Turkey hunting this spring and I have hunted from Fergus Falls and south now for 30+ years. I was happy to see water in just about every field and potholes/slews were full. The number of birds would rival going back 20+, but not back to the 1970's. It was looking much better than the last couple and as long as the drier summer weather has not had too much of a bad influence I am looking for a good hunt this fall.


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## birdog105 (Aug 23, 2008)

I have my best shoots every year on little ponds back in the sticks, sometimes it takes dragging a canoe upwards of a mile but its productive for me. There are birds around, but most of the high population areas (Lac Qui Parle, Mud-Goose, etc) seem to have lower than average numbers, I think this season is going to take some gas and footwork to be as successful as years in the past... Just My 2 cents


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## born2kill (Mar 4, 2008)

on one of the gravel pits i hunt on there is about 30 mallards every night that land in there and during the day when you go by there is about 50-75 teal sitting in there. soo hopefully its gonna be a good year if they stick around long enough


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## jrp267 (Dec 17, 2007)

I personally think youth waterfowl day is ruining the 1st 2 weeks of season. I am all for having it, it should be opening day and you dont need a liscense if you dont hunt. But lets be realistic the only people bringin thioer kids out are the hard core guys anyway. So lets just do away with it. We all learned to hunt ducks that way. And for the naysayers I have an 11, 8 and 5mo old.


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## scissorbill (Sep 14, 2003)

jrp267, I have been saying the same thing for years. It is absolute nonsense,just take the kid with you and let them do the shooting. It can only have one effect on the birds and that is bad. These kids never fully understand the tradition and mystique associated with opening day as they had thier"special day" weeks earlier. It is ridiculous in my opinion,but that is the pampered,babied society that we are raising and it may be very costly in the end.


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## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

I think goose hunting over water has a lot more to do with the bad first 2 weeks than the youth hunt.


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## jrp267 (Dec 17, 2007)

I would agree with that also, seems like a bad combination.


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

I couldnt believe the amount of feeds I saw with Cans all over the place. Seemed every ten miles there was a good feed right off the road


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## recker (Oct 12, 2003)

Minnesota duck hunting is ****. Bottom line is we have no good wetlands left that do not have minnows in them, etc. Why I dont hunt it anymore. Sure if you bust you *** maybe you can find some ducks. Just cross the border to south dakota and see th difference in wetlands and ducks. It is like going from a rows or corn to the pothole region period.


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