# Survey of MN Waterfowl hunters that hunt in ND



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Interesting read.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/outdoor_ac ... unt_nd.pdf


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

Thanks for posting that. Interesting info.


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Satisfaction guaranteed. :-?


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## water_swater (Sep 19, 2006)

4 curl I agree I dont understand how all these people are satisfied either?

2.5 ducks a day average, thats not too great, but they're still pumped, I guess to each his own.

Minnesota hunting must have clouded their judgement over what good duck hunting is!


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## Loos802 (Oct 8, 2007)

Its a no brainer MN has the Department of Negative Results and NODAK has the US Fish and wildlife service, ND has plots land works with land owners the MN DNR would rather spend millions and millions of dollars on a flippin bike trail, the MN DNR had a big idea to build a drainage ditch around athe danvers slew Danvers mn and then they couldnt figure out why it went dry, Nodak hunters should thank the mn dnr for pushing the fly way further west, plus if you ask the DNR to help restore a cow pond for waterfowl habitat they dont ever call back or e-mail. This is one reason most of MN hunters dislike hunting in our state.


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## Mary (Apr 4, 2005)

This thread would not be complete without calling out the impact that Minnesota farming practices have had on duck habitat. Drain tiles have casued the extinction of "potholes" and have caused lake levels to rise. As a result the number of places to hunt has descreased and ducks can not find what they need in Minnesota.

My point is that if the ducks won't come to Minnesota then hunters who acctually want to shoot something need to go to the ducks.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

*Mary Wrote*



> My point is that if the ducks won't come to Minnesota then hunters who acctually want to shoot something need to go to the ducks.


Very true statement but if I am not mistaken Minnesota's duck harvest numbers are in the top 10 for total number of birds harvested.

When looking at the USFW stats http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/repor ... imates.pdf

ND harvested 541,900 ducks total in 2004 and 2005

MN harvested 683,600 in 2004 and 531,500 in 2005.

Flyways have changed there is no disputing that fact. It seems that a quality hunting experience is one of the big factors. For now you can hunt without much problem in much of ND. I do not see it staying that way forever.

Bob


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## Mary (Apr 4, 2005)

I do not have the statistics but my gut tells me that the duck/hunter ratio in MN is much lower than in ND or Canada. I would also guess that the Duck/Hunter Day is lower in MN rather than ND or Canada.

I don't know? For my own education Bob, do you have license statisitics to compare against total harvest statisitics?


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Isn't there also more hunters in MN than ND?


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Mn Active duck hunters from the above USFW survey link
2004
89,600

2005
71,000

ND
36,900 
2004

36,900
2005

All I have is NR 2005 Numbers from NDGF- 25,455 waterfowl hunters 
Resident hunters were 29,000 to 30,000 if my memory is correct

2003 actual numbers

Canadian Prairie Provinces combined 45,442 R and NR (MB AB and SK)
ND 56,837 R and NR
SD 32,659 R and NR

I do not think the ND numbers in the survey are correct Let me dig a little and see if I can get acutal licenses sales


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Bob..... Also define Active for me by the terms in the survey.

Because I know guys who buy the license and only hunt opening weekend. They shoot up the woodies. They harvest 4-8 ducks that weekend (token teal and a bonus mallard). But those numbers are in the total harvest numbers that a hunter has to report when they buy their license every year at an ELS agent. But they only hunt 2 days a season.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Chuck

from the USFW survey



> The proportion of respondents who hunted (*active hunters*), their average days hunted and their average seasonal harvest were calculated and the corresponding totals estimated (active hunters, days hunted, birds bagged) at the state level.


There is a lot of info in that survey to digest.

Bob


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Bob....that is what I am getting at. The survey, by my understand, does not really describe active hunters. In this survey an active hunter could be a guy who hunted 4 days out of a 60 day season. Or is it a hunter who hunted 10 days of a 60 day season. It does not say.

Also the survey (if I am not mistaken) is the one that a hunter fills out when they get there license at an ELS dealer (MN hunting data). They ask you questions that are not very accurate......like: how many days did you hunt the past waterfowl season....0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30+. How many birds did u harvest....0-10, 10-20, 30+. You see how this survey could be skewed. Because a person could hunt 4 days and shoot 16 ducks and then 20 geese (certain zones). So they killed 36 birds but only hunted 4 days. Now 4 days is not an active hunter. That could be a guy who hunted the first weekend and the last weekend of the season.

Now I am not disputing the survey but all surveys have flaws.


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