Photo Credit: Minnesota DNR
Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opens Saturday morning and the D-N-R expects duck hunting to be good this season. The agency’s Steve Cordts says, “We should have probably 50 thousand or so out this weekend duck hunting, and by the end of duck season we’ll probably have sold about 90 thousand state duck stamps.” He adds, “About half our duck harvest occurs the first two weekends of the season, and that’s when a lot of guys are out.” Cordts says overall breeding populations were good this year and if weather cooperates, it should be a pretty decent duck hunting season.
More info in the full-length interview:
Here’s more info from the DNR:
Duck seasons and limits The duck season structure is similar to recent years. The waterfowl seasons are based on a federal framework that applies to all states in the Mississippi Flyway. Waterfowl hunting regulations are available wherever DNR licenses are sold and online at www.mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting <http://www.mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting>. Duck season will be open for 60 days in each of the three waterfowl zones:
In the north zone, duck season is Sept. 24 through Tuesday, Nov. 22.
In the central zone, duck season is Sept. 24 through Sunday, Oct. 2, closes for five days, then reopens Saturday, Oct. 8, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 27.
In the south zone, duck season is Sept. 24 through Oct. 2, closes for 12 days, then reopens Saturday, Oct. 15, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 4.
The daily duck bag limit remains six per day. The mallard bag limit remains four per day, including two hen mallards. The daily bag limits remain at three for wood duck and scaup; and two for pintails, redheads and canvasbacks. The DNR will post a weekly waterfowl migration report each week during the duck season. The reports are typically posted on Thursdays at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl <http://www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl>.
Goose and sandhill crane seasons Minnesota’s goose season will re-open in conjunction with the duck season statewide on Sept. 24, with a bag limit of three dark geese per day the entire season. “Dark” geese include Canada geese, white-fronted geese and brant. Goose season will be closed in the central and south duck zones when duck season is closed. The season for sandhill cranes remains open through Sunday, Oct. 16, in the northwest goose and sandhill crane zone only. The daily bag limit will be one sandhill crane per day. A $3 sandhill crane permit is required in addition to a small game hunting license. More information on duck, goose, sandhill crane and other migratory bird hunting is available in the 2016 Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting Regulations booklet from license vendors and online at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl <http://www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl>.