Hunting is expected to be good when Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opens a half-hour before sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 26.
“This is a great year to get out into the marsh, especially if you haven’t been duck hunting in the past few years,” said Steve Cordts, DNR waterfowl specialist. “There are lots of opportunities to find uncrowded areas to hunt, and duck numbers look strong compared to our long term average.”
Mallard abundance from a continental spring survey that includes Minnesota is used to determine overall duck season length. This year’s estimate was 11.8 million mallards, which was well above the long-term average. Since 1997, duck season length has been 60 days each year, and the mallard population has ranged from 6.8 million to 11.8 million.
Duck seasons and limits
The duck season structure is similar to recent years, although the DNR adjusted season dates in the south duck zone based on hunter preferences.
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.
Duck season will be open for 60 days in each of the three waterfowl zones:
- In the north zone, duck season is Saturday, Sept. 26, through Tuesday, Nov. 24.
- In the central zone, duck season is Saturday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 4, closes for five days, then reopens Saturday, Oct. 10, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 29.
- In the south zone, duck season is Saturday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 4, closes for 10 days, then reopens Thursday, Oct. 15, and runs through Friday, Dec. 4. The re-opening coincides with the annual statewide teachers’ conference on Oct. 15-16 when many schools do not schedule classes.
The only bag limit change from the 2015 season is for canvasback, which increases from one to two per day. The daily duck bag limit remains six ducks 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 three for scaup.
The DNR will post a weekly waterfowl migration report each week during the duck season. The reports are typically posted on Thursday at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl.
Goose and sandhill crane seasons
Minnesota’s regular goose season will open in conjunction with the duck season statewide on Sept. 26, 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. 18, 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 2015 Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting Regulations booklet from license vendors and online at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl.
NOTE: Images available at ftp://mediaroom.dnr.state.mn.us in folder named “news release resources,” then in folder named “09-24-15 waterfowl.”
DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 24, 2015
Media contact: Jennifer Teegarden, DNR forestry outreach specialist, [email protected], 651-259-5285.
