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Minnesota Waterfowl Migration and Hunting Report October 23, 2014
The following report is a compilation of state and federal wildlife manager reports
and waterfowl surveys from across Minnesota. This is the 5th report for 2014.
Reports will be compiled weekly throughout the hunting season and should be
available by Thursday afternoon each week. The Conservation Officer Report,
available on the DNR web site, also contains information about waterfowl hunter
success across the state.
Hunters can also view waterfowl counts from the Upper Mississippi River in SE
Minnesota at: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Upper_Mississippi_River/Fall_Flights.html
General: 23 October 2014
NW
Roseau
Karlstad
Thief Lake
Agassiz
NWR
Baudette
NC
Crookston
Tamarac
NWR
Park
Rapids
Grand
Rapids Rice
Lake
NWR
Fergus
Brainerd
Falls
Aitkin
Little
Glenwood Falls
Cloquet
WC
Big
Stone
NWR
NE
Cambridge
Sherburne NWR
Carlos Avery
LQP
Willmar
Sauk
Rapids
C
MN Valley
NWR
Duck hunting has generally been slow over the past week with the warm
Appleton
Upper
Swan
temperatures and south winds. Most hunters have been shooting predominantly
Miss.
Lake
Rochester
Slayton
diving ducks along with mallards, wigeon, green-winged teal and gadwall. Duck
Winona
Talcot
abundance is high in some areas based on waterfowl surveys conducted this week,
Owatonna
Windom
Lake
but ducks are highly concentrated on refuge areas and not moving much with the
SW
SE
mild temperatures. Ring-necked ducks are likely at their peak abundance this
week. Redhead and canvasback numbers are fairly good and scaup numbers increased some from last week. Canada goose
numbers remain fairly low in most locations for this time of the year.
Opportunities for field hunting should improve when more farmers begin to combine corn fields, but corn harvest has been slow.
Hunting pressure continues to decline and typically remains fairly low during the 2nd half of the season. Waterfowl stamp sales
so far this season (87,000) are nearly identical to last year at this time (86,000).
The weather forecast calls for warm temperatures to continue through the weekend. Highs are expected to be in the 70s
statewide on Friday and mild through the weekend. Winds are expected to shift to the NW and be fairly strong on Friday and
Saturday. Some cooler weather is expected by the middle of next week.
Reminders:
Duck season dates:
North Zone:
Sept. 27-Nov. 25
Central Zone: Sept. 27-Oct. 5 and Oct. 11-Nov. 30
South Zone:
Sept. 27-Sept. 29 and Oct. 11-Dec. 6
Canada goose season dates
Sept. 27-Dec. 25
Sept. 27-Oct. 5 and Oct. 11-Dec. 30
Sept. 27-Sept. 29 and Oct. 11-Jan. 5
Bag limits are 6 ducks/day, with no more than: 4 mallards (2 hens), 3 scaup, 3 wood duck, 2 pintail, 2 redhead, 1 canvasback, 1
black duck. Mergansers: 5 per day, no more than 2 may be hooded mergansers. Canada goose bag limits are 3/day.
Possession limits: 3 times the daily bag limit for all migratory birds.
Shooting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end at sunset the remainder of the season. Motorized decoys are prohibited on
state wildlife management areas the entire season.
The sandhill crane season is closed.
Open water hunting: On Lake Pepin, Lake of the Woods, Lake Mille Lacs, and Lake Superior, open water hunting is allowed as
long as boats remain anchored. On the Mississippi River south of Hastings, hunting is allowed not more than 100 feet from any
shoreline, including islands. Hunters should consult the 2014 Waterfowl Hunting regulations (available from license vendors or
online at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/regulations/hunting/index.html) for additional details and regulations.
Safety Never Takes A Holiday: treat every gun as if it were loaded, be 100% certain of your target before pulling the trigger,
wear your life vest, pay attention to other hunters and your hunting partners, and watch the weather.
The following is a summary of pre-season waterfowl habitat and hunting conditions from various reporting stations across the
state.
Area
Northwest
Thief Lake WMA
Roseau River
WMA
North central
Grand Rapids
Habitat conditions
Waterfowl migrations and weather conditions
Hunter Activity and Success
Thief Lake is at target level,
and access is good from all boat
launches. Bulrush cover is
widespread, but Phragmites
cover grew through deep water
for much of the summer, and is
sparse in places. Food is
available for both marsh and
field feeding birds.
Decreased numbers of ducks observed on last
flight over previous flight. More scaup were
observed this week.
Hunter success has remained
between 1.05 and 1.18 ducks per
hunter since last Friday. The top
three birds in the bag are
ringnecks, redheads and mallards.
Goose harvest on the lake
continues to be minimal.
Shallow backwater areas of the
Roseau River remain abundant.
The wild rice in Pool 2
continues to hold mallards.
Strong winds out of the west and northwest and
cooler temperatures are forecast for Friday &
Saturday. Hopefully this will move some new
birds into the area.
Access to the pools and the
Roseau River is good.
Canada and snow goose numbers are fair at best
as of this date.
Though less grain stubble
remains in the area than was
available 2 weeks ago, enough
is present to provide foraging
opportunities for geese and
mallards.
Dabbler and diver duck use of the WMA
increased markedly with the cold front that
passed through last week. However, by last
weekend, use had diminished greatly. Except for
mallards using the Pool 2 Sanctuary, no
concentrations of ducks were observed over the
past week.
Unchanged from last report.
Hunter success is much lower
from the week before.
Have heard good success on
some of the rice lakes, especially
on ring-necks.
Winds are forecasted to remain strong out of the
SW as we move towards the weekend. WNW
winds on Saturday may help move new birds to
the area. Forecasted highs for the weekend are in
the upper 50s.
Rice Lake NWR
Water levels are dropping
slowly
A couple of moderate cold fronts moved through
this week, but no significant migrations noted.
It’s possible that ducks left the area.
High ring-necked numbers again this week and a
few Canvasbacks showing up.
Aitkin county
Water levels are reaching
normal levels
Above average temps, mild weather pattern.
More divers showing up and lots of ring-necks.
CHZ use was light over the past
week.
Hunting activity continues to be
light.
Duck hunters averaged 2.2
ducks/hunter during MEA
Thursday & Friday at RRWMA.
Success dropped to 1.4
ducks/hunter over the weekend.
Ring-necked ducks and mallards
remain dominant in the bag.
No waterfowl hunting on the
RLNWR
Area
Park Rapids
Mille Lacs WMA
Northeast
Cloquet
West Central
Tamarac NWR
Habitat conditions
Waterfowl migrations and weather conditions
Hunter Activity and Success
Strong southerly winds and temperatures above
normal have persisted for much of this week. No
major migrations have been noted but new birds
continue to trickle into and out of the area. Ringnecked duck numbers remain the most prominent
species using area lakes and rivers with a mix of
other species. A few late season migrants have
started to show up. Goose numbers remain
stable.
Hunting pressure increased over
the MEA weekend. Most hunters
found opportunities to harvest
birds.
Unseasonable warm weather this week with the
trend appearing to continue through the weekend.
No significant migrations have been noted other
than a small influx of scaup.
Hunting pressure has declined
significantly although MEA
weekend showed an uptick.
Reports mention decent numbers
in the area but harvest is low.
Normal for this time of year.
A cold front last Friday and Saturday did not
result in any notable migration reports.
Duck numbers have declined
compared to a week or two ago.
Hunting pressure is light. There
are still mallards and ring-necks
available. Goose numbers are
good, but many of them have
found the local refuge areas.
Rice beds continue to
deteriorate and water levels on
Flat, Rice and Height of Land
Lakes are still dropping. In
some ponds water levels are
pulling away from vegetation
and mud flats are beginning to
show.
Picked up about 0.2” of rain last Thursday. High
temps have been in the low to mid 60’s with lows
generally around 40 degrees. The first tundra
swans of the season (3) came through on
Monday. Ring-necks have started to move out,
but significant numbers remain.
Hunting pressure remains light
but fairly steady. No bag checks
were conducted over the
weekend.
Lake, stream, and wetland
water levels appear near normal.
All areas are navigable. Small
grain fields have been harvested
and many have been tilled. A
few corn fields are beginning to
be harvested. Most rice stands
are short and are deteriorating
due to recent heavy winds. Near
shore vegetation is in good
shape.
Overall habitat is still good in
the area. Rice stands have
begun to drop
Area
Habitat conditions
Waterfowl migrations and weather conditions
Hunter Activity and Success
Fergus Falls
Soybean harvest nearly
complete, little corn harvested.
Dry conditions continue but
deeper wetlands still easily
accessible
Water levels continue to drop
with the warm dry weather but
are still on the high side
With the exception of one big northwesterly push
last Friday, there has been little weather to move
birds. Some divers and mallards around last
weekend but fewer than previous weekend. Still
low goose numbers.
Again low numbers of birds across the work area,
several small pushes of duck have occurred when
we get a North West wind. Geese numbers have
increased and are concentrated in several
bunches. Weather has been warm and dry with
winds mostly out on the South. Bean harvest is
almost done and significant progress has been
made on the corn opening up field opportunities.
Hunting participation looked
pretty good but reports I had was
that success was fair at best.
The wild rice stands are starting
to thin out. Coots are still
making heavy use the rice beds.
Water levels are decreasing.
Bean and Corn harvest is
increasing. Both large flocks of
geese and mallards have been
observed feeding in cut fields.
Another week of very mild weather has brought
few new ducks. A few more green-winged teal
were noted on the area.
The Cambridge area has yet to see a large influx
of migrant birds. Some migrant wood ducks and
mallards have been noted. Other waterfowl
species observed this week include ring-necked
ducks, wigeon, redheads, and Canada geese.
Hunting pressure has been
relatively light this week.
Swan Lake
(Nicollet)
No change with most of the
soybeans harvested.
No change from last week
No change from last week.
Appleton
Water levels dropping,
especially in flooded fields.
Beans done and corn harvest
underway.
Typical mid-season transition between local birds
and migrants. BW Teal and Woodies replaced
with GW Teal, Shovelers, Gadwall, Wigeon,
Pintail and various divers. Goose numbers
remain unusually low. Mild forecast through
weekend likely won’t bring in more birds.
Fair bit of pressure this last
weekend, but success mostly
poor. Need to look hard if you
want a good hunt right now.
Glenwood
Central
Carlos Avery
WMA
Cambridge
Better success to those hunters
still getting out has been in the
East part of the work area,
although hunter activity is very
low.
Hunter pressure has been
moderate to low. We anticipate
that mallards, ring-necked ducks,
and Canada geese made up the
majority in the bag based on
species density.
Southwest
Area
Lac qui Parle
WMA
Marshall
Habitat conditions
Waterfowl migrations and weather conditions
Hunter Activity and Success
th
Minor cool front on the 17 otherwise temps well We have entered the mid-season
above average with south to southeast winds
lull period and we need a
prevailing over this period.
significant change in the weather
to bring in new birds. Duck
Cattail and sedge cover in good No migrations to report.
opportunities exist but limited
shape on Marsh Lake; cattail
and success based on daily
and sedge cover in the Twin
Canada goose numbers very low over a wide
weather conditions.
Bridge area a little thin.
geographical area.
Lac qui Parle Controlled Goose
Habitat west of Marsh Lake Canada goose numbers on the Lac qui Parle State Hunt - the controlled hunt started
backwater channels and
Game Refuge still holding around 500 geese.
on Thursday, 16 October with
impoundments holding water.
very few hunters as expected
given the current goose count. A
Soybean harvest complete;
significant change in the weather
50% of the corn harvest
is needed in Canada to move
complete.
geese south.
Marsh Lake and Upper LQP
Lake - water levels at normal
pool.
Good overall. A few local
basins are in drawdown.
Soybean harvest nearly
complete and corn harvest
about 50% complete. Fall
tillage continues.
A 15 page Lac qui Parle Goose
Hunting Guide has been
developed and contains just about
everything hunters need to know
relative to hunting geese on the
refuge including detailed maps.
This guide is on the same page as
the migration reports - see section
on geese. Hard copies will be
available at our office and outside
after business hours.
Unseasonably warm weather has continued
Duck hunting success has
resulting in little movement of ducks. Some
declined along with hunting
larger flocks of geese around but ducks are hard pressure. Reports of a few birds
to find in any great numbers. Weekend outlook
taken last weekend, but the
not much better: sunny and 64 with lows in 40’s. hunting is tough.
Area
Habitat conditions
Redwood Falls
Area wetlands have good water
levels. Soybean harvest is
essentially complete, corn 5060% and progressing rapidly.
Tillage is reducing stubble
almost as soon as the crop is
harvested. Some cover crops of
rye/oats have been planted
which may provide
opportunities for geese if they
ever show up.
Willmar
Windom
Waterfowl migrations and weather conditions
South winds and warm temperatures have
blocked any major movements of birds in or out
of the area. Duck numbers on area marshes are
generally very low. The exceptions are a few
areas still holding large concentrations (500 or
more) where either geography or posting has
prevented hunters from pursuing them. Wood
ducks are still the most common duck, with
pintails, gadwalls, and mallards mixed in. Some
canvasbacks and ring-necks have shown up.
Geese are scarce to nonexistent. Coots remain in
good numbers on wetlands with plenty of
submerged vegetation.
All soybean fields harvested,
Weather in the area remains mild with above
strong start on corn harvest and normal temps. and forecast through the coming
fall tillage taking place. Water weekend calls for more of the same, albeit a
levels continue to be good in
strong NW wind should arrive on Saturday and
the area but we have seen little possibly move some birds into the area. 2750
in the way of precipitation for
CG and 1 snow goose in the city limits of
several weeks.
Willmar going out to area fields to feed.
Otherwise, no new migration observed.
Bean harvest largely
completed. Corn harvest at
about 40%, but progressing
rapidly. Tillage immediately
following harvest in fields.
Very mild temps, relative to average. No recent
precip, though there is some in the forecast for
Wed evening (10/22/14). No noticeable influx
and/or retention of ducks.
Hunter Activity and Success
Very few hunters pursuing
waterfowl at the moment. Those
that are getting out to areas with
ducks (almost exclusively private
land with limited pressure) are
having decent bags (2 birds per
hunter) of wood ducks, mallards,
pintails, and gadwalls.
Waterfowl hunting and success
has been very limited for several
days. With the end of October
coming near, one would expect
some new movement of birds
anytime.
Goose hunting in Willmar area
seems to be limited to finding a
field where some of the “town”
birds are feeding.
Duck hunter effort and success,
with few exceptions, has been
fairly low.
Waterfowl Count Data, week of October 20, 2014.
Canada geese
Ducks
a
Number seen :
Area
Date
Swans
this
week
This
week
Last
count
Number seen:
Last
year
This
week
Last
count
Last
year
This weeks duck
Species - %
b
composition
Coot
this
week
5,000
69% RN, 22% SCP,
9% MAL
13,000
Comments
NORTH
Thief Lake WMA
10/20
900
3,900
3,000
1,200
12,000
18,000
41% RN, 18% RED,
15% MAL, 8% SCP,
14,000
7% CAN, 6% WIG,
3% SHOV, 2% PIN
Chippewa Natl. Forest
(North)
10/20
850
1,350
500
1,500
28,000
16,000
58,000
Chippewa Natl. Forest
(South)
10/20
150
100
100
500
240,000
45,000
170,000 99% RN, 1% MAL
10,000
Rice Lake NWR
10/20
300
360
1,700
500
291,000
248,000
30,000 96% RN, 4% MAL
10,000
10/21
165
100
120
0
22,000
31,000
300
96% RN, 2% MAL,
2% RED
800
NS
1,900
5,400
NS
8,500
12,000
500
800
1,200
CENTRAL
Tamarac NWR
Sherburne NWR
Carlos Avery WMA
10/22
0
70
120
120
10/23
0
1,300
500
7,000
No survey
37% RN, 28% MAL,
20% GWT, 15% WD
2,000
SOUTH
Lac qui Parle WMA
a
- Numbers seen during the current survey, last survey: the previous count from this year, last year: the number recorded during the same or nearby week last year.
b
- abbreviations: MAL = mallard, GAD = Gadwall, WIG = Am. wigeon, GWT = Am. green-winged teal, BWT = blue-winged teal, SHOV = Northern shoveler, PIN =
Northern pintail, WD = Wood duck, RED = Redhead, CAN = Canvasback, SCP = Scaup, RN = Ring-necked duck, HOOD = Hooded merganser, NS = No survey.