Waterfowl hunting season opens; DNR testing for bird flu

The fall waterfowl hunting season opened 30 minutes before sunrise Saturday, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it expects a strong fall migration. Waterfowl numbers in North America this year are above the 30-year average.

The big fall migration won't start until weather turns colder. But Bruce Davis, a research scientist with the DNR's waterfowl and wetland group, said there are a lot of birds in the state's prairie pothole region this year.

"I would expect that hunters will see good numbers. The overall continental numbers on waterfowl are above the long term average," he said.

Davis said crews will be out testing the migrating birds for avian influenza, with a focus on western and central Minnesota.

The DNR expects to test 800 birds during the first two weeks of the hunting season.

A bird flu outbreak earlier this year resulted in the deaths of more than nine million domestic turkeys and chickens.