Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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As the duck hunting season opens in Minnesota this weekend, the state Department of Natural Resources says waterfowl populations are slightly higher than they were a year ago. But the DNR says the populations are significantly lower than they were years ago as waterfowl habitat dries up.

Dry conditions across Minnesota this past year have reduced the amount of wetlands in the state, which waterfowl need to breed. Even with less of its vital habitat, bird populations remain steady from the previous year, thanks to last-minute rainfall during the nesting season.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports shallow wetlands decreased by 73 percent from last year. More than half of the state had been suffering in drought conditions up until April.

Losing that habitat could’ve been devastating for duck populations, Nate Huck, the migratory game bird specialist for Minnesota DNR, said. But the very wet late spring helped restore some of that habitat.

“Last year, we did get some rain, later in the nesting season that allowed birds nest successfully,” Huck said. “This year settling conditions weren't as good. But again, we got rain late.”

Thanks to that rain, duck populations, excluding scaup, were about 8 percent higher than last year. However, they remain 32 percent below the long average.

“We've been trending drier and drier and drier since at least the last 10 years,” Huck said. “And so that's going to drive those populations down quite a bit.”

Duck hunting season begins thirty minutes before sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 27th. Huck says if people want to continue enjoying the plentiful waterfowl, it’ll be crucial to advocate for Congress to continue funding protections for wetlands.

Protections like the Conservation Reserve Program, which allows landowners to set aside some of their property to convert into grasslands for wildlife use.

“We peaked in 2017 when CRP peaked and we've come down since then,” Huck said. “The availability of those grasslands is so important for so many species that hunters choose to pursue.”

The Department of Natural Resources utilizes banding programs to monitor waterfowl populations. However, to maintain the accuracy of other game population data, Huck encourages hunters to keep a log of their hunting locations and the number of animals they encounter.

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Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval

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Minnesota duck hunters may see slightly more birds than last year, but the waterfowl populations are threatened as last year’s drought dried up wetlands across the state, reducing habitat that the birds need for nesting and breeding.

As Minnesota's duck hunting opens, waterfowl populations are steady, but concerns remain

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