Minnesota duck-hunter numbers stabilizing?

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Anyone else feel like the summer just blew right by?

That’s not a complaint. Just a statement. After all, hunting is just around the corner (though some people already have hunted geese during the special August season).

The dove season kicks off Sept. 1, followed by the early Canada goose season on Sept. 6. Youth Waterfowl Day is set for Sept. 13, and the regular duck opener is Sept. 27.

But before we look ahead to those seasons, let’s look back to last year. The DNR recently released its annual small-game hunter survey report, which includes a variety of data about license sales and hunting success.

Hunters last year killed 782,810 ducks, which is down slightly from 2012, but the second-highest harvest since 2003. One piece of information that’s especially interesting is the estimated harvest per hunter, which was 10.2 ducks. That’s the highest number in more than a decade, and indicative of a pretty good hunting season.

There was good news, too, in the number of duck stamps the state sold. The 2013 total was 90,483, which marks the third consecutive year that number has increased. While it’s nowhere near the number we’ve sold in the past, it at least seems to be stabilizing.

Finally, there were 76,950 duck hunters in the state last year, according to the report. That’s the second-highest in the past five years. Like stamp sales, it’s well below what we’ve seen in the past – there were about 140,000 duck hunters each year in the 1970s – but it does seem to be stabilizing at right around 80,000 or so. Would we like to see that number grow? Of course. On the other hand, stable is better than declining.

Ducky weather, huh?

Before we get into anything else, let’s start with this: Stay cool. We’re in the midst of a heat wave.

That in mind, it’s hard to believe there’s already one season behind us – the early, early goose season – and the others are just around the corner. The regular early Canada goose season opens Sunday (Sept. 1), Youth Waterfowl Day is the Saturday after that (Sept. 7), and the duck opener is two Saturdays after that (Sept. 21).
There’s lots going on.

So, without further adieux:

• Woodie Camp was a remarkable success. Not only was it our 25th anniversary, but of the 47 kids in attendance, 12 were girls. That’s the most girls we’ve ever had, and hopefully is the beginning of a trend. Every year we have between 65 and 75 applicants, so we wind up having to turn some kids away. At some point, we would love to be able to put on two Woodie Camps.

• We’re in the middle of our Young Waterfowlers Program, which will culminate with a mentored hunt on Sept. 7. There was lots of interest in the program this year, and we had to close registration. It’s another good sign that we’re seeing an interest among our youths in conservation, ducks and hunting.

• The DNR last week released its annual small-game hunter survey. Some of the biggest surprises were in the duck arena. The DNR sold 90,052 duck stamps, which was the most since 2008. Hunters killed 834,950 ducks, which is up by more than 100,000 from 2011 and the highest harvest since 2003.

What’s a little rain or snow? Garage sale is on!

Remember how just a few days ago you were outside in shorts and a t-shirt, celebrating the arrival of spring. That lasted a long time, huh? Gives new meaning to the saying that if you want the weather here to change, take a nap. Or close your eyes. Or something like that.

But there isn’t anything we can do about the weather but complain about it, and nobody listens anyway. So we’re plowing ahead, unconcerned about the cruel tricks Mother Nature plays. Yes, our annual Minnesota Waterfowl Association garage sale is set for tomorrow (Thursday, May 2) and Friday, May 3. We’ll be on hand both days – 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday – whether there’s snow or rain falling from the sky, wind burning our faces, or the sun is shining brilliantly (not likely).

Please come and see some of the good stuff we’ve got. The sale is at our State Headquarters at 907 1^st Street North in Hopkins.

Courtesy of Dale Eggert, who handles our chapter development, here’s a list of just some of the stuff that’s available:

Blue Coleman Propane Stove, #20 LP tank and sunflower heater, Hard Golf Travel bag, Box of baseballs, box of golf balls, 2 boxes Clay Targets, Box of book, Coffee maker, six Framed prints, Leather gun case, Computer keyboard, Computer speakers, box of hats, Metal Bird feeder pole, No Trespassing signs, Box of desk telephones, 2 boxes of misc., Baer Grizzle Compound Bow, boat anchor, boat bumpers, Outback LP Gas Stove and Oven, Rod Case, 2 large dog crates, 2 med. Dog crates, sump pump, wildlife art prints, 6 bags of new decoys, decoy line, framed Les Kouba wildlife art, other framed wildlife art – Reese, maass, 2 bikes, deer anthers, wood desk and chair, 3 chairs, TV, lamp, gun rack, downhill skis, 3 pairs xc skis, old antiques’ wood skis, wood shaft iron golf club, set of Mc Gregory Contender golf clubs, Wilson oversize Prestige Golf Clubs, woman’s set of golf clubs, misc. many other golf clubs, tailor-made 7-8 Youth Burner. Lamp, screen tent, knifes, clay bird thrower, foam coolers, Shakespeare Boat Radio mast.

Snow goose conservation order hunt begins Friday in Minnesota

If you absolutely positively can’t wait any longer to go hunting, you’re in luck: The spring conservation action for light geese – blue-phased snow geese, snow geese, and Ross’s geese – begins in Minnesota on Friday and runs through the end of April.

The conservation action is part of a long-term effort to reduce light goose numbers, since the birds wreak havoc on their northern breeding grounds around Hudson Bay and Arctic coastal areas. Minnesota has allowed the spring hunt since 2000, though hunters here take a maximum of a few thousand snows in the spring.

“Minnesota is on the extreme eastern edge of the spring migration corridor for snow geese through the Upper Midwest,” said Steve Cordts, waterfowl specialist for the Minnesota DNR. “In addition, March weather, particularly snow and ice conditions, have a major impact in spring migration, migration routes, and migration timing of snow geese in Minnesota.”

Translation: It’s very hit and miss.

Still, the season affords waterfowlers a great opportunity to get a little extra hunting in for relatively cheap. As far as licenses, the only thing that’s necessary is a spring light goose permit, which costs $3.50. No need for a duck stamp or anything else.

Of course, if you’ve ever been on a snow goose hunt, or watched one, you know it’s not that simple. Many hunters use hundreds of decoys and mechanical callers to lure the birds into shooting range.

And though the birds’ populations are too high, don’t think for a minute it is an easy hunt. While some people get into them – in the Dakotas, for example – hundreds-of-birds days are not unusual. Still, the birds are wary and when you’re in a layout blind on the ground and there’s a flock overhead, you can just about feel thousands of beatty eyes staring down at you. One wrong move, one wrong glint from the gun, and the flock could be out of Dodge before you have a chance to react.

The Minnesota DNR’s news release on the conservation order is here.

Nearing the end of Duck Season, 2012

It’s going to be interesting to see, when it’s all said and done, how duck hunters fared this year.
The low water throughout the state seemed to be a dominant theme, especially during the early part of the season (it began Sept. 22), but many hunters, still, reported pretty good hunts for blue-wing teal and wood ducks.
Things got quiet – as they’re wont to do – during the middle part of the season. That was especially true in the central and south duck zones, which closed, for a week and two weeks, respectively.
Then around the deer opener, the ducks seemed to really be moving around. But it’s hard to say how many people were targeting them, and how many were just watching from their deer stands.
By the time we get near Thanksgiving, many hunters have hung up their waders and packed their decoys. So it’s really unclear how many people are – or will – take part in these last few days of duck hunting. The season in the South Duck Zone runs through Sunday, so people who hunt on the river or in fields could experience come tremendous shooting.
But I would guess that at least 99 percent of Minnesota’s duck hunters already have called it quits. Still, keep us posted if you – or someone you know – was out during this late part of the season.
We would like to hear your stories.
Duck stamps
The positive trend in state duck stamp sales continues. If you remember, they had been on a long-term decline until last year, when the DNR sold slightly more than it did in 2010.
And the agency is on pace this year to sell slightly more than it did last year. As of earlier this week, 89,236 duck stamps had been sold, which compares with 88,862 at the same time last year. The DNR will continue to sell at least some stamps through December, since there are Canada goose seasons open for much of the month.
So we’ll have to wait a while to see what the final tally is, but early indications suggest this will be the second year in a row that stamp sales increased. That’s good news.

A changing of the guard

Unless you’re an election/political buff, you’re probably feeling some relief today. The election is over. The ads are done. We know who will represent us for the next two, four, or six years.
We here are the Minnesota Waterfowl Association watch the elections closely. While we’re concerned about national matters – the Farm Bill, for example – we’re especially focused on our own state. After all, those legislators are the ones with whom we work most commonly.
We don’t take political sides, of course, but we do weigh in on monetary and policy matters that affect waterfowl and wetlands conservation. If it’s good for ducks and good for conservation, it doesn’t matter to us whether it’s a Democrat or Republican leading the charge.
For those of us in the waterfowl community, one of the most noticeable changes will be to the heads of the environment and natural resources committees in both the House and Senate. While both former chairmen – Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, and Rep. Denny McNamara, R-Hastings – won their races, the fact that their parties are now in the minority means they won’t be the bosses anymore.
I’d hate to predict who will be heading those committees in the next session, which begins in January, so I won’t make that prediction. But suffice it to say, the Minnesota Waterfowl Association will be watching just as closely and working just as hard as we ever have to weigh in on and shape the decisions that come out of St. Paul.
Here’s hoping everyone can come together and do the right things by conservation.
Ducks, ducks, ducks
My guess is that if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re also a deer hunter. So the question is: As you sat in  your stand on deer opener and beyond, did you see a bunch of ducks?
I’ve received a lot of reports that indicated as much. One guy saw so many ducks on opening morning that he contemplated hunting them instead of deer on Sunday morning. (No word on his decision.)

Still making headway, but more work to do

The hunting reports, for the most part, anyway, have been good. And speaking more broadly, there seems to be a good representation from a variety of duck species in the state. And there are a variety of opportunities to hunt ducks in the state, thanks to a regulation-liberalization that’s taken place the previous two seasons.
But the question is this: Why aren’t more people hunting ducks?
According to state duck stamp sales data from the DNR, hunters as of earlier this week had bought 86,702 stamps. That compares to 86,322 at the same time last year, when sales totals at the end of the year were 89,861.
Now keep in mind that last year halted a nearly decade-long slide in the number of stamps sold. So maybe we should be happy that, the way it looks now, we’ll sell more duck stamps for the second year in a row.
But in all honesty, I figured stamp sales this year would be well ahead of last year. Maybe it has something to do with the dry, drought conditions that are so evident throughout the state. Maybe some hunters only have a spot or two they hunt regularly, and those spots didn’t have any water this year. Maybe they’re taken up bowhunting for deer. Maybe they’ve been lured by increased pheasant numbers.
Whatever the case, it’s a good reminder for all of us to get someone new – friend, relative, or the neighbor kid – out in the duck slough. Times are pretty good right now – compared to recent history, anyway – so it’s on all of us to do what we can. We seem to be making a small amount of headway, and we can’t afford to go backwards.
Here’s wishing everyone a safe and successful rest of the season. With colder weather approaching, and a month left to hunt in the Southern Duck Zone, there likely still is some fantastic shooting ahead.
Go get ‘em.
And for you duck hunters who will trade in a spot in a blind for one in a deer stand, good luck this weekend. And again, be safe.

Hunting season frameworks released

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday released the late-season hunting frameworks. Now, it is up to the state to decide exactly how Minnesota’s season will look. DNR wildlife officials are set to meet this week with Commissioner Tom Landwehr, who will make the final decisions about season specifics.
Following is the information about the late-season frameworks, taken directly from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release:

Mississippi Flyway (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin):

Ducks: A hunting season is proposed of not more than 60 days between September 22, 2012, and January 27, 2013. The proposed daily bag limit is 6 and may include no more than 4 mallards (2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 1 mottled duck, 2 redheads, 4 scaup, 2 pintails, 1 black duck, and 1 canvasback. The proposed daily bag limit of mergansers is 5, only 2 of which may be hooded mergansers. In states that include mergansers in the duck bag limit, the daily limit is the same as the duck bag limit, only 2 which may be hooded mergansers.

Geese: Generally, seasons for Canada goose would be held between September 22, 2012, and January 31, 2013, and vary in length among states and areas. States would be able to select seasons for light geese not to exceed 107 days with 20 geese daily between September 22, 2012, and March 10, 2013; for white-fronted geese the proposed season would not exceed 74 days with a 2-bird daily bag limit or 88 days with a 1-bird daily bag limit between September 22, 2012, and February 17, 2013; and for brant it would not exceed 70 days with a 2-bird daily bag limit or 107 days with a 1 bird daily bag limit between September 22, 2012, and January 31, 2012. There is no possession limit for light geese.

Decisions, decisions

It’s always a good time to be a waterfowler. But this is an especially good time of year. The duck hunt is just in front of us. The release of population estimates is just behind us.
And we’re right in the middle of the process that ultimately determines what our duck season will look like this fall.
Last week, the flyways held their annual summer meetings and made recommendations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about things like bag limits. The Service Regulations Committee meets this week to decide on season frameworks and the choices it will offer to states. And next week, most decisions will be made.
In Minnesota, for example, biologists plan to meet with DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr to advise him. Ultimately, the specifics of Minnesota’s season rest on Landwehr’s shoulders.
He has some interesting decisions to make.
Will the season open as early as possible? This year, that would be Saturday, Sept. 22. Remember, last year’s season opened a week earlier than usual, too, and it seemed to be well received. Given this summer’s continued run of hot weather, it’s almost hard to comprehend that the duck season could open in less than two months.
Another interesting question is what will happen with bluebill (scaup) limits. The Mississippi Flyway recommended that the USFWS allow a four-bird daily bluebill bag for 60 days. The reason? A scaup population that came in at about 5.2 million. That would be double what the limit was last year. While bluebills seem to be doing well, there still is some question about their status. Probably won’t be a huge surprise if the USFWS declines the flyway’s request for a four-bird daily bag.
And, unfortunately, it might not matter that much for Minnesota, anyway, as our harvest of bluebills has been falling in recent years.
The flyway also recommended a three-bird bag limit for redheads. Their population this year was 1.3 million, which is well above the long-term average. The flyway last year also asked the USFWS to approve a three-bird bag, but the federal agency declined to do so.
Watch for more on this issue next week after, presumably, the USFWS has announced the options available to states and Landwehr has made his decision.

Breeding survey results soon

An early, warm spring got the DNR’s annual aerial breeding waterfowl survey off to an early start, but poor weather after the survey began meant it lasted about three weeks.
We can expect the results of the survey, which include breeding duck and wetland numbers, to be available in coming days.
But don’t brace yourself for anything stunning.
Wetland numbers will be down from last year, which was a record wet yet. It’s unclear, though, how much they’ll be down, since much of the survey was flown during May, and much of May, in many parts of the state, was extremely wet.
And duck numbers probably won’t be too far above or too far below the levels we saw last year.
Anecdotally, though, there’s been good reports as far as breeding ducks this year. Many people, it seems, are seeing good numbers of ducks. And you don’t have to look too far or too hard to see Canada geese and the goslings they’re leading around.