Duck Hunting in Minnesota

by | Jan 24, 2021 | Birds, Environment

A recent column by StarTribune staff writer Dennis Anderson covered the proposed changes to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources waterfowl hunting regulations. See “DNR’s proposed duck rule changes run afoul of reality”. The proposed changes, listed below as they appeared in the column give some idea to non-hunters (like me) of the specific rules under which duck hunters operate.

These proposed changes include:

  • Expand early teal season: Starting this fall, allow a September teal season up to 16 days long that would precede the September duck opener, allowing up to six teal daily.
  • Allow motorized decoys: Remove all restrictions on spinning-wing and other motorized decoys statewide, including on state wildlife management areas.
  • Eliminate early-season 4 p.m. closure: Hunting would be allowed until sunset throughout the season.
  • Over-water goose hunting: Remove all restrictions statewide against hunting geese within 100 yards of surface water.
  • End restrictions on open-water duck hunting: except on a few large lakes, hunters now must be in or abutting concealed vegetation. Instead they could shoot from open water in a layout boat or anchored boat blind.
  • Allow trolling motors on state wildlife management areas: Saying battery-powered trolling motors would help hunters access WMAs “while minimizing” duck disturbances, the DNR is proposing such motors be allowed for duck hunting statewide.

There are other proposed changes and they can be found at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

Anderson notes that “the state’s duck hunting woes are well-known.” How low are present duck populations? I turned to the DNR’s 2019 estimate of breeding ducks available on-line, the DNR Waterfowl Survey. It turns out, the number of all ducks surveyed are above the long-term average, beginning in 1968.

The observers found that:

  • The mallard population was unchanged from 2018, 14% above the 10-year average, and 27% above the long-term average.
  • The Blue-winged teal population was unchanged from 2018, 33% above the 10-year average and 7% above the long-term average.
  • The combined populations of all other duck species was 10% lower than in 2018, unchanged from the 10-year average and 5% above the long-term average.
  • Canada Geese were 32% lower than in 2018, and 28% below the long-term average.
  • The American Coot population was 4,645 individuals in 2019, down from 27,000 birds in 2018.
  • Trumpeter Swans numbered 23,000 birds in 2019, 22,850 in 2018—no change. An accompanying graph showed exponential growth for swans from 1997-2017.

The survey of breeding ducks in Minnesota was conducted May 6-21, 2019, a wet, cold spring in which the number of wetlands were 19% higher than in 2018, and 23% higher than the long-term average. No mention was made of the quality of the wetlands. Observers conducted an aerial survey, flying over the south, middle and northern portion of central Minnesota.

It would appear that the duck populations are stable. It is undeniable that duck numbers have drastically declined from, say, 100 years ago. Anderson rightly identifies industrial farming—the draining of wetlands, and the run-off of farm chemicals as major contributors to their decline. It may be that 1968 is too recent a date to use to assess duck numbers.

Buried in the report is this statistic not commented on: American Coot numbers plummeted! Why?

One species that is declining is duck hunters. Anderson notes that in the 1970s, 140,000 hunters applied for licenses; that number was just under 80,000 in 2019. The reasons for this are many. Anderson lists these: the last great cohort of duck hunters was the Baby Boomers (including Anderson) and they are aging. Fewer kids are being raised within a hunting family, and most kids are occupied with other activities that compete for their time. Lastly, duck hunting is an activity requiring diverse skills and investment in equipment. These are not being handed down to the rising generation.

The DNR’s proposals, it would appear, are offered to address this shortage of hunters, rather than an overabundance of ducks.  On a blatantly anecdotal level, numbers of ducks this birdwatcher sees in the spring are much lower than in the 1960s. The proposals highlight the tension between the dual mission of Minnesota’s DNR, which is to conserve our natural resources, but at the same time, to promote their use by the public.  This dual mission lays at the heart of other decisions coming out of the agency that have environmentalists scratching their heads (or screaming). Decisions like trapping mammals, promoting copper-nickel mining, and permitting ground water usage that lowers adjacent lake levels. Historically, this dual mission has served us well. Or, has it?