Why Waterfowl Participation is Down in Minnesota

Duck hunting season starts Saturday in Minnesota.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says waterfowl hunting in Minnesota and in North America is down and has been moving that direction for quite awhile.  According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in North American there was an 8% decrease in the number of people hunting waterfowl last year and that was the lowest numbers since 1962.  Not only is United States participation down but so is Canada.  Canada saw their lowest numbers since 1966 last year.

Ducks, coots, mergansers

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Glen Schmitt says state waterfowl stamps were down with just 81,000 stamps sold in 2022 compared to 1980 when 150,000 stamps for waterfowl were purchased.  The reasons for the decrease, according to experts, in participation include hunters aging out, cost to hunt, access to hunting spots, and a lack of ducks.  Schmitt says duck hunting has kind of been a generational sport handed down from generation to generation.

Schmitt says for those wanting to duck hunt in Central Minnesota, you can have success.  He says especially opening weekend because there's been no migration and the teal, and mallard numbers look good in the area.  Schmitt says overall it will be an average weekend for duck hunting in the state and he suspects many hunters will only hunt on opening weekend.

Schmitt talked about a great grouse hunt last weekend and gave an update on fall fishing.  Listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt below.