Minnesota Hunters Get Ready for Dove, Goose Hunting

Early goose hunting starts Saturday September 3 along with early Teal. Morning Dove hunting starts in Minnesota September 1. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says the most commonly shot game bird in the country is mourning doves. Glen says hunters shot more than 12 million doves in the U.S. last year with Minnesotans harvesting 4,200 doves in 2021. Schmitt says that doves are the most popular bird to hunt in the southern states. Minnesota has a 15 dove limit starting September 1st and running until November 29. Schmitt says if you'd like to try dove hunting he suggests doing some scouting by looking in wheat fields and watering holes. He says some dove hunters also use decoys.

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The 2nd year of a 3-year experimental early teal hunting season which is a 5-day season from September 3-7. Hunters can shoot 6 teal which is combined blue wing and green wing. The DNR says about 13,000 hunters participated in 2021 with roughly 51,000 team shot in Minnesota.

Details from the DNR on waterfowl hunting below.

Early Teal

Zone	Dates
Statewide	Sept. 3-7
Harvest of Blue-winged, Green-winged and Cinnamon teal allowed.

Ducks, coots, mergansers

Zone	Dates
North	Sept. 24 - Nov. 22
Central	Sept. 24 - Oct. 2; Oct. 8 - Nov. 27
South	Sept. 24 - Oct. 2; Oct. 8 - Nov. 27

Geese

Zone	Dates
Early goose (statewide)	Sept. 3-18
North	Sept. 24-Dec. 23
Central	Sept. 24-Oct. 2; Oct. 8-Dec. 28
South	Sept. 24-Oct. 2; Oct. 8-Dec. 28

Glen Schmitt says there is a still some great fishing to be had this late summer and fall. He says because we didn't have a very warm August the water temperatures are in the low 70s on many Minnesota lakes making it for great fishing right now. He says fall is the best time of the year to fish.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt it is available below.