Blue-winged Teal Lead Opening Weekend Duck Harvest Across Minnesota

The first weekend of the waterfowl hunting season in Minnesota yielded mixed results.  That according to Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News.  He says opening weekend "was overall decent, but not exceptional".  He says blue winged teal was probably the top duck harvested followed by wood ducks, mallards, geese and a mixture of other ducks.  Schmitt says some red necks, and pintails were also shot.  He says there were better results in western Minnesota near Fergus Falls, Ortonville, and Willmar.  Schmitt says those who scouted typically did "pretty good".

photo courtesy of Glen Schmitt for TSM

Who Showed up to Hunt

Schmitt says waterfowl participation seemed about normal.  He believes the rain last Saturday caused some people to cut short their hunt a bit early.  Schmitt says the weather now needs to help move some ducks around.  The season in the central zone closes this Sunday and reopens October 10.

Wolf Population Estimates in Minnesota

The Minnesota DNR released information about the wolf population in the state.  The estimated population is determined by analyzing the area of land wolves populate in the state, wolfpack size, and radio collared wolves.  The counts come from ariel photos of the wolf population and trail cameras.  Schmitt says the released wolf count is 2,431.  He says those numbers are up slightly from last year but down slightly from long term averages.  Schmitt says the DNR views the wolf population as stable in Minnesota.  He says wolves are Federally and State protected and no wolf hunt in the state is imminent.

photo courtesy of Glen Schmitt for TSM

How Fall Fishing is Going

Fall fishing isn't quite where Schmitt would like to see it.  He says water temperatures haven't dropped into the mid 50s yet but when that happens, the fishing should really improve.  He says walleyes aren't moving as much as he'd like and crappies aren't pushing out of the deep basins.  Schmitt believes it's just a little bump in the road but still anticipates better fishing ahead this fall.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, click below.