Minnesota Waterfowl Migration and Hunting Report 11 October 2007

Minnesota Waterfowl Migration and Hunting Report 11 October 2007 The following report is a compilation of state and federal wildlife manager reports and waterfowl surveys from across Minnesota. This is the 3 rd report for 2007. Reports will be compiled weekly throughout the hunting season and should be available by Thursday afternoon each week. The Conservation Officer Report, available on the DNR web site, also contains information about waterfowl hunter success around the state. Weekly crop-weather reports for Minnesota can be obtained on the web at www.nass.usda.gov/mn as well as current weather information and forecasts. General: 11 October 2007, 4:00 p.m. Most aerial waterfowl surveys were delayed or cancelled this week due to inclement weather. Ring-necked duck abundance increased in the north central portion of the state but numbers remain near average for this time of the year. Most early season migrants (blue-winged teal, wood ducks) have departed the northern half of the state but some are still showing up in hunters bags in the southern portion of the state. Some migrant scaup have moved onto a few northern lakes, but numbers still remain fairly low and birds are concentrated on only a handful of lakes. Most hunters are seeing increased species diversity as a few mid-season migrants (wigeon, shovelers, redheads, etc.) move into the state. However, most managers saw no major influx of migrant ducks into the state this week. Canada goose numbers remain fair to good in many areas but geese are not concentrated on large staging areas yet and many migrant Canada geese remain in Canada. With mild temperatures forecast, hunters should expect only fair hunting until additional cold fronts move more migrant ducks into the state. Hunting pressure is likely to diminish some this weekend in many areas with the opening of pheasant season. NW Roseau Karlstad Thief Lake Agassiz NWR WC Crookston Tamarac NWR Talcot Lake SW NC Park Rapids Windom Baudette Fergus Brainerd Falls Little Big Glenwood Falls Stone NWR Sauk LQP Rapids Willmar Appleton Swan Slayton Lake Grand Rapids Aitkin Rice Lake NWR C SE NE Sherburne NWR Carlos Avery Upper Miss. Rochester Owatonna Cloquet Cambridge MN Valley NWR Wetland habitat conditions generally remain dry across most regions of the state. Hunters can expect seasonal temperatures this weekend with daytime highs in the 50s in northern Minnesota and 60s in southern Minnesota. Temperatures should drop into the mid-30s in northern areas and mid-40s in the southern portion of the state. Winds should be light with only a slight chance of precipitation each day. Hunters traveling to Canada should be aware that harvested ducks and geese can legally be transported across the border. Last weekend, some birds were confiscated at the border due to an outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry facility in Saskatchewan. The issue has since been resolved. Winona

Reminder: Bag limits are 6 ducks/day with only 1 hen mallard/day allowed. The bag limit for canvasbacks has been increased from 1 to 2. The regular Canada goose season remains closed in the West Central goose zone until October 18 th. The bag limit is 2 Canada geese/day during the regular goose season. Motorized decoys are prohibited on state wildlife management areas the remainder of the season. Hunters should consult the 2007 Waterfowl Hunting regulations (available from license vendors or online at: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/hunting/2007/waterfowl_sup.pdf for additional details and regulations. The following is a summary of reports from various reporting stations across the state.

NORTHWEST Thief Lake WMA Recent rains resulted in some dry wetlands getting moisture. Lake levels have come up slightly, but the lake is still ~4 below normal fall level (but well above last year). In field situations, tillage continued until rains came. Intermittent rain and unsettled weather since Friday; snow on Tuesday morning. Strong northerly winds early in the week had birds moving. Divers predominate on the lake. Increased numbers of scaup and canvasbacks were observed on the last flight. Canada goose numbers have increased in the last week. Hunters on the lake have done well, with harvests in the last week running between 2.5 to 3.5 ducks per hunter per day. Ringnecks have been most prevalent, followed closely by redheads. Relatively few dabblers were observed in the bag this last week. Thief River Falls Farmes Pool at Elm Lake WMA remains dry. Scant rains this past week have increased surface water level conditions slightly. Many winter wheat fields are starting to green up and the majority of the soybeans have been harvested. Sufficient field stubble remains and field hunting is the best bet for success. In the past four days approximately three inches of rain has fallen helping add some surface water to shallow wetlands. Temps will be in the lower 30s and upper 50s with partly cloudy to sunny skies for the upcoming weekend. Adjacent areas have reported measurable snow fall last night. Area continues to hold good numbers of Canada geese. Large numbers of small Canada geese are still present. Duck numbers remain fair and migrant wigeon and mallard are starting to show up. Wood ducks and teal have mostly left the area. Scattered flocks of snow and blue geese have been showing up and are in higher numbers than previous years. Hunters in the CHZ averaged 0.25 geese per hunter per day, with all geese being Canadas. Hunter success while field hunting for geese has been good. Most have been able to shoot 2 geese if some scouting is done prior to hunting. Pass shooting in key areas is working as well due to the large number of birds in the area. Continued mixed bag of birds with low hunter success on Elm Lake WMA. No divers present due to Farmes Pool being dry.

Roseau River WMA NORTHEAST Cloquet Pool water levels on RRWMA have risen in all pools following nearly four inches of rainfall from Oct. 5th-10 th. The water level in the Roseau River has risen nearly three feet. There is some sheet water in low areas of some fields that will persist for a few days. Recent rains have restored water levels to near normal conditions. NORTH CENTRAL Grand Rapids Water conditions improving with recent rains. Abundant wild rice still offering good cover for ducks Nearly four inches of precipitation from Oct. 5 th -10 th. One inch of snow on the ground on Oct. 9 th. Forecast is for daytime highs in the 50s with overnight lows in the 30s through Sunday, Oct. 14 th with no more precipitation expected this week. The weekend was unseasonably warm, blustery and unsettled with some heavy downpours and thunderstorms. A strong cold front has moved in following the weekend and remains very windy. Warm temps and rain most of past weekend No aerial waterfowl count survey is planned for this week. Some evidence of more divers moving into the area. Large numbers of waterfowl have been using the sanctuary fields near Pool #3. No major movements of birds reported. Cold front will likely push out the blue-winged teal and wood ducks and may bring in some northern ducks. No major migration flights yet with the warm temps. Local birds still remain in area. Goose numbers still fair, but scattered into backwater areas. Only a few waterfowl hunters in the field this week. Controlled Hunting Zone hunters have not had much success. Hunters in the pools last weekend got a few geese but had better luck on ducks particularly on Saturday. Water control structures have been opened on some of the pools so hunters are cautioned to keep a safe distance from the structures. Unsettled, windy weather probably reduced hunting effort this past weekend. Spotty success. Hunting effort low this weekend because of rain. Weekday hunters having better success.

Park Rapids Brainerd Recent winds are thinning and flattening rice beds in the area. Water levels are noticeably rising on small seasonal wetlands with recent rains. Conditions remain very dry. Most small wetlands are dry, but the basins are greening up quite nicely. Cooler seasonable temps have arrived this week after a very warm weekend. Daytime highs are struggling to hit 50 degrees while lows are in the mid to upper 30s. High 64-73 F Low 42-55 F 5 overcast rainy days with accumulations of moisture between 0.73 to 2.3 inches. Aikin Water levels have risen. 2-3 rain this past week, very windy. WEST CENTRAL Tamarac NWR Fergus Falls CENTRAL Despite recent rainfall events water levels on area lakes remain low. The availability of wild rice seeds might be limited in some rice beds now. Not much change in wetland conditions, corn harvest well underway. Strong northwest winds early this week with daytime temps reaching the mid 40s and nighttime temps dropping to upper 30s early this week. Cold front came through with some rain, low temps in the 30s No major movements of birds have been noted. A few ring-necks and mallards are trickling into the area but large concentrations are absent. Goose numbers seem to be improving slightly. Most teal are gone. First Scaup noticed in area on 10/05. Coot numbers in the area are low, as are mallards and Canada goose numbers. Wood duck numbers are up. Ring-necks starting to show up. It appears strong northwest winds coupled with some limited food supplies on area lakes may have pushed out many of the ducks that were here last week, particularly ring-necks and mallards. The few remaining birds are shifting around the refuge. Some ring-necked ducks have moved in but few ducks around. A small buildup in Canada geese Hunting pressure is down. Very little activity has been noted since opening weekend. Success has been fair in the Leech Lake area with a mixture of species possible in the bag. Hunting activity is low with little to no shooting heard this last weekend. Spotty success. Hunting pressure as well as success has dropped off slightly this past week. The last couple of days opportunities have been better with the strong winds and blustery temps but success is spotty and varies day to day. Hunting success generally poor during second weekend and activity down. Activity likely to be less this weekend with pheasant opener

Metro region Sauk Rapids Cambridge area Carlos Avery WMA SOUTHWEST Good conditions with very high water Dry wetland basins are continuing to fill with abundant rainfall. These reflooded basins are generally very attractive to waterfowl. Soybean harvest (50% complete) has been slowed due to rainfall. Corn harvest is 20-40% complete. Rising water levels with excellent waterfowl feeding conditions. Plenty of food still around but rising water levels have made food in some areas less accessible Above normal temps and more rain until 10/9 when cold front moved through Consistent and heavy rain patterns across central MN are dramatically changing low wetland water conditions that we had going into late summer. These patterns have not moved waterfowl much. Look for things to change the next week or two from the warm weather we are currently experiencing. Several inches of rainfall the past week continue to provide new feeding and resting areas. Some flooded corn & bean fields observed. Unseasonably warm and wet through the weekend. Local ducks including some teal still around. No influx of new birds noticed Teal remain in fair numbers across central MN. No major waterfowl migrations have been observed. Interesting dynamics of improving wetland habitat conditions vs. warm weather should play itself out with return to more seasonal weather. The quality of wetland and upland waterfowl habitat seems to be attracting and holding more birds this year. It will be interesting to see if this holds up through the season. Local populations of wood ducks, greenwinged teal, blue-winged teal and mallards present. No migration of new waterfowl observed. More coot showing up every day Activity has tapered off a little after the second weekend. Hunters averaging 1 bird per hunter. Opening weekend success was fair to good across central MN. This past weekend s hunting activity was very spotty with extremely warm weather factored in. Pheasant opener will moderate numbers of waterfowl hunters somewhat this coming weekend. It is very hard to predict future waterfowl movements, but this could be another year they occur later in the season. Good success, considering no new waterfowl seem to be present. Hunting pressure still heavy on weekend but lighter during the week. Good shooters still having success harvesting ducks.

Redwood Falls Big Stone NWR Continuing rain has created some flooding in croplands, dispersing ducks. Corn and soybean harvest are well underway, corn 50+% gone, soybeans 60+% gone. Big Stone Lake is continuing to release water and water elevations on the refuge wetlands have increased slightly in the last week. Plenty of dabbler and diver habitat available. As before East Pool on the refuge is by far the most attractive wetland for waterfowl this fall. Warm temps over the weekend but cooler weather and northwest winds might bring an influx of birds. Weather forecasting is a guess as everyone knows. But here what the weather service has forecasted. Temperatures to be in the low to mid 50s through the weekend. Lows in the 40s. Possible chance (20%) for showers Thursday and Sunday. Little movement of birds noted, blue-winged teal and wood ducks still comprise a large percentage of the ducks in the area. Very few mallards and local Canada geese. Dabbler duck species migration is heating up. Mallards are arriving in good numbers, more green-winged teal, pintail, and gadwalls have arrived. Appears as though the blue-winged teal have left, but there may still be a few around. Scaup are starting to trickle in. Canada goose numbers are gradually increasing at this point in the migration. Still a large number of geese up north. More waterfowl on the refuge than the count table indicates. There is a portion of the refuge wetlands that are basically inaccessible and birds are using them. No numbers for those wetlands. Hunter activity slacked off on the second weekend and the warm temps certainly didn t help. Some hunters found exceptional wood duck shooting on tributaries of the Minnesota River, otherwise hunting was slow. Waterfowl are flying out of the Refuge to feed in newly harvested crop fields. The Refuge is closed to all waterfowl hunting, however, hunters can obtain access adjacent to or near the refuge

Appleton Wet conditions continue. Stormy 2 nd weekend, followed by cold front with strong NW winds thru Wednesday. Expected dry and cool for the weekend. Lac qui Parle WMA Marsh Lake and Upper Lac qui Parle Lake are at normal pool elevation. Boat access similar to 2006. Recent rains raised water levels in most wetlands and temporarily flooded farmed wetlands. Migrant geese trickling in. No noticeable movements with ducks yet. No counts conducted this week, but numbers of Canada geese remain fairly low. Continued light pressure with very few reports. Willmar Slayton Water levels in all wetlands are on the rise. Grain harvest is at a temporary standstill, but 50% of corn and beans are in the bins. Most of the area received over 4 of rain last week helping to fill wetlands. The rain also has temporarily stalled out soybean and corn harvest. The 6 th was hot and humid (mid 80s). A strong front arrived early evening on the 7 th with strong thunderstorms. Now the wind is strong from the NW and temps. in the 50s. Above average temps and south winds last week along with the thunderstorms. Winds turning to NW and falling temps; highs in 50s with lows near 40. Chance of showers for the weekend. Some nice flocks of ringnecks noticed in the area with the arrival of the front. Today (Oct. 9) some migrating Canada geese observed. Some large concentrations of Wood Ducks are still in the area working rice beds during the day and roosting in cattail marshes during the evenings. No major migrations noted. Those hunters with access to wild rice stands are finding some action on wood ducks, teal, and a few mallards. The past weekend was in general poor because of weather and low bird numbers. Most hunters will be chasing roosters next weekend. Hunting pressure was high on the weekend at area wetlands. Hunters still having some success taking mostly teal, mallards, shovelers, wood ducks and a few geese.

Talcot Lake WMA Water levels are high. Bean harvest for the most part is complete. Corn harvest is over 50% complete. Over 3 of rain over the weekend slowed the harvest down. Swan Lake - Nicollet County Windom SOUTHEAST The water levels in Swan Lake are still very low, but recent rains did raise the lake a couple inches. Vegetation conditions are excellent for waterfowl. Recent rains have raised water levels in marshes and could improve habitat conditions in some cases. Bean and corn harvest was going well before the rains but has stopped or slowed now. The rains left standing water in some fields. These ponds in harvested bean fields and some corn fields could provide good migrational habitat if wetness continues. The past week was very warm and humid with temps in the high 80s and high winds from the south. Over 3 of rain fell over the weekend. Cold front came in on Monday with more seasonable temps. Warm weather and south winds persisted through the weekend but we currently have cold weather and brisk north winds. Very warm weather until the cool front came through late Sunday. Now temps more seasonal with highs near 60. Most areas had rainfall in the last week exceeding 3 inches. This with wet weather starting in late August has saturated topsoil. No major migrations No major migrations to the Swan Lake area were noted since opener. Swan Lake was still holding a lot of teal through last weekend. Recent weather changes will probably move teal south. Still fair populations of teal thru this period, however they appear to be declining. No influx of waterfowl noted. Goose and duck hunting pressure and success have been low. Hunting was good on Swan Lake over the weekend, bagging mostly teal. There continue to be quite a few hunters on Swan over the last few days. Hunters are doing OK. However without disturbance and/or influx of a few new birds, hunting can be slow.

Winona Generally good conditions still exist throughout the area. Soybean harvest is near complete and corn harvest well underway. Rochester Owatonna There are still many ag fields with standing water. Bean and corn harvest just starting again. Floodwaters are beginning to recede. Many small ponds and sheet water areas remain in fields. Geneva Lake remains in drawdown, but water levels are only about 1 below normal. Rice Lake and Bear Lake are about 1 above normal for the season. Extremely warm conditions (near record high temps) were present last week. Much cooler temps accompanied by strong (nw-w) winds now present. Rained over the weekend, dry since Sunday. Cold front moved through on Monday, highs were in the 50 s by Tuesday. Widespread rain of about an inch fell across flooded areas on the 2 nd. Some rain and occasional thunderstorms were recorded nearly every day. The second weekend of the season was hot and humid. A slow moving cold front arrived Monday dropping temps to more seasonal levels. Additional mallards and wigeon are being observed. Many local Canada geese around. Canada geese continue to come in to Rochester; we picked up about 900 birds since last week. Teal still being taken locally, as well as wood ducks, mallards and wigeon. Good numbers of bluewinged teal stayed in the area through the weekend but numbers dropped considerably with the passing of the cold front. The cooler weather also ushered in new migrants, especially wood ducks and mallards. Small numbers of buffleheads, ring-necks, redheads and canvasbacks are arriving. Hunters reporting better success with mixed bag of ducks (mallards, wigeon, pintails, divers). Hunting pressure seems to be somewhat reduced from past years. Mid-week activity has been moderate to light with higher participation on the weekends. General reports indicated hunters did very well on Canada geese in some areas. Duck hunters continued to average 1 2 ducks per hunter or slightly better. Blue-wings remained common in the bag through the weekend. Bag reports from Rice Lake indicate hunters averaged 1.6 birds/hunter the second week of the season. Wood ducks were 34% of the take, followed by blue-winged teal (26%), green-winged teal (12%) and mallards (7%).

Waterfowl Count Data, week of October 8, 2007 Canada geese Ducks Area NORTHWEST Date Swans this week This week Number seen a : Number seen: Last count Last year This week Last count Last year This weeks duck Species - % composition b Coot this week Comments Roseau WMA 10 3,400 5,000 5,000 10,000 Survey delayed Thief Lake WMA 315 1,900 8,000 17,000 8,000 Survey delayed NORTH CENTRAL Beltrami/Clearwater Cos 100 200 11,000 27,000 Survey delayed Winni/Bowstring area or Chippewa Nat. Forest N Leech Lake/Deer River Chippewa Nat. Forest S Brainerd/Wadena area 10/5 4 250 200 300 250 225 300 WEST CENTRAL 1,200 1,000 39,000 65,000 Survey delayed 150 400 52,000 85,000 Survey delayed 52% WD, 19% MAL, 11% RN, 11% HOOD Shallow Lakes (north) 200 100 1,200 1,500 No survey 2,100 Tamarac NWR 10/9 160 150 300 600 4,300 19,000 18,000 CENTRAL Carlos Avery WMA 10/9 3 50 50 100 8,000 5,000 7,000 72% RN, 19% MAL, 9% BWT 70% MAL, 29% RN, 1% WD 7,000 2,000 Shallow Lakes (central) 1,200 500 9,000 11,000 Survey delayed SOUTHWEST Big Stone NWR 10/10 0 3,300 1,800 12,000 12,000 2,500 10,000 Murray Co. lakes & wetlands 10/9 0 400 1,700 600 600 4,000 800 Talcot Lake WMA 10/10 0 1,100 70 2,000 1,200 800 1,800 70% MAL, 15% GWT, 7% GAD, 3% PIN, 2% WIG, 2% SHOV 31% MAL, 31% SHOV 14% BWT, 12% GAD 96% MAL, 2% BWT, 2% GWT 1,200 900 Partial survey Shallow Lakes (south) 0 1,200 700 16,000 16,000 22,000 Survey delayed a - Numbers seen during the current survey, last survey: the previous count from this year, last year: the number recorded during the same or nearby week last year. b - abbreviations: MAL = mallard, GAD = Gadwall, WIG = Am. wigeon, GWT = Am. green-winged teal, BWT = blue-winged teal, SHOV = Northern shoveler, PIN = Northern pintail, WD = Wood duck, RED = Redhead, CAN = Canvasback, SCP = Scaup, RN = Ring-necked duck, HOOD = Hooded merganser, RUD = Ruddy duck