The waterfowl hunting season starts in Minnesota Saturday and that includes ducks, coots and mergansers.  In the north zone in Minnesota the hunt continues through November 22 while in the Central Zone (St. Cloud is a part of) and South Zone the hunting dates are September 24-October 2 and again from October 8 - November 27.

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Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News says he expects it to be a productive waterfowl season and suggests the habitat this year is quite a bit better than last year when much of the state was dealing with a drought.  Schmitt says last year hunters couldn't get on some watering holes due to a lack of water.  He says the cooler and cloudy weather forecasted for Saturday should make for a good opener.

Schmitt says the key factors that impact duck hunting success include weather, habitat and a hunter's willingness to do some scouting.  He says the cooler weather will keep birds moving with some possibly looking to migrate.  Schmitt says teal and wood ducks could be moving out of the area with others from the north moving in.

The early goose season concluded Saturday September 18 with the regular goose hunting season set to start Saturday throughout the state.  The dates to hunt in the north zone are from September 24-December 23 while in the central and south zones the dates are September 24-October 2 and October 8 - December 28.

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

 

 

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