Weekly waterfowl migration report

Habitat conditions across the state are generally in good shape. However, we continue to see locations drying out with the lack of rain. Statewide we seem to be seeing more birds trickle in, particularly in the western and southern portions of the state. Divers have settled into many lakes in the north, but for the most part the dabbling ducks appear to have bypassed the north zone. With the firearm deer seasonstill open this weekend its expected that hunting pressure will continue to be low. Despite the warm forecast there are NW winds in the forecast and continued cold conditions on the prairies that may bring additional birds down. If you do venture out this weekend, consider wearing orange when moving to and from your hunting location for safety. As always, be safe if you do venture out.

Cambridge

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Mille Lacs WMA

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

North Metro/Carlos Avery WMA

Habitat: Water levels across the area continue to go down due to lack of precipitation. Most small wetlands are locked up with ice. Other habitat conditions in the area remain similar to contions last week. Corn harvest is mostly complete. Ducks are concentrating on some of the larger bodies of water due to ice.

Migration: Most small wetlands locked up this weekend, and birds moved out or will be found on moving water or larger lakes. There was a new push of divers with the recent cold front, but we lost a lot of puddle ducks. There are more geese in the area.

Weather: With the cold weather over the weekend, most if not all shallow wetlands were ice covered by Monday (including those at Carlos Avery WMA). With the current weather, some wetlands may open back up, but it remains to be seen if the ducks will return to the smaller wetlands.

Activity: Hunting pressure has been minimal with the ice and firearm deer season. Field hunting should offer more opportunities- most corn harvest is complete and birds are using fields.

Sauk Rapids

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Aitkin

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Brainerd

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Grand Rapids

Habitat: Small shallow lakes and wetlands have begun freezing over the weekend but may open up later in the week with warmer temperatures coming back into the region. Water level continue to drop with the lack of precipitation.

Migration: Reports of concentrations of mallards and ring-necks frequenting area lakes and wetlands prior to freeze up conditions last weekend. Some birds may have left while more may be staging on bigger area lakes.

Weather: This week temperatures will climb back up into the mid-40's with winds out of the northwest changing to southeast later in the week and weekend.

Activity: Hunting pressure contiues to be low on area lakes. Reports from those that have been out are having success on mallards, ring-necks and various diving ducks. Scouting contiues to help in hunters success across.

Park Rapids

Habitat: Ice has formed on most smaller basins including some small lakes. Water levels remain very low. Crop harvest slowed down with deer season but regular corn harvest is almost complete.

Migration: A significant migration occured over the weekend with tundra swans moving through and more Canada geese, mallards and late-season migrants showing up in the area. Another cold front with more migration activity is expected earlier this weekend.

Weather: Temperatures will be more seasonal but lows in the 20s means much of the ice will remain through the rest of the season. It will be warm and sunny Friday but cool after that with little precipation forecasted.

Activity: Reports are very limited but the duck hunters that were out had decent success depending on the day. Goose hunting continues to be good.

Cloquet

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Tower

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Baudette/Lake of the Woods

`

Migration: With cold temps this last weekend we are now at the beginning of the end. Good numbers of geese around and diver hunting will be good on the big water untill freeze up, which will be around thanksgiving looking at the extended forecast.

Weather: The weather was very cold last weekend which froze all the small backwater. But a warmup the end of this week has things opening back up and they should stay open till next week sometime when temps start dipping again. There is some snow and rain forcasted over the next week. However, cold morings should keep things firmed up to get out to hunting spots.

Activity: Reports of the few people that have been out have been good. Hunting for divers in particular on the big water of L.O.W should be great over the next 1-2 weeks.

Roseau River WMA

Habitat: The Pools are 80% frozen with scattered open water pockets in the larger bays. The river remains high and is ice free but backwaters without moving water are locked up. Roseau Lake appears to have frozen completely. Most of the fields have drained and any remaining water is solid.

Migration: The majority of the area's waterfowl moved south Saturday, 11/8. Swans are helping to keep open water in places and there are a few flocks of mallards holding on with them. Canada Geese were migrating through this week but none appear to be stopping. This weekend will likely continue to bring Canadian birds south but only time will tell whether any will stop.

Weather: A heatwave is hitting today and tomorrow that will increase the amount of open water across the WMA. Saturday is forecast to drop back down to a high of 36 with high WNW winds. This may keep the ice at bay for a day or two but the 10-day forecast is for temperatures will hover around freezing.

Activity: Last week, most of the hunting pressure was on private land and Roseau Lake in response to bird activity. Hunting was good with much of the harvest consisting of mallards. Wigeon, GWT, and pintails were a bonus. With freezing conditions and deer season, hunter numbers were extremely low over the last 5 days. Those that tried were challenged by ice. Good luck to those headed to the marsh. Please visit the RRWMA website for access updates. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wmas/detail_report.html?id=wma0900600

Thief Lake WMA

Habitat: The lake is almost completely iced over. People did break ice to get out from all 4 boat ramps over the weekend. The lake level is about 2 inches above our normal fall target level, which is about 7 inches lower than last year on opener. Accesses on the south side of the lake are a bit shallow and the camping pull-offs are very soft and muddy. Bullrush cover is mostly tall and dense. Submerged weeds are very thick in places and outboard motors may struggle. Over half the corn fields near the lake have been cut.

Migration: No official goose count this week, but a couple hundred Cananda geese remain, along with a few hundred mallards, all in the sanctuary. On Tuesday and Wednesday I did not see a duck or goose on the huntable portion of the lake - only swans and dozens of eagles. Typically when Thief Lake freezes over and opens back up we have very, very few ducks. That will likely be the case over the next few days with the warm up.

Weather: South winds on Friday will push the high into the mid 50s. NW winds will resume Friday night through Sunday. Starting Sunday highs in the mid 30s and lows in the mid 20s are expected through the long term forecast. The ice is here to stay and most of the ducks are gone.

Activity: Hunting pressure has been very low with the ice and gun deer season opening. We have not done a bag check since before the lake started to ice up. No ducks or geese have been observed outside the sanctuary the last few days. I think open water hunting on Thief is effectively over for the year. Those field hunting in the area may be able to scratch out a few more hunts.

Thief River Falls

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Owatonna

Habitat: Marshes and shallow lakes froze over early in the week and have been gradually reopening. Continued warm conditions for the week should thaw the remaining ice. Deep lakes and rivers did not freeze over. Water levels have been gradually decreasing and habitat conditions are variable. Row crop harvest is more than 95% complete. About 2/3 of the row crop fields have been subjected to some fall tillage.

Migration: There was a significant movement of divers, mallards, tundra and trumpeter swans associated with the weekend cold front. Many coots and ducks were incentivized to move on as lakes and marshes froze over. Canada geese continue to be found in good numbers around the area. Mallards, scaup and a few coot remain in the area, especially associated with refuges and larger lakes.

Weather: Temperatures dropped sharply to below freezing as a cold front accompanied by strong winds ushered in occassional flurries and snow showers Nov. 8th and 9th. Accumulating snow was less than an inch and most of the area remained snow free. Lows reached the mid teens with highs only in the upper 20s to near freezing through Monday. A warming trend has returned temperatures to above normal mid-week. Total precipitation was less than 0.10 inch across the area.

Activity: Waterfowl hunting activity has been light as deer hunters have taken to the field and ice covered many marshes and lakes. Reports suggest hunters taking advantage of the cold front prior to lakes icing over found some success with a mixed bag of mallards, scaup, bufflehead, green-winged teal and other late migrants.

Rochester

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Appleton

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Lac qui Parle WMA

Habitat: Water levels are still good across the WMA. Marsh lake is currenlty at normal pool and Lac qui Parle Lake is below normal pool and will be low or the remainder of the year while work is being done to the emergency spillway by the Lac qui Parle Dam. Still some areas of flooded crops, but they are becoming dryer and dryer. Crop harvest is essentially complete. Tillage is almost completely done.

Migration: Most of the teal and smaller puddle ducks like wigeon and gadwall have moved on. Good numbers of Mallards, pintails, and divers around the area. Goose count had picked up slighly, but still pretty low number overall. Current count is 8500. Good amount of Mallards using the refuge to loaf and going out to feed in the mornings/evenings.

Weather: Friday-Sunny, with a high near 69. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Friday Night-Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Saturday-Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Saturday Night-Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Sunday-Sunny, with a high near 48. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Activity: Those scouting around the refuge have reported some good numbers of field feeding ducks and geese. Some parties out on Marsh lake reported some good hunting this past week, but reports have been limited. Deer hunting runs through this Sunday, remember to wear blaze orange while setting up decoys and walking to and from hunting stations. The controlled hunt in the State Game Refuge started the 16th, but not much activity due to low number of geese using the Refuge. Reminder the Lac qui Parle Refuge is closed to pheasant hunting until December 1st. Cattail spraying via helicopter took place in August 2024 on Marsh Lake. Many areas of cattails have died back making access and boating easier on the majority of the lake. Scouting ahead of time will be important. Remember the eastern half of the lake is feeding and resting area and is closed to motorized boats.

Marshall

Habitat: Most wetlands and shallow lakes remain in good condition and mostly ice free. Crop harvest is basically complete. Tillage is mostly complete with some corn stubble fields providing hunting opportunities.

Migration: No major pushes yet, or waterfowl that stuck around the area. There are some isolated pockets of ducks and geese.

Weather: After a cooler weekend this week has been a gradual warm up with a high around 70 on Friday. This weekends forecast looks to cool down with highs in the upper 40's and lows in the upper 20's with NW winds.

Activity: With the firearm deer season in place the focus shifted away from waterfowl with minimal reports.

New London

Habitat: Lakes and wetlands have receded from the very high summer conditions we had down to normal (average) levels. Basically all crops have been harvested and tillage continues to progress. Birds are utilizing tilled and untilled fields. We had a cold spell last weekend and some smaller basins did freeze, but the warm up has re-opened everything. Habitat is abundant until freeze up.

Migration: The cold front that ushered in the firearms deer season also brought waterfowl with it. It almost seems like a tradition to sit in a deer stand and watch birds migrating into or through the area. There are some mallards and divers in the area, but not in big numbers. We had a noticable uptick in the number of Canada Geese in the area and the lakes in and around Willmar are holding good numbersof geese at this time.

Weather: We had a significant cold front last weekend, which did bring birds into the area. Now, it has warmed back up this week. It appears the next front is coming this following weekend. It is still firearms deer season here, but the outlook for duck hunting this weekend is shaping up good. There is no imminent freeze up on the 7 day forecast.

Activity: Waterfowl hunting activity has slowed, but still getting reports of duck hunting success near New London, Willmar, Sunburg, and western Chippewa County. As always, scout to find where the birds want to be. That could result in a decent late waterfowl season if you find where the new arriving birds want to hang out. I still expect the the majority of mallards have yet to arrive and there shoudl be some good hunting opportunity onthe horizon. Hopefully the weather is conducive to bringing the birds in and they stick around for a bit, rather than flying right on through.

New Ulm/Redwood Falls

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Slayton/Talcot Lake

Habitat: Not much change in water levels since last week's report

Migration: Definite uptick in Mallard numbers. Divers have moved on, but should see more as season progresses. Canada geese still around in pockets.

Weather: Cold weather and snow last weekend caused freeze up of many shallow lakes and sloughs. Most re-opened by Wednesday.

Activity: Hunting pressure still very low. Scouting is key. Firearms deer season underway.

Swan Lake

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Windom

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Detroit Lakes

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Fergus Falls/Lake Christina

Habitat: Many smaller bodies of water in the area are now iced-over, though warmer weather and wind over the next few days could open up more. Lake Christina is frozen around the edges of the lake, making access difficult if at all possible. While they could be in the middle of the lake, no ducks were noted around the edges of Lake Christina.

Migration: This past weekend saw more migrants pass through the area. Late season migrants like mallards showed up, but many moved on with overnight lows in the teens. The area did see an uptick in Canada goose numbers, though still not what is typical for this time of the year.

Weather: Overnight lows last weekend iced over most small bodies of water, though large lakes remain open. Warmer temperatures up to 60 are forecast for the end of the week, with more sesasonable temps returning over the weekend.

Activity: Given the season-long poor hunting and the deer season opener, not many duck hunting reports came in from the past week. The one bright spot was Lake Christina where hunters on Saturday and Sunday found very good numbers of late season migrants like mallards. By Monday, however, the lake had mostly frozen over ending the good hunting.

Glenwood

Habitat: We did see a lot of the smaller wetlands freeze over after the cool down this past weekend but much has opened back up with the warm up.

Migration: I was hoping to see some migration with the cold snap and NW wind this past weekend but that didn't seem to happen, although I was working CWD check station so didn't get out to scout or hunt, the one report I did get was not good with few birds observed.

Weather: Other than this weekend that saw lows in the teens and small basins freeze over, with the following warm up, it continues to be warm and dry.

Activity: As predicted no hunting pressure to speak of.