This weekly outlook is updated each week during the waterfowl hunting season. It is compiled from state and federal wildlife manager reports and waterfowl surveys from across Minnesota.
Weekly conservation officer reports also contain information about waterfowl hunter success.
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Weekly reports
Updated at 11:42 AM CDT on Thursday, October 23, 2025
- Statewide
Generally, bird numbers have been very spotty. The Northwest winds did not bring the birds we hoped they would. Water levels are dropping in many locations. Good luck if you venture out, and staff safe!
- Central
- 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 on managed pools remain consistent or slightly lower due to warm dry conditions the past few weeks. Small unmanaged pools and ponds are lower than normal. Most of the wild rice is knocked down and access is easier. Soybeans in the area have been harvested and corn harvest is well underway.
Migration: As of Wednesday, it seems we had an overall net loss of birds since the previous week. Ringnecks, mallards and wood ducks all decreased from the counts last week. Despite having fewer ducks, there are new ducks in the area. Common ducks in the bag include mallards and ringnecks. We are seeing more mid-season migrants like gadwall, pintails and wigeon.
Weather: Temps level off over the next week with some SE winds which should hold ducks in the area. Nothing notable weather-related in the forecast.
Activity: Hunters have taken advantage of high winds and cooler temps and found success. Some hunters have scratched out limits, though a 1-3 birds per hunter is common. Expect high hunting pressure over the weekend as people try to capitalize on new ducks in the area.
- Sauk Rapids
Habitat: Overall habitat conditions continue to be in great shape. With more rainfall this summer than the last few years, many of the lakes have returned to historic normal levels. Scouting may be necessary to re-familiarize yourself with water bodies that have been abnormally low for 3+ years.
Migration: Recent weather has started to move a lot of early divers into the area, from ringnecks and buffleheads to a few scaup, and it seems that many of the teal have moved on.
Weather: Weather has been very good for hunting this week, but looks to stabilize this week, so should keep a few of the migrant birds from moving on.
Activity: Hunters seemed to have good success if they stuck it out through the wind this week. Again, more diving ducks have been seen (and harvested), so I expect that to continue this week.
- North Central
- 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: Water levels have continued to drop over the last week. Even with the rains this week, access maybe limited depending on the body of water. After the recent winds, there are rice stalks that are still standing on many water bodies providing good cover for waterfowl.
Migration: With the most recent cold front arriving early this week, a few new birds have arrived in the area. Reports of good numbers of ring-necks and mallards arriving after shooting hours on a few water bodies. Most wood ducks have pushed out of the area.
Weather: A cold front moved into the the region Monday afternoon bringing rain and cooler temps. Lows are forecasted to be in the mid-30s at night dipping into the upper 20's one night and highs in the 40's rising back into the 50's over the weekend. Winds are consistent from the NW till Friday switching to SSE thru the weekend and into next week.
Activity: Hunting pressure has become moderate to low across the area. Reports of little duck movement during shooting hours has become evident as of late. Hunters have still reported of difficult access because of rice and low water levels. Hunters who have put in time to scout are having success at harvesting some birds.
- Park Rapids
Habitat: Water levels are still very low, even historically low on some basins. This late in the season most wild rice is laying flat, especially after recent high wind events. Crop harvest continues to progress quickly and regular corn harvest is already about 50% complete.
Migration: With recent north winds we picked up some mid-season migrants, including ring-necks and mallards, in scattered pockets but duck numbers are still generally quite low. Canada goose numbers remain steady.
Weather: Temperatures remain more seasonal with clear skies and moderate south winds forcasted for the weekend. Drought conditions persist with no significant rains lately.
Activity: Most hunters are still struggling to find birds. The few successful duck hunters report a mixed bag and goose hunting continues to be more consistent.
- Northeast
- Cloquet
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- Tower
Habitat: Water levels are average across the work area. Access should be generally good getting into lakes and rivers. Scouting will be key.
Migration: Strong winds over the weekend and cooler temperatures have seem to hold pockets of waterfowl. Local observations indicating larger groups of ring-necks, mallard, and still some geese are present.
Weather: The cooling temperatures should be favorable for waterfowl hunting this next week. Temperatures are looking to be in 40 - 50s F to lows in the 30s F at night. Winds look to be S to SE and transitioning to NW wind next week.
Activity: With suitable waterfowl hunting weather and some wetlands/river holding birds, hunters should still be finding birds locally.
- Northwest
- Roseau River WMA
Habitat: Rains continued this week and raised water levels across all pools and Roseau River. WMA staff opened up water control structures across the pools in response, to balance added precipitation. River water levels are higher and back filling into the Roseau Lake Basin; the standing water could provide opportunities for hunting. Nearby farm fields and ditches are still holding water and are full from previous and current rain events.
Migration: Small flocks of ducks were seen flying around Pool 2 (10/20), but there were no noted movements of ducks or geese from Canada this week. Standing water across the county could likely be attracting waterfowl off the unit. Cranes are few in number in the area.
Weather: Rain events continued this week and chances of precipitation are forecasted for Monday (10/27) and Tuesday (10/28) next week. Temperatures are predicted with a highs around 60 to 65 for the weekend and then cooling off again in the beginning of the following week. Wind speed and direction are variable throughout the week and weekend. Thursday is anticipated 3-7 mph NorthWest winds, and then shifting to breezier conditions and mostly South winds this weekend. Sunday (10/26) has forecasted 15-20 mph SSE winds with gusts up to 31 mph.
Activity: Hunter success this week and weekend were lower than last week likely because of continued rains on the unit. Hunter turnout also was lower which further decreased harvest success. Weekday hunting success was 0.5 ducks per hunter (dph) and 0 geese per hunter (gph). Weekend hunts had increased success comparatively with more hunter turnout; the average success was 1.9 dph and 0.15 gph. Dabbling ducks were the majority of harvests with Mallards and Green-winged teal most common. As mentioned previously, dike repairs near the Pool 2 spillway are complete but hunters should still take caution, especially with rainy conditions. For additional updates, please see the RRWMA website. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wmas/detail_report.html?id=wma0900600
- Thief Lake WMA
Habitat: The lake level is just below our normal fall target level, which is about 10 inches lower than last year on opener. Accesses on the south side of the lake are a bit shallow. Bullrush cover is mostly tall and dense. Submerged weeds are very thick in places and outboard motors may struggle. Some corn was cut 2 weeks ago, but with almost 2 inches of rain in the past week it will take some drying weather for harvest to resume.
Migration: The goose count Wednesday morning was unchanged from last week (700 Canada geese). Duck numbers remain low as of Wednesday evening. The general consensus is that the northwest winds early this week pushed out some ringnecks and brought in some redheads for a net loss of ducks.
Weather: We received almost 2"" of rain in the past week. We had a big northwest wind on Tuesday, 10-21, but it failed to bring many ducks or geese down. Highs around 60 and south winds are expected Friday through Sunday. The next round of rain is expected Monday and Tuesday of next week, with highs around 50 and continueing south winds. Winds should shift northwest next Tuesday night through Wednesday night. No low temperatures below 30 degrees are forecast.
Activity: Hunting pressure was lower than MEA weekend last year (when we had more hunters than Opening Day!). Thursday hunters averaged 2.76 ducks each, with ringnecks and wigeon being most common. Sunday hunters averaged 1.8 ducks, with ringnecks, gadwall, wigeon, mallards, and buffleheads being the top 5. Hunting pressure was light on Wednesday, and most hunters put in their time to get an average of 2.09 ducks each. Redheads were top bird (30%), followed by ringnecks (26%), wigeon (22%), and gadwall (13%).
- Thief River Falls
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- Southeast
- Owatonna
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- Rochester
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- Southwest
- Appleton
Habitat: We've only had some light rains recently, just enough to slow down the corn harvest a bit, but it's ramping up again now. By the weekend we should be better than 505 harvest. Soybeans are all but done. Fields plenty dry enough to hunt if you stay away from the low ground.
Migration: Just starting to see an uptick in mallards, but I think we've lost more ducks in general than we've gained. That said, the winds and cold temps we have as I type this, might shake things up a bit by the weekend.
Weather: Looks like it'll be a very mild and pleasant weekend with plenty of sun and temps ranging from the 40's to 60's.
Activity: Duck hunting has been slow for the most part - not a lot of ducks and not a lot of hunters. There have been a few reports of good field hunts for mallards and geese. Those opportunities should increase now.
- 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. Soybean harvest is 100 percent complete with corn nearing completion. Fall tillage is in full swing.
Migration: Seems like most of the Blue-winged Teal and Wood ducks have left the area. Some more big ducks showing up like Mallards, Pintails, Divers. No huge numbers however. Not much of an increase in goose numbers either. Current count on the State Game Refuge is 675.
Weather: Friday-Sunny, with a high near 62. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Saturday-Partly sunny, with a high near 62. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Sunday-Partly sunny, with a high near 63. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Activity: Not much for hunting activity on the unit. Some parties out on Marsh lake reported some good hunting this past week, but reports have been limited. 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 are in good condition, but water levels continue to recede. Soybean harvest is completed and corn harvest is nearing 75% done. Tillage continues although was slowed some by the rain last week. Corn stubble fields are providing hunting opportunities.
Migration: Some duck migration noted as temps cooled and strong NW winds arrived. A greater number and diversity of species including some divers are in the area compared to last week. A few Whitefronts and Snows were also observed along with Canada geese.
Weather: A trace of precipitation with cooler temps and frosty mornings along with strong West/NW winds this past week. Warming this weekend with sunny skies, highs in low 60's and lows in the 40's. Winds are predicted to be 10-15 mph from the south with higher gusts to 25 on Sunday.
Activity: Some decent reports from the duck re-opener, but other hunters struggled to find birds and were concentrating on pheasants instead. Expect better success this weekend with some new ducks in the area.
- New London
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- New Ulm/Redwood Falls
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- Slayton/Talcot Lake
Habitat: Water levels on area lakes getting lower due to lack of moisture. Many seasonal wetlands dry now.
Migration: Definite uptick in migrants with Gadwall and a few Redheads in the area along with Mallards and other puddle ducks.
Weather: No rain this week. Lots of wind with cold fronts.
Activity: Hunting pressure very low. Scouting is key.
- 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.
- West Central
- Detroit Lakes
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
"- Fergus Falls/Lake Christina
Habitat: No report.
Migration: No report.
Weather: No report.
Activity: No report.
- Glenwood
Habitat:
Migration: I was expecting some duck movement with the colder temps and northwest winds the last couple days, I didn’t see that in the area I was hunting or with a field day in the west part of the work area. I did see a few ringnecks, mallards, wood ducks and hooded mergansers but nothing in numbers.
Weather: It has continued to be warm and dry with south winds that changed briefly Tuesday and forecasted until Thursday with cooler temps and a northwest winds but it is forecasted to warm back up and winds will switch back to the south Thursday night.
Activity: The trend of very low hunter numbers continues with only one hunter observed from Saturday until this report on the 22nd. I have also heard very little shooting while out in the morning. Pheasants do seem to be getting the majority of the attention. With that I have not received much in the form of reports, for my success heavy scouting and the need to set exactly on the x has been required as it seems the birds that are here have seen what the few hunters around are offering.