Weekly waterfowl migration report

Habitat conditions across the state are generally in good shape. A few locations across the state have seen birds push into the area, but for the most part things are unchanged. There are some northwest winds in the forecast that may push in new birds to the state. The south zone reopens on Saturday. Good luck and stay sade for those who venture out this week!

Cambridge

Habitat: No Report.

Migration: No Report.

Activity: No Report.

Mille Lacs WMA

Habitat: Habitat conditions are in great shape. Many ponds had excellent wild rice production this year. Water levels are average for this time of year. Access to ponds and wetlands remains good.

Migration: Locals remain the majority of birds present in the area but they have responded to pressure by seeking out refuges. Species consist primarily of mallards, wood ducks with a few ring-necks. No observed influx of new birds.

Weather: A wetter cooling trend has moved in recently. Mornings have been cool but warming up by afternoons. Water levels continue to drop with the overall lack of precipitation but access remains fairly good.

Activity: Hunter success dropped a fair amount since the split reopened. Bag checks on local waters showed very few birds per group. Harvest will likely remain low until we see an influx of migrant birds.

North Metro/Carlos Avery WMA

Habitat: Water levels remain consistent or slightly higher with the rain this week. Most of the wild rice is knocked down. Some acorns are still falling in areas with mature oaks. Soybeans in the area have been harvested and some farmers have begun harvesting corn.

Migration: Some new birds have moved into the area. Duck numbers are quite a bit higher than last week. Notably, there is a decent amount of ring-necked ducks that have moved in. There are more mallards in the area than last week with a smattering of other dabbling ducks. There are still a good number of wood ducks and green winged teal around with a handful of wigeon, gadwall, and a couple pintails. There continues to be a large number of coots in the area and a stable number of geese.

Weather: With the cooler weather and rain it feels a lot more like duck season. Water levels remain high providing good access. Temperatures look to rise going into the weekend which could slow things down.

Activity: There has been an increase in hunting pressure this week likely due to the favorable weather coming off of the season split. Some hunters have found success when they dedicate some time to scouting. Small game and deer hunters have become more active in the field and the early antlerless and youth deer seasons take place this weekend so there will be increased human presence on the landscape.

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: Water levels continue to drop with drought conditions despite recent light scattered precipitation events. Access may be limited in areas due to lower water levels and dense stands of windfallen wild rice stalks.

Migration: There was a brief influx of birds with the cold front the week of October 6th, but most of these birds continued south after a short duration stay in the area. This week there are few ducks reported on area water bodies. Ring-necks and mallards are the most common, with some teal and wood duck still present.

Weather: Lingering mild daytime weather (highs in the high 50’s/low 60’s) but cooling down overnight (lows in mid-30s to mid-40s) along with storm fronts from the south/west bringing a mix of showers toward the end of the week into the weekend.

Activity: Hunters who capitalized on the cold front had good success with a mix of wood ducks, ring-necks, mallards, teal, and a few pintails, scaup, and wigeon. Duck numbers and success decreased slowly after the push of birds with the October 6th cold front. Very few ducks and geese on area water bodies and very low hunter success this week. Scouting will be essential for success. Duck numbers may continue to remain low until another northerly cold front brings more migrating birds down.

Park Rapids

Habitat: Water levels are still low even with some rain lately. A few wild rice stands are still providing some cover. Crop harvest continues to progress quickly with the favorable conditions with regular corn harvest in full swing.

Migration: We picked up a few more mid-season migrants, including ring-necks, and Canada geese this week but not any large numbers. Scouting will be needed to find huntable numbers of ducks.

Weather: Temperatures remain more seasonal with rain chances as of late. No major cold fronts are predicted in the near future and partly sunny skies, some wind, and moderate temperatures are forecasted for the weekend.

Activity: Hunters are reporting poor success for this time of year and are struggling to find birds. The few successful duck hunters report a mixed bag and goose hunting continues to be the bright spot.

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.

Roseau River WMA

Habitat: Another significant rainstorm hit over the weekend. Pools bounced up to 5" but are approaching targets again and the river his holding at 6' from last week's heavy rain. Most of the crops are off and 50% of those tilled. With the rain, ditches are full and most low areas in fields are flooded.

Migration: Last week's weather brough an exchange of birds but no net gain. Duck numbers are similar to last week but green-winged teal have replaced the majority of the BWT. Mallards, ringnecks, and green-winged teal are the most common species. Snow geese were seen as of 10/8 as were new Canada geese but few are using the WMA with all of the adjacent sheetwater which of course ducks are taking advantage of as well. Few cranes remain in the area.

Weather: Another 0.5" of rain is forecast before the weekend along with high winds from the southwest Friday. Winds will shift out of the west and continue to remain above 10mph through the weekend with little chance of rain. Temperatures will be in the 50's with lows around freezing. Looking further out, the current forecast for the middle of the week is highs in the 40s with strong NW winds. Lows will remain around freezing.

Activity: Harvest success varied a fair amount between pools and days. Weekday hunts had success of 2.0 ducks per hunter and 0.08 geese per hunter compared to 2.7 dph and 0.09 gph for the weekend. Mallards were the most common species harvested for the week, but other dabblers (mainly blue-winged and green-winged teal) and ring-necked ducks were also harvested. Dike repairs are complete but hunters should still take caution driving across the road to the Pool 2 spillway. Water levels are still low at Pool 2, so canoes and kayaks are recommended. 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 has been cut in the past week.

Migration: The goose count Wednesday morning was up 100 birds from last week. 720 Canada geese were seen, and some snow geese have been using the lake, too. The ducks we gained early last week have either left or gotten stale. Those camping long term report that although these ducks have been here a while now they are tough to pattern and do something different every day.

Weather: Highs in the 50s are expected through next Tuesday, when our next predicted northwest wind should drop highs into the 40s. Sunday morning might dip down to the freezing mark, but lows above 32 are expected through early next week. Southeast winds Thursday will shift southwest and pick up to over 20 mph on Friday, turn west-northwest for the weekend, and back south on Monday before the cold front next Tuesday. Rain is expected Thursday and possible on Friday. Saturday should be partly cloudy, while Sunday looks sunny.

Activity: Hunting pressure picked up last weekend, but was light again on Tuesday. Hunter success was highly variable. Several parties had limits, while several came in with one or two ducks in their boats. Hunters average 2.23 ducks each on Friday, 2.56 on Saturday, and 2.10 on Tuesday. Ringnecks were most common, followed by wigeon, reheads, and a few pintails and mallards.

Thief River Falls

Habitat: Water levels in the lakes and wetlands are normal, with good access. Small grain harvest is complete, with some fields having been worked at least once. Soybean harvest is wrapping up.

Migration: No change from past weeks, still not much for movement. Expecting maybe something could happen in the upcoming week.

Weather: Have been receiving some rain in the past week, along with some colder night time lows. Forecast for the weekend is for highs in the low to mid-50s and night time lows in the mid to upper-30s. No rain currently expected for the weekend and winds will be in the teens out of the west and northwest, swinging to the southwest Sunday afternoon/evening.

Activity: Some limited success reported, mostly in the area around Agassiz NWR. Birds included geese, mallards and pintails.

Owatonna

Habitat: Marshes have good habitat conditions. River levels are low as is normal for the fall season. With some exceptions, most shallow lakes are also near seasonal norms or trending low. Habitat conditions in shallow lakes are variable. Many lakes have fair to poor habitat due to high water and deleterious fishes. Access is challenging at Rice Lake (Steele County) and Buffalo Lake (Waseca County) due to managed drawdowns. Scouting is recommended. Row crop harvest is about 50% complete, but has slowed some due to the rain. Soybean harvest is nearing completion and most farmers have been concentrating on corn.

Migration: Most blue-wing teal have departed. Wood ducks have been moving through the area with numbers seeming to drop off some as the cold fronts have passed. Coot numbers have been slowly building and we are seeing increased mallard activity. Traditionally, mid-October brings the first significant movement of divers especially ring-necks and canvasbacks.

Weather: Temperatures remained above normal through the 12th when a cold front brought northerly winds and a few light showers. Cool (i.e., more seasonal) conditions continued and the fall dry spell was finally broken by widespread light rain the 14th and 15th. Total precipitation for the week has been about 3/4th inch. A southerly winds are predicted to return seasonably warm conditions and more showers through Friday.

Activity: The waterfowl season has been closed for the south zone split. Hunter activity was more focused on deer, pheasants and othersmall game.

Rochester

Habitat: No report.

Migration: No report.

Weather: No report.

Activity: No report.

Appleton

Habitat: Recent rains have slowed the pothole drying, but also slowed the grain harvest. Soybeans are mostly done, but corn is probably at 25% or less. Fields will be muddy and wetlands will still be full this weekend.

Migration: Anything we might have gained last week for larger ducks was negated by an obvious loss in blue-winged teal and wood ducks. It's been quiet.

Weather: Rainy this week but dry and breezy winds from the west for the weekend. Temps all over the board from highs in the 70's to low's in the 30's.

Activity: Duck hunting took second stage to the pheasant opener, and it was mostly slow. That said, persistant fowlers are still finding good success in hidded shallow potholes (that are usually dry this time of year, but not this year).

Lac qui Parle WMA

Habitat: Water levels on wetlands and impoundments are at normal pool or slighlty above normal due to recent rainfall. In some cases, waterlevels may be way above normal. Water levels on Lac qui Parle Lake are currenlty below normal due to work on the emergency spillway by the dam, but conditions continue to change. Water levels on Marsh Lake are at or above normal pool. Boat access should be great on Marsh lake. We are trending drier, some areas of flooded crop fields are drying up and some waterlevels are trending lower. Much of the cattails have died back due to high water levels. Soybean harvest is about 80 percent complete with corn harvest in full swing as well.

Migration: Still no huge increase in Canada geese on the Refuge. Current count on the Refuge is 350. Decent amount of early season migrant ducks showed up early this week. Some more diver species noticed. Still good numbers of teal, mallards, wigeon, and gadwall around.

Weather: Saturday-Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Saturday Night-Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. West northwest wind around 10 mph. Sunday-Sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Activity: Hunting was good for the second opener after the split season. Many reports of limits or near limits. Scouting is key to find food rich areas where birds are comfortable. 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. However, water levels have continued to drop, although the recent precipitation will help. Soybean harvest is done and corn harvest is about half done. Tillage activities have started but there are corn stubble fields providing hunting opportunities.

Migration: No major migration has occurred with the mild weather so scouting is key to find pockets of ducks. There are still some teal around and decent numbers of geese. Coot are rafting up in larger numbers.

Weather: The area received about 0.6" of rain this week with 1 morning of frost. Weekend forecast is temps around 60 for highs and above freezing lows. Winds are predicted to be NW 10-20 mph with higher gusts throughout the weekend.

Activity: The season has been closed since October 5 and will re-open October 18.

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 nearly full. Some wetlands are a bit lower with recent dry spell. Bean harvest nearly complete with corn harvest well underway. Rain this week slowed corn harvest, but about 30-40% complete.

Migration: Some migrants showing up, but not many. Local ducks dominate are lakes and marshes.

Weather: It has been warm and windy with 0.50"-0.75" of rain this week.

Activity: Season re-opens the 18th

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Swan Lake

Habitat: Swan Lake water levels continue to drop with the dryer weather and do not anticipapate levels to change much with the wet weather early this week. Food is still plentiful and access to most of the lake is still possible.

Migration: There seems to be a few new birds in the area but no big pushes have been noted.

Weather: Weather this week has been closer to seasonal norms along with some more wet and overcast weather. We are still expierencing strong south winds throuhgout the week and into the week with some forcasted WNW winds Saturday for the south zone 2nd opener.

Activity: No reports due to south zone being in a split.

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Windom

Habitat: Generally our wetlands and shallow lakes area in decent condition. Most are at or below full pool.

Migration: Ducks have moved into the area since the beginning of the split. Ducks in the area include teal, wood ducks, mallards, pintail and gadwall. Coots have shown up as well.

Weather: Our weather went from hot and dry to cool and wet. Although the precipitation was minimal, any precipitation at this point is welcomed. Expect more seasonal weather this coming weekend.

Activity: This coming weekend could be decent. There appears to be more ducks here now than there was during the first nine days. In addition, geese have increased as well.

Detroit Lakes

Habitat: Lakes and wetlands remain low. Wild rice beds are beginning to deteriorate. Corn harvest has kicked into high gear with 15 to 20% of fields harvested or in the process of being harvested.

Migration: A few ringnecks and green-winged teal are around but no significant migration has been noted. Overall duck numbers are still low, but we have seen a trickle of new birds inluding widgeon, redheads, and canvasbacks. Some local mallards and woodducks are around but are utilizing refuge areas or private lands that are not hunted. Goose numbers remain similar to last week.

Weather: Temperatures have been more seasonal for this time of year with highs in the 50's and low's dipping into the 30's. Northerly winds have been hard to come by of late.

Activity: Success has been spotty at best with few hunters out. Ringnecks have been the main bird in the bag with a smattering of other species in the bag. Some hunters are targeting geese in harvested fields.

Fergus Falls/Lake Christina

Habitat: We've gotten rain this week on Sunday, Tuesday, and overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Cooler temps are more consitent now, but no real cold temperatures in the forecast.

Migration: A cold front earlier this week brought in some new ducks, but they seem to be bunched up in few places. With more water on the landscape than the last couple falls, hunters would do best to find those areas where the water is shallowest - that seems to be where ducks want to be. Good numbers of now colored-up mallards, green-winged teal, pintails, gadwalls, wigeon, and shovelers are around. Lake Christina is starting to see more divers, with some good flocks of redheads and canvasbacks using the lake.

Weather: We've gotten rain this week on Sunday, Tuesday, and overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Cooler temps are more consitent now, but no real cold temperatures in the forecast.

Activity: Ducks have been lacking on the landscape and hunter success has reflected that. Pheasant season is now open, youth deer season and early antlerless seasons are going this MEA weekend. Ducks or no - it's the best time of year to get out!

Glenwood

Habitat: No Change from Last report "Water levels are high on most of the wetlands creating deep water/poor habitat conditions on the larger basins. At the same time we are seeing sheet water in fields and flooded areas around wetlands creating shallow water feeding conditions for ducks. Making the ducks that are here spread out." Crop harvest continues at a fast pace with most of the beans harvested and many of those fields already worked, corn is also well underway with 50% harvest in some parts of the work area.

Migration: We did see some duck numbers build up during the off week and what appeared to be a decent push with the weather change earlier last week. This created some decent hunting for those that decided to go after ducks and skip the pheasant opener. With the cold last week most of the blue wing teal seemed to have left but a fair amount off woodies seems to have remained, we also seeing some numbers of divers like redheads and ringnecks show up but nothing huge yet.

Weather: After a very wet summer things have dried out and been unseasonably warm, although water levels have not dropped much. We are forecasted to get some rain the rest of this week into the weekend but not enough to change much.

Activity: Hunters who capitalized on the cold front had good success with a mix of wood ducks, ring-necks, mallards, teal, and a few pintails, scaup, and wigeon. Duck numbers and success decreased slowly after the push of birds with the October 6th cold front. Very few ducks and geese on area water bodies and very low hunter success this week. Scouting will be essential for success. Duck numbers may continue to remain low until another northerly cold front brings more migrating birds down.