Pheasant numbers jump up in southwestern Minnesota

Southwest region pheasant numbers saw significant, triple-digit increases in the Minnesota DNR’s annual roadside pheasant survey. 

The pheasant index increased 101% in the southwest region and 38% in the west central region. Other areas saw decreases in pheasant numbers, with numbers dropping 39% in the central, 63% in the east central, 11% in the south central and 50% in the southeast regions.

Statewide, pheasants averaged a 10% increase from 2022 and 26% above the 10-year average. This year’s statewide pheasant index was 53 birds per 100 miles of roads driven, compared to 48 in 2022.

Weather and habitat are the main influences on Minnesota’s pheasant population trends. Weather causes annual fluctuations in pheasant numbers, while habitat drives long-term population trends. Shifts this year are due to weather conditions, with pheasant populations benefiting from favorable weather conditions in the southwest and west central areas. Keep in mind that long term, there is nothing to suggest that some areas’ increase in pheasant numbers will continue as a trend, given that there is not a corresponding increase in habitat.

The Minnesota pheasant hunting season opens 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.

Reminder: Deer lottery application deadline is today

Firearm and muzzleloader hunters: Reminder that if you want to harvest an antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery this hunting season, purchase your license today if you haven’t already. Hunters who purchase their license on or before today, Sept. 7, are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare.

Successful applicants will receive a postcard in the mail authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit or five-deer limit designations.

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery. That application deadline is also Sept. 7.

More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the Minnesota DNR website and in the 2023 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, available online and in print wherever DNR licenses are sold.

“She knew that I didn’t have a doe tag” photo courtesy of Clayton Cozad

Ready for the marsh? Youth waterfowl weekend is Sept. 9-10

During the youth waterfowl hunt Sept. 9-10, youth hunters will have a special opportunity to learn how to hunt waterfowl with an adult who is not hunting. During the two-day hunt, waterfowl hunters 17 and younger, when accompanied by a non-hunting adult 18 and older, can take ducks, geese, mergansers, coots and moorhens from a half hour before sunrise to sunset. Hunters should review important details about participating in this hunt on page 8 of the Minnesota Waterfowl Regulations.

Throughout Minnesota, the youth waterfowl weekend happens when many people are engaged in a wide range of water-based activities, including harvesting wild rice. The Minnesota DNR urges all over-water waterfowl hunters to be aware of and cautious about people participating in other activities on the water, no matter where they hunt.

Winner chosen for waterfowl stamp contest

Albert Lea artist Mark Kness won the Minnesota waterfowl stamp contest with an acrylic painting of a ring-neck duck. Jake Levisen of Austin earned second place with a ring-neck duck painting done in open acrylics, soft body acrylics and water-mixable oils. Third place went to Stephen Hamrick of Lakeville with a painting of a ring-neck duck done in acrylic on illustration board. The winners were selected out of 13 eligible submissions. The waterfowl stamp can be purchased in combination with a hunting license, or as a collectable. Visit the Minnesota DNR website for more information about habitat stamps and contest guidelines.

Make a plan for archery season

Ready for archery season? Minnesota’s archery deer season opens Saturday, Sept. 16. We’re encouraging archery hunters to make a plan for the season by considering safety, hunting regulations, chronic wasting disease and steps they need to take to process their deer. Read more about factors to consider for this season.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Dunlop

Deer hunters: please share your wildlife observations

Deer hunters, please consider sharing your observations of wildlife to help broaden our knowledge about deer and other wildlife species. This is our fourth year using a community science approach, and we’re hoping to build on the helpful results from the last few years.

The Minnesota DNR uses the information to supplement population estimates, which are an important tool for managing wildlife.

Using a mobile device or desktop computer, deer hunters can enter information on the DNR website about wildlife they see while in the field including deer, turkey, bear, fisher and other species.

Please fill out a report after each hunt even if you don’t see any deer that day. Filling out a report even if no deer are observed is important as it allows for an accurate estimate of the number of deer observed per hour of field observations, which provides a useful comparison to deer density modeling results.

Photo courtesy of Terry Graham

Walk-In Access lands open

Hunters can access 29,000 acres of private land across 41 counties in western and south-central Minnesota through the Walk-In Access program, which pays landowners to allow public hunting on their property. Hunters with a $3 Walk-In Access validation can access these lands from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset during open hunting seasons between Sept. 1 and May 31. No additional landowner contact is necessary. Digital maps for individual Walk-In Access sites, along with more information for hunters, can be found on the Minnesota DNR website.

DNR offers ways to learn about new outdoor activities this fall

Registration is open for new sessions of the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.

Fall webinar topics include hunting deer with a crossbow, woodcock hunting, sandhill cranes, planning a bird hunting road trip, fall turkey hunting, fall fishing tips, ciscos in Minnesota lakes, knife care, elk in Minnesota, the No Child Left Inside Grant Program, planning a wilderness canoe trip, plant diseases like galls on goldenrod, and emerald ash borers.

The webinars are free, and participants must pre-register. Find more information including fall webinar topics, videos of past webinars and how to register, on the Minnesota DNR website.

Twins offer free hats

Anyone with a 2023 Minnesota fishing or hunting license can receive a free special edition orange Minnesota Twins logo cap and a ticket discount from the Minnesota Twins through a partnership between the Twins and the Minnesota DNR.

The final DNR Days at the Twins game for this season is 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. the New York Mets. Promotion details, instructions for purchasing tickets, and information on buying a fishing or hunting license are available on the Minnesota DNR Days webpage. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time using a special DNR link to receive this offer.