Waterfowl hunting

The new ELS may go live prior to 2025 hunting seasons. Once live, it will affect activities on this page. See the DNR's ELS information page for details.

If the DNR's new Electronic Licensing System now being developed becomes active during the 2025 season, it may affect waterfowl hunting licensing and regulations. View the DNR's ELS information page for announcements, information and details.

2025 seasons

Early Teal

Zone	Dates
Statewide	Sept. 6-10
Harvest of blue-winged, green-winged and cinnamon teal allowed.

View early teal shooting restrictions

Early-season teal hunting restrictions (September 6-10) occur within the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation, the Leech Lake Reservation and the White Earth Nation Reservation. Contact the respective tribal authorities for additional information:

• Within the boundaries of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation, the taking of teal during the early-teal season is prohibited on wild rice beds that are posted open to rice harvest by tribal authorities. See the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe website or call 320-532-7896.
• Within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Reservation, the taking of teal during the early-teal season is prohibited within ½ mile of wild rice beds that are posted open to rice harvest by tribal authorities. See the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe website or call 218-368-4767.
• Within the boundaries of the White Earth Reservation, the taking of teal during the early-teal season is prohibited on wild rice waters identified by tribal authorities. See the White Earth Nation website or call the wild rice office at 218-935-3933 or manager at 218-850-8035.

Ducks, coots, mergansers

Zone	Dates
North	Sept. 27-Nov. 25
Central	Sept. 27-Oct. 5; Oct. 11-Nov. 30
South	Sept. 27-Oct. 5; Oct. 18- Dec. 7

Geese

Zone	Dates
Early goose (statewide)	Sept. 6-21
North	Sept. 27-Dec. 6
Central	Sept. 27-OCt. 5; Oct. 11-Dec. 31
South	Sept. 27-Oct. 5; Oct. 18-Jan. 7, 2026

Outlook

Weekly waterfowl report

This weekly outlook is updated on Thursdays of 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.

 

Zones

Minnesota's waterfowl hunting zones

Shooting hours

½ hour before sunrise to sunset except early teal season, when shooting cannot begin until sunrise.
Sunrise and sunset times
 

Definitions

• Migratory game birds: Defined as ducks, geese, mergansers, coots, moorhens (gallinules), woodcock, rails, snipe, sandhill cranes, and mourning doves.
• Migratory waterfowl: Defined as ducks, geese, and mergansers.
• Undressed bird: Defined as ducks, or geese or other migratory game birds with one fully-feathered wing attached.

Non-toxic shot required

It is unlawful to take geese, ducks, mergansers, coots, moorhens, or sandhill cranes with lead shot or while having any lead shot in possession. Only shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may be used.

Opening day possession limit

On the opening day of the season, no person may possess more freshly killed migratory game birds than is allowed by the daily limit.

Retrieval

A person may not kill or wound any migratory game bird without making a reasonable effort to retrieve the bird and include it in the daily limit.

Decoys

• No person may place decoys on public lands or in public waters more than two hours before legal shooting hours for waterfowl.
• No person may leave decoys on public waters between sunset and two hours before legal shooting hours or leave decoys unattended during other times for more than three consecutive hours, except decoys may be left in waters adjacent to private land under control of the hunter where there is not sufficient natural vegetation growing in the water to partially conceal a hunter. A person may not leave decoys in public waters between sunset and one hour before shooting hours if the decoys constitute a navigational hazard.
• Motorized spinning-wing decoys may be used statewide during the early teal season and throughout the entire waterfowl season, including on wildlife management areas.

Field possession limit

No person shall possess, have in custody or transport more than the daily limit or aggregate daily limit, whichever applies, of migratory game birds, tagged or not tagged at or between the place where taken and either:

1. His or her automobile or principal means of land transportation;
2. His or her personal abode or temporary transient place of lodging;
3. Migratory bird preservation facility;
4. Post office; or
5. A common carrier facility.

Wanton waste

You must make a reasonable effort to retrieve all migratory game birds that you kill or wound and keep these birds in your actual custody while in the field. You must immediately kill any wounded birds that you retrieve and count those birds toward your daily limit. Birds must remain in your possession while in the field. You may not give your birds to another person in the field regardless of whether or not they are properly tagged.