Weekly waterfowl migration report

Generally, conditions are wet to very wet in the southern two-thirds of the state and drier in the northern third. Bird numbers across the state appear to be spotty. To be successful, hunters will need to scout to find consistent bird numbers. The weather will be warm this weekend, and folks should consider packing bug spray. As always, be safe when you venture out.

Sauk Rapids

Habitat: Overall habitat conditions are great throughout the Wright/ Stearns/ Sherburne County area. Most ponds and lakes have risen back up to normal levels, and multiple years of below average water levels have provided quite a bit of flooded emergent vegetation for feeding and resting. Despite above average rainfall all summer, the last two weeks of dry weather have started to shrink some of the smaller ponds and seasonal wetlands.

Migration: Very little migration noted yet, other than local birds beginning to congregate (especially wood ducks).

Weather: Seasonally average and dry for the next week, so not much change expected.

Activity: A few goose hunters are finding success in pasture ponds and the few small grain fields that are around. Silage harvest is really picking up this week and should provide a few more field hunting opportunities.

Cambridge

Habitat: Wetlands and shallow lakes are at above average levels going into the regular waterfowl opener with dryer conditions to the north. Wild Rice conditions is above average to outstanding. Wet conditions throughout the field season has led to a bumper crop of soybeans & corn. Some corn silage has been cut. Most small grains have been harvested throughout the work area.

Migration: Canada Geese have been observed throught the Cambridge work area feeding in cut small grain fields & harvested alfalfa fields and roosting in adjacent wetlands. There have been decent flocks of mallards and wood ducks seen. It has been two weeks since the Early Teal Season and they have moved out of work area.

Weather: Early Teal Season saw unusually cool weather - that has shifted now to warmer temps and looks like lows will be in the 50s and highs in the 70s for opening weekend.

Activity: With the cooler temps for Early Teal Season we saw good numbers of duck hunters. With the majority of the duck hunters have good success.

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 most ponds should not be an issue.

Migration: Locally produced ducks and geese are present but in lower numbers than most years. Species consist primarily of mallards, wood ducks and teal. No influx of new birds

Weather: Warm and dry conditions have been the norm for the last month.

Activity:

North Metro/Carlos Avery WMA

Habitat: Some areas saw localized heavy rain this past weekend and water levels are up which should faciliatate access. Wild rice production was variable this year.

Migration: Mallards, wood ducks, and some teal should be available for hunters in addition to some geese.

Weather: Warm weather the last couple weeks and expected warm weather for opening weekend will keep local ducks around for hunters.

Activity: Teal season saw limited success due to few teal around.

Grand Rapids

Habitat: Water levels are at average heights currently. This year started with a dry spring thru early summer. Water levels rose in July to average heights and have stayed there even with dry spell in August. There has been an abundance of dense rice across the Itasca County region. Some scattered areas still have standing rice stalks while others are laying flat.

Migration: Currently ducks are few and far between. There's a few more Canada geese that have shown up locally in recent weeks. There are pockets of wood ducks and teal around rice waters with few other ducks being spotted. Still a few local goldeneyes hanging around on local lakes. No evidence of migration activities happening just yet.

Weather: Opening weekend forecast: sunny, lows between 49-53F and highs in the 70's. Winds will be calm to as high as 10mph out of both northwest and southwest.

Activity: The early teal and goose season was slow from hunters we received reports from. Very few birds around with limited opportunities.

Brainerd

Habitat: Wetland conditions are generally good and access should be good to excellent on most lakes. Wild rice was was mostly good this year. Soybean harvest is just getting started.

Migration: Molt migrant geese are have started returning to the area. Teal mostly left the area with the cold fronts at the begnning of the month. Big duck numbers are spotty.

Weather: Since the early cold front temps have been warm which is forecasted to continue at least through the weekend.

Activity: There was very little teal and youth hunter activity. Success was spotty for those that got out.

Aitkin

Habitat: Habitat conditions in the Aitkin area good. Summer rains have held water at levels that will provide good access. Wild rice beds in the area faired good to excellent and should provide good cover.

Migration: No movement of birds noticed in the area.

Weather: South winds with warm temperatures in the extended forecast.

Activity: Hunters report seeing a fair number of ducks on wild rice beds. Wood ducks were reported to make up the majority of ducks seen at the tail end of early goose season.

No reports this week.

Thief Lake

Habitat: The lake level is just barely above our normal fall target level, which is about 8 inches lower than last year on opener. Accesses on the south side of the lake are a bit shallow. Bullrush cover looks tall and dense. Submerged weeds are very thick in places and outboard motors may struggle. Sago pondweed seed production looks good. Crop harvest appears late, with some wheat still standing and no corn cut.

Migration: Bird numbers on Thief Lake are currently very low. Local duck production was pretty good, but the record cold we had at the start of September (before teal and early goose seasons opened) pushed most of our ducks (including mallards) out and they have not been replaced yet. Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge south of Thief Lake (NOT open to waterfowl hunting) is reportedly holding good numbers of mallards and pintails. Goose numbers in the area are good compared to recent years.

Weather: After a couple record lows to start September we have been warm. We will stay well above average with several highs around 80 degrees and southerly winds throughout the extended forecast. The only north wind will be Thursday, 9-25. We need some birds to ride it down.

Activity: Teal season was even worse than last year, with hunters averaging just 1.27 teal each per day. Youth hunters averaged 2.55 ducks on Sturday and 1.40 on Sunday. Ringnecks, blue-wings, redheads, and mallards were the top birds bagged.

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 on-going.

Migration: No big movements yet and none predicted in near future. There are pockets of ducks and geese around, mostly wood duck and few teal, and some cranes field feeding in the Agassiz NWR/Elm Lake WMA/Eckvoll WMA area.

Weather: Temperatures have been in the 50's at night, 70's and 80's for daytime highs. The week leading up to the opener has been dry, though had some rain the previous week. Weekend weather forecast is cooling off slightly with lows in the upper 40's/low 50's at night and a high of 68 on Saturday and 76 on Sunday. No rain forecast, winds 10-15 mph from the northwest, then shifting to southerly overnight Saturday.

Activity: None reported.

Owatonna

Habitat: The Owatonna area has been wet most of the spring and summer resulting in abundant water. Shallow wetlands and marshes have good habitat conditions. In the central portion of the area numerous fields have ponded water due to recent heavy rains. River levels are normal for the season as is the case with shallow lakes. Habitat conditions in shallow lakes are variable. Many lakes have fair to poor habitat due to high water and deleterious fishes resulting in poor vegetation and food resources. Boat access is challenging at Rice Lake (Steele County) and Buffalo Lake (Wasea County) due to managed drawdowns. Scouting is recommended. Sweet corn, other canning crops, hay and some silage corn are being harvested, but most row crop harvest has yet to begin.

Migration: Most blue-winged teal that had been staging on local marshes in August had dispersed from the area prior to the early teal season. A minor movement of Canada geese and coots was noted in the middle of the month. Local production of Canada geese, wood ducks and mallards was good. No significant concentrations of blue-winged teal or other summer ducks have been noted. Ducks have been dispersed with good water conditions in numerous small ponds and marshes. Mosquitoes are abundant.

Weather: A cool front brought a taste of fall in early September, but otherwise, most of the month has been dominated by warm. summerlike weather patterns. During the past week regular light precipitation has fallen across the area with heavy rains early this week noted along the Highway 30-I 90 corridor. The forecast for the remainder of the week and opening weekend is for dry and warm conditions.

Activity: Teal Season: Overall hunter activity was light to moderate. Success was poor in most areas. Northern portions of the area had somewhat better success. Goose: Goose hunting activity has been similar to recent years. Success was variable with field hunters finding better success. Overwater goose hunting was slow. Goose movements were limited with warm, stable weather conditions. Youth Waterfowl: Hunter activity was light.

New Ulm/Redwood Falls

Habitat: Abundant precipitation this summer and early fall has area wetland basins full. The Minnesota river was in flood stage a majority of the summer and while the river itself has receded it has left behind numerous flooded oxbows and areas of flood timber. Crop harvest has barely started, with some soybeans starting to be combined (still almost 100% still standing) and small amounts of corn chopped for silage or combined for high moisture corn (still 95%+ of corn standing).

Migration: Locally produced ducks are still in the area with little if any influx of migrants.

Weather: Unseasonably warm temperatures and southerly winds have characterized much of September, which has delayed and significant migration. Precipitation has continued and kept area wetlands full. Weather for the opener is forecast to be above average. Mosquitos will be an issue.

Activity: A few goose hunters are finding success in pasture ponds and the few small grain fields that are around. Silage harvest is really picking up this week and should provide a few more field hunting opportunities.

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 is currently at normal pool, but conditions continue to change. Water levels on Marsh Lake are at or above normal pool. Boat access should be great on Marsh lake. Much of the cattails have died back due to high water levels. Some silage fields have been harvested in the area. Not much for corn or soybean harvest notied, but will be starting to pick up soon.

Migration: No real influx of molt migrant Canada Geese in the area. Ok numbers of teal, wood ducks,mallards, and other puddle ducks. Scouting will be key. Many areas with flooded crop fields are present due to rains this summer. Scouting to find productive wetlands or flooded crop fields with food will be key.

Weather: Forecast looks to be sunny with calm winds both Saturday and Sunday. Temps in the mid to high 70's low 80's exepcted over the weekend.

Activity: 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.

Appleton

Habitat: Lots of water on the landscape with flooded vegetation on the fringes of deeper basins, many well hidden shallow basins, and flooded depressions in crop fields. Some harvested wheat and cut silage fields holding birds, but difficult to hunt with muddy conditions.

Migration: It's been mild enough that we haven't seen much movement in the last few weeks, except for a few molt migrate geese returning. Still a fair number of blue-winged teal and wood ducks, but also a few gadwall, widgeon and pintail mixed in already.

Weather: While we haven't seen any rain recently, we are still wet. There's been no winds to speak of and temps have been summer like. It looks like it'll stay that way through opening weekend.

Activity: Teal season activity was high on opening Saturday and quiet on Sunday. Youth season on the following weekend was very quiet. Those that hunted teal and youth found reasonable success early each morning, but it was slow as the temps rose with sun. Fair number of geese around during the early season, with good success for those with permission to private lands.

Windom

Habitat: Generally wetland conditions and shallow lakes are in decent shape. Shallow lakes in the Windom area are below full pool.

Migration: There are a some local ducks including teal and mallards in the work area.

Weather: Above average temperatures are forecasted for opening weekend.

Activity: Early teal was spotty at best. There were reports of limits being shot, but those reports were in the minority.

Marshall

Habitat: Most wetlands and shallow lakes have been at full pool most of the summer and in good condition. Recently, however, water levels have started to recede but there are still some pockets of flooded fields that are holding ducks. Soybean harvest is just underway and corn silage/earlage harvest is wrapping up and providing good field hunting opportunities.

Migration: Some molt migrant geese have returned to the area and there are some rafts of coot. Teal numbers are not great, but bigger local ducks are in the area along with fairly good numbers of geese.

Weather: Unseasonably warm weather will greet hunters on the opener with a low Friday night around 60 and temps rising to near 80 Saturday with sunny skies and light NW wind. Sunday's high is predicted to be 86 with sun and light south wind - not very ducky.

Activity: A couple reports of early teal and youth waterfowl hunters taking limits, but very spotty and with limited participation.

Swan Lake

Habitat: The lake is about a half foot over full service level with recent rains along with many storms throughout the summer. Habitat conditions on Swan given the heavy rains is great with a lot of food and cover avaiable throughout the lake. Farmers are starting to take out corn and soy in the area with some geese moving off their summer areas into the partially harvested fields.

Migration: There are small numbers of teal hanging around with the warm weather. Many coots staging on the lake currently but no real numbers of other ducks yet on the big lake.

Weather: Overnights have been mild with low winds bringing in heavy fog.Heavy rains this past weekend have kept lake levels easily accessible.

Activity: No reports from teal season or end of early goose season. Did see some area hunters out scouting for opening weekend.

Fergus Falls/Lake Christina

Habitat: We enter the regular waterfowl season after a spring and summer with good precipitation, though perhaps a bit drier over the past month. Wetlands are in good condition around the area, holding much more water than the past couple seasons. Lake Christina is about a foot higher than last fall, but has good plant growth across the huntable area. Small grain fields are harvested, but bean and corn harvest has not yet begun.

Migration: Migration has not yet begun. We are still seeing mostly local ducks around, with a few pockets of divers like ringnecks around, but no real numbers anywhere.

Weather: It's been unseasonably warm the since the early teal season, and that will continue through this weekend with highs in the mid-70s.

Activity: Teal season saw mixed success, with some limits taken in popular spots, but others having little to no success.

Glenwood

Habitat: Water levels are high on most of the wetlands creating poor habitat conditions, but easy access

Migration: I had been seeing a some Blue wing teal, Wood ducks and Mallards moving around within the last two weeks, along with what appears to be a good reproduction year based on the number of broods observed over the course of the summer. Geese had a lower reproduction year so have been for the most part scarce across the work area for the September goose hunt and this will also be the case for the duck opener

Weather: Weather conditions have been very wet over the last few months filling the wetlands after no runoff from the snow melt. The extended forecast is calling for warm and dry for the extended.

Activity: I saw very little activity from early teal, after Saturday, with the youth hunters being a little more active and haveing suscess. Goose numbers have been very low with few hunters looking for them after the first weekend.