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Will Minnesota’s early teal season continue in 2025? Survey finds hunters still split

St. Paul — Results from the Minnesota DNR’s waterfowl-hunter survey for the 2023 season have been tallied. The focus of the survey leaned heavily on participation and attitudes surrounding the early teal season.

Respondents were essentially split on whether to continue with the early season, which ran for five days this year beginning Sept. 1. For those who did participate, satisfaction rates were high.

The agency conducts periodic surveys of hunters to measure and understand their preferences for management and regulations, as well as to track participation and harvest in hunting seasons. Waterfowl-hunter surveys are conducted roughly every three or four years.

“Hunter surveys are vital to (knowing) what hunters want,” said Nate Huck, DNR resident game bird specialist in Brainerd. “We rely on those surveys to inform the season-setting process.”

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Per usual, opening-weekend waterfowl results varied around Minnesota

The DNR sampled 4,000 Minnesota waterfowl stamp holders (aged 18-65) from around the state. Each participant received a letter in the mail inviting them to visit a website and complete a questionnaire. A total of 1,257 eventually responded.

Over the years, survey response rates have declined, Huck said, which requires extra work and extra expense.

“As we’ve seen declines in response rates, we’ve had to send out more surveys to get a sufficient sample size,” he said. “This ultimately means it costs more money.

“If stamp purchasers receive a survey, it’s really important that they complete it,” he added. “We really do want to hear from hunters, and that’s the perfect opportunity to give us your opinion.”

According to the survey, in 2023, 70,751 duck stamps “were held.” Of those, the DNR estimates 58,015 participated in waterfowl hunting.

Below are some of the 2023 survey results.

Respondents in the survey were split in their support (42%) or opposition (41%) to continuing the early season in Minnesota. (File photo)

Participation and harvest in early teal season

Of those who reported “any waterfowl-hunting activity in the state,” 39% participated in the early teal season. At the close of the season, 34,340 waterfowl hunting stamps were held. Of these, the DNR estimates 13,392 participated.

Participation declined sharply during the five-day season. An estimated 84% participated on opening day, while only 21% hunted on the last day. Participants hunted an average of 2.18 days. Hunters harvested around 71,000 teal, with most being bluewings (65,394).

Primary hunting location during early teal season

Most respondents reported hunting in the central zone (40%), then the south zone (34%), followed by the north zone (25%).

Satisfaction with the early teal season

Overall, participants reported “very high levels of satisfaction,” with 64% being either slightly, moderately, or very satisfied. About a third (34%) reported being very satisfied. About 24% reported being either slightly, moderately, or very dissatisfied with their overall hunting experience.

Observance of shooting outside legal hours and non-target species

Legal shooting time for the early teal season begins at sunrise (rather than one-half hour before sunrise as during the regular waterfowl season) to allay concerns about the take of non-target species.

Respondents were asked if they witnessed other hunters following the regulations. Minorities of early teal season participants reported witnessing other waterfowl hunters shoot a non-teal species (13%) or shoot before sunrise (17%).

Support for continuing early teal hunting season

The DNR decided to implement an experimental early teal season in 2021. The experimental period lasted three years, including one bonus season (this year) authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Respondents were split in their support (42%) or opposition (41%) to continuing the early season in Minnesota. An additional 18% reported having “neither support nor opposition” to the hunt moving forward.

The USFWS already has approved an early teal season for Minnesota next year. The DNR gets to decide whether to offer state waterfowlers a season, although that decision won’t be made until roughly next spring.

Huck said the DNR has a season-setting process. The state’s waterfowl committee will make a recommendation, which will then go to the wildlife management team, which is composed of higher-level managers within the Division of Wildlife. That recommendation will be reviewed by Kelly Straka, division chief. Eventually, DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen will make a final decision.

“At this time, there have been no decisions made on whether or not we will have a season,” Huck said. “We will meet next March or April to make that decision.”

According to additional findings in the survey, respondents on average bagged 11.5 ducks and 4.4 geese during the regular waterfowl season in Minnesota in 2023. A majority of respondents (59%) reported being either slightly, moderately, or very satisfied with their “general waterfowl-hunting experience” in Minnesota in 2023.

An additional 10% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 32% reported being either slightly, moderately, or very dissatisfied with their general waterfowl-hunting experience.

The survey included other general questions – from beliefs about bag limits to the preference date for the regular duck season to season dates and splits, among others.

Those findings, including additional questions about the early teal season, are in the full survey, which the DNR will post online in the near future.

For more information, visit the DNR website.

12 thoughts on “Will Minnesota’s early teal season continue in 2025? Survey finds hunters still split”

Mark Milewsky
October 2, 2024 at 1:26 pm

Not a Minnesota resident.

I live in NE Iowa across from Prairie du Chien, WI. Absolutely hate early teal season.

Iowa used to have an early duck opener for 5 days mid to late September and the hunting was outstanding.

Now with the early teal season opening weekend in Iowa & Wisconsin is mostly wood ducks, with very few teal.

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Nick
October 4, 2024 at 8:18 am

Early teal season needs stop. and push the season back going into December. Everyone wants ice Mallards. Not 90°F teal that most ppl shot the wrong kind of duck anyways. That’s not hunting in MN.
I’m sick of having to buy a non residence license in WI. Just so we can shot late season Mallards. 7 days makes a huge difference ppl.

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1. Todd Wilson
  October 7, 2024 at 9:01 am
  
  I agree completely. Go back to no early teal season. Split the season again like they did before. The second opener after the close was the best duck hunting since the 80’s. Early teal season, followed by youth season, which I agree with, followed by opening the duck season on September 21st just pushes all the ducks out and it’s too hot. Most of the teal are still here for a normal first week in October opener.
  
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Craig
October 4, 2024 at 11:28 am

Both Iowa and Minnesota have the teal season and it ruins the regular season. So until the teal seasons stop, I’ve chosen not to participate. This is good for other hunters but if the seasons go on long enough it will impact future generations as I won’t be introducing the sport to my grandchildren (the future supporters of the outdoors).

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James
October 4, 2024 at 3:56 pm

Early teal season is not good for the sport. Who wants to hunt when it’s above 80 degrees? No true sportsman wants to do this. I would rather shoot a late season mallard . That has plenty of meat, rather than getting two small bites of a teal. Opening up early takes away when the late season birds finally come down. We never get a chance lately to shoot the late season birds. Late season is the best opportunity for good numbers. We scrape a few birds during the middle but the real good hunts come later on. We have traditional thanksgiving hunts. Now we can’t do that. Tradition ruined. For what? The sport is getting ruined by our decision makers. Want more hunters? More revenue? Quit screwing with the time tables. Bring back our late season hunt. I grew up with my grandpa, dad, and uncles freezing in the duck blind. But some of the best memories I’ve ever had. Because those were some of the best hunts. I want to give my boys those same memories.

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Larry
October 7, 2024 at 8:15 am

There have been many years (before early teal season started) where the majority of Minnesota teal flew south before we had a chance to hunt them. As such, I like the early teal season. I also think they’re the best tasting ducks. Just because there is an early teal season, I don’t see why Minnesota duck hunting cannot go until at least December 4th like it used to. Hunting teal in early September shouldn’t have an impact on late season mallards that are coming down from Canada.

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Todd Wilson
October 7, 2024 at 9:06 am

I agree completely. Go back to no early teal season. Split the season closing southern zone for 10 days again like they did before. The second opener after the close was the best duck hunting since the 80’s. Early teal season, followed by youth season, which I agree with, followed by opening the duck season on September 21st just pushes all the ducks out and it’s too hot. Most of the teal are still here for a normal first week in October opener.

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Al Neumann
October 7, 2024 at 10:28 am

No early teal season from all in my family.. Too hot many other ducks are shot and it pushes many ducks off and out of the state…

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John Bier
October 7, 2024 at 11:15 am

Absolutely, get rid of the early Teal season! It only serves to drive every species of duck and geese out of the area prior to the start of the NORMAL waterfowl opener. With rampant wetlands loss, out-of-control drain-tiling of farm fields, invasive cattails, the continual decline of duck populations (including Teal), and multiple early waterfowl seasons, the MN DNR seems intent on destroying the tradition of waterfowl hunting in Minnesota.

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Steve
October 7, 2024 at 9:36 pm

Early early season ruins the regular season opener. We already have the early goose season and the youth hunt. Now the early teal season. With that much shooting and added pressure some of the local birds have left the state. We already have a decline in duck numbers and will in turn have a greater decline in hunters with empty skies come regular opener.

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Chris
October 8, 2024 at 5:59 am

I hate all early season duck hunts we should start hunting ducks 1st of October no earlier everywhere in state and go till mid December. Have stoped hunting ducks in Minnesota I only buy a stamp if I shoot a duck or two while hunting grouse or pheasants. We should stop buy duck stamps and force them to change the season

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TMM
October 9, 2024 at 11:43 am

I cant believe the survey numbers are as close as they are. I really do not see a increase in hunter numbers resulting from an early teal season. I hear of more non-target species shot, and its hot, and it pushes ducks out prior to other hunting opportunities.

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