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Sept. 24, 2025
Stay informed! Here’s a summary of upcoming wildlife and habitat management activities and ways you can discover, explore and experience Minnesota’s outdoors.
Waterfowl season opens this weekend
 Courtesy of Tyler Kiehm
For duck hunters, the marsh is calling. Being out at the water’s edge, cupped wings and experiencing the outdoors at morning light are experiences that many hunters look forward to all year.
Minnesota’s regular waterfowl hunting season opens a half-hour before sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Spring waterfowl counts were generally higher than last year, with the full report from the spring waterfowl survey available on the Minnesota DNR’s waterfowl management webpage. In the report, total breeding duck abundance (excluding scaup) was estimated at 417,000, which is 8% above the 2024 estimate and 32% below the long-term average going back to 1968.
Hunters can find important information about required waterfowl stamps, season dates and hunting regulations in the Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting Regulations booklet, available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, and on the DNR waterfowl hunting page.
Information to help hunters properly identify waterfowl is available in an illustrated guide on page 18 of the regulations booklet. More information on what the DNR is doing for ducks and habitat is available in the five year Duck Action Plan available on the DNR waterfowl management webpage.
Statewide pheasant numbers up nearly 50% from 2024
 “Beautiful pheasant” courtesy of Roger Wing
Great news for anyone interested in pheasants — pheasant numbers in the 2025 Minnesota August Roadside Survey were up nearly 50% from 2024 and 21% above the 10-year average.
Our milder winter likely helped the overwinter survival of hens, and the drier and warmer spring created better conditions for nesting and brood-rearing relative to last year. 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.
This year’s statewide pheasant index was 75 birds per 100 miles of roads driven, compared to 51 in 2024. Pheasant numbers increased in every region. Compared to 2024, pheasant numbers increased the most in the southeast region (189%), followed by the southwest (86%), east central (82%), south central (40%), central (33%), and west central (19%) regions.
Pheasant numbers are also above their 10-year averages in every region within the pheasant range. The regions with the highest indices include the southwest (152 birds per 100 miles), south central (82 birds per 100 miles), and west central (76 birds per 100 miles), followed by the central region (59 birds per 100 miles).
The Minnesota pheasant hunting season opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11. The full august roadside survey report, a pheasant hunting prospects map and details about pheasant hunting are available on the DNR pheasant hunting page.
Cottontail numbers are booming this year
 “Rabbit at Wood Lake Nature Center” courtesy of Cin Pan
The 2025 August Roadside Survey report includes data for eastern cottontail, gray partridge, mourning dove, rabbit, sandhill crane, white-tailed deer and white-tailed jackrabbit. One highlight for these other surveyed species is rabbit numbers.
Cottontail rabbit index (15 rabbits per 100 miles) increased from 2024 (nine rabbits per 100 miles) and exceeds the 10-year average (six rabbits per 100 miles) and the long-term average (six rabbits per 100 miles).
The east central region had the highest cottontail index (42 rabbits per 100 miles). The southwest, south central and southeast regions also had more than 17 rabbits per 100 miles and should offer good hunting opportunities, along with the east central region. The full report is available on the DNR website.
Bird hunters can help by logging details about their hunts
 Ruffed grouse courtesy of Alyssa Sheffield
Bird hunters, you’re invited to voluntarily log details about your hunts for grouse, woodcock, pheasants, prairie chickens and partridge. The DNR is working with bird hunters to improve our understanding of what hunters see in the field, to complement our existing monitoring efforts.
When you participate, you’re asked to report information specific to each hunt including: date, species pursued, if the hunter was using a dog, total hours hunted, number of birds flushed, number of birds harvested, and ages of any pheasants harvested. Hunters are also asked to report the location of their hunt including: the county and if the hunt was on a wildlife management area, a hunter walking trail or a Walk-In Access program area.
The diary is available in electronic form using web browser or app versions on the DNR website. Hunters can also print off a paper version of the diary and enter their hunts online at a later point.
Walk-In Access lands open
 Gray partridges courtesy of Kimberly Emerson
Walk-In Access areas are open for public use through May 31, 2026, with the purchase of a $3 Walk-In Access validation. The Walk-In Access program pays landowners to allow public access to their property without additional landowner contact. This year, there are around 30,000 acres of private land at more than 280 Walk-In Access sites in west, central and southern Minnesota.
Of the 30,000 acres enrolled in the program, more than 20,000 acres will be open to public uses in addition to hunting, such as bird watching, nature photography and similar compatible uses. To search for Walk-In Access sites, identify sites open to all compatible uses, find digital maps for individual sites, and get more information, visit the DNR website. Additionally, all Walk-In Access sites are shown on the DNR Recreation Compass.
Current funding for the program includes a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Walk-In Access validations purchased by hunters, a surcharge on nonresident hunting licenses and donations from hunters.
Winner chosen for waterfowl stamp contest
 St. Paul artist Matt Linz won the 2026 Minnesota waterfowl stamp contest with an oil painting of a bufflehead. Stephen Hamrick of Lakeville earned second place with an acrylic painting of a gadwall. Third place went to Chris Smith of Corcoran with a painting of a wood duck done in oil. The winners were selected on Aug. 28 out of 18 eligible submissions.
The waterfowl stamp can be purchased in combination with a hunting license, or as a collectable, with the winning stamp going on sale in 2026. Funds raised from stamp sales pay for waterfowl research, management and habitat. Visit the Minnesota DNR website for more information about habitat stamps and contest guidelines.
Deer season and hunting reminders
 “Tayla’s first buck, bowhunt 2024” courtesy of Candi Vought
The leaves are turning color and it’s time for deer hunting! Minnesota’s archery deer season is open now and we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable season.
Season dates
- Archery: Sept. 13 through Wednesday, Dec. 31
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Youth deer season and early antlerless season: Thursday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 19
- Firearms: Saturday, Nov. 8, with various closing dates depending on location
- Muzzleloader: Saturday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Dec. 14
- Late CWD (DPAs 605, 642, 643, 645, 646, 647, 648 and 649): Friday Dec. 19, through Sunday, Dec. 21.
Safety
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Be safe when using tree stands.
- Archery hunters, consider bringing an article of blaze clothing when hunting on public land because small game firearms seasons are open.
- Deer hunters, including archery hunters, who are hunting deer in a fabric or synthetic ground blind on public land must have a blaze orange safety covering on top of the blind that is visible from all directions, or a patch made of blaze orange material that is at least 144 square inches (12x12 inches) on each side of the blind.
- Tell someone where you’re going in case of an emergency.
Consider taking antlerless deer
This season, we’re encouraging hunters to take advantage of opportunities to harvest antlerless deer, which are abundant in much of the state. Early archery season is a great time to go out and harvest a doe or two.
Deer hunting is critical for deer population management. While parts of northern Minnesota continue to experience lower deer numbers than recent decades, many farmland areas need help reducing local deer populations and allow hunters to harvest multiple antlerless deer. Hunting is one of the best ways to balance the size of the local herd with the available natural forage and habitat conditions. Find bag limits and information about how many deer you can harvest where you hunt on the DNR deer hunting page.
CWD testing reminders
Hunters, please check chronic wasting disease requirements, including carcass movement restrictions, and available sampling options for the deer permit areas where you hunt. Find DPA-specific information using the DNR deer hunting planning tool. Ways to get deer tested for CWD are available on the DNR website.
Share your wildlife observations
Minnesota deer hunters can use an online log to report wildlife they see while hunting. The DNR uses the information to supplement its model-generated population estimates, which are an important tool for managing wildlife.
Find hunting tips and information
Watch a recorded DNR webinar on what to expect this deer season, and how to welcome new hunters to the tradition. Also check the interactive deer map, and read up on the deer hunting regulations deer hunting webpage.
Share your wildlife and hunting photos
Do you have any hunting or wildlife photos you want to share? Consider uploading them using the DNR photo uploader. We use many of these photos in email newsletters, social media, our webpages or other communications.
 “Moose at Mission Creek” courtesy of Hugo Hietapelto
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