Duck Hunting in Minnesota

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 5:00 pm by Tony Jones

Duck Hunting in Minnesota 2015-03-13T17:00:57-05:00 Tony Jones

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This weekend marks the opening of waterfowl season in Minnesota. Due to soccer, baseball, and Irish dance with the kids, I won’t get up north to hunt until the middle of next week, and it’s likely that there won’t be many ducks left. Sure, there’s a cold front coming over the weekend which will push ducks south, and once ducks have been shot at, they tend to get pretty skittish about landing into a group of decoys.

But the bigger reason is that ducks don’t migrate through Minnesota anymore. There was a day when tens of thousands of ducks that summered in Canada would fly south along the Mississippi River — what’s called the Mississippi Flyway. But no more.

Migratory Flyways

Decades ago, there was lots of standing water in Minnesota in the fall. More primitive farming techniques meant that cultivated fields were left with both leftover corn in the fields and potholes with three to six inches of water. This is exactly what ducks need as they make the long journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

But as margins got tighter for farmers and irrigation technology advanced, farmers left little corn on the ground and made sure they weren’t losing any acreage to standing water. As corporations have taken over family farms, those trends have only reified.

The ducks have responded by moving west, making the Central Flyway now the favored path for the favored species of Minnesota hunters: the mallard.

But, regardless of the lack of ducks, I’ll head up to our family cabin next week, just miles from the Mississippi River. I’ll get up early, lay out a spread of decoys, and hunker down with my Mossberg 500.

And the reason I’ll do it is for Albert. My one-year-old yellow lab is still a pup. He’s not ready to hunt upland birds yet — if I took him out this fall, he’d take off after a pheasant, flush it far out of my shooting range, and keep running till God knows when. Next summer will be spent teaching him to quarter.

But he can retrieve. It is, as they say, what he was born to do. So I’ll take him out to the duck blind and hope that I can coax a duck or two into the decoys and make a decent shot. Then Albert will get the chance to fulfill what millennia of evolution and centuries of breeding have wrought, and bring a bird to his master’s hand. Maybe with one or two ducks in the bag, we’ll hike back to the cabin, clean the bird, wrap it in bacon, throw it on the grill, and enjoy it with some wild rice on the side.

Previous Post

October 1, 2010

Decision on Darius

Next Post

October 4, 2010 Darius Is No More

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category bible blogging books christianity in america church church history dissertation divorce Dog Training education emergent church essay family funny glbt jopa productions ministry minnesota movies music parenting philosophy politics Prayer publishing Questions That Haunt random same sex marriage speaking spirituality Teaching technology television theology Travels Uncategorized writing youth ministry

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004 February 2004 January 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who spoke to the burning bush?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Aaron Moses Miriam Joseph