Opening Day

[WALLEYENUTZ]

FYI

Minnesota's 2002 duck season will begin Sept. 28, maintaining the tradition of holding the opener on the Saturday closest to Oct. 1, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource (DNR).

Minnesota will be one of the few states that will not take advantage of an expanded season framework offered this year by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to DNR Wildlife Division Director Tim Bremicker. The new framework would have allowed Minnesota to open the duck season on Sept. 21 this year.

"While we felt the expanded framework would provide additional opportunities for Minnesotans to harvest early migrants like blue-winged teal without risking Minnesota's strong breeding populations of ducks, the proposal for such an early date stirred a lot of concern and controversy among Minnesota waterfowlers," Bremicker said. "As a result, we decided to continue this year with our traditional opening date."

Public comments weighed heavily in the decision to maintain a traditional opening date, Bremicker said.

"It would have been the earliest opening day in more than 50 years," Bremicker said. "It was very clear to us that our hunters were concerned about losing late season hunting opportunities and the rich hunting traditions and experiences associated with an opening day near Oct. 1. We listened."

Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day will be held on Sept. 14, two weeks before the regular opener. Spinning-wing decoys will not be allowed during the Youth Waterfowl Day hunt.

Although much will remain the same for the 2002 opener, Bremicker emphasized that Minnesota waterfowlers will see a number changes in the waterfowl hunting season this year. The canvasback season will be closed, the pintail season will be reduced to 30 days, and there will be early season limitations on the use of motorized decoys.