Minnesota may join the trend of states offering hunters two options for waterfowl bag limit structures. According to a press release, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is considering implementing an “optional, alternative three-duck bag limit.”
The proposal follows in the wake of nearby South Dakota and Nebraska, both of which have offered an alternative waterfowl bag limit structure since 2021. The rationale for doing so is that the pressure of correctly identifying ducks in the field is limiting the number of new waterfowl hunters.
“Waterfowl hunter numbers have declined significantly within the past 20 years due to many factors, including the varying bag limits for certain species and sexes of ducks. That complexity may be a barrier to new or inexperienced hunters,” said MDNR migratory gamebird consultant Nate Huck. “Duck identification can be difficult and could prevent potential hunters from getting into waterfowl hunting.”
Under the new proposed system, hunters would choose between two daily bag limit options before purchasing their licenses. The standard bag limit is 6 birds, with additional sex and species restrictions. The alternative would be 3 birds of any sex or species of duck.
A common argument against this kind of tiered system is that properly identifying ducks is a critical component of the pursuit, and that forgoing the need to do so means that novice hunters would be missing out on learning this fundamental skill. Additionally, there is some concern that experienced hunters could choose the 3-bird limit to kill a greater-than-typically-allowed number of birds of a restricted species or sex.
According to the MDNR, the implementation of these kinds of systems has shown that new hunters are “more likely to select the three-duck bag limit option than the six-duck bag limit.”
But an interesting twist is that, reportedly, “those individuals who selected the three-duck bag limit were less likely than individuals who selected the six-duck bag limit to harvest species with lower bag limits such as canvasbacks, hen mallards, redheads and scaup.”
Minnesota hunters will have their say on the matter. The MDNR has opened a public comment period. You can make your voice heard on the potential change online here until August 17. Additionally, the MDNR will answer questions for the public at a webinar on August 6.