Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend Starts Saturday For Kids 17 And Under
The bear hunting season continues in Minnesota thru October 18. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON to discuss the bear hunt, early teal, goose and dove hunting seasons.
Participation Levels
Schmitt says participation levels for early teal and goose seem to be down compared to last year. He explains those who did choose to hunt had success. Schmitt says dove hunting isn't very popular in Minnesota but the guys who do hunt doves are really into it. He says dove hunting is much more popular in southern states.
Bear Hunting
Schmitt says everything he's hearing about the bear hunt is that if you don't have your tag yet, you're probably waiting for a bigger bear. He believes when the numbers come in, it will show high harvest numbers. Schmitt says the best bear populations are in northern and northeastern Minnesota. He says there has been plenty of bear sightings in Central Minnesota but he's not aware of any bears shot in the St. Cloud area.
Youth Waterfowl Hunt
The youth waterfowl hunting weekend kicks off Saturday in Minnesota. Schmitt says this applies for youth 17 and under accompanied by a non hunting adult. He says regular bag limits apply this weekend but he encouraged participates to review the rules. Schmitt says typically 16,000-18,000 youth participate in this each year.
Fall Fishing
Fall fishing is expected to pick up as water temperatures drop in Central Minnesota. Schmitt says water temperatures on area lakes are still in the low 70 degree range but could be dropping quickly as high temperatures are expected to drop to the 70s and 60s over the next 10 days.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, click below.