Minnesota
is "the land of 10,000 lakes," and Itasca County contains more than 1,000 of those lakes
within its borders. That makes Little Winnie Resort
a premier destination for Minnesota duck hunting. It's also a
prime location for MN goose hunting.
Along with its proximity to public hunting grounds,
Little Winnie also offers hunters great accommodations in a
beautiful setting. The resort is located in the heart of the Chippewa National
Forest on 83 acres of wooded land. Guests have direct access to Little Winnie Lake - a
1,000 acre lake with a completely undeveloped shoreline.
Waterfowl hunters often find they have the lake to themselves!
Duck hunters and goose hunters can also quickly
find their way to any one of dozens of small bodies of water perfect
for setting up the perfect hunt. Hunting dogs are welcome at
Little Winnie Resort!
Are you considering a Minnesota duck hunting or goose hunting trip? Call Little Winnie
Resort today at 1-800-346-8501 and
make your reservation for great waterfowl hunting.
Waterfowl hunting regulations are established
each year through a cooperative process involving the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, states, flyway councils and public input. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service has the ultimate authority for
establishing migratory bird hunting season frameworks (season
length, bag limit, earliest and latest hunting dates). Different
seasons among flyways and regions recognizes differences in
migration patterns and hunter activity. States often use specific
regulations to manage waterfowl harvest and hunter numbers.
In Minnesota the DNR has the task of balancing harvest by the
largest number of waterfowl hunters in the nation and protecting the
breeding population of resident waterfowl. Minnesota-raised ducks
are important to Minnesota hunters and provide between 25% and 33%
of the birds taken in the state. The combination of time and place
regulations have been used as tools to manage duck harvest since the
early 1900's.
Ducks are divided into two groups:
Puddle ducks live in shallow marshes (puddles) and rivers and feed
by dabbling. You can often see their bottoms tipped up as they feed
in the shallows. These ducks also feed often in grain fields. Puddle
ducks are able to lift off from water or land immediately.
Minnesota puddle ducks are the mallard, green-winged teal,
blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, pintail, gadwall, wigeon, shoveler,
wood duck, and black duck.
Diving ducks spend their time in large, deep lakes and rivers. They
feed on fish, shellfish, mollusks, and aquatic plants by diving,
often to deep depths. They can swim long distances underwater by
kicking their large paddle feet. Diving ducks can't launch from
water straight into the air like puddle ducks can. Instead, they
patter along the water surface for several yards before becoming
airborne.
Minnesota diving ducks are the canvasback, redhead, ringneck (also
called ringbill), scaup (also called bluebill), goldeneye,
bufflehead, and ruddy duck.
There are several species of geese that can be
hunted in Minnesota:
The largest is the Canada goose. Those that nest in Minnesota are
called the "giant" subspecies and can weigh up to 16 pounds. Those
that migrate through in spring and fall are the Eastern Prairie
Population subspecies. These smaller Canada geese (6 to 8 pounds)
breed in Manitoba and fly south through western Minnesota in the
fall to winter in Missouri.
Minnesota also sees some snow, blue, and white-fronted geese. The
blue goose, which is gray, is a color phase of the snow goose, which
is white with black wing tips. White-fronted geese, also called "specklebellies"
or "specs" are the same size as snows and blues and are often found
flying with these other geese in massive flocks of up to several
thousand birds. Reduce the incidence of mistaken identity -
click
here for goose identification tips that help distinguish a goose
from a swan.
Minnesota
is "the land of 10,000 lakes," and Itasca County contains more than 1,000 of those lakes
within its borders. That makes Little Winnie Resort
a premier destination for Minnesota duck hunting. It's also a
prime location for MN goose hunting.
Along with its proximity to public hunting grounds,
Little Winnie also offers hunters great accommodations in a
beautiful setting. The resort is located in the heart of the Chippewa National
Forest on 83 acres of wooded land. Guests have direct access to Little Winnie Lake - a
1,000 acre lake with a completely undeveloped shoreline.
Waterfowl hunters often find they have the lake to themselves!
Duck hunters and goose hunters can also quickly
find their way to any one of dozens of small bodies of water perfect
for setting up the perfect hunt. Hunting dogs are welcome at
Little Winnie Resort!