Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting

MN Waterfowl Symposium

April 13 and 14, 2018.

We are going to be having a habitat field tour on Friday April 13, 2018 starting at 1:00 p.m. through approx 5:00 p.m. More details to come.

(Friday evening is the Mn Hall of Fame and Conservation Awards banquet).

The Minnesota Waterfowl Symposium will be held on Saturday April 14, 2018, starting at 9:00am at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Bloomington, MN.

Bump - it's the end of this week.

Touring the Tiger lake area in Carver county just SW of the TC on Friday afternoon. Bus leaves at 1pm there's no charge to ride it.

The annual Minnesota Waterfowl Symposium is almost here!

Details about the event, which is open to the public, is set for Saturday, April 14 in Bloomington. More details can be found in the DNR news release below:

Waterfowl conservation efforts in the upper Mississippi River Flyway, hunter use of state wildlife management areas and current waterfowl research are some of the topics planned for the Minnesota Waterfowl Symposium – a one-day conference for hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife professionals.

This event provides an opportunity for the public to speak with waterfowl experts from state and federal agencies and conservation organizations and takes place 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington.

“Wildlife watchers, hunters and anyone interested in waterfowl and waterfowl habitat are all invited to attend,” said Ricky Lien, wetland habitat team supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We enjoy being able to have face-to-face conversations and listen to perspectives from hunters and others who care about waterfowl and wetlands.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota Waterfowl Association and DNR partner to present the event, now in its 21st year. Attendees will find information booths, a Junior Duck Stamp display, wild-game cooking demonstrations, and a gunsmith who can answer gun fitting and repair questions.

Presenters include:

James Burnham, Minnesota DNR, hunter recruitment, retention and reactivation.

David Fulton, Minnesota Cooperative Research Unit, Mississippi Flyway research.

Kelsie LaSharr, University of Minnesota, hunter use of WMAs.

Mary Stefanski and Vicki Sherry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota Valley and Upper Mississippi River national wildlife refuges.

Jacob Straub, University of Wisconsin, migratory habitat with the Upper Mississippi River Valley.

Mike Johnson, University of Minnesota, canvasback research in Canada.

Bruce Davis, Minnesota DNR, mallard telemetry project.

John Maile, Minnesota DNR, understanding hunting habitat.

Gary Leaf, Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council.

Question and answer session with Minnesota DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr.

At a banquet on Friday, April 13, the Minnesota Waterfowl Association will recognize significant contributors to the state’s waterfowl legacy. Space is limited for the banquet. To register, call the Minnesota Waterfowl Association at 952-767-0320 or visit mnwaterfowl.com

Join MWA on Face Book and you can view it live streamiing starting at 9am Sat.

It's been cancelled due to the snow storm.

It'll be rescheduled, when is yet to be determined.

Final decision: No Waterfowl Symposium this spring

By MWA, 04/21/18, 8:30AM CDT

Thanks again to everyone who made it to our annual conservation awards banquet and Minnesota Waterfowl Hall of Fame induction! It was a great evening and wonderful opportunity to honor people who have done so much for conservation in Minnesota and beyond.

Unfortunately, a spring snowstorm led to the cancellation of the Minnesota Waterfowl Symposium. While we had looked into the possibility of rescheduling the Symposium yet this spring, that isn’t going to happen. We had a full lineup of speakers but we simply couldn’t make everyone’s schedule sync up for another date. In addition, it was clear that finding space to hold a rescheduled Symposium was going to be a challenge.

So in the end, we decided we’d let Mother Nature win this time. There won’t be a Minnesota Waterfowl Symposium in 2018.