The spring turkey season went very well for most hunters in the Starbuck-Glenwood area.

This is the first year in which youth hunters ages 12-17 were guaranteed an over the counter tag.  My boys and I were able to shoot 3 turkeys this spring, all of which were very exciting hunts.  My son Justin---age 12--- shot his first turkey (14 ½ lbs) on his first turkey hunt of his life.  He was very excited!

The turkey population is growing in our area.  We have the right combination of habitat (rolling hills, oak trees, crop fields, CRP, pastures and river bottoms) and the turkeys are thriving.  An adult Tom turkey will weigh from 14-26 pounds.  The spring turkey hunt is more popular today and the harvest in Minnesota hit another record in 2010.  There is also a fall turkey season, but it is not as popular and the birds are more difficult to hunt in the fall.

Fall Hunting Report # 1

By Kurt Amundaon - Starbuck, MN

Duck/Goose:

Duck and Goose hunting has been very “spotty”.  Some hunters have bagged some nice mallards with an occasional diver duck in the area as well.  Cold temperatures have frozen up small potholes, and some northern ducks have moved into the area.  Overall, the success rate has still been low for most hunters.  There are geese in the area, more as you go west towards Cyrus and Morris.

Pheasant:

Pheasant numbers are down this year.  Our hunting party shot a few on the opener, but the numbers do seem to be down.  It looks like pheasant numbers are down at least 25% possibly more.  It will be a late corn harvest, so hunting may be very difficult until after the deer season.  Late season hunting may prove to be decent as a lot of the roosters should survive in the corn until the late season.

Deer:

There seems to be more deer around this year, probably as a result of issuing fewer doe tags last fall.  The cold weather has the deer moving.  Archery hunters have reported a few deer harvested, and the reports have been positive as far as number of deer sighted.  The late corn harvest could put a damper on the first gun season.  Deer in our area, have a knack for finding a large standing corn field and sitting tight during the slug season.

Good luck, Kurt Amundson

Minnewaska Insurance and Real Estate

Deer registrations for this season have been comparable to last year despite unfavorable conditions, a lot of standing corn and a full moon phase.

Bucks are actively chasing does in the Pope county area, which has helped hunter success. Duck and pheasant hunting reports have been mixed.The best success for waterfowl have been found to be field hunting for Migrating Northern Mallards and Canadian Geese.

Pheasant hunters are having most of their success in areas where farmers have been able to harvest their crops.

Pope County Hunting Report

DEER

The 9 day slug season opens on November 8th here in Pope County.  The weather is expected to be cold, so the deer will probably be active.  Deer numbers are on the increase, however, many hunters feel that we could support more deer.  The late corn harvest might make hunting difficult in some areas.  Whitetail deer adapt to standing corn, because it is not only a source of cover and food, it is very difficult to hunt.

According to the local hunters, there are some nice bucks in the area.  Many bow and gun hunters set out trail cameras to determine what type of deer are on their property.  The timing of the gun season should result in some rutting activity and as is the case every year, a few trophy deer will be harvested.

The 2008 waterfowl season opened Saturday October 4th with mixed reports.

The highest number of the good reports came out of the Lowry area and west.  Good numbers of mallards were reported in these areas from various groups.

The goose population was reported to be the highest near Lake Emily and south with hunters having the most success field hunting in that area.

The overall consensus was that the number of waterfowl hunters was much lower than normal.Waterfowlers may hunt until sundown starting October 12th with the season ending December 2nd.

Pheasant hunting will open Saturday October 11th at 9:00am and continues to January 4th 2009.

The daily limit is two birds with a six bird possession.  The Department of Natural Resources has reported strong numbers in the Pope County area.