MN is a very good state to bird hunt- there are a number of species available and some decent areas to do so.
Ducks are spotty at best, the flights do not pass through the state like they used to. Even the flights of divers have changed routes from the old days. The western part of the state is best but even then it can be tough. I do a couple traditional duck hunts per year but I generally shoot ducks as a bonus bird when field hunting geese these days.
Geese are tops, one can find decent hunting for Canadas most places. I don't target them like I used to as I pass shoot them as they fly over the house. Moving around, one can shoot geese from the first Saturday of September to the end of December.
Ruffed grouse and woodcock are the main attractions and one can't beat the state for them. WI can tie it and may be slightly better as fewer hunt these birds there. The U.P. Is a distant third as the amount of quality habitat is not there compared to the other two states.
Pheasants are not nearly as numerous as they have been but there can be good hunting in places and certain times. If one can find access to CRP lands or other grassy areas, one can be fairly successful early on. Until the crops come out, hunting can be very tough and even then it helps to have cold weather as the swamps freeze and one can get out where the birds are. I get serious about MN pheasants starting around Thanksgiving.
Sharptails grouse are available but not in the numbers or range they used to have. I shoot a couple when I'm working a young dog but they get a pass for the most part. Prairie chickens are on a permit basis and only open to state residents the last I looked.
I hunt rails, snipe, and but am the only one I know who does so and even that is sporadic. I've had great snipe hunting on flooded pastures but shots are long and tough. There isn't much small grain farming in the state and doves opened for hunting not long ago so there isn't much to concentrate them. Plus, they move out fairly early which doesn't help. I'll get a couple days of shooting when I mow down the pasture for weed control but a handful of birds is a good shoot.
Bird hunting stops for two weeks starting the first weekend of November when the firearms deer season opens. Bird seasons are open but there are enough yahoos out there that would not take kindly to a dog running by. This is the time I often headed out of state to chase birds.
Deer hunting can be good but it can be crowded on public lands and private is hard to get on during the firearms season One can get away from the crowds but it takes a fair bit of effort to hike back into the large blocs of land or time to pour over maps. To find smaller, limited access areas. Bow hunting is popular and lasts 3.5 months. Muzzleloading is 16 days starting the weekend after Thanksgiving which is tough due to weather and the regular firearms season ending.
Black bear hunting is pretty good. One area is by lottery with the rest of the state being over the counter. I hunt bears mostly in the non-quota area and take one every 3 years on average. I have opportunities nearly every year but hold out for bears in the 300+ range and pass on those smaller.
This is fall only hunting with most bears taken between Sept 1and the third weekend when the grouse season opens. Once the other Hunter's hit the woods the bears go nocturnal. Bear hunting is over bait too, the leaves aren't dropped and the cover is far too thick for spot and stalk.
MN has good hunting opportunities for birds and small game but we are lacking in variety for big game. At least we are centrally located so a long day's drive can get one to many other places. There are a couple places I would rather be but the wife's family is all here as are her friends. Divorcing her to move would leave me with no moneys or hunting- she is better friends with a great divorce attorney than i am. And the state laws are stacked against me in that department.
