Small game hunter numbers decline, but success remains high in 2024, MN DNR says
Sep 04, 2025 10:38AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Rhett Noonan on Unsplash.com
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boeral Community Media - September 4, 2025
A recent survey by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found that while fewer people hunted small game in 2024, those who did had a successful season. Harvest success rates for species such as geese, pheasants, ducks, and grouse were at or above long-term averages.
Aside from the decrease in hunters, the DNR reports that duck and pheasant stamp sales have been higher than the actual number of hunters for those specific species in recent years. Some possible reasons for this are that individuals with a long-standing hunting tradition are choosing to support conservation efforts by purchasing stamps, even if they don't go out into the field to hunt, the DNR said in a news release.
The survey is conducted annually by mail and gathers data on hunter numbers, harvest totals, and harvest success rates for nearly two dozen species. The MN DNR provided highlights for a few of those species.
For Canada geese, the number of hunters dropped by 32% to 28,037, leading to a 45% decrease in the overall harvest of 121,028 geese. However, the hunter success rate remained at 73%. Duck hunters also saw a significant drop, with their numbers falling by 28% to 46,028, and the total harvest was 24% below average. Still, successful hunters took home an average of 12.2 ducks, a figure that was slightly higher than the 10-year average.
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boeral Community Media - September 4, 2025
A recent survey by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found that while fewer people hunted small game in 2024, those who did had a successful season. Harvest success rates for species such as geese, pheasants, ducks, and grouse were at or above long-term averages.
Aside from the decrease in hunters, the DNR reports that duck and pheasant stamp sales have been higher than the actual number of hunters for those specific species in recent years. Some possible reasons for this are that individuals with a long-standing hunting tradition are choosing to support conservation efforts by purchasing stamps, even if they don't go out into the field to hunt, the DNR said in a news release.
The survey is conducted annually by mail and gathers data on hunter numbers, harvest totals, and harvest success rates for nearly two dozen species. The MN DNR provided highlights for a few of those species.
For Canada geese, the number of hunters dropped by 32% to 28,037, leading to a 45% decrease in the overall harvest of 121,028 geese. However, the hunter success rate remained at 73%. Duck hunters also saw a significant drop, with their numbers falling by 28% to 46,028, and the total harvest was 24% below average. Still, successful hunters took home an average of 12.2 ducks, a figure that was slightly higher than the 10-year average.
Pheasant hunting showed a stronger season. Despite a 6% decline in hunter numbers to 50,935, the harvest of 235,000 roosters was 17% above the 10-year average. Successful pheasant hunters averaged 6.7 roosters, well above the long-term average. For ruffed grouse, hunter numbers increased by 7% to 75,390. This led to a 29% jump in the total harvest to 335,000 grouse. The success rate for ruffed grouse was high at 72%, with successful hunters bagging an average of 6.1 grouse, about one more than the 10-year average.
The DNR continues to focus on attracting and retaining hunters through a variety of initiatives, including outdoor skills webinars, digital marketing campaigns, and a "learn to hunt" page with information on public hunting lands, according to the organization.
