Western Minnesota Hunt

ManUpNorth

ManUpNorth

New member
Heading out to Western Minnesota area (about an hour west of Mankato) I have zero experience out in that part of the state. I'm from over by Rochester. Not looking for specific spots or anything like that, but more for bird report numbers and how it has been out that direction. We have a handful of public land/WIA spots marked and are ready to get on some birds!

Thanks!
 
Manupnorth. I drive by these spots every weekend and some days during the week...(I live half hr west of mankato). Not to talk you out of that area... but if I'm thinking where ur thinkin that area gets pounded pretty hard.. I hunt it early and bird numbers are or were good. ... leave a hr earlier come 8:15 find a spot. Imo
 
Not only that, there is a blizzard coming in today that may drop up to 10 inches of snow. Followed by high winds and bitter cold temps.
 
gimruis said:
Not only that, there is a blizzard coming in today that may drop up to 10 inches of snow. Followed by high winds and bitter cold temps.
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It was needed. ... birds gettin awfully flighty... needed something to push em into cover. Hold em tighter. With next weeks forecast just coming in..... its gonna get deep in a hurry
 
I’m amazed by the high number of hunters I’ve seen between Mankato and New Ulm throughout the season.
 
I checked out some places between the Mankato/New Ulm area on the way back from my usual western MN haunts and wasn't entirely impressed with what I saw. Granted, I only looked at 4 or 5 places but they weren't that impressive to me.

If you have the stomach for it, driving an extra or or so west of that area will get you into some real good terrain. Is my 2 cents. I make the 3 hour drive from the cities, leaving at 5 AM to get to my usual haunts. I know there's places closer I could get a bird but I can't avoid my usual areas because I know they consistently produce for me.
 
Very busy that area Glock refers to. I think the DNR map has people narrowing into that area more than ever.
 
BRITTMAN said:
Very busy that area Glock refers to. I think the DNR map has people narrowing into that area more than ever.
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Another reason I head further west. The drive is a pain in the ass. But outside of opening weekend, MEA, and holiday weekends, I'll rarely run into anyone. Mankato is a little to close to the cities to keep the average guy from saying "I got a free Saturday, I'll drive 75 mins south and hunt"
 
Notice a pattern here? Everyone seems to be heading west or southwest. Head another direction. I think you'd be surprised how many birds there are northwest of the Twin Cities. And you'll encounter far less hunters too.

I haven't run into another hunter in over a decade and I exclusively hunt within an hour of the Twin Cities.
 
I usually hunt far western MN, but went down to that area familiar to Jackrabbit and Glock in early November because of the snow way out west ... which has gone to zero (twice) this fall season. This time the snow may stick around longer.
 
gimruis said:
Notice a pattern here? Everyone seems to be heading west or southwest. Head another direction. I think you'd be surprised how many birds there are northwest of the Twin Cities. And you'll encounter far less hunters too.

I haven't run into another hunter in over a decade and I exclusively hunt within an hour of the Twin Cities.
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Agree and I even have some private land to hunt north. It is good for one hunt a year if the corn comes off. I find it interesting how late the corn comes off north of town.

I have also found that most EC WMAs are best after freeze up ... although this has been a pretty dry fall.

Occasionally I put up a rooster grouse hunting too on the right edges. Usually before pheasant season opens.

In part it also depends on what part of the metro you live. If you live in the SW quarter ... you can get west or SC pretty quickly. If you are the East side ... add 30 - 60 minutes depending on traffic.
 
Thanks for all the advice and tips! We had a blast out there and although we only got two birds it was a great learning experience and we cannot wait to get back out there!

If anyone's interested, we made a video about our trip out to western MN:

Cheers!
 
ManUpNorth said:
Thanks for all the advice and tips! We had a blast out there and although we only got two birds it was a great learning experience and we cannot wait to get back out there!

If anyone's interested, we made a video about our trip out to western MN:

Cheers!
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Nothing beats a black lab in the snow. Looks like fun
 
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