Fall hunting season is upon us in Minnesota. Hunting is one of the best ways to sustainably enjoy our State's amazing natural resources. Opportunities exist to harvest game animals ranging from squirrels to birds like grouse, pheasant, turkey, and waterfowl to large ungulates like deer and elk, and even black bear. Minnesota has a rich hunting tradition and some of the most ample public land hunting opportunities in the country! It is easier than ever to learn to hunt with the advent of instructional webinars and social media.

The Minnesota DNR has all of the information and resources you need to get started. You can find season dates, license information, and land access opportunities for all kinds of hunting on their web pages. Social media groups exist for all kinds of hunting around Minnesota, and newcomers can learn from seasoned veterans, some of whom may just be willing to show you the ropes.

If you are interested taking up a new outdoor hobby, creating memories that last a lifetime, and harvesting sustainable, healthful meat, hunting may just be the pastime you've been looking for!

Minnesota hunting fun facts:

1. Minnesota ranks in the top 10 in the nation for number of resident hunters with over 500,000 licensed hunters annually.
2. According to the USFWS, Minnesota ranks 5^th in ducks harvested and 2^nd in geese harvested in the US over the past 10 years.
3. Minnesota is frequently the #1 state in the US for annual ruffed grouse harvest.
4. Less than 50 years ago, 29 wild turkeys were reintroduced into MN. Now, the population has grown to over 70,000 birds with turkeys occurring across much of the state.
5. Minnesota has 23 species of ducks and geese.

Photo below is ACD staffer, Jared Wagner, with his niece.

Summer is coming! Warmer temperatures and fishing opener mean aquatic invasive species and MN boaters are ramping up activity on Minnesota lakes and rivers.

Do your part to prevent the spread of invasive plants and animals by cleaning, draining, and drying all recreational equipment that goes into a Minnesota lake or stream.

To help protect our lakes and rivers:

• Clean and drain boats and equipment before leaving the water access.
• Dispose of all unwanted bait, worms, and fish parts in the trash.
• Learn to recognize aquatic invasive species (AIS).
  
• Follow Minnesota's AIS laws and regulations.
  

Share this information with others who spend time fishing, boating, or recreating in Minnesota.

The MN Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) of the University of MN created an interactive website that displays all of the watercraft inspector data for any lake you may be interested in. This website shows infestation status as well as the risk of infestation for most lakes across the state. It also shows all incoming and outgoing boat traffic from any lake selected based on the survey responses received by watercraft inspectors.

The website can be found at https://www.aisexplorer.umn.edu/#!/

Select your county in the left hand pane, and click the lake you are interested in viewing on the map (Lake George in Anoka County shown). Once clicking the lake, you can view infestation status and a risk score based on boat traffic data. You can also choose to view all incoming or outgoing movements from this lake. This shows where boats were reported to be either immediately prior to or after launching at Lake George. These maps and their data can also be exported directly from the website using the export tools in the left pane. This website is a great tool to view the infestation status of lakes around you, the risk that those lakes face based on data collected, and to view the data collected by the many watercraft inspectors working hard around Minnesota each year to protect our waterways.