Almanac: Duck stamp sales won't reach 100,000 for 1st time in 20 years

The trend is disturbing.

For the first time in 20 years, Minnesota has sold fewer than 100,000 state duck stamps. The Department of Natural Resources has sold 95,467 licenses in 2008, and the duck season is over. Last year, it sold 100,134. In 1999, it sold 128,000.

Pheasant stamp sales and small game license sales also are down. Officials say all three declines could be part of the larger nationwide drop in people participating in outdoor recreation.

The decline in duck stamp sales reflects a recent downward trend in duck hunter numbers in Minnesota, from an estimated 122,000 in 1999 to 87,000 last year -- a drop of 35,000 in eight years. Those estimates don't include young hunters under age 16.

Since the stamps were introduced in 1977, the only other time the state sold fewer than 100,000 was the drought years of 1988 (89,228) and 1989 (97,659), when waterfowl hunting was lousy.

"We've seen a decline in waterfowl participation for a number of years, so it's not unexpected,'' said Dennis Simon, DNR wildlife management section chief. "It's concerning, yes.''

Officials have said that not enough young people are replacing hunters as they grow old and quit the sport. Simon said that likely is one factor, along with a decline in the waterfowl population and competition from other activities.

"We have an expanded turkey population, some of the best pheasant populations since the 1960s, deer hunting has been phenomenal the past five or six years ... there's only so much people can do,'' he said.

The poor economy could be another factor.

The decline in waterfowl stamp sales makes some sense, given the relatively poor hunting in recent years. But the number of state pheasant stamps sold this season also is down from last year, despite projections for another good fall. With only three weeks left in the season, the DNR had sold 121,782 stamps -- about 8,000 fewer than were sold last year.

It seems unlikely that deficit will be made up by the time the season closes Jan. 4.

"We're down compared to 2007 and 2006 but ahead of every year from 2005 to 1992,'' said Bill Penning, DNR farmland wildlife program leader. "I'm not really concerned about it.''

Penning speculated that a number of hunters didn't go out this fall for the opener in October because little corn had been harvested and hunting was difficult.

"There are a lot of pheasant hunters who only go out on opening weekend,'' he said.

Also, small game license sales are off from last year. The DNR has sold about 287,837 licenses this year -- about 11,000 fewer than were sold in 2007.

And then there was the ice angler that DNR conservation officer Aaron Kahre of Minnetonka encountered recently. The angler was pushing a flaming propane tank across the ice away from his shack. The angler told Kahre he had just set up for his first ice-fishing adventure of the season when his new heater started leaking and spewing flames. "The fire department was called and all ended safely,'' Kahre reported.

The late December Canada goose season opened Saturday and runs through Dec. 22. The daily bag is two birds in the southeast zone and five in the remainder of the state. The possession limits are double the daily bag.

No, you haven't missed out on applying for a Minnesota spring wild turkey license. The DNR moved the deadline to apply from December to January. Hunters have until Jan. 9 to apply for the limited number of licenses. Winners are chosen by a lottery.

Next spring there will be 42,328 permits to hunt a five- or seven-day season in 76 different permit areas. The 2009 wild turkey lottery application booklets are available at 1,800 license agents statewide or online at www.mndnr.gov/hunting.

With the state facing a $5 billion deficit, the DNR figures its budget will take a hit along with every other state agency.

"That's not a question,'' said DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten. "We're trying to minimize those impacts.''

He said it's uncertain whether DNR's customers will notice the impact in 2009. The governor's budget won't be unveiled until January, but the agency has been in a cutback mode for months, Holsten said. Of the approximately $280 million annual DNR budget, about $80 million comes from the state's general fund and is most susceptible to cuts. Most of the rest comes from various license and registration fees.

Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com