For the first time since Minnesota opened its experimental early hunting season for teal, a pair of new regulations are in place to address interference with wild rice harvesting on the White Earth Nation and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservations.

At White Earth, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has announced an emergency closure of the northern migratory bird hunting area at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, northeast of Detroit Lakes. The closure of lakes like Carmen, Egg and Two Island in that area will coincide with the five-day teal season that opens Sept. 2.

For Leech Lake, the state Department of Natural Resources has announced a similar regulation that prohibits the taking of teal during the early season anywhere within a half-mile of wild rice waters posted by tribal authorities inside Leech Lake Reservation boundaries.

Starting in 2021, with Minnesota's first experimental teal season in early September, tribal authorities objected to the overlap with ricing season for the safety of ricers and to protect rice beds from incidental damage.

Kent Sundseth, manager of the Tamarac refuge, said this is the first year the FWS has closed Tamarac's northern waterfowl hunting area since early teal season was introduced. The territory, known as Area C and located north of Hwy. 143 in Becker County, covers some 5,000 acres.

Sundseth said the safety of ricers hasn't been an issue at Tamarac. Rather, the closure will help protect against damage from extra boats matting down stalks and incidentally knocking down rice. "We have wild rice as a common conservation goal,'' Sundseth said.

In a press release, the FWS said, "Members of the White Earth Nation have the right to gather wild rice on refuge waters and Area C is within the White Earth Nation Reservation boundaries.''

Sundseth said Area C will be open for hunting when traditional waterfowl seasons open starting Sept. 23. Tamarac's southern waterfowl hunting area, known as Area D and located south of Becker County Hwy. 26, will remain open for the early teal season. It includes popular waterfowl-hunting lakes like North Tamarac, South Tamarac, Rice, Johnson, Evans, Mud, and Booth. Overall, many areas of the refuge are off-limits to hunters.

The DNR's announcement about the new state regulation for earlyseason teal hunters only applies to the Leech Lake Reservation. Leslie McInenly, DNR wildlife populations and regulations manager, said the agency offered the same language to White Earth's natural resources staff, but did not receive an affirmative response before it was time to finalize the rules.

She said the DNR is aware that White Earth is planning to impose similar early teal hunting restrictions. In the meantime, the agency is advising hunters to reach out to tribal authorities at White Earth and Leech Lake for details.

"We'll continue to work with tribal nations as we evaluate the pilot seasons,'' McInenly said in an e-mail to the Star Tribune.

The DNR's press release on the early teal season also urged hunters to be cautious about people who will be participating in other water activities, not just ricing. "A safety mindset and mutual courtesy will allow for successful early waterfowl hunting and other water-based activities," McInenly said in the release.