Publisher’s Perspective

By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune

Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opened a half-hour before sunrise on Saturday.

I missed it.

In my younger years, I would never have missed the opening of duck season, or pheasant season for that matter.

Now days, it happens.

It isn’t that I miss shooting a few ducks.  That’s not my primary concern anymore. These days I simply like to be out there on the slough before sunrise with the pungent smell of stale water and vegetation, listing to the morning as the sky starts to glow in east.

And, of course, I miss being with my brothers and other family members as we sit around the table in the pre-dawn hours in a low-lit cabin talking about the upcoming hunt  and figuring out where will be the best place to set up a few decoys.

It’s the anticipation, the camaraderie and the process of preparing that I miss when I am unable to hunt on the opening weekend.

The good news is that the season is 60 days long and we are no longer required to hunt only on weekends.  My older brother and I usually plan a few week-day excursions and I have those to look forward to as well.

But, there’s only one opening day for most of us, despite the DNR’s early goose and teal seasons, and I’m sorry I had to miss it this year.

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The DNR, through news releases last week, reminded hunters that they should check the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s waterfowl hunting page (mndnr.gov/Hunting/Waterfowl) for complete information including season dates, regulations, a waterfowl identification guide and weekly waterfowl migration reports. 

This year, the DNR is advising waterfowl hunters to take special precautions for avian influenza when handling harvested birds to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. The virus poses a low risk to humans but can be spread by contact with sick birds and by hunting equipment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service makes these recommendations for hunters (fws.gov/avian-influenza) to protect themselves from avian influenza:

Do not handle or eat sick game.

Field dress and prepare game outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.

Wear rubber or disposable latex gloves while handling and cleaning game.

When done handling game, wash hands thoroughly with soap or disinfectant, and clean knives, equipment and surfaces that came in contact with game.

Do not eat, drink or smoke while handling animals.

All game should be thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before being consumed.

      * * * *

I was on hand at city hall this week and already there were a few inquiries about voting early.  In Minnesota, residents could get their applications for absentee ballots and vote starting last Friday.  

Two years ago, many of us took advantage of early voting and voted by mail because of unknowns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

I don’t expect that to be the case this year as more people are looking forward to getting back to as normal as possible, including the event of voting in person on election day.

In 2020, nearly 60 percent of the voters in Minnesota voted early or by mail.  Sure, that was popular before the pandemic as well, with about a quarter of the voters who participated in the election of 2018 voting early by absentee ballot.  

I look for the number to be closer to 2018 this year with a good turnout on election day.