Minnesota

Minnesota is the undisputed king of ruffed grouse hunting, producing more annual grouse harvest than nearly any other state. Over 11 million acres of public forest lands in the northern tier (Grand Rapids, Bemidji, Superior National Forest) offer limitless access.

The season opens in mid-September. Hunters walk thousands of miles of hunter-walking trails through 10-to-20-year-old regenerating aspen cuts, listening for the explosive roar of wings in dense hazel underbrush.

Minnesota is a major breeding and migration corridor for American woodcock. Timberdoodles frequent moist alder swales, willow runs, and young aspen woods alongside ruffed grouse.

The October migration brings massive waves of flight birds passing through, providing incredible fast-pointing dog work with lightweight 28-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns.

The southwestern and west-central farm country of Minnesota supports strong wild pheasant numbers on state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs).

Mid-October openers feature dog work in heavy cattail marshes and restored tallgrass prairies.

Dense cedar-tamarack swamps and pine forests of northern Minnesota support cyclic populations of snowshoe hares that turn snow-white in winter, hunted alongside heavy-bodied fox and grey squirrels.