The Minnesota DNR says this year's waterfowl hunting opener will be on September 22nd, the earliest opener in 45 years.
                     
DNR Wildife Chief Dennis Simon, said the opener will be on Saturday, September 22nd, two days before the 2011 opener.  The DNR announced the waterfowl season , which includes ducks, will be sixty days and include a three-zone season instead of last year's two zones.
                     
In the South Duck Zone, which is south of Highway 212 and extends to the Iowa border, duck season will run from September 22nd through September 30th, and then again from October 6th, through November 25th.  Shooting hours will be from one half hour before sunrise through 4:00 p.m. daily.

Duck season length is based on mallard counts from a continental survey, including information from Minnesota.  This year's estimate was eleven million mallards, which was above the average count, and the second highest since 1992.