..the hunter is the person least attached to the gadgets and comforts that separate and desensitize contemporary humanity.  Hunting is the most uncivilized thing a modern person can do.  "The deer hunter habitually watches the next bend; the duck hunter watches the skyline; the bird hunter watches the dog; the non-hunter does not watch" (224).  It is this capacity to excite perceptual sensitivity that makes hunting the ultimate esthetic and ethical experience.  It is the emotional link between the hunter and his territory that acts as the example of an alternative form of relationship between humans and the land. - Franklin A. Kalinowski

Mallards on St. Olaf Wetland
Photo Courtesy of www.stolaf.edu

The state of Minnesota used to be a major breeding ground for all types of waterfowl which includes greater scaup, canvasbacks, and of course mallards.  Waterfowl have specific habitat requirements for breeding.  They need prairie along with wetlands.  As settlers came from the east to farm the Minnesota landscape, much of the prairies and wetlands were lost.  Today the remaining prairies and wetlands are only a small fraction of what once was.

The cannon river region was no exception.  In combination with the large amounts of prairie and wetlands and being located along one of the major waterfowl migration flyways (Mississippi Flyway), waterfowl numbers were high.  When the cold of fall came into the region, waterfowl were quick to follow.  This phenomenon was part of this sense of place.

However, as the wetlands started to disappear, so did the waterfowl.  Has this changed people’s perspective of sense of place?  I believe by researching the wetland history of rice county in relation to hunter and waterfowl populations, we can better understand the influence hunting has had on the community and how the changing landscape has affected the community.

The economic impact of migratory bird hunting in Minnesota is large.  According to a recent 2001 study, retail sales associated with waterfowl hunting was $117,805,141 (International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies).  From that, 2,347 jobs are solely dependant on the spending of waterfowl hunters.