Ranked in the top 15 pheasant hunting destinations in the US, our area is a paradise found in the sights of sportsmen and outdoors men. Whether in search of fish, game, or fowl, Montevideo delivers in spades!
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- Duck Unlimited
- Montevideo Contact: Brad Lindemann
- Pheasants Forever
A Hunters Paradise
Lac Qui Parle Wildlife Management Area is a 27,000-acre area, located north and west of Lac Qui Parle State Park. An attractive headquarters building houses a small museum and a staffed information center.Bird watchers and nature observers visit the area each year, enjoying the native prairie grasses, flowers and the abundance of song birds and waterfowl which use the Wildlife Management Area for a nesting and migratory stopover. The habitat of wetlands, brush lands, woodlands and native prairie combine to provide cover for birds and small game. Abundant wildlife can be seen almost anytime of the year.
Lac Qui Parle is best known for hunting. As many as 150,000 Canadian Geese migrate here for their yearly stopover. Most are part of the Eastern Prairie population which nests near the Hudson Bay area during the summer and winter in Missouri’s Swan Lake Refuge.
Deer, duck and pheasant are also in abundance at Lac Qui Parle. Fox, squirrels, raccoons and rabbits are also hunted. Trapping of muskrat, mink, fox, raccoon, and beaver is allowed with proper permits. A wild turkey flock is growing each year.
Lac Qui Parle also provides year round fishing excitement, stocked with crappie, northern pike, white bass and walleye.
Permits are required to hunt, fish and trap in the Wildlife Management Area. Contact the Lac Qui Parle Wildlife Management Area at 320-734-4451 for further information.
Mayor Fader greets the hunters
First Annual Governor’s Pheasant Opener held in Montevideo
Governor Mark Dayton announced that the First Annual Governor’s Pheasant Opener was held October 14-15 in Montevideo, in Southwestern Minnesota. The event is being coordinated by the Montevideo Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Explore Minnesota Tourism. This is the first time a Minnesota Governor has participated in an official pheasant hunting opener.
About the event, Dayton said, “I am very excited to host the very First Annual Governor’s Pheasant Opener in Montevideo. I have enjoyed pheasant hunting in Minnesota for over half a century.”
The Governor’s Pheasant Opener will promote upland bird hunting in the state by showcasing opportunities and habitat in the Montevideo area. The area’s grasslands, cattail marshes and grain fields provide food and cover for pheasants, a species sought by roughly 100,000 Minnesota hunters last year.
Since 1987, resident and visiting hunters have harvested about 400,000 pheasants per year, enjoying a sport that contributes to the area’s economy. Statewide, upland bird hunting generates roughly $121 million in direct retail sales and supports more than 2,300 jobs, according to a 2006 federal report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Governor hopes to establish the Pheasant Opener as a tradition in Minnesota, similar to the Governor’s Fishing Opener and the Governor’s Deer Opener.
Ice Castle Classic 2014 brought thousands of fishermen out to the Montevideo Area.
A Fishing Frenzy
Starting in 2014, the Ice Castle Classic brought thousands of people out in the hopes of catching the big one and taking home the big prize. Held on February 8, 2014 on beautiful Lac Qui Parle Lake. This contest awarded prizes to the 50 largest fish.
Lac Qui Parle Lake is located in SW Minnesota and is known for its Walleye, Northern and Crappies. The contest took place at Voldin’s Pit (SE part of the lake).