Poof....Where did the ducks go?

[Lip'em]

Hunted around Hutchinson area for opener and had a pretty decent hunt. Second weekend was really good too and then all the of the sudden in a week....poof...the ducks were gone.

I had a couple fiends hunting near grand rapids (wild rice), willmar, hutchinson, and Mille Lacs while I was in Nodak and all reported poor duck numbers. I guess maybe its the down time when all the local ducks are shot up and we need some colder weather to spur the migration. Maybe I will spend some time chasing pheasants until the weather changes.

Has anyone else found it too be slow? Oh well, maybe I just got spoiled hunting bills and cans in Nodak. Good luck everybody and pray for a cold north wind!

[Hammer Handle]

The 3rd and sometimes 4th weekend of the season are always (typically) slow. Then the northern flight comes (if we get snow up north...which doesn't seem to happen anymore).

[BoxMN]

I was in NoDak last weekend Fri. thru Monday, and did pretty well with gadwalls and widgeon, and some redheads and ringbill. But on Sunday night we found some mallards and boy did it seem like they started coming in in more numbers.

Weekend before in MN we did well on ringbill, but on my way home from NoDak yesterday, MN waters looked pretty bleak to me.

My brother shot two white winged scoters today! Right in the metro area. We had never seen any before, but sure thing, they were. Big birds, he said they flew just like cans and came in like cans. Those were the only shots they took today. Hopefully the birds will start up again.... however I am making one more trip to NoDak this weekend

[paintbrush]

Hunted up on Roseau WMA Friday thru Monday, it was by far the worst I have ever seen it. I've been going up there since 1977. There were very very very few ducks.Geese numbers were not much better. Local birds were educated and the northern birds are not down yet.

[kc0myy]

I've seen that too. 1st 2 weekends are good and then nothing. For the 3rd and 4th weekend I hunt in fields for geese and the ducks that are around. Then after that I start checking the big lakes for divers.

[Shoot2Kill]

I hunt south of St Cloud...did very well for the first 2 weeks as well and have noticed fewer numbers. I'm going to trap beavers in a couple weeks in a swamp owned by a guy I work with. It is one of those swamps that you dream about hunting ducks out of and it looks like the deep south. When I was in there this past weekend checking out the beaver sign the swamp EXPLODED with ducks. There were hundreds of mallards and woodies in there. Flock after flock after flock got up off the water. These ducks are in this swamp because the guy I work with does not let anyone hunt in there at all. In the 12 years he's owned it he's never fired a gun in there so the ducks just pile in there because it's basically a refuge for them. It makes me sick! He has a very hefty beaver problem in there so hopefully if I can get rid of them for him it will allow me at least one day of hunting ducks in there next season.

So if you're looking for the local ducks around St Cloud they are probably in this swamp drinking martinies and laughing at us duck hunters.

[kc0myy]

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I hunt south of St Cloud...did very well for the first 2 weeks as well and have noticed fewer numbers. I'm going to trap beavers in a couple weeks in a swamp owned by a guy I work with. It is one of those swamps that you dream about hunting ducks out of and it looks like the deep south. When I was in there this past weekend checking out the beaver sign the swamp EXPLODED with ducks. There were hundreds of mallards and woodies in there. Flock after flock after flock got up off the water. These ducks are in this swamp because the guy I work with does not let anyone hunt in there at all. In the 12 years he's owned it he's never fired a gun in there so the ducks just pile in there because it's basically a refuge for them. It makes me sick!

He has a very hefty beaver problem in there so hopefully if I can get rid of them for him it will allow me at least one day of hunting ducks in there next season.

So if you're looking for the local ducks around St Cloud they are probably in this swamp drinking martinies and laughing at us duck hunters.

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I don't have a problem with that. The ducks and geese need somewhere to feed and roost in a safe area. So they get enough food thought there flight down south.

[JEV]

Field hunted this morning. 4 guys, 12 ducks and 8 geese. We were packing up and the geese just kept on coming. It was pretty foggy so they wouldn't see us till they were right up on us. One of the funner hunts I've been on in years. We had quite a bit a rain the last week and some of the fields have water standing in them. That has made a big difference. The ducks and geese really seemed to like those fields....

JEV

[BeerHunter]

I was just in ND and the Migration has just started out there. ON sunday night when i returned i checked my slough and there was nearly 300 + RIngnecks in it. That means more will follow till it freezes up. I have yet to see any mallards around though.

THat has been the case the last few years. I will have great shooting till freeze up.

THe funny thing about the pond i hunt is the ducks come in every morning from now till freeze up, from the east, stay and feed all day and leave every night. IT is pretty sweet listening to the jets come in in the morning.

I think they might sit out in ST. JOhns ponds but i have no idea.

I usually dont have much for shooting early in the season though, so it is opposit from what most people are saying on here.

[french_lake_kid]

I was just gunna post a thread like this. Sunday got 3 woodies, hunted alone this morning, sat for 2 hours b4 I even saw anything! Sunday the only geese we saw were snow-geese, & no they weren't pelicans, which was a 1st. No geese 2day & like 5 ducks tops, about 592093708920929029 flocked up blackbirds though

[HugoBox]

I hunted Spring Lake on th Miss on Monday and we saw maybe 8-10 flocks of ducks and about the same number of geese. Very dissappointing. We didn't hear much shooting either. Talked to another guy at the landing and he said North Lake is holding good numbers of birds. I put on a fair number of miles on Sunday driving around the North metro up to Chisago and I didn't see much. I didn't bother check Carlos Avery as I don't get too excited about rubbing shoulders with other hunters.

[HunterLee]

I hunted about and hour north of moorhead today. Saw one flock of honkers and shot one nice drake woodie. Let a small teal and hen mallard go by. But i did see some ducks fly out as it got light, so either they took off south or hadn't came back by 9ish, had to leave before i wanted to.

[norwall]

hunted warroad and rosseau very few birds scratched out a few cans,ringo,rdhds,& blubls but too nice of weather,BS,need a major front!!

[Dukhunter]

Hunted North Lake today and only saw 2 singles....lake is holding nothing but pelicans!! We need some migrators...not much shooting going on at all!

[buzzsaw]

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Hunted North Lake today and only saw 2 singles....lake is holding nothing but pelicans!! We need some migrators...not much shooting going on at all!

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Thats where I hunt in Hastings and I skipped today and was curious what I missed... Do you hunt on the north or south end? I alwats set up down south towards the preserve and we have had good success in past years down there.

[palisade1kid]

I've been seeing duck since openers.

right now the ringbills are in thick.

Hit the pond by myself this morning.

I'll admit it's a bit of work to do the hunt alone ,but the thought of ringbills crashing my deek spread primed my pump to no end.

7:05 comes rolling by and it's time to shoot.

http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/?action=view&current=Picture303.flv

sure enough here they come,flock after flock.From the right and left

the swooshing sound of those mig jets filled my ears.

As usual the sunrise was so colorful.

I filled and dropped all of my birds on the water ,however some dove never to be seen again.

I just hate that part of not retrieving those birds.

I'd say for better than an hour the birds were thick and crashing my deeks.

They are very tough to hit and when you do you feel that gratification of a good shot.

I hate to admit it ,but I burned up most of a box of shells for my 6.

I sure could have used some help.

[duckbuster]

Our lake filled up on Wednesday eveing!!!! Ringbills galore.

Thursday and Friday were absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!! Nothing better than being torpedo from 1 mile up than by a bunch of divers.

I think we are going to continue to see more movement in the coming days.

[palisade1kid]

You should,there's tons of them up here and they gotta head your way eventually.

[duckbuster]

"Our lake" is in northern MN. The good thing was that we DID NOT see any Butterballs or Goldeneyes. This means that the big northern push is yet to come.

[palisade1kid]

ooooooooops,I assumed since you were from Waconia.

Where abouts are you?

[PierBridge]

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Hunted North Lake today and only saw 2 singles....lake is holding nothing but pelicans!!

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Thats where I hunt in Hastings and I skipped today and was curious what I missed ...

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UMMMM.....Cormorants City!

And a few others...

[Tippman]

Ringers gallore in Mcgregor area. Also shot blue winged teal and wood ducks that were still around.