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Anyone duck hunt around here this weekend?? we did only okay at a beaver pond on opener woulda got more if it were earlier in the moring we could shoot but we did get six mallards and woodies combined between four of us and sunday we all limited out on shag though they were all mergansers and hooded mergansers wiht a few mallards....howd yall do?? confused.gif

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Not much shooting heard in the Fall Lake area. We scratched out a few woodies and teal, but the mallards were nowhere to be found. Overall, the numbers we saw were pretty dismal. Nice day though, so we chased partridge and even managed to get one.

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we did well on opener, all three guys in our group had a limit by 11 am. 3 mallards, 2 woodies, and 7 teal. the teal were everywhere and boy are those suckers hard to hit. grin.gif

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We were just above Island Lake and it seemed that no one was out. The normal shooting wasn't there. I did limit Sat. but not Sunday. We needed more people kicking them around.

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Did good on Vermilion Sat. and okay on Sun. Mallards and woodies along with one ringneck and one wigeon. Staying down this weekend to hunt with the buddies and we'll probably head back to Vermilion for a day and the secret spot the other day. Definitely agree with needing more people out for the sake of moving the birds!

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less and less people are doing the duck thing because it is not anywere near the quality in the 70,s and 80's

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Well when i was camping on birch lake there was a ton of ducks flying aroundearly on saturday and sunday if i was not in the camp ground i would have had a good morning sunday.

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We've had one of the best starts to a duck season I can remember in my 22years of duck hunting. I have never seen so many redheads and pintails. I'm almost to the point of being sick of eating duck and buying shells. Might have to give them a break.... wait is that snow in the forecast smirk.gifcool.gif

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Hunting Saturday was a blast… cool.gif My 12 year old shot his first duck and first limit of ducks ever. We were done quickly and started fishing and the ducks kept coming. Sunday was much slower but I did limit and a goose. smirk.gif We still need more people moving around to keep the birds moving. I think people are grouse hunting because every where you go there are birds.

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Shot my first blackduck today, a big mature drake. Pretty pumped about that. Also got a nice drake ringneck. Saw quite a few birds for the time I was out but that sun was screwing everything up. Looking forward to Wed. evening and Thur. morning hunts with this weather coming. Actually got to break some ice near shore this morning...about time! Probably gonna be doing that every day for a while now.

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Would anyone be so kind as to point a guy in the right direction? I haven't ever had much luck in any of the lakes around Duluth; Fish, Rice, Island or Boulder. I'm not sure if I haven't been in the right place on these lakes or if I should look else where.

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The lakeside of those islands right out in front of the landing on Rice can be good. Pretty good numbers of ringbills raft out there late Oct - early Nov - keep checking as things start to get colder...

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My experience with the Duluth area lakes has been spotty. Always the early season local ducks, a fair ringneck migration, and then the late season goldeneyes and mergansers. Mallards in the mix, gwte, woodies and a black duck once in a while; you can see anything. Growing up hunting in North central Iowa, I've never gotten used to these resevoir lakes with their stump fields and their off the track migration location. Seems some years Rice has great invertebrate numbers and the scaup and ringnecks will build up as well. I've had some fun hunts on the wild rice lakes in the area; these jibe with my expectations of what a duck lake should be. It is true, especially up here, that ducks are where you find them and that neccesitates scouting and knowledge of some good beaver ponds. Reading and hearing about this area it appears that the duck migration is not what it once was locally. Some interesting posts on the FM waterfowl site--one by Jackpine Rob of particular note.

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I have hunted Fish Lake for years the only problem is you have to get up 0 dark 30 to get a good spot and just sit there and wait for shooting time. I, this time of year would hunt the north end under the bridge and way up around the corner to the right and then by the next corner to the left where the river comes in. There is a farm up there if you go by it the guy is nuts and will yell and use colorful words describing how he feels about you being there. He feed geese in his yard and doesn’t like hunters. It is perfectly legal to be there, he will make it unpleasant if you go too far. The corner before you go up the shoot to the farm is all the farther you would need to go any way. I hunted that spot for years and have done ok there early season. I wouldn’t tell you that if I was still hunting it, I have a spot that no one else can get to now.

This weekend is typically slower than the two before it. You never know what the weather could bring down. It ‘s ether going to be good or really slow. Give that spot a try and see how you do. You need to be in there really early or some one else will be there.

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we've been doing good on some smaller sleughs some of my buddys have found over time with a lot of ringnecks, a few woodies, mallards, teal, and even a few bluebills.

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Well, I was out in that east side of Fish Lake yesterday evening. I saw only a few ducks and all headed back around the bend, up the river. What is up with the sign posted around the first corner? Is there no hunting beyond there or is that the farmer's sign??? Should I beware of anything back there? Has anyone seen any signs of ducks with this cold front?

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The farmer had a feeding sign up before. I haven't been up there for two years. If your that far up your pretty close to the farm. Up past the farm I have hunted 3-4 times and is really did pretty well. The problem is the farmer goes nuts, and he really can't say any thing because it's navigable water. I would usually sat up back on the corner or just around the corner going up that shoot. You are far enough away from the farm and he never went ballistic when I was hunting there.

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things were very slow this morning and ducks were hard to spot with the fog, got buzzed a few times but didn't get anything. we have been seeing a few northern birds lately including 3 goldeneyes the other night which is encouraging.

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