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Any Northern Ducks?


tracker x-2

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Just wondering what anybody has been seeing for migrating ducks. I have seen a lot more gesse around central/southcenral Mn not much for ducks though. My dad and I are heading out Friday morning to try for some green heads.

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Hard to say specifically how far our Sunday ducks came south, but we killed a pintail (saw two other flocks), a mammoth gadwall, and some drake mallards that were very plump. We also killed two bluebills a week ago. This was about an hour north of the cities.

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Ray,

That's quite the bag. Don't want to internet scout but am curious if you were on the east, central or western part of the state. I've been hunting about an hour north of the cities on the east side and haven't seen much. Thanks.

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A couple of my buddy was out this morning and they said they shot a couple of big mallards and woodies.. must be from up north from what they said.. they were about an hour north east of the twin cities.

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East. Did you hunt Sunday? Friday was not so good according to friends that were there. Saturday was worse according to some locals I talked to. Sunday was decent though.

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Thought i would put out this quick report,two spoonbills this am.Seen couple mallard singles was a nice wet windy morning going out this fri. maybe the weather will stay nice(crappy).

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ponds had ice on em yesterday morning, now nothing, hopefully it holds off so I can still hunt my jumpshooting holes.

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I been out twice up here by Duluth. Yet to see a greenhead. Can't wait to get down on the river south of La Crosse with my Dad in about two weeks.

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Cant wait for the weekend. it should be blustery and snowy on Sunday, great day to be in blind all day. things should be heating up in the next week with the colder and windy weather reports grin

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I hope the winds change thier isnt very many ducks around here went out to a local slough that usually has a few around and I only shot at one real duck and yes I water pounded it

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Yes some birds have moved down. I went hunting yesterday afternoon in the rain from 2-4 oclock and allot of birds were moving. I shot my four mallard limit(all drakes) and sailed a GWT I couldent find.( First duck Iv lost all year that actually came down, my dog couldent find it for some reason) I shot at 5 ducks and hit all five, but shot every mallard out of flocks that wanted to decoy. After I got my mallard limit at 3 I sat there for an hour and watched mallards decoy. At four a bunch of guys started moving in so I left. Two of the drakes still werent fully featherd but the banded drake was, and had very orange feet. I am very in interested to see where this bird came from.(Maybe Canada)The other three mallards dident have very bright feet.

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Quote:
a little north wind would be good! i swear it has blown out of the south for 2 weeks !

I have heard reports of strong NW winds coming later in the week!!!

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heard alot of shooting on swan yesterday havent been out there though. jumped a slough yesterday and water spanked a giant greenhead w/ 5 curls thinkin its a northern duck it was huge put it in the freezer to mount smile

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Quote:
a little north wind would be good! i swear it has blown out of the south for 2 weeks !

I have heard reports of strong NW winds coming later in the week!!!

PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

don't get me wrong I have been Seeing a few birds but it sure is hit or miss, and one must do alot of scouting to be successful

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Absolutley dead this morning in central WI. Didn't hear a shot fired by anyone and only saw one duck! This is a section of river that we consistentley do well on too, so I don't know what was up. Worst day of duck hunting ever.

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From my last couple expirences in the blind and from hearing multiple reports like that I'd say its safe to asuume the locals have gotten smart and know the safe water and the Northern birds have yet to come.

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For infomation regarding the feet being orange it is a chemical change in the bird at this time of year it has no bearing on northern bird ot whatever. I leared this from a waterfowl biologist. As for my year hunting has been slow. A few mallards and lots of woodies. I have hunted northwest WI and MN and about the same. I just seam to be picking the wrong spot. 1 day nothing so I move to where they were working then they show up where I was prevously. I will figure it out yet.

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I seen a good push of ducks last night while bow hunting in west central MN. All looked to be divers and they were all flying from the NE going to the SW from 6 - 6:30.

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There has been some strong reports coming out of Clinton,Graceville and Breckenridge of large numbers of all types of ducks check out the DU migration map for more details check the cities I named above....

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Yesterday the Biologists and wardens out of Tamarac wildlife refuge said the Ringies and Mallard number's are down about 40% from last week. However i think we are close...middle of the next week.

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i was on swan the other day and there was no big #s of ducks around at all some divers but not much for other ducks i think sunday night winds 40 mph out of the north will move some ducks down and i am takeing a half day off on monday to get out for the night hunt i think it will be really good

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Those ringers may have moved out of Tamarac. But not far! Saw good numbers on Thursday mainly ringnecks, and excellent numbers friday mixed divers lots of bluebills. Birds were spotty and scouting would be a requirement, but the results excellent.

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i was on swan the other day and there was no big #s of ducks around at all some divers but not much for other ducks i think sunday night winds 40 mph out of the north will move some ducks down and i am takeing a half day off on monday to get out for the night hunt i think it will be really good

I wouldn't count on it, but good luck! Monday will most likely be better than Sunday. As I'm looking right now..... NOTHING is freezing, and NOTHING but rain (no snow)!!

Good luck to all, PLEASE be safe!

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I was in Park Rapids this weekend and the Ring Necks/Ring Bills flight was crazy awesome! Friday's weather brought them down on Saturday!!!

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It would appear that some mallards have started to push down. We hit a private field that I have the only access to in Northwestern Minnesota. Hunting was insane!!! Thousands of Mallards, Honkers, and Snows/Blues around us for 4 hours in the morning. Shot a limit of greenheads, honkers, and some snows. Absolutely great!!!! All birds finished nicely in Sundays wind and our farthest shot was 15 yards!!

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Well the flight started last Friday. We hunted north of Detroit Lakes around Tamarac Saturday morning and did very well. All ringnecks, but man it was fun.

The added bonus was that it was my labs first duck hunt. It took him two retrieves to figure it out for the most part. Very proud owner that day.

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Seems like it was a Thurs, Fri, Sat. thing ahead of the front. A few birds Thurs, lots on Fri, tons on Sat, and now zippo almost none. Lots of ice today even mid sized ponds this morning. I saw alot of birds in central OT County but never saw them pass into Douglas, bad news for my slough. Good reports from West of Douglas Cnty and the Osakis area though.

I heard Christina is GREEN and duck free, anyone got a first hand report?

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i hunted up there over all of MEA and saw lots of ducks out there mixed in with the coots there was also about 500 geese roosting on the lake too

not sure how many there is now though

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From TRF...

I'm bankin' that either the counts are completely wrong,or we've got but a smidgin' of what's to come. We've had but one decent flight of Canadian geese move in and out (two Sunday's ago), a few curlytails, but nothing to speak of for noticeable migration.

I've observed, over the last 20 years, that the waterfowl simply do not come down in big numbers until Canada freezes solid, and they get one tremendous, Alberta clipper tailwind. Then they blow thru in a couple days and are gone. This usually happens in mid to late November now.

The birds are getting smarter!

I truly miss the days when the flight would trickle thru MN from early October thru mid-December.

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