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Waterfowl Reports


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We saw alot more action yesterday than this morning. Kid started getting cold so we weren't out for long though.

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I also saw/ heard a lot more action yesterday. Didnt see anything even moving instill after 8 but real slow in the west metro

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Just a little FYI. Tonight, while taking in the last day of the firearms deer season, geese were flying over northwestern Minnesota by the 10's if not 100's of thousands. Flocks of hundreds of birds were flying over every few minutes headed southeast.

Even now, at 7:30 p.m., I can step outside and hear geese making there way south. I'd bet the farm there's as many ducks up there as geese.

This is the big push we all wait for. Couple days and it's game over. cry

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Just a little FYI. Tonight, while taking in the last day of the firearms deer season, geese were flying over northwestern Minnesota by the 10's if not 100's of thousands. Flocks of hundreds of birds were flying over every few minutes headed southeast.

Even now, at 7:30 p.m., I can step outside and hear geese making there way south. I'd bet the farm there's as many ducks up there as geese.

This is the big push we all wait for. Couple days and it's game over. cry

Agree heard lots of migrating swans all day today too, and we all know what that means..

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Got back out at 2. Kicked 150 geese off lake. Not a single duck with em.2 flocks of migrating tundra swans seen. One pair of geese came back. Left flag along with my facemask in the car . Stopped short of my spread. Could not take it hunkering down in the canoe any more so I had to stand and when I did they took off. All I saw. Gonna have to leave work early. Got permission on a field but left it till deer season was over cause there were guys deer hunting.

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Out at 0510 in the early morning snowy dark. Geese still passing overhead, riding that frigid northwest wind. If you haven't got 'em by now fellas they may be done within next couple days. Only 16 degrees at my place-potholes frozen over for sure....at least for a few days. Nice buck standing outside kitchen window last night. Laughing!

Oh....near Foxholm MN.

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Out yesterday in N Metro in dropping temps, NW wind, spitting sleet. 8-10 flocks of migrating swans. Tons of geese heading south - locals still hanging around. Good number of divers. Highlight was having a flock of 25-30 redheads square us up, reminding me why I got up at 4:00 and endured the ice pelting me in the face! I imagine the snow and cold today could equal a good hunt. The door's closing fast now

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A buddy and I hunted a spot near Big Winnie yesterday morning.

Probably saw 500+ swans migrating through.

We ended up w/ 1 ringer, 2 buffys, 1 goldeneye, and a hooded mergy. Quite a bit of shooting, but not alot of hitting going on. LOL

Thought we should have seen more birds as Big Winnie was rockin and rollin yesterday.

Won't be able to get back out till mid week now.

Brian

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Got a report from a buddy in NoDak. Mallards, dark geese, and snows moving out of the state fast over the weekend as the water was freezing hard. They are still shooting greenwings up there too! Also had a buddy in SoDak tell me that the small water is freezing over hard there as well. Also said ducks and geese were flying high and heading south. The bigger bodies of water and refuges are holding thousands and thousands of mallards still. But as far as here in south central minnesota, had a good weekend. Lots and lots of high migrating geese and mallards. Divers were thick as well. Shot geese, mallards, divers of all kinds, teal, gadwalls, and even had some bonus Rossies come in real nice to the spread! Big water will start holding ducks and geese so dont give up yet. Find open water and find the birds piled up!

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Nice job Bryce! Looks like fun.

It's good to hear the birds are on the move, because I'll be visiting my wife's family in Missouri this weekend. A little duck hunting is on the agenda too. Sounds like there's plenty of birds down there already though.

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Just getting tucked in at late MN camp after enjoying a great meal with good friends. Saw 11 on the thermometer with diminishing wind and clear skies on the remaining drive. Tomorrow may leave a mark. Thank you sir, may I have another. Mallards or divers is the question.

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swans were moving thru belle plaine yesterday, MN river still open, heard a few reports that goose lake in AL was holdin birds too

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crygrin Quick strike before wind got too established out of the south. That'll be me pulling the boat shaped icecicle back to metro. full-283-26403-2012_11_1308.53.00.jpg

Anyone who thinks the big migration is going to happen after season close obviously wasn't out the past couple days.

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The lake I'm on is almost froze over and about 80 mallards just landed in the open water. Also I noticed a few divers on a couple of bigger lakes on the east side of the state this morning

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NW NoDak is done for me. Sakagawea is the only open water around and has about a gazillion birds but I don't have a boat or field dekes. That's ok though, I had a heck of a year! Now it's time for some pheasants and sharpies to die smile

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crygrin Quick strike before wind got too established out of the south. That'll be me pulling the boat shaped icecicle back to metro. full-283-26403-2012_11_1308.53.00.jpg

Anyone who thinks the big migration is going to happen after season close obviously wasn't out the past couple days.

Nice pics of some nice late season hunts. I still have your Email from when I sent you those judging sheets, going to send you the CMRC informal schedual for this winter. Looking forward to meeting/ judging you and Maddie this winter.

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Scouted after work. Back bay of Peltier/Frozen. Mud lake/frozen. Carlos Avery. Frozen. Did see a nice woodie drake standing on ice at pool 9 outlet. Crippled along with a coot. If I had a dog I would have taken him but he slid into cattails on the ice. Even slow moving water was frozen. 15 degrees and dead calm here this morning. Back bay of green/frozen. We bounced rocks off it. saw about 100 geese in the sky and a dozen mallards in 75 miles of driving. Tried to get permission on some fields but no one came to any doors.

.

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Even slow moving water was frozen. .

.

The snake river up here had some long exspanes of sheet ice on it and even saw about 2 dozen honkers sitting on the lunch.
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More guns added. Late flight so poor light for pics. full-283-26383-2012_11_1219.08.58.jpg

Ever wonder if that flock in the distance is ducks or geese? full-283-26384-2012_11_1219.10.28.jpg

OMG!

Where did you get all the beautiful ducks?

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There's a few birds still around up north, but if you're still waiting for the "big push", I'm afraid you may have slept thru it. If you don't have birds in your area now, they likely blew thru on Sunday night.

There was a MAJOR migration starting early Sunday evening, that kept going thru most of Sunday night. They had a stiff cold tail wind pushing them hard southeast.

Most of our water is frozen over in NW Minnesota. There are still straggling flocks of greater Canadians and big old Greenhead curly tails, but the fat lady has sung, she's tired and sweaty, and she's pulling out her winter wardrobe....at least in our region.

Pretty typical migration for the last 20 years. The masses hang tight in Canada until they can no longer, then they blow thru in a couple days with everything freezing up behind em'. Thanks to everyone responsible for ditching, tiling, and draining 85% of our original wetlands during the 70's and 80's! frown

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I was surprised to see that most if not all of the divers hung in and toughed it out on the bigger bodies of water. Sunday I saw hundreds of birds rafting here, and on Monday they were still here. Again this morning I saw some on Lake Bemidji. I'm going to try for 1-2 more hunts this week/weekend!!

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

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