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Waterfowl Reports


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To the people who were wondering what we did with the coot. We shot them intentionally, and we wanted to try them out eating them.

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North metro. Finally a flock of fresh mallards. Half circle into the wind and cupped up. Ended up getting 2 suzies with one shot. All other birds seen were locals that knew where they were safe. Saw about 30 other mallards and maybe 100 geese. Geese came and went in complete silence. My luxury of hunting almost every morning lately has come to a screeching halt. Was working nights because of construction noise at MOA. Over now. Back to normal.

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North metro. Finally a flock of fresh mallards. Half circle into the wind and cupped up. Ended up getting 2 suzies with one shot. All other birds seen were locals that knew where they were safe. Saw about 30 other mallards and maybe 100 geese. Geese came and went in complete silence. My luxury of hunting almost every morning lately has come to a screeching halt. Was working nights because of construction noise at MOA. Over now. Back to normal.

Glad to see your persistance finally paid off. I was about to start a fund for you for a guided hunt.

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Anything is good with lots or barbeque on it. cool
Maybe, but you cannot go wrong wrapping anything in bacon and throwing on the grill.
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After taking three weeks off for some bowhuntng I made it back out to the lake today. It was pretty slow. I had a single drake ringneck commit to the decoys and a flock of mallards. The mallards however had a single drake out front that I had decided I would let land to let the flock come in. Just as the single was in range someone else on the lake fired and all the birds flared so I took the one drake. Five hours on the lake, several flocks of ducks flying but not close enough to even think about and two ducks brought home. I am done for the year and leaving for SD to hunt more deer. Good luck with your late season.

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Went out yesterday morning before the wind and no birds in a good late season spot not far from Marshall. Hope it gets better by the weekend!

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After taking three weeks off for some bowhuntng I made it back out to the lake today. It was pretty slow. I had a single drake ringneck commit to the decoys and a flock of mallards. The mallards however had a single drake out front that I had decided I would let land to let the flock come in. Just as the single was in range someone else on the lake fired and all the birds flared so I took the one drake. Five hours on the lake, several flocks of ducks flying but not close enough to even think about and two ducks brought home. I am done for the year and leaving for SD to hunt more deer. Good luck with your late season.

I went to the same lake yesterday and did not see a bird for the first three hours of the day I had to pack it up and go to work and wouldnt you know it, Huntbux in your spot sat a dozen mallards mad but thats hunting smile

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I went out this morning before work near Hugo. Where did all the ducks go?! I had two swim just to edge of my range at first light, I hoped they would come closer once it was legal shooting time, they didn't. Only saw about a half dozen other mallards swing in to a spot where a person on the lake feeds them. Little to no calling from the few birds I saw. Hopefully it will be better this coming weekend. The ice is really screwing up my spot too...

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pretty good for me this morning, good numbers of mallards around. ended up two greenheads and a black duck, should have had my limit.

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Ended up with my two bills a mallard and a widgeon I also should of had a limit but I had trouble hitting this morning grin

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I saw a duck in August, it's pretty ugly really, living on a farm with ponds and a river still waiting for the birds, maybe in a few weeks the action will pick up.

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Everything froze up around here last night. Couple small flocks sitting in the middle on the ice. Was hoping to go in the morning...oh well I guess

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Yep these cold temps may put things to rest for me. I went out yesterday morn and had to break through a bit of ice. When I got ready to get off the lake the decoys were froze in pretty good and had to break a quarter inch of ice off all of them. Only a couple Buffleheads came in and I passed on them. Would like to get out a couple more times hopefully.

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I will be busting ice again in the morning. This is the time of year I have been waiting for and then this weekend I hope to smack a few on Winni or the Mississippi

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havent broke out yet, hunting bigger lakes, a couple area sloughs are getting pretty tight with ice.

shot a few ducks the last couple days. mostly mallards with buffies and cans in between

went out this morning and there were three boats at the landing that usually has ZERO went hole hopping to find loaded landings (boats)

Lots of ducks milling around and TONS of geese

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Don't know if anyone is planning to come up to Nodak anytime soon, but if you want to hit some late-season birds, now is definitely the time to do it. Weather moving through as we speak. Big storms coming through south of Fargo. Might keep some birds north, but others are going to push south.

Just got a pic from a buddy of an 8-man limit of snows in southeast Nodak. Shot some nice mallys, too. They are there for the pickin' boys and girls! Get at 'em while the gettin' is good!!!

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Private lake in Scandia. One diver flew over spread before legal shooting. Had 3 mallards circle 3 times and finally commit. Missed ! One flock of geese coming to flag veered off and landed in middle with the hundred real geese out there. That was it. The ice was almost thick enough to hold me and the canoe up. Heard about 5 shot volleys. 3 trucks and trailers at both 2nd and 3rd access on Forest.Saw 2 flocks of migrating honkers. No ducks moving.

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Migration is on in south metro. Been sporadic shooting on the lakes surrounding our neighborhood since first light. Feeders are full of new arrivals. I could easily have shot a limit of ducks and geese from our hot tub they are passing so low over the house trading between the lakes.

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Hate to say it but I might be done with ducks unless I can find bigger water. Decoys might have to go back up in the rafters. Made the right choice and fished walleyes this morning. Call me a quitter, there's always geese around I suppose.

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Hunted backwaters south of the cities. Had a good mallard shoot, really tough to see with all the sleet and snow. could have shot many limits of scissor bills grin

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Today was a lot different from yesterday. Only got seven mallards for the five of us. All singles or doubles did see a lot of high flying ducks and geese headin south!

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spent the afternoon/evening smallie fishing. shoulda brought the scattergun & a bag of dekes! saw countless mallards & geese, if i had to guess 15000+. unbelieveable sight. toward evening there wasn't a time where i looked around and couldn't see a few flocks of 200 birds flying. was wading in the river and probably had 2000 mallards and geese well within killing range. had a flock of at least 100 mallards fly right over my head, maybe 10ft up. very cool! oh, and fishing wasn't bad either smile

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Holy migration! Saturday the birds were on the move. Got on a cornfield friday afternoon and had my 3 honkers in an hour. Saturday I got my three honkers by 10 then watched as flock after flock poured into my decoys. Had 200-300 geese land in the dekes. Flushed em out and put up the mojo and they still kept landing in my decoys. Had to set up in a fenceline because I dont have a snow cover for the layout. Ducks werent really digging it. Worked around 10 flocks of mallards but they kept sliding me. Had 2 flocks commit and dropped 2 greenheads. Picked up the decoys and moved to a spot in the field that 1500+ mallards were landing in all morning. Put out 5 mallard dekes and the mojo, layed in the field in whites behind the decoys and got 2 more greenheads to finish the day. Sometimes you have to do it oldschool! laugh Had geese coming into my mojo the whole time too. If you guys south of fergus falls think the season is over your wrong. I was hunting birds that were coming in from canada. There are plenty of birds to come for central/southern MN.

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North metro lake. One greenhead. 3 of us missed a flock of 5. Not sure still what they were. Saw lots of mallards at other end of lake that never got up. Along with couple hundred geese that kept coming and going till we left at 11:00. Another case where there were too many real birds to compete with.

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I will be busting ice again in the morning. This is the time of year I have been waiting for and then this weekend I hope to smack a few on Winni or the Mississippi

so, how did you do?

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • monstermoose78
      Flushed 3 pheasants today with Hazel but they were flushing 50 yards a head of her. Then we went by some little berries that looked black and hazels tail started going a brown bird gets up I thought hen then the bird banked and it was a grouse. It was good to get her out in the woods. I seen a few pheasants in picked corn fields. 
    • Kettle
      Walked today and yesterday, flushed 9, shot at two and got two. Hopefully next year I'll have a dog to hunt with. Still warm up here, skim of ice on ponds. Weather has been nice. Hopefully walk a bit more the next few weeks. Been pretty cautious walking for birds to not interfere with deer hunters. There sure are not the deer hunters there used to be 
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The focus for many this week is the ongoing deer hunting season which is a big tradition in these parts, even for avid walleye anglers.  There were some that either already harvested their deer or are more into catching fall walleyes than hunting.     Those that are fishing are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and excellent walleye and sauger bite that is happening across the lake.  Cold weather is in the forecast in the upcoming days and weeks so that is also getting many excited. The best depths on the south end of LOW are 22-28 feet of water.     Vertical jigging with frozen emerald shiners is catching most of the walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch.  Depending upon where on the lake you are fishing, some slots and big trophies are in the mix as well, but most reports are talking about good numbers of eaters.    Jumbo perch are coming in good numbers this fall which will serve ice anglers well.  Watch out for an occasional pike or even lake sturgeon mixed in with the walleyes.      There are good numbers of walleyes and saugers across the south shore which is setting up nicely for early ice.   On the Rainy River...  There continues to be good numbers of shiners in the river, and consequently, there are good walleyes in the river as well.     Walleyes along with saugers, pike and some sturgeon are coming in up and down the river.  Most walleyes are being caught in 10-25 feet of water in various stretches of the river.   Jigging with live or frozen emerald shiners is the key. Some anglers are also still slow trolling crankbaits upstream to cover more ground and find fish. Both methods are producing solid results. Sturgeon fishing remains strong.  The catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is open into the spring when it changes to the "keep season" on April 24th. Up at the NW Angle...  As temps are getting colder, most are in the woods hunting and not fall fishing, however, for those who bundle up, fishing continues to be excellent.     A nice mixed bag with walleyes, saugers, perch, pike and crappies being caught. Very good muskie fishing with the colder water temps and shorter days.  Some big fish and some good numbers are being caught amongst the islands.  Both casting and trolling is getting it done.  
    • gimruis
      I hunt in the rifle zone so I don't have a need to use a shotgun to hunt deer, but I would be looking at this if there was ever a need to.   There could be state legislation introduced next summer that eliminates the shotgun zone completely.  It has bipartisan support.  Wisconsin removed theirs years ago and MN is usually later to follow.  They've tried to pass it more than once and it came up just short both times.  Probably just a matter of time.
    • Wanderer
      Oh, h e l l no! 
    • leech~~
      Screw that, here's whatch need!  😆   Power-Shok Rifled Slug 10 Gauge 766 Grain Grain Weight: 766 Shotshell Length: 3-1/2in / 89mm Muzzle Velocity: 1280
    • Wanderer
      20 ga has become a real popular deer round in the last 5 or so years.  The rifled barrels are zinging those sabot slugs with rifle like accuracy out to 100 yards easily.  Some go so far as dialing in for a 200 yard shot but really, by 150 they’re falling off pretty low.   I have a single shot Ultraslug in 20 ga that shoots really well at 100 yards.  Most everyone I know that has bought a slug gun lately has gotten the Savage 220 in 20ga.  Problem can be finding the shells you want.
    • leech~~
      My son always bugs me about getting a nice light over-under 20ga for grouse hunting.  I say Heck no, I'm getting a 3 1/2" 10ga so I can put as much lead in the air that I can!!     So, I'm keeping my 12ga.  
    • 11-87
      That’s almost exactly what I was thinking.  Have slug barrels for both   One for turkey and one for deer.      I have a 20ga mosseberg as well. (Combo came with the scope but never used.   I always liked the 12 better
    • leech~~
      Wanderer is right on the money and covered it well.  I was wondering too if you had a slug barrel for one of your guns?  If so you could make that your slug gun with a scope, and the other your turkey gun with the Red dot.  As you can afford it. 
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