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Waterfowl Reports


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Did an evening watch on the lake west of town last night. Saw flocks of woodies and some mallards heading back from the fields to the lake. One flock of mallards was about 30-40 birds. Also a few small flocks of teal around.

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Pickerel Lake in Nowthen between St Francis and Elk River is loaded with Wild Rice.

Lots of Wood Ducks, teal and Mallards roosting on the lake.

If you hunt it this weekend better be there around 10pm on Friday.

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Isn't this the fun of opening day? Scout hard, find a spot with birds, get there WAY TOO EARLY just to sit and hope someone doesn't show 30 min before legal shooting and set up 100 yds up wind!?

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I feel for you guys down around the Twin Cities. I lived in Waconia for 5 years and finding hunting opportunities without being overrun by other hunters is near impossible.

As to a report...up here in the NW part of the state, where much of the migration first moves in, there's a few flocks of local geese, and a couple ducks around. It's really dry, and only the small grains are off. Locals are just starting in on the beans.

Weather is still way too mild. Feels like mid-July up here tonight with t-storms moving up from the south. Kinda doubt the dekes are gonna see any sunlight for a few more weeks. I gotta wait for the migration to get started. Too many other things to do before the birds really get moving.

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Took my dogs to the retriever club last night in Dilworth. By the time we left, close to 150 geese were loafing on the main pond. I think I found a roost.... laugh

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

I have been seeing some bluewings hanging around the Princeton area along with the normal woodies. The geese have been flying high or rate at sunset. I have notice a lot of Sandhill Cranes along high 95 between st cloud and princeton the cranes are in the cut corn fields.

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I'm going to Bowstring for an afternoon hunt today. I was harvesting rice just north of there last week on Natures Lake and it looked good. Teal everywhere. Weather is kinda cruddy but maybe it'll get them moving.

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About an hour north of the metro have noticed good numbers of birds on lakes with rice, I will be heading down to the family farm just outside of Mankato for opening weekend. Good luck everyone!

Kettle

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While doing chores yesterday, up here in the NW part of the state, I noticed a few large flocks of geese high up heading south. It seems a little early to see anything truly migrating yet, but these groups definitely appeared to be on the move.

Also noticed a distinct increase in the number of geese in the immediate area. Far more geese flying around town last night then I've seen in the past few weeks.

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While doing chores yesterday, up here in the NW part of the state, I noticed a few large flocks of geese high up heading south. It seems a little early to see anything truly migrating yet, but these groups definitely appeared to be on the move.

Also noticed a distinct increase in the number of geese in the immediate area. Far more geese flying around town last night then I've seen in the past few weeks.

I'm in the metro and noticed a high flying flock or 2. Lots of geese around, quite a few ducks too.

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Pelican Lake in Wright County is loaded with ducks.

Pickerel Lake in Anoka County is Loaded with Ducks.

Lory Lake in Isanti County has ducks especially in the WMA portion.

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Pelican Lake in Wright County is loaded with ducks.

Pickerel Lake in Anoka County is Loaded with Ducks.

Lory Lake in Isanti County has ducks especially in the WMA portion.

And those ducks on Pelican will be blasted off the lake by the million hunters out there tomorrow!

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Had a very poor Opener where we were this morning. Four guns shot a honker and a blue and green wing teal. Pretty sad. Two others in our party went to a different slough and shot seven and another two went to a third slough and shot ten. A mixture of mallards, woodies, a few teal and a gadwall. Was just too hard for some of us old timers to get in those sloughs that required walks through heart siezing muck. Lot of hunters out and not a whole lot of ducks. Weather was way too nice also.

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Woodies were plentiful in the Cambridge area, many small flocks were seen, mostly locals I suspect and we did take three limits. Some mallards were also seen, perhaps 10 - 20, but none would decoy. Can't complain as it's mostly local ducks right now. Things will improve....

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Lots of woodies where we were in Southern MN. The 3 of us got our 9 woodies along with a few teal, a mallard, and a goose. There wasn't a lot of shooting going on anywhere nearby. We probably had the most action of the 4 groups on the lake. Not many flocks over 3-4 birds. A lot of singles and doubles.

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East of Kato and got just three today had a buddy on swan got one, last weekend during scouting there were a lot more teal around. Three bag limit of woodies, back out in the morning, was suppose to hunt down here Thursday and Friday but heading north might be the better option.

Kettle

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Saturday my 2 sons and I had 14 birds 6 mallards 4 woodies and 3 teal and goose, Sunday was slower 1 mallard and 5 woodies and 1 goose, overall a good weekend, weather was to warm and nice for my liking ,but otherwise a fun time.

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I was one of the millions out on Pelican. Actually wasn't any more people than a normal opener out there. Even heard a muskrat pass some gas in the morning wink. I thought overall it was a fair to slow opener. I ended up with 4 ducks, so I guess I've done worse. Not alot of shooting considering all the groups out. A few groups did alot of shooting and some groups didn't do much shooting.

Went the smart route on Sunday, slept in and did a little bass fishing late morning! Even the dogs were happy to sleep in.

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Western mn was full of Teal! Sat morning was crazy and our group put 24 teal and 2 mallards in the bag! Sunday was a lot slower and we finished with 2 mallard and 8 teal- tons of people out hunting! Strange part was we had a total of 32 Blue Wing Teal and not a

Single Green

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Hunted the north metro Saturday, it wasn't as good as I expected or as good as last year. Last year heard a ton of shooting, not even close to as much this year. A good day still and shot 5 between 4 of us but a bit of a letdown.

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Hunted up by Longville Sat and Sunday..while scoutting lake on Friday, loads of ducks...Mallards, Teal, Woodies, Redheads, Ringers and Geese..Sat AM..crickets..some shooting but nothing to get excited about...heard from the duck counter over on Big Rice...10 parties..12 ducks after the morning shoot....went and jumped beaver ponds after that....low,dry. Thankfully the shooting gets better later in the fall usually up there. Think the ducks have gotten smarter and hang around the city. hahahaha

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3 of us shot 13 on saturday. mostly mallards. A good hunt. My buddy went with 6 other guys and they limited out (42 ducks!).

A painful lesson was learned on Saturday morning. No, not by me. My twin 5 year old boys were told on Friday night if they went to bed good they would get to go duck hunting in the morning. They didnt, so I took my daughter instead. They were not very happy! But I bet next time they go to bed well!

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Opening Weekend, Hutchinson MN

Good numbers of ducks and geese around. Geese seemed pretty educated for opening weekend, but they have been hunted for a while already. Good variety of species of ducks around for September. We saw mallards, woodies, bluewing and greenwing teal, shovelers, pintails, wigeon, redheads, and hooded mergansers. Late ice-out north of us may have caused some species to nest here this spring that normally nest farther north. Some ducks cooperated well, and some didn't. We harvested mallards, wood ducks, wigeon, bluewing and greenwing teal, and a pintail. Good luck and be safe out there.

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Carlos Avery opening morning. Non stop shooting for at least the first 45 minutes. Not many made it out to us.6 of us ended up with 10 birds. Woodies and teal. Did not see many mallards at all there. Same old ,same old as someone decides to come out at 7:30 and set up between two of us. Done with that place unless I get rained out during week or the tornado sirens are going off. Hugo area Sunday. Gadwall drake and a woodie drake. Only chances we had to shoot. Unless we were like party on other side. Then we could have shot boxes into the air like they did. Sharpen up boys !! Be patient ! There are 57 days left.

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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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