Waterfowl Reports

[Todd Caswell]

Theres a few showing up around here, Geese, sawbills, few mallards and a few woodies, should see a big influx next week

[Stringerless!]

Tundra swans moving north all day. Was not an hour that I didn't see or hear a flock. Chisago county.

[Kettle]

Todd really like that pic! Saw some Golden eyes on a larger open creek here on the range yesterday, the birds sure do look nice this time of year!

Kettle

[walleyeking19]

Went golfing this morning and saw some hooded mergansers, blue wing teal, mallards, woodies a widgeon and some geese. The birds had gorgeous colors in them, wish they looked like that during hunting season!

[hunter322]

been seeing more and more geese in the air and fields! cant wait till opener!

[CANOPY SAM]

I think they just wrapped up their molting a week or so back, and now the youngins are taking to the air as well.

It really is nice to hear and see them in the air again. Where I live, up in NW Minnesota, alongside a little river valley, we often have geese in the river, and in the fields around our place. They're so prevalent they just become a normal, everyday part of the scenery. I miss them when they go into that molting process, and it's kind of a nice relief when they get back in the air and make themselves heard again.

I can't imagine an autumn without hearing and seeing geese. They're awesome birds!

[Brrtshunting]

I've seen quite a few teal around central MN, looking forward to opener. Has anyone else seen good numbers of ducks out there this year?

[CANOPY SAM]

Bringing my youngest daughter out to her friend's house last week and I came across a harvested wheat field with 1000+ geese, and nearly that many ducks as well!

I just pulled over to the side of the road and watched this army of ducks mow thru the grain stubble. All the while more and more ducks and geese kept pouring into that field. LOVE IT!

[Kettle]

Seeing some mallards, teal and a few divers (local ringnecks would be my guess) on the Iron range, rice crop looks pretty good, not like last year but last year was a stellar rice crop. Also saw a pair of swans with 6 younger ones while I was out forwheeling yesterday. First fall on the range on my guess with the scouting I have been doing is that I will probably have to head farther west to find more birds.

Kettle

[Brrtshunting]

Going out this weekend for the work on the boat, blinds, dock, etc... Going to do some scouting, will report back what we see. Looking forward to a great year.

[fishuhalik]

Hey kettle, I grew up on da rang& spent a lot of time chasing ducks. Shoot me a pm & I can get you started

[Brrtshunting]

Was out building blinds this weekend. Saw a lot of teal and wood ducks. Some geese being hunted. Water is still a little up, but looks to be a promising opener!

[dan z]

Call me a liar but I seen a small move today with a half dozen flocks up high and in formation. Did manage to knock over 3 this a.m and they all came from the clouds.

[Feathers Rainin]

Call me a liar but I seen a small move today with a half dozen flocks up high and in formation. Did manage to knock over 3 this a.m and they all came from the clouds.

No surprise at all. Molt migrators. Happens every year Mid-Late September. I saw some over a week ago which is a little early for molts.

[Roosterslayer05]

Call me a liar but I seen a small move today with a half dozen flocks up high and in formation. Did manage to knock over 3 this a.m and they all came from the clouds.

There was a small migration yesterday. This occurs every year. It's not all molt migraters either. I shoot lessers and cacklers every year early season. I even see snow geese every year during early season.

[Nature'sCorner]

Took son out yesterday for youth waterfall day, he had a good day, shot 5 ducks!

[Griffond]

Took too boys out this weekend south of Monticello saw a few birds mostly teal and woodies boys got 5 ducks 4 teal and a woody... pretty good for first timers thou. There was a few geese flying around no big numbers yet... I've seen more around St. Cloud then around the Monticello area...I think by opener we should start to see some real numbers around most area's of the state.

[Kettle]

From all of my recent scouting I can say the rice crop is minimal. The rice that is seen is mainly the standing stuff from last year. Actual crop producing rice is way down in the north-land. If you are planing on hunting places that you have hunted in the past with rice for opener check it out prior to the season. I don't know if I will be on the water, have my eye on a barley field that has yet to be cut and is the only one I have seen up here in the northeastern part of the state.

Happy Hunting

Kettle

[MattL]

Well, how did everyone do today? Two of us got out and shot our limits. 6 woodies, 4 teal, and 2 mallards. Missed a lot also Saw a ton of wood ducks today and had quite a few more woodies stop by and hang out in the decoys after we had our 6.

[Kettle]

We found the ducks just wasn't set up right. Got 3 for 2 guys, saw probably 300 birds all mallards and black ducks. No other birds

Kettle

[monstermoose78]

My dad and I saw lots of ducks but we suck at shooting but love to blast at them anyways. I could not believe we had them so close and could still miss. We ended up with one wood duck. We should have had limits for sure but it is okay we had a great morning minus the bugs.

[fishersofmen]

Got a few ducks and yea the mosquitos were absolutely horrible! Me and my son got slaughtered huge mistake not bringing some deet.

[laportian]

Hunted by Leech Lake. Heard lots of shooting down on Steamboat. I was a little north and didn't get much action. Ended up getting one woodie out of 8 that were locked on our decoys. I'm blaming my new shotgun and too tight of a choke for that. Lol! Had a few mallards fly just out of range. Lots of mosquitos for us too.

[123fish]

We did pretty good here in the far southwest corner. Six of us shot seventeen mallards and nine teal. That was the only two species we had shots at. Did not really see that many ducks but the ones we did worked real well.

[strait-meat]

got a 2 man limit of ducks by 930. guys to our right were sky busting birds and guys to our left were pretty good shots--it was fun to watch them cut them out of the sky. we had decent shooting but room for improvement for sure--just had more ducks pass by us to get us to our limits.

mallards and teal made up the limits with a female ringneck. held back on shooting the spoonies that seemed to always lock up on our spread.

Hunting SW MN

[MattL]

It was a bit slower today, we got 5 between the two of us. 3 woodies, a teal, and a mallard. There wasn't near as many birds flying today and the ones that did were pretty skiddish.

[Polarisx54r]

Report from my back yard just East of Pelican in Wright County.

Holy wood ducks!!! Yesterday buddy and I filled out our bag. 6 woodies (2 really nice drakes), 1 blue winged teal, 1 widgeon, 1 redhead and 1 mallard, 2 flying cripples counted as dead. Widgeon and redhead very unusual for this location. Woodies were coming in hot and fast in groups of 2-6. Never seen so many around here. Very close shooting on all birds. Decoying quite nicely. Dog got a lot of chances to shake of the rust. With a few marking rocks and a couple of escorts into the cattails he managed to find all downed birds. Not a single goose in the sky, very few mallards sighted. Lots of teal flying around but my slough is too deep this year so they're not using it as much as usual. 2 Years ago, several neighbors and I got together to build and place 30 wood duck boxes. IT IS CLEARLY PAYING OFF!

This morning hunting solo: passed on a lot of the wood ducks concentrating on trying to bag some yummy teal. Bagged 2 nice wood duck drakes (I just couldn't resist when they pitched in clean lit up by the rising sun behind me like a Kouba print), 2 blue wings, a greenwing and a big fat mallard drake. Birds still pitching readily into the dekes, mallards clearly more wary and forming larger flocks. Woodies still in Kamikaze mode. Dog almost caught one hen that landed 12" from the rat hut he was sitting on. I was laughing too hard to bust the teal that followed her in. Fair number of geese low and slow in ragged flocks but none came in close to me. Also picked up a bonus dove that chose a poor flight path to go with my teal.

In addition to the usual AAA barrage on Pelican (sounded heavier than last few years) there were hunters present on several small water sloughs nearby that haven't been there in 4 years. Helped the neighbor kids retrieve 3 woodies they'd downed in heavy cover on a small pothole after I packed it in. Great to see the youngsters getting into the sport. They knocked down a mallard drake with their 20ga single shots while I was working the dog and got to see him do a live water retrieve on a crippled bird. Luke will be talking dad into a hunting dog for Christmas I think.

Overall, one of the best openers I can remember.

[mabr]

For what should be considered my first year im happy, and did it on my own (and you guys help on this forum). Got my limit of woody's and 1 teal on opener, only one hen mallard came to the decoys but swatting at a skeeter messed the only chance i had at a mallard.

Today was a little tougher, the woody's still came in but not in the decoys like yesterday. Had issues with left handed shooter(me) and right handed gun causing me to only have 1 shot. Gonna switch the safety around before i get out again that for sure. Caused me to not get my limit of woody's today. Ended up with 1 beautiful drake though.

Cant wait for cooler temps!!!

[ClownColor]

Got our two man limit on saturday by 10am with a bonus goose. Mallards and teals. If our barrels weren't bent we would have filled out by 8am and geeses by 10am.

[fishuhalik]

Been hearing some real mixed reports from different buds. Since I'm in Texas now I obviously haven't been out but I keep in contact with all my old duck buds. Two buddies that went to our traditional opener spot (one of the guys took my seat:( shot their limit of woodies, ringers & teal in 15 mins opening morning. Today they shot drakes only & it took a whopping 45 mins to fill out. 3 other parties filled out or came close but it took more work. 2 parties did really poor on a traditionally good lake. Sounds like scouting is critical, as always