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Waterfowl Reports


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I spent a week in Saskatchewan and was disappointed in the results of the trip. Fun yes but it did not meet my expectations at all. I wanted to experience a mallard tornado and shoot 10-20 geese per day. I was expecting a lot I know but I had been doing well in MN and was hoping for better.

The last two days with my daughter have been great. Friday we got 8 mallards, a blue bill and 3 ring necks. This morning we shot 8 mallards by 8 am. We left at 10 when no "other" ducks would come in.

One more day but warm south winds make it hard to get up in the morning.

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Carlos Avery cause it is only 2 miles away and I didn't have much time this morning,Saw 1 duck in the sky and 2 pairs of geese. Had a ringie hen diving in dekes. Could not water swat her and she would not flush. Swam away. Of course they unloaded on the geese that they might have a chance if they were shooting heat seeking missiles but I doubt it. Not many shots at all heard from the refuge road. No ducks.

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Another morning of not firing a shot. Lots of geese but they wouldn't come in with the guy throwing his buzz bait towards me at 70 yards for a half hour mad saw 2 ducks

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Mallard and a woodie this morning. Very, very slow. With mid 60's going into next weekend I may head out for walleyes instead.

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Hunted in the south metro Friday, Sat. very few ducks flying both mornings. This is the slowest start to any duck season as far as i can remember....

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Hunted Thursday, Friday, and Saturday near Willmar. Saw very few ducks and no geese over the 2.5 days. So far, this has been the worst season I've experienced.

Each week I read in the Outdoor News that the duck hunters are experiencing overall good success. Not sure how they're coming to that conclusion as the reports I've been getting are overwhelmingly bad. Really bad.

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Hunted NC MN again on Sunday with my daughter. We were able to get our 8 mallards again and one wood duck. Went back to the cabin and saw 3 woodies sitting near shore. My daughter's tried to put the sneak on them but came up empty.

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I would be very dubious of anyone claiming they were really "kickin" it when it came to ducks in the state right now. MEA weekend has historically been a "NOT GREAT" weekend for birds..normally were in between flights..as we are now. Not to say someone mmaayy find a small concentration of birds but all the birds I'm seeing are sitting, loafing and been shot at a million times...could be an excellent late season though for those willing to tough it out when she gets nasty out.

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I would be very dubious of anyone claiming they were really "kickin" it when it came to ducks in the state right now. MEA weekend has historically been a "NOT GREAT" weekend for birds..normally were in between flights..as we are now. Not to say someone mmaayy find a small concentration of birds but all the birds I'm seeing are sitting, loafing and been shot at a million times...could be an excellent late season though for those willing to tough it out when she gets nasty out.

Well, I seen thousands of Ring bills and red heads in the area near Wadena this weekend . Thee are a lot of birds around.

And we did kick it .

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I have been out 4 times in MN and have yet to shoot a duck... And not because we are missing... we are not even shooting... this is in SE Ottertail County. Where we used to shoot ducks from opener till freeze up 20 years ago. Tough pill to swallow.....

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The Cans and ringers were on the move this weekend. To bad you can only take 1 can this year.

Overall it was a slow weekend. Little to no mallards and geese around. If it wasn't for the cans flying, this weekend would have been extremely boring. We and others passed on many shots as many had there bag full of 1 can per person.

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I have been out 4 times in MN and have yet to shoot a duck... And not because we are missing... we are not even shooting... this is in SE Ottertail County. Where we used to shoot ducks from opener till freeze up 20 years ago. Tough pill to swallow.....

I'm at the opposite corner of the county and hunting was good when the locals were still around but once they got pushed out by the cold snap and it warmed up again it got very very slow. The local birds still around are very skittish and decoy shy. Hunted this past weekend at it was singles and pairs and the odd group of half a dozen. A few mallards, one pair of woodies, not a single teal, lots of mergs, a few buffleheads, redheads and a couple larger flocks of what I'm guessing were ringnecks up high. Plus the random gaggle of geese here and there. Overall, slow and skittish.

Had some friends hunting farther north and they had a good shoot on ringnecks and redheads though so some migrators coming.

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Had some friends hunting farther north and they had a good shoot on ringnecks and redheads though so some migrators coming.

We've been in far north MN the past three weekends and have the seen the transition from mostly woodies on the first weekend, to mallards, to ringnecks last weekend. And we had plenty of ringers last weekend. Limits were easy.

They're on the way. smile

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From reading a few other posts I guess some guys are able to find birds, watch where they go and set up accordingly. Others that can't seem to find them I guess feel it necessary to question others integrity. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself.

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From reading a few other posts I guess some guys are able to find birds, watch where they go and set up accordingly. Others that can't seem to find them I guess feel it necessary to question others integrity. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself.

I was thinking the same thing. I have a feeling these are the same guys who go sit on the same lake, river or slough that they have been hunting for the last 10,20,30+ years and wonder where the ducks are. Duck hunting isn't what is was back in the day. It takes a little more scouting and a little more effort than it used to but there are plenty of birds to be had in the state.

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We did spend time scouting and moving around from one body of water to another. We took note of where birds were and weren't when we thought they should be there. One word: food.

Between travel routes and loafing areas, not all have been created equal. We managed to find 3 key spots with maybe 6 secondary spots to go to if someone else dropped in before us.

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Been sitting in the same blind since opener and have shot limits everyday! You are right that hunting isn't what it use to be, it's better!!

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North eastern and north central MN-

Haven't been out hunting much, busy with school and work but I have been seeing an influx of divers, lots of ringers, more bluebills than last year, some cans as well. I have been sitting on a small rice lake waiting for it to build more for a decent mallard shoot. With limited time to hunt I just want to make every effort for a good hunt when I can go. Happy Hunting to all

Kettle

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Drove by one of my local refuges today and...shocked to see a bunch of new birds. So I went out, and was happy to see some birds moving despite the warm weather. Than about an hour before sundown I got to see a huge migratory movement of ducks, geese, pelicans, and swans about 3 miles long. Guess they decided they were tired of waiting for weather and went by the calendar. Should be getting better, going to sit in the stand over the weekend to avoid the crowds and be back at it monday.

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Saw cans,buffies,mallards,mergies ,geese and swans this morning. Brutal with the sun in our eyes. One chance to shoot and I missed. washington county. Heard migrating swans before light and saw a few high flocks moving after sunup.

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I spent most of the weekend working on my driveway at the cabin. So this morning I decided to try the lake my cabin is on instead of another lake. I will say that it's different hunting out of an otter stealth instead of a 1648 Jon boat.

I ended up with 3 mallards, a green wing teal and my first black duck. Lots of divers on the lake but they were not interested in the area I was set up in. My daughter was not feeling good this weekend so she stayed in bed this morning and made french toast. At 0900 the French Toast sounded better than waiting for one more duck.

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Lots of wood ducks in the Stillwater area. More geese than last weekend. Same number of mallards. Nothing interested in the decoys except some very young looking wood ducks that didn't stick around.

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Refuges getting more full by the day. Lots and lots of birds moving this morning. With the clear skies the majority of it was very early before shooting hours. Mostly mallards and pintails worked, but saw lots of different birds, mostly high. Not much shooting for us though. Tired of sunny 70 degree days, its almost November for crying out loud!

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I took my youngster out to a local WMA this weekend a couple times. Lots of birds flying on Saturday morning. Woodies, teal, gadwalls, and a few mallards all seen. No shots fired, but we were out there.

We got "back doored" by some late comers both mornings, which kinda sucked, but we got over it and still got to at least see some birds.

Two big flocks hit the spread 5min after shooting light Saturday evening. One flock of mallards/black ducks followed by a half dozen woodies. Guess the weather has them staying close to home still. Frustrating to know that your set up is perfect and you are where the birds want to be, only to be out done by the sun and the clock. Rules are rules, whata ya gonna do.

never fired a shot.

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Couple flocks of ringies seen tonight. Ended up with a drake out of a pair that came to the spread. Rest landing in middle with coots. Burned by a pair of mallards straight overhead. First retrieve for a buddies dog.:)

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Was expecting the worst this morning when the first hour or so of shooting light had passed and very few birds seen. Thankfully decided to fly late and was steady action of gadwall, cans, redhead, and mallards with some random flocks of other birds including buffleheads working. Did not want to decoy very well where we were set up. Shot some, missed a lot. Saw massive numbers of birds across the refuge line but action was steady. Pool 7.

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Hunted this evening at a WMA in Scott Co. Zero birds flying, saw no ducks or geese. I was hoping the colder windy weather would have them moving.

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Saw a pair of mallards, pair of mergies, 3 whistlers. Got a suzy in the last legal minute. Came in alone. No sign of any migrators. No new birds noticed. Typical locals flying after legal shooting is over. Waited at access to explain to a fisherman that our season is only 60 days and his is over 6 months.Called ranger Rick to see at what distance does a fishing boat get to be considered hunter harassment . Basically was told " It is public water. He can fish wherever he wants" ????????? That mean I can hunt wherever I want ?? Might try the beach tomorrow. Said it is up to whether the angler is considerate or not. frown

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • 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. 
    • Wanderer
      Kinda depends on if you want magnification or quick target acquisition.   More magnification options and better accuracy with a scope.  You get what you pay for too so get comfortable with a budget for one.  Tasco and Bushnell work but I find they lose their zero easier, have low contrast and don’t gather light well in low light conditions.  That said, I’m still using one I haven’t replaced yet.  Vortex has been the hot brand for the past several years for bang for the buck.  Good products.  Nothing beats Swarovski though.  Huge dough for those.  Burris is another decent option.   There are some specific models for shotgun/slug hunting in the economy brands and bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticles.  Based on experience I’d recommend not falling for that marketing ploy.   Red dots are usually lower magnification and easier to get on target.  Reasonably accurate but don’t do well with definition, like searching the brush for your target.  I put a HAWKE red dot on a .22 for squirrels and it’s been good.  For turkey, that’s probably the route I’d go.     If your slug shots are normally not too far and too brushy, I’d think a red dot could work there too if you’re only buying 1 scope.  You’ll be better off dimming the reticle to the lowest setting you can easily use to not over shine the target and get a finer aim point.   If you don’t have a slug barrel, you might appreciate one of those.  I had a browning with a smoothbore slug barrel that shot Brenneke 2-3/4 inch well.  The 11-87 would well fitted with a cantelever rifled barrel. 
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