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Waterfowl Reports


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Black ducks.  They appear to be hen mallards, look incredibly similar, even the males look like susies.  Use to get a few in a local slough in the Duluth area back in the 90"s.

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  • 11 months later...

Was out scouting a couple smaller ponds in the Zimmerman area. Not much moving today kicked up 3 wood ducks but they would have been too far of a shot. Walked a small river a bit too see if anything was back there nothing. The ducks are sure loaded in all the metro ponds I drove by on the way up though :mad:

 

Need some cold weather to get some birds moving

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

The woodies are in little ponds in the woods :)

You might even get a bonus grouse

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  • 2 weeks later...

This site has really tanked, and I haven't been on here for about a year, but I felt compelled to fill some of my old duck blind buddies in on the latest happenings in NW Minnesota.

From what I can see we've really hit that Late October lull time.  The vast majority of our local birds pulled out with that big full moon, and the cool clear nights last week.  I've been back and forth across the countryside quite a bit, and I'm seeing very few migratory waterfowl in the area.

With temps being what they are, and now that everything has dried out quite a bit up here, the majority of our farm fields have been cultivated and turned up black.  Pretty balmy now for this time of year.  I wouldn't expect any kind of big migration over the next week or so, but I'd imagine a few will start trickling down out of Canada here and there.

I hear things are going pretty well out in the Dakotas.  Prolly smart to head over there if you really wanna get into birds.  Just not much to speak of at all right now in Northwest Minnesota.

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Canopy Sam glad to have you back we missed you. Keep the reports coming. We were all waiting for you to start getting the band back together again.

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Got out for the first time this year last weekend. Opening morning got my two roosters and then started scouting. I didnt see much for birds all day until in the evening when I saw about 40-50 redheads on one pond. Set up there the next morning with my old man and we got 3 reds, 3 gwt, and a woodie and mallard drake. Next day saw more ducks on that pond as well and ended up setting up there as well the next morning. We shot 5 bluebills and 2 bonus geese that morning. Then shot a nice fat rooster that day and headed home. Im off the next 6 days after today so we'll see what kind of trouble I can get myself into. I will post pics on the other thread when i get a chance.

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  • 6 months later...

About the the biggest news I can come up with on this years bird info is that significantly more hooded mergs than usual have been seen in central - western MN.

 

Id like to get a nice one.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

I have been seeing gadwalls my dads pond has a pair and 3 other ponds have them to 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

 Lots of mallards, geese, and swans around

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  • 9 months later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

The swans are thick. Geese are showing up in numbers and same with the cranes!

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  • Official Fishing Report Team - MN

Seeing a bunch of full plumage divers, swans and geese on the sauk river near Rockville. Spring is always excitieing for a waterfowler. Put a few wood duck houses out last week and checked on the ones already in place!

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  • 1 year later...

March 21 - saw my first goldeneyes of the spring migration tonight.  They were cruising south so I imagine they were scouting further north but didn’t find the water they were looking for.

 

There are spots open on the river but not much around Little Falls yet.  Judging by the looks of the ice though I’ll be seeing open water by Sunday.  

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March 26 I got a text from a neighbor that he saw a half dozen woodies.  Gotta take his word for it since he knows ducks but I still wanna see em with my own eyes.

 

March 27 and they’re at my place along with some hoodeds.  And we’ve only seen a few goldeneyes so far I’m calling them early birds and won’t doubt my sanity next year when the early ones show up again.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Time to fire this baby up again...any early goose pics and/or reports?

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Well I seen a few groups of mallards this morning and two big flicks of teal. The geese are flying high and early or late in the day

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Just settling in for a 4 hour nap before launching the boat on LOW - provided we’re not in the middle of a T-storm.  South winds so that helps.  Rain doesn’t bother me but the chance of lightning does.

 

Good luck tomorrow.

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No doubt @papadarv!  They’re really good at it too.  The small family flocks have joined together where I’ve been seeing geese and now number 50+ typically.

 

We saw some geese and a few ducks today but didn’t shoot any.  We didn’t find anything worth setting up on.  Pretty amazing how slim the duck population is up here.  The biggest flock I’ve seen, including the drive up, numbered 5 birds.  It’s been mostly random singles and pairs.

 

The flooding up here has been amazing too.  Something like 10 inches in 25 hours.  Roads are flooded and the ditches are raging rivers.  The downstream sides of the bigger culverts look like power plant discharges.

 

We’re considering other options for tomorrow.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Well I did not get up this morning had a good time at the wedding!! I sneaked down to my dads pond at noon and bingo. A triple yep this bad shot sniped one off a log and knocked the other two out of the air. Finn was on them ducks like flies on poop. One hen woodie dove on Finn and he tried to find her. I waited an hour and half for that hen woodie to pop up but it never happened.

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Those hen woodies can be some tough customers!

 

Since I had half the state to cover on the way home I swung through a spot I wanted to hunt last year but was shut out by a storm - go figure.  I had just the last 2 hours to paddle it and see what was up.  Started pushing up birds right away; mallards and ringers.  Didn't try shooting anything till I got back in it a bit.  Found a nice 40 yard wide hole in cover and a lone mallard came by.  One shot, one dead bird.  Stuck around for the last 45 minutes, got buzzed by some teal, then time was up.  More birds showed up while I picked up.  Good chance I'll be back.

Edited by Wanderer
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I told myself I was done hunting Minnesota..... 57$ later out of the budget I'll be living off if ham sandwiches the next two weeks and one pintail and one goose..... I'm a sucker ?

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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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