Waterfowl Reports

[fishduck]

Lots of divers in the Pope County area just recently, like now! Goose hunting near Evansville tomorrow am.

[Gordie]

They're running out of time.

So are we

[luckycrank]

just getting good now! green chrome everywhere

[Stringerless!]

Took a canoe out in this (bad word }. Nothing ! Never saw a duck . Heard a goose but never saw it. Had to try anyway. Had visions of bills falling from the sky like snowflakes and it might have happened somewhere but that somewhere was not the lake I was on this morning ! If a guy can't hope then why do we go ever ?

[Shoot2Kill]

I questioned my sanity this morning as my little 12 footer was bucking the waves as I set the decs out in the driving snow that made it impossible to see how far from the cat tails I was but it turned out to be worth it! While sipping my coffee I kept second guessing my spot, just being out, the spread....pretty much everything....that was until it got light and there were ducks EVERYWHERE. First day all year I've shot a limit. I haven't seen ducks like that in a long time - constant action for the first hour. Ended with 2 ringnecks, 3 green heads, and a drake woodie. The ringnecks and woodie were pass shots, but the mallards followed the script and cupped perfectly. It slowed after about 8:00 but still pretty frequent smaller groups of birds buzzing the slough. No geese though.

[strait-meat]

Metro or rural?

[tj417]

I think last part of the last line got deleted:

"...and then I woke up."

[Shoot2Kill]

Metro or rural?

Whoops...forgot to add that...south of St Cloud.

[canman]

Very dissapointed in the Hutch area yesterday. Saw mainly hooded mergs...

[fishduck]

Got 3 ringers yesterday in one shot!! I couldn't believe it! Some birds around and very willing to decoy, headed out now again.

[Cheetah]

Went out this morning NE of Mahtomedi, lots of geese flying, saw one big flock of snows up high. A decent number of mallards in the area, had a couple come close and the dog spooked them... Most wouldn't decoy at all. Finally had two geese come off the lake my way and I got one, somehow missed the other. Heard a couple groups pass shooting at geese, they didn't get much action either.

[Stringerless!]

Hunted a small lake in Northern Washington Cty. Lots of geese and mallards. Not much open water left because of floating slush. 200 Mallards would get up every time the eagle flew over but none would come anywhere near the shore. Should have shot at some geese but gave them another swing and they swung the wrong way ! No sign of any new ducks or geese. These birds have been there enough to know where to stay away from ! Never saw any high migrators or heard any.

[BrdHunter01]

So are we

Yep, another season where the bulk of the mallards don't make it down

2 weeks left, I hope it gets cold FAST!

Years back we use to have to worry about the swamp being froze for deer opener. We use to break ice every year and crush the ducks. The last few years we have not had a lick of ice and no tornados of mallards.... Very sad. Not to mention this year deer opener was as late as possible, no ice. Went there again this weekend NO ICE! Some ducks around, but leary. Had one flock of very tired northern mallards (50-75) that came into the decoys while we were motoring around in our goose deeks. Very few flocks of mallards coming out of the north sky this weekend and last. The mudhens are sill very thick! That right there tells me most of the northern mallards are not around. Lots of ringers around still as well.

I vote for a season that extends well into December!!!!

[mixxedbagg]

Went out tonight in Itasca County. Saw good numbers of mallards and honkers as well as a few divers but nothing within good shooting range.

On Friday I saw 3 Black Scoters through my scope on a lake in Itasca!

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Yep, another season where the bulk of the mallards don't make it down

2 weeks left, I hope it gets cold FAST!

Years back we use to have to worry about the swamp being froze for deer opener. We use to break ice every year and crush the ducks. The last few years we have not had a lick of ice and no tornados of mallards.... Very sad. Not to mention this year deer opener was as late as possible, no ice. Went there again this weekend NO ICE! Some ducks around, but leary. Had one flock of very tired northern mallards (50-75) that came into the decoys while we were motoring around in our goose deeks. Very few flocks of mallards coming out of the north sky this weekend and last. The mudhens are sill very thick! That right there tells me most of the northern mallards are not around. Lots of ringers around still as well.

I vote for a season that extends well into December!!!!

how is a season in december going to help when all of the mallards are already migrating west of minnesota?

[Muthagoose]

Hey Carp ever been in the west metro during late season?? If not then thats why...

[CANOPY SAM]

csd kinda nailed it.

Had my eyes to the skies a lot this weekend expecting to see birds moving thru Northwest MN and witnessed VERY few of anything moving. Not sure if they 1) still aren't moving, 2) if there just isn't anything coming thru here anymore, or 3) they no longer exist at all!

Not much to hold em' in our area anymore. Crops are all off, and most of the fields are cultivated. What water is standing in fields is freezing over fast. If they do come down, they won't stay long.

I suspect, can't confirm, but suspect that many are moving down thru the dakotas, but am sure some are moving into central MN - south of us.

It's dissappointing, but without the wetlands we once had up here, I doubt much will change.

[creepworm]

I haven't hunted in Minnesota for a month or so, but I can say there are a ton of ducks in South Dakota right now. Do not have to try real hard or due a ton of scouting to have some amazing shoots.

[Maxxed Out]

The birds are stacked up high and deep on Lac qui parle. They haven't done a count in over a week but i would say the population is well over 75,000 honkers. Had an awesome weekend with some HSO posters ( 18 honkers on Saturday and....3 Specs!). I'll post some pictures when I get a chance

[mwal]

Was in Northwest WI from Wed to Sun I saw 5 hoodies that is it. Dismal. Used to be be excellent diver hunting in the area now nothing. Last good shoot 15 years ago. Now the same in MN. They are not coming.

Mwal

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Hey Carp ever been in the west metro during late season?? If not then thats why...

yes i have. but there isn't going to be some magical big push of birds after the end of the season. will there be birds still to come down? sure. there always is. but the mallards have been migrating since early october. we get waves of them coming through out here every time there is a north wind. any time prairie dakotas raise more ducks than prairie canada, MN is bypassed from the start. western MN is holding great numbers of mallards right now. I saw some huge feeds of ducks swirling on the horizon during the first weekend of mn deer season. I've duck hunted enough in MN this fall to know that the hunting has been consistant in the western and sw part of the state all fall. with the crops coming out, and the abundance of water, combined with timely fronts and mild weather in between, the season has shaped up very nicely.

[ChuckN]

This week Canada is forecasting cold, like 0 for lows and single digit highs by the weekend. There appears to be a distinct line of cold/warmer air near the border, I'm guessing the jet stream is the reason...it hasn't dipped to us yet.

There were loads of ducks not long ago in Canada (first hand reports) and they've been in the 50's for what seems like eternity to us duck hunters. The cold reality is going to hit in Canada and we could be in for some grand hunting if we stay milder.

It's no where near over.

[ItsaCrappieLife]

Saw just about every kind of waterfowl you could see while deer hunting near a lake in south central MN this weekend. Lots of Mallards, Geese, divers, a few swans and even a couple Whooping cranes! Was tempted to trade the slugs for Steel No 2's.

[Ray Esboldt]

Whooping Cranes! That's about as rare a bird as you can run across in Minnesota. Sandhill cranes are everywhere, but who else here has ever saw a whooping crane in Minnesota?

[chub]

but there isn't going to be some magical big push of birds after the end of the season. will there be birds still to come down? sure. there always is. but the mallards have been migrating since early october. we get waves of them coming through out here every time there is a north wind. any time prairie dakotas raise more ducks than prairie canada, MN is bypassed from the start. western MN is holding great numbers of mallards right now. I saw some huge feeds of ducks swirling on the horizon during the first weekend of mn deer season. I've duck hunted enough in MN this fall to know that the hunting has been consistant in the western and sw part of the state all fall. with the crops coming out, and the abundance of water, combined with timely fronts and mild weather in between, the season has shaped up very nicely.

+1

[Notcho]

Just got back from ND, snows are starting to get thick along with the cacklers and the big "northern mallards" are showing up. Scouting is always key; don't be lazy! Diver hunting was spotty with the high winds on Devils lake, big migration last week (sorry) cans and reds are almost gone but good amounts of golds and buffies and of course bills. Managed to get a nice greater drake bill. As of Sunday most of the small pot holes were froze solid.

[ChuckN]

Whooping Cranes! That's about as rare a bird as you can run across in Minnesota. Sandhill cranes are everywhere, but who else here has ever saw a whooping crane in Minnesota?

No doubt!! They are extremely rare, and I only know one person who has seen a pair. He reported it to someone (I forgot), but these birds are highly studied and tracked. Whoever my friend reported it to they wanted details...

[Cheetah]

Went out this morning before work NE of Mahtomedi. The geese that have been around through this past weekend all disappeared. LOTS of mallards though, had at least three large groups on the lake and many groups of 5-10 birds that were passing through, unfortunately they absorbed all the smaller groups that were circling and none would commit to my decoys. Had two land on the ice at first light, expected my coworker to take a shot, he didn't, they flew... I wasn't ready yet with the gun, still setting up my jerk string.

Going to be windy tomorrow, bad direction for my spot, so I'll let the wind hopefully bust up some ice and get back out there on Thursday morning.

[morefishplease]

Some mallards finally started to arrive on the refuge here, I'd say its holding probably close to a 1,000. Geese numbers are lower than normal.

[Will]

Hunted north of the metro last nite, new birds around, cans, bills,

Goldies. Had a great mallard shoot and ended up with a

Bonus blackduck ( there were three of 'em in with a flock of

20 mallards ).