2014 NoDak Waterfowl Reports

[TylerS]

Things were greasy Monday, but we haven't had much rain before or after the spit we got Sunday. I'd say fields should be OK, but it's always a good idea to check before you baja through black dirt.

[ghuntofish]

Any new decent reports of birds?? Seen two reports yesterday, one out of cleveland and one out of robinson. Both reports don't look promising... have my fingers crossed that there will be birds to be found

[TylerS]

Weren't my reports "decent" enough??

[Meyer8043]

We're in southern nd right now and have been hunting since sat. The fields are dry as a popcorn fart right now. Very few birds around. We found alright fields every night but have not got permission on a single field. Every year we've came in the past we get permission on a new field every day. It's pretty disappointing. Never really hunt water here and don't usually bring any floaters along, I'm just glad I did since that's all we've been able to hunt. Not that we're not shooting our limits but I can hunt like this in mn, I come here to shoot ducks in fields.

[ghuntofish]

When I said decent I was talking about number of ducks not the quality of reports. You have had great reports, thanks

[HookEmHard84]

I was up in the DL area 10/8 to 10/12. We found plenty of birds…mostly on the big water. Getting them to decoy was another story, I reckon they have been shot at many times in the past week. Also clear skies had them flying real high. Fields were very dry, we were able to drive everywhere we wanted. Teal are def not gone, we found plenty.

[TylerS]

When I said decent I was talking about number of ducks not the quality of reports. You have had great reports, thanks

Haha I know. I was just messing with you.

Most people who are coming to North Dakota in the next 10 days or so will be met with stable weather conditions and pressured birds (pressured, at least, by ND standards). Those who want to be successful need to think outside the box and plan on putting in plenty of windshield time.

[ghuntofish]

I've seen two excellent reports on DU today. One out of jamestown saying limit of mallards and a huge push of birds has moved down. Same goes to a report out of Devils lake. Good luck to everybody!

[TylerS]

I've seen two excellent reports on DU today. One out of jamestown saying limit of mallards and a huge push of birds has moved down. Same goes to a report out of Devils lake. Good luck to everybody!

A huge push of birds?? Pushed by what, 70-degree temps and 10mph winds???

I'd take a DU report with a grain of salt. Anyone can post on those things. If I was an enterprising outfitting business, I'd be on there all the time talking about how many boatloads of fresh birds were in the decoys every day...

[Ufatz]

Ahem....Tyler makes some excellent reports. Let common sense be your guide on this 'duck movement" thing.

[fishuhalik]

A huge push of birds?? Pushed by what, 70-degree temps and 10mph winds???

I'd take a DU report with a grain of salt. Anyone can post on those things. If I was an enterprising outfitting business, I'd be on there all the time talking about how many boatloads of fresh birds were in the decoys every day...

^^^THIS!

I don't doubt there are small pockets of birds moving in every day. However, I read the reports too & I think the old forumology "pics or it didn't happen" comes to mind

With that in mind, from what I hear those birds in Canada are getting a ton of pressure. It wouldn't surprise me if those birds got tired of being shot at & took off. Just a thought...

[Feathers Rainin]

Ducks and geese do not always wait for cold weather and north winds to migrate.

Sometimes the weather in your neck of the woods is not the same as it is 500+ miles north of you where the ducks breed.

You will miss out on a lot of good hunting if you only go when it is cold and there is a big NW wind.

Not saying the reports are accurate or not but you certainly can't make that call from sitting on your keyboard.

[TylerS]

Not saying the reports are accurate or not but you certainly can't make that call from sitting on your keyboard.

Yup. I never get out duck hunting. Don't listen to the 10+year ND resident whose been out a dozen times already this season, most recently this weekend.

Look: I'm not trying to discourage people from hunting. And sure, there might be a few mini pushes in specific areas. But go ahead and read ALL of those reports. Of the 10 or so, two were positive. What's that tell you?

Here are the facts: It's been almost a month since resident opener. Local birds have been pressured. Some have moved. A few likely came down to replace them, too. Weather has been disgustingly gorgeous (mid-60s, sunny, light wind) for more than a week, and the 10-day forecast is much of the same.

I'm not duck rocket scientist, but I do know that equation doesn't lead up to mass migration. Yes, look north for weather to push birds down. But it's not that much worse in Canada! They're about as stable as we are. Until a good, solid freeze hits the Canucks, don't expect a huge push of birds. That's all I'm saying.

Also, factor in that we have a TON of water on the landscape this year. In my experience (read: IMHO) when we have more water, ducks are harder to decoy and kill. The reason is simply that they don't HAVE to land with other ducks. They start getting shot at every time they buzz a decoy spread, suddenly being social doesn't seem like such a good idea. And since they aren't relegated to a few puddles for rest, they just plop down in the nearest vacant hole. Everything adds up to fewer birds, harder hunting and longer days.

But hey, I was born and raised in MN. I know how sucky the duck hunting there can be. So by all means, please come here and have the hunt of a lifetime. Because I know that even the worst day in ND is likely better than a good day of hunting in MN.

That's all I'm saying. Not poo-pooing anyone. Just trying to be helpful. Take it for what you will, and GOOD LUCK to the dude's making the trek here! I honestly hope you pile up the birds.

[Feathers Rainin]

So we shouldn't trust DU migration reports from people in the field this week but we should trust HSO predictions from someone who hasn't been out since last weekend? Makes sense.

There were mallards that migrated out of Canada before the MN opener. Band info to back it up. Why did those birds migrate? There must have been a big freeze eh? It couldn't have had anything to do with the days getting shorter could it?

[TylerS]

So we shouldn't trust DU migration reports from people in the field this week but we should trust HSO predictions from someone who hasn't been out since last weekend? Makes sense.

There were mallards that migrated out of Canada before the MN opener. Band info to back it up. Why did those birds migrate? There must have been a big freeze eh? It couldn't have had anything to do with the days getting shorter could it?

Yup. You're right. Birds are all over the place. I was just trying to deceive you guys. Caught me.

[FowlSki]

Yup. You're right. Birds are all over the place. I was just trying to deceive you guys. Caught me.

Completely missed the point.

[CANOPY SAM]

Hey guys, let's just stick to real time reports, okay? Thanks.

I've got a relative farming in Central Nodak who I spoke with just yesterday. He's noticed more lesser Canadians and a few more snow geese in his area. They're starting to come down.

I really do gotta say that Tyler does make a good point. He may not always use the most user friendly language, but in my experience, he's right on point the great majority of the time.

That being said, if you trust all the "resort" and Area Tourism fishing reports out of Lake of the Woods, it's probable you will get up there and be disappointed with your fishing experience. According to these "marketing strategy" reports, the fishing is ALWAYS fantastic!

If I'm not mistaken, some of the DU site reports include the names of the person, or guide service making the report? Just take them with a grain of salt. I'm up here, in NW Minnesota, and I'm seeing very little indication of even a minor movement of birds. If my area of the country is any barometer for what is currently happening in NoDak, I'd say it might be prudent to wait a week.

[creepworm]

Not saying the reports are accurate or not but you certainly can't make that call from sitting on your keyboard.

Agree completely. Tylers seems to take observations from a small area, and apply them to large geographical areas. See the pheasant forum where he said corn harvest wasn't even close to starting in the Dakotas. That morning on my 12 mile drive to work I counted 6 corn fields that had been harvested. Point being, I would take his reports with a grain of salt as well.

[TylerS]

[TylerS]

Completely missed the point.

Just trying to help you guys out. Take it for what you will.

[fishuhalik]

Tyler, we appreciate your reports a lot. Theyre very detailed & you usually include everything I would ask. With that said, I have a confirmation on a pretty legit push. My dad is in nd right now & is crushing mallards. They're northern birds, no doubt about it. They're big, fully plumed & dumb as gads. He's seeing mallards, both big & small groups, in most every pond they drive by. They're hunting smaller ponds with a few hundred birds. They could hunt the bigger groups but he's found those smaller groups usually decoy better. North Central part of the state

[TylerS]

Tyler, we appreciate your reports a lot. Theyre very detailed & you usually include everything I would ask. With that said, I have a confirmation on a pretty legit push. My dad is in nd right now & is crushing mallards. They're northern birds, no doubt about it. They're big, fully plumed & dumb as gads. He's seeing mallards, both big & small groups, in most every pond they drive by. They're hunting smaller ponds with a few hundred birds. They could hunt the bigger groups but he's found those smaller groups usually decoy better. North Central part of the state

I believe you. Things changed in a hurry today. Cloudy, temps dropped, wind picked up. There's been chatter from a few reliable sources that birds are on the move, particularly in the northern parts. Still haven't heard much around here in the SE corner, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

Get out and smash 'em!

[fishuhalik]

Oh, and to answer a question presented earlier, I trust the reports on here a lot more than du. I know a few of the guys on here. I've hunted with a few of you & have a "forum friendship" with several of you. I trust y'all's word a lot more than some random dude I don't know from Adam

[walleyeking19]

Heading up to ND right now! I'll report my findings (and maybe pics) once we get up there! Can't wait!

[fivebucks]

Just got back from hunting central part of state. Friday-Monday only one big group of mallards around but all feeding on posted land used by a guide. We had no field hunts until Monday evening when we found a new group of birds on a field we could hunt. There was steady action for the last hour of the day and they decoyed good. Must have seen a thousand mallards and pintails. Got to hunt a different field Tuesday near the guide land and we saw another thousand ducks but these birds were definitely decoy shy and nervous. We had to adapt mid hunt and that enabled us to get some birds. Some new birds did move in on Monday but not that many.

On a different note the pheasants were tough to come by with all the corn still in and the beans were just starting to come off. There were even a handful of wheat fields still not picked. The mid sixty and 70 degree afternoons made for very little pheasant hunting as just too hot for the dogs. This was the fewest birds, both ducks and pheasants, in the last 5 years for us but still a great hunt. I will say that the Monday field hunt was one of my best ever and that made the trip.

[Bryce]

Just pulled into camp. Looks like the earlier arrivals had some action by the looks of the hanging rack. Knowing the skill level of the participants leads me to believe it could get real dirty in a few hours. Hope to give the internet cops a bigger challenge than chasing shadows.

[Bryce]

This was not a drill. In an area that we run into many Fargo hunters trying to get onto the land. Must have found an "isolated pocket".

[ghuntofish]

Report just west of jamestown: ducks are scattered and few mallards. You will see ducks in high numbers on certain ponds. The birds do not decoy well. Hoping for a northern push

[Bryce]

Moved 5-6 miles north. This "isolated pocket" didn't have as many real ducks. Could have fillled the truck and a trailer with grays. Debating tomorrow on a promising spot futher north or getting dirty on spot 1 with the more favorable south wind. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus set.

[Bryce]

Birds are thinning out some. 2nd nodak woodie in over 15 years. Pintail may go on the wall. Best widgeon season ever. Had many mounters but all shot up too bad. Saw less than a handful of teal but north end of Sand Lake is loaded with gwt. Save your money on the pheasant license. Very little crowing and all coming from the corn. Reports are the corn will come out slowly due to moisture.