Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

2017 duck season


monstermoose78

Recommended Posts

We finished our hunt Sunday morning with s blue bill, blue wing teal and ring neck. Not a lot of ducks flying but we had a blast. 

Oh and I'm sneaking in a solo goose hunt this morning. :)

20171008_084856.jpg

20171009_074659.jpg

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Finn and I seen some big bunches of ducks! One flock of woodies must had 30 birds. They must have seen the dog move or me and flared off at 70 yards. Seen a huge group of teal. Had a pair of woodie drakes bank in and the last one hit the bank 3 feet from Finn. He was mad, because he did not get to go swimming for it. 

6E35C047-D030-4F05-BED6-B7AA72218F9D.jpeg

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Yellowstone

Did some scouting before work this morning to study flyways over the lake and saw big flocks of woodies. No other species other than the rafts of hundreds of coots on the lake. We had a fun experience Saturday morning where I called in a goose (we had our four floaters out at the edge of the rest of the decoys). It broke away from a flock perhaps thinking it would find a mate. It disappeared behind the trees. I kept calling and a few minutes later gave up, saying, I think he's gone. A few seconds later "Dad, here comes!!!" and he was about 10 yards in front of us flying fast. We each got a hurried shot off but nothing. Seconds go by and my son says "Man those things are huge but hard to hit!" lol

I have thought about taking him goose hunting with an outfitter somewhere in Minnesota for a day or afternoon just to learn how to do it before we'd scout and invest in field hunting gear. If anyone has recommendations, feel free to PM me. Thanks!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Yellowstone

Moose, I am bringing those floaters back (with store's blessing). The paint is chipping so badly on them after a few uses. And I separate them and leave them in the back of the SUV until we get to the landing. The big box sporting goods store discounted them again from $79 to $59 if that tells you anything. I found a set of four higdon floaters for $79 at a different online outlet and have read good things about them in terms of durability and they have flocked heads with four different poses too. We'll see. The other eventful thing that happened Saturday is I opened the SUV tailgate on my face in a rush to get going and gave myself a black eye and scratched glasses lens. Good times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Glad they took them back. I am getting out Hunting tomorrow for ducks before the woodies head out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Yellowstone

Good luck! I may try Friday morning if I can. I don't like to start bowhunting until the leaves are off the trees yet, otherwise I would be doing that!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

This is prime duck killing time

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moose, I was up in Ely 10-5 to 10-8 and barely saw any waterfowl.  We were fishing, and lot of the lakes we were on had rice, but no ducks.  Barely heard any shooting in the a.m.  The most ducks I saw were on Shagawa in Ely and maybe saw 30.  My buddy that lives up there says ducks have been horrible this year up there (as it pertains to numbers).  I understand that you were north of Ely and may not have made it down yet.  Just reporting what I saw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

I was way up by crane lake and the lakes had lots of ducks ely area gets hunted by college kids and locals for ducks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

That’s some meat MJ

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Back to missing everything. I burned up over a box on woodies dropping through the oaks. Missed a flock of mallards that locked up and I shot holes on the sky. Finn was sick of duck hunting, so we went to jump the brook and I missed two grouse. I called it day when a flock geese buzzed us and I missed again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Yellowstone

We had a few passing shots this Saturday morning but holy cow the lake was busy. We got there an hour and a half before lst and got the last real parking spot. Six boats out ahead of us and two more came after I think. We got our #2 spot. One guy on the point had dozens of divers out on lines but I don't think anything really decoyed in. Not for us at least. Several groups skybusting and shooting the he$$ out of anything within a couple hundred feet above them. We saw a lot of ducks and the one pass by, when we got four shots off, there was silence and my son goes "Geez, I can't believe we didn't hit at least one (of the group of 7)." lol. I am off Wednesday through Friday for MEA. Think we will get out a few of those mornings and skip the zoo on the weekend. Though I tempted to do four mornings in a row. We just have to get up butt early on Saturday. : )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

I need to slow down and focus on shooting 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Yellowstone

Ditto. I switched to a 3 inch shell in #2 shot. I missed a few wood ducks this morning but got one teal. Not bad for the WMA I was hunting. 2 ducks would be great. 3-4 like you won the lottery. Saw plenty of action but it was fast moving wood ducks out of range. Geese never showed. And you can't shoot trumpeter swans! There were plenty of those. Let my boy sleep in this morning. Tomorrow we'll hit the more pressured lake. I saw at least one person setting up on it this morning on my drive to the WMA. The nice thing about that - when you're almost certain you'll be the only one there - is that you can roll in not long before shooting time if it doesn't take you long to set up.

duck1.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

This might be the last wood duck I get this year as they seemed to disappear for the most part. I am going to try diver hunting with a friend and I am excited to try it.

A5B98AEA-5E28-4465-A714-6952403FED04.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

The ducks are moving saw over 5000 or so got some divers with friend! I shot a double on goldeneyes a drake and hen I hit two other ducks but the dove on the dog. Going again tomorrow :) 

 

99FA0207-5542-4359-A5FD-1132C12021CD.jpeg

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In north central MN (Crow Wing County) I heard a few divers flying by on Saturday but saw nothing on the water.  Today, no divers but the snow geese were pretty regular.

When we stopped at the CWD testing station, they commented Rice Lake Refuge had something like a million birds on it till Wednesday or Thursday when it iced up pretty good.

I put all my decoys in the shed tonight when I got home. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The last weekend is upon us! :(  I’m still not 100% sure if I get to hunt ducks this weekend or not.  But I can tell you one thing for sure: I don’t plan on whacking any Common Mergansers if I go!  

Last weekends diver shoot produced a few so I decided to try them.  I know, I know, any experienced duck hunter knows better, right?  Well I always challenge convention when it comes to what makes “good” table fare.  Often I find it OK to consume what others deem trash and on occasion prefer the less desireables.  After all this is light beer, walleye and mallard country to most.  I like dark beer, Lakers, and divers.

But NOT Common Mergs! :sick:  Score 1 for convention!

Good luck to all who go after the birds the remainder of the season!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Yellowstone

Interesting on the common merganser. I want to go but I'm not sure either. I was hopeful our go to lake would be open. It is but locked up tight with ice from the landing (in a sheltered bay) several hundred feet out to the more open part of the lake. Haven't seen anything on it either. Our lake is wide open and bait shop owner says he remembers terrific late season hunting on the channel full of cattails into the neighboring lake,  and I've seen birds flying by, but will have to monitor the weather. Not launching the boat if its in the 20s and gale force winds. If it was warmer and a light wind, why the heck not?

My wife is also saying no, don't go. We have a lot to do this weekend. I'm like, I would go right on our lake and likely be done and in the house by 9:30 Saturday morning. I would doubt you'll be up by then. lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Yesterday Finn and I went hunting for ducks and I should have had 4 mallards and pair of woodies.i hit one woodie and it hit the water as Finn went to get it jumped up and flew away. Next weekend I will try again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Similar Content

  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.