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waterfowl updates?


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some friends and i are planning on doing some hunting somewhere between ortonville and morris this coming weekend (17th-19th). i have heard reports from friends hunting up that way that there are concentrations of mallards working the fields around chokio...any truth to those rumors? also, how far out from the lqp refuge are the birds flying to feed now with the pressure around the refuge? is it worth trying to scout some of these birds, or go farther north and try it up there? any info would be appreciated and if somebody is willing to give up some good locations we could probably use another gun in the field; ive got an extra layout blind....

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No there aren't. Honestly during the deer hunting this past two weekends its the least amount of waterfowl I've ever seen. Usually I see lots of birds and think "I should be duck hunting"... Never happened this time.

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Jeff,you have to look up in the sky and not in the woods and corn for ducks. wink.gif

The last two weekends in North Dakota I saw many flocks of honkers flying.

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This is the best duck year I've had in 10 years.

Maybe we're looking in different spots.

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I have to agree with boilerguy. There are lots of ducks around. This past weekend we shot lots of nice birds. I am having my wife mount at least five of them!!

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I've been told that duck mounts only stay nice for a couple years, then the colors fade out real bad. Any truth to this or is just bad taxidermy???

I've wanted to get a couple ducks on the wall but my previous statements have made me hold off.

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I have some birds that have been mounted for 10+ years and they still look good.Some times a good dusting will help.

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Well, like I said I was concentrating on deer but just didn't see birds like I often do while deer hunting. If they are still here, now I have to add that to the list of possibilities for Sat. Do I get up and sit in the tree with stick/string, get up and chase ducks or sleep til 9 and shoot roosters...DECISIONS DECISIONS DECISIONS!!!!!

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Do I get up and sit in the tree with stick/string, get up and chase ducks or sleep til 9 and shoot roosters...DECISIONS DECISIONS DECISIONS!!!!!


Get the ducks for the first couple hours, pack up and head out for the roosters for a couple hours, go home, clean the birds, then stick a big buck in the evening! Grand-slam for southwest Minnesota? grin.gif

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well guys im going to answer my own question here; after driving from aberdeen to sioux falls this morning to wrap up the work week, i hit the road in short order back to western minnesota for a weekend hunt; took back roads skirting the sodak/minn border all the way up to ortonville; theres a lot of birds on a shallow lake north of hendricks, snows, specks, mallards, and canadians packed in pretty good; then i hit the mother load scouting tonight. big stone county is holding LOTS of birds. didnt see anybody actively hunting while driving around tonight but saw a few other guys out scouting. there is still some great hunting to be had if anybody is willing to put in the windshield time; i cant wait for my five day weekend next week, as well as tomorrow mornings hunt. will post results as soon as we limit out!

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Well I sure didn't come close to pulling off everything mentioned for the Southwest Slam, but I did sit with the bow and then kill two pheasants before going home to soak my young pine trees all afternoon before disconnecting the hose for the winter...

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