2009 Waterfowl Reports

[ZEEK1223]

The ducks are all gone all ready, you might as well put your decoys away!!!!!!!Are you guys kidding? DanZ has it pegged, we will see a big push but it will happen fast. I think this happens every year. People sit at home and complain about how bad their duck season was. They put the decoys away well before the best hunting of the year. I bet if you went back one year on this forum, it would be a lot of the same. No ducks, too many crops in the fields. blah,blah,blah!!!!!Its the same every year......

[Will]

Could'nt have said it better myself!

[Maxxed Out]

Talked to the head CO at LQP, he had talked to the head waterfowl biologist in Winnipeg/oak hammock and there are tons of birds still loafing in the area. They've had no reason to leave, the weather in Winnipeg, as crazy as this is to say, has been milder than the weather here. It is supposed to get into the 20's consistently and a strong NW wind the next couple days often will push birds in.

Right now on LQP 44,000 geese and 5000 mallards.

[tweedlap]

Winnepeg was in the 50's today. 40+ until, at least next Wednesday.

To hot to fly. Just sitting on the beaches tanning and chowing.

tweed

[Bryce]

My weather report shows no cold weather hitting Winnipeg until the 23rd. Gonna shoot one of them city park birds right in the lips. Can't imagine LQP would try to make up some ###=$$$.

[Maxxed Out]

It doesn't take much more than a NW wind this time of year to have birds move into the state in general not just LQP. Most experienced hunters know this.

[Lonedrake]

The peak migration for ducks in Mn has already happened. The majority of the teal,redheads,canvasbacks,rignecks,gadwall,widgeon and pintails are already south of us. The mallard and canada goose migration is behind this year and they should be coming down soon!

[mudslinger]

The big BANG BANG is still coming. OH BOY OH BOY!!!

[Bryce]

Most experienced hunters know this.

1 day of a 5 mph out of the north for Winnipeg and a day and a half for Appleton up to 11 mph over the next week. It no doubt will push some birds down but not the biggie yet. Of course I'm not very experienced... but I do stay at a Holiday Express when I hire a guide.

[RumRiverRat]

The big BANG BANG is still coming. OH BOY OH BOY!!!

Call me when it happens, I'll be Bow hunting until then.

[thedanimalkmk]

RRR acording to antoher HSOforum you shot a bunch this morning? Your post is right about the rut man are the bucks chasing right now. Good luck to you.

Dan

[RumRiverRat]

RRR acording to antoher HSOforum you shot a bunch this morning? Your post is right about the rut man are the bucks chasing right now. Good luck to you.

Dan

Limits were had by all on the Private Slough.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

It doesn't take much more than a NW wind this time of year to have birds move into the state in general not just LQP. Most experienced hunters know this.

the count at the refuge isnt a very accurate of the whole goose migration in western minnesota right now. i could find half that count right now if i glassed 9 roosts within 40 miles of the refuge. if my eyes are correct, there were more birds at the refuge that actually moved back north, west, or east 50-100 miles due to better crop conditions and less hunting pressure. all last weekend there were more and more geese showing up where we were deer hunting. many times through out the weekend i thought to myself "what am i doing sitting here chasing basket racks instead of hutchies?"

there are plenty of ducks around still as well. you just arent going to find them using traditional spots. it takes a good set of binos or a spotting scope to find them, but they are around and dumb.

[Cheetah]

Wednesday night NE of Mahtomedi. Saw a few ducks, they knew better than to land on my decoys. Probably birds that have been in the area a couple weeks now. One group of geese, again knew exactly where they wanted to be, and not be. A couple more big flocks flew over after shooting time.

[WALLEYENUTZ]

Originally Posted By: Maxxed Out Guide

Most experienced hunters know this.

1 day of 5 mph out of the north for Winnipeg and a day and a half for Appleton up to 11 mph over the next week. It no doubt will push some birds down but not the biggie yet. Of course I'm not very experienced... but I do stay at a Holiday Express when I hire a guide.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL Now that is funny

[BigGrassBass]

You guys can say all you want about ducks, no ducks, whatever. I'm still hunting til Dec. 1st either way.

[Fred_Bear]

I live in NoDak and there seriously isn't much around for ducks right now. A few big flocks of lessers around but mostly big canadas right now. We were really on the ducks until about a week and half ago, when all of the sudden roosts that were holding 1,000+ are now holding less 100. Ducks are hard to come by now, the honkers are plentiful but are acting very odd. Flying back to the roost in the morning when they should be heading out to feed and always using different fields and such.

I think right now the last of the locals and early migrants have pretty much moved out. Ducks like widgeon, gadwall, pintail, etc. will probably not be seen too often for the rest of the season. With the next frontal system up north will come the BIG concentrations of mallards and BIG geese. This can be some of the hardest hunting of the year but when you get on em you really have a day. These are the hunts that always stick out in my memory throughout the offseason.

[luckycrank]

You guys can say all you want about ducks, no ducks, whatever. I'm still hunting til Dec. 1st either way.

me too!

[Jmnhunter]

I live in NoDak and there seriously isn't much around for ducks right now. A few big flocks of lessers around but mostly big canadas right now. We were really on the ducks until about a week and half ago, when all of the sudden roosts that were holding 1,000+ are now holding less 100. Ducks are hard to come by now, the honkers are plentiful but are acting very odd. Flying back to the roost in the morning when they should be heading out to feed and always using different fields and such.

I think right now the last of the locals and early migrants have pretty much moved out. Ducks like widgeon, gadwall, pintail, etc. will probably not be seen too often for the rest of the season. With the next frontal system up north will come the BIG concentrations of mallards and BIG geese. This can be some of the hardest hunting of the year but when you get on em you really have a day. These are the hunts that always stick out in my memory throughout the offseason.

same around bismarck FB; except the ducks have been down for more than 2 weeks around here; i found 1 good pocket of geese/mallards in a field, but cant get permission out there.

some guys aroudn the office are thinking the main push has passed us during the cold snap in Oct.

[Fred_Bear]

i found 1 good pocket of geese/mallards in a field, but cant get permission out there.

Haha same thing around here. Every bird from the only 2 roosts in 1 area have all been flying to the same field for about a week. The lady who owns it said she's been asked by about 30 different people now and gives no one permission to hunt it. Very frustrating always having to watch them feeding out there in their little sanctuary.

[dan z]

not much flyin for ducks today, however the geese were thicker than molasses(sp) shot three for three yesterday and did the same today different lakes too...

[Ray Esboldt]

1 shot, 1 green-wing, East-Central, MN. I was a little too slow to catch up with the rest of the flock. That was it. No geese today. Never even heard a cluck. They've kind of been our mainstay this year. I'll try it again tomorrow.

[BigGrassBass]

I figured the teal were all out by now. Note to self, bring a couple GWT decoys tomorrow morning.

[Lunker]

I thought the same thing until I shot a nice drake GWT in November on Lake Michigan, go figure.

Went out this afternoon, very slow. Besides one high flying group of goldeneyes, only saw six birds. Those six thankfully came right in, and I managed two mallards.

Heading out in the morning, but have not heard good things from the guys at the bar...

[goblueM]

there were woodies and GWT in SE North Dakota 2 weeks ago, and the weather has been pretty balmy. I'm pretty sure they've stuck around. What a weird year for weather!