Headed SW MN tommorrow, where should I go?

[jparrucci]

With my 30th birthday being tommorrow, I am planning on taking the day off work and getting in a good duck and pheasant hunt. I have had good luck for pheasants around the Slayton/Talcot area. Is there any small water WMA that somebody can recommend or a general area that might be holding a few birds? I plan on hunting out of my canoe with the dog, and maybe one friend. I've pheasant hunted a number of the WMAs in the area, just never really tried for ducks. With just the canoe, it can't be a really big body of water, forecast is for very windy from the south. Any corn progress? The dry weather this week hopefully jump starts things, as the crops are flying out near home in Farmington. Anyone seeing divers? I am still trying to get my first Can, and also my first pintail. Thanks for the help guys!

[Farley]

The only advice I can give is to download google earth and then go to the mndnr HSOforum and download the app that shows all the wma's and boundrys. Otherwise just go to the dnr HSOforum and check out the recreation compass that also shows all the wmas in the state.

good luck and happy b day.

[broken_line]

if anyone has been seeing ducks on public small bodys of water repedidatly, must have figured out women also... there are very few ducks on public land around my area at least.. you can email me at [email protected] and i will give you a few wmas/ wpas that have produced for me lately around the cottonwood, woodlake and hanley areas.

[jparrucci]

Thanks for the offer broken_line. I did get up early and drove out past Gaylord to a WMA, only 4 mallards seen, none wanted in. Packed up and moved further west and jumped from one WMA to the next all throughout SW MN. Very little for ducks ANYWHERE. There were a few geese here and there though. Lots and lots of corn still standing. Finally found one WMA that had picked fields all the way around it, and managed to bag the only rooster seen. I scanned dozens of WMAs, private, public any water out that way, and only saw a couple of ducks the entire day. 380 miles driven, and barely a duck anywhere. My neighbor went to the spot I usually go near the cities, shot his 4 greenheads in under an hour. I guess I should have hunted ducks here and then went pheasant hunting.

[ZEEK1223]

we went to the lake benton area, and shot 3 ducks in 3 days. I think the pheasant hunters are busting the roost all day long. Oh well, that is pheasant country