Waterfowl Reports

[Cheetah]

I went out this morning before work near Hugo. Where did all the ducks go?! I had two swim just to edge of my range at first light, I hoped they would come closer once it was legal shooting time, they didn't. Only saw about a half dozen other mallards swing in to a spot where a person on the lake feeds them. Little to no calling from the few birds I saw. Hopefully it will be better this coming weekend. The ice is really screwing up my spot too...

[cat-man]

pretty good for me this morning, good numbers of mallards around. ended up two greenheads and a black duck, should have had my limit.

[Gordie]

Ended up with my two bills a mallard and a widgeon I also should of had a limit but I had trouble hitting this morning

[Musky Buck]

I saw a duck in August, it's pretty ugly really, living on a farm with ponds and a river still waiting for the birds, maybe in a few weeks the action will pick up.

[rbs]

Everything froze up around here last night. Couple small flocks sitting in the middle on the ice. Was hoping to go in the morning...oh well I guess

[fishersofmen]

Yep these cold temps may put things to rest for me. I went out yesterday morn and had to break through a bit of ice. When I got ready to get off the lake the decoys were froze in pretty good and had to break a quarter inch of ice off all of them. Only a couple Buffleheads came in and I passed on them. Would like to get out a couple more times hopefully.

[RumRiverRat]

Sounds like we will be breaking lots of ice in the morning!

Cannot wait!

[Gordie]

I will be busting ice again in the morning. This is the time of year I have been waiting for and then this weekend I hope to smack a few on Winni or the Mississippi

[dan z]

havent broke out yet, hunting bigger lakes, a couple area sloughs are getting pretty tight with ice.

shot a few ducks the last couple days. mostly mallards with buffies and cans in between

went out this morning and there were three boats at the landing that usually has ZERO went hole hopping to find loaded landings (boats)

Lots of ducks milling around and TONS of geese

[TylerS]

Don't know if anyone is planning to come up to Nodak anytime soon, but if you want to hit some late-season birds, now is definitely the time to do it. Weather moving through as we speak. Big storms coming through south of Fargo. Might keep some birds north, but others are going to push south.

Just got a pic from a buddy of an 8-man limit of snows in southeast Nodak. Shot some nice mallys, too. They are there for the pickin' boys and girls! Get at 'em while the gettin' is good!!!

[Stringerless!]

Private lake in Scandia. One diver flew over spread before legal shooting. Had 3 mallards circle 3 times and finally commit. Missed ! One flock of geese coming to flag veered off and landed in middle with the hundred real geese out there. That was it. The ice was almost thick enough to hold me and the canoe up. Heard about 5 shot volleys. 3 trucks and trailers at both 2nd and 3rd access on Forest.Saw 2 flocks of migrating honkers. No ducks moving.

[Bryce]

Migration is on in south metro. Been sporadic shooting on the lakes surrounding our neighborhood since first light. Feeders are full of new arrivals. I could easily have shot a limit of ducks and geese from our hot tub they are passing so low over the house trading between the lakes.

[Scott M]

Hate to say it but I might be done with ducks unless I can find bigger water. Decoys might have to go back up in the rafters. Made the right choice and fished walleyes this morning. Call me a quitter, there's always geese around I suppose.

[Will]

Hunted backwaters south of the cities. Had a good mallard shoot, really tough to see with all the sleet and snow. could have shot many limits of scissor bills

[tracker x-2]

Today was a lot different from yesterday. Only got seven mallards for the five of us. All singles or doubles did see a lot of high flying ducks and geese headin south!

[fishuhalik]

spent the afternoon/evening smallie fishing. shoulda brought the scattergun & a bag of dekes! saw countless mallards & geese, if i had to guess 15000+. unbelieveable sight. toward evening there wasn't a time where i looked around and couldn't see a few flocks of 200 birds flying. was wading in the river and probably had 2000 mallards and geese well within killing range. had a flock of at least 100 mallards fly right over my head, maybe 10ft up. very cool! oh, and fishing wasn't bad either

[Roosterslayer05]

Holy migration! Saturday the birds were on the move. Got on a cornfield friday afternoon and had my 3 honkers in an hour. Saturday I got my three honkers by 10 then watched as flock after flock poured into my decoys. Had 200-300 geese land in the dekes. Flushed em out and put up the mojo and they still kept landing in my decoys. Had to set up in a fenceline because I dont have a snow cover for the layout. Ducks werent really digging it. Worked around 10 flocks of mallards but they kept sliding me. Had 2 flocks commit and dropped 2 greenheads. Picked up the decoys and moved to a spot in the field that 1500+ mallards were landing in all morning. Put out 5 mallard dekes and the mojo, layed in the field in whites behind the decoys and got 2 more greenheads to finish the day. Sometimes you have to do it oldschool! Had geese coming into my mojo the whole time too. If you guys south of fergus falls think the season is over your wrong. I was hunting birds that were coming in from canada. There are plenty of birds to come for central/southern MN.

[Stringerless!]

North metro lake. One greenhead. 3 of us missed a flock of 5. Not sure still what they were. Saw lots of mallards at other end of lake that never got up. Along with couple hundred geese that kept coming and going till we left at 11:00. Another case where there were too many real birds to compete with.

[Gordie]

Thanks Tyler. This could be a new thanksgiving

[Deet]

I will be busting ice again in the morning. This is the time of year I have been waiting for and then this weekend I hope to smack a few on Winni or the Mississippi

so, how did you do?

[Musky Buck]

Ready to crank on em finally, is it open on thanksgiving in the north of 210 zone, geez I hope so, mallards, thousands of geese, can't wait for Thursday and the green heads, been waiting for this for a decade, dust is off the dekes!

[hunter322]

The north duck zone closes one the 22nd. The south duck zone closes on the 27th. Went out this morning around Hugo and what a waste of time! The lake i hunt was 100% locked up with an inch of ice and the lake just to the south was half open. I saw and heard quite a few mallards and a few geese but i couldnt compete with naturally open water.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Ready to crank on em finally, is it open on thanksgiving in the north of 210 zone, geez I hope so, mallards, thousands of geese, can't wait for Thursday and the green heads, been waiting for this for a decade, dust is off the dekes!

Well you shouldn't have much competition...I suggest driving an old beater truck, using somebody else's decoys, and buying a cheap 12 gauge at the pawn shop incase you have to donate your gear to the state

[BrdHunter01]

Ready to crank on em finally, is it open on thanksgiving in the north of 210 zone, geez I hope so, mallards, thousands of geese, can't wait for Thursday and the green heads, been waiting for this for a decade, dust is off the dekes!

The north zone will be closed... There were a lot of mallards migrating through the south zone this weekend. I know there are a lot yet to come but afraid they won't make it before the season is closed in the south zone. Been a pretty good year regarless. Been out the last 5 days and today we saw barely any mallards compared to the weekend. Lots of geese though. We managed 2 geese should have had more but that happens all the time. The only other group on the lake was skybusting EVERYTHING! Ridiculous!

I will be Hunting every day (except wen) and then my pto will be gone for the year but well worth it! Hope those mallards still left up there make it down before it's over. The weather doesn't look good for that. Some mallards are still around but with the snow we got most just kept on flyin...

[Musky Buck]

Closed, really, wonderful lol, finally we're ready to rumble, ducks mainly mallards of course are thick and it's done lol, that's my luck I guess. So duckless season 12 and counting lol, geese is going through mid-decemberish so the greenheads are safe. I can see why some want a later duck season or a few late weeks to go after them. Oh well who likes shooting big curly tailed drakes anyway.