Waterfowl Reports

[gurkster]

MB if you went 12 seasons without a duck maybe it is time to try a new location - just my $.02 MN may not be what it once was, but it is not very hard to get a duck or two each year. The sloughs I hunt in East Central MN are locked up right now, but some of the larger lakes are holding birds.

[BrdHunter01]

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.

Lol I'm all for a later duck season even in the south zone. Most people on here want an earlier opener though. People in the north zone were complaing that everything was frozen by the last week or 2 of the season so therefore the dnr made 2 zones. I would love to see the duck season go a week or 2 in dec and I hate shooting big curly tailed mallards

not everyone can hunt fields or the river so the season ends... We should have an earlier opener so we can shoot our local birds, wait..... Mn doesn't raise any local birds. I think some people dont realize this. But the dnr is doing it's best to satisfy everyone and I respect that. Good luck to all the rest of the season.

[Gordie]

Got a couple on Friday and I didnt get up north until real late playing sober cab so I scouted on saturday afternoon found some geese and a few ducks and talked with a few guys that did poorly on saterday they said they were not seeing many ducks so I went deer hunting filled a doe Tag then Sunday morning what I found Saterday was froze solid and to hard to get out by myself. so all in all it was a bust for me as ducks go for the past weekend

[fishersofmen]

I checked a few different lakes I've been hunting yesterday and all of them were froze up. I was a bit surprised with one of the larger ones. Put all the decoys away time to focus on hard water fishing for me. Was a decent year for me, hadn't been duck hunting for 6 years. Was able to introduce my son to the game so that was fun. Our best time out was 2 weekends ago.

[sartellangler05]

Went out Sunday morning to a totally different hunting approach. Did well, getting 3 green drakes, 1 hen. Missed on 3 shots at 2 flocks of low geese, put the gun away after that. Very embarrassing, luckily only my dad witnessed it. Going at it again before thanksgiving. Stearns county.

[BrdHunter01]

Limit of mallards this Morning by 9am for 2 of us. Busted a lot of ice out in north western mn. found 1 spot that was open on the lake and banged them! Shot more hens than we wanted but they couldn't figure out how to land in there as we had a bad wind setup. Had a flock of 60+ mallards circle 10 mins before shooting time. A few landed but they ended up circling until shooting time cuz they couldn't figure it out. We dropped 1. Not the greatest shooting but we managed.

I'll post a pic if i can figure out how to post one from my iPhone

[Tubitz]

Lots and lots of mallards and geese around. 3 man limit of mallards this mornin and six honkers to boot. Great morning to be a field.

[Stringerless!]

Out after work. Hit lake at 3:00. Seemed like every time I had to stand up and stretch I saw a flock of ducks. Not really all that many seen. Total 30 maybe. Geese down on end of lake where 500 foot rule prevents hunting. Never shouldered the gun.

[Bryce]

Booked for Rochester Friday morning. Sounds like there's fun to be had there.

[Gordie]

I'll post a pic if i can figure out how to post one from my iPhone

email to yourself then copy/paste onto browser folder

[hunter322]

stringerless, i do believe i read a thread on here that talked about eh 500 foot rule not aplying to water. might want to check it out!

[hunter322]

Tubitz, when was that and were you around hugo? shoot me an e-mail! clintonDOTlutzATgmailDOTcom

[Stringerless!]

@ Hunter. I did check it out and it does apply where I am. Minnesota does not have a rule but some Cities/Counties can. Mine does. Police chief claims even if I have permission it is not allowed.

[brittman]

Any clear night and the geese and swan migrations can be heard.

[strait-meat]

Wondering if anyone from out West can report in the next day or so if the ice conditions have changed (opened up) on some of the smaller water. I would like to get out one last time out there--maybe Saturday and with temps Thursday and Friday being in the 50's wondering it that will open some water back up.

Thanks

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Wondering if anyone from out West can report in the next day or so if the ice conditions have changed (opened up) on some of the smaller water. I would like to get out one last time out there--maybe Saturday and with temps Thursday and Friday being in the 50's wondering it that will open some water back up.

Thanks

I'm headed up to western MN tonight. I can't hunt on thursday but should get to scout thursday evening so I'll post up an ice report...

[strait-meat]

Thanks csd, I was out last Saturday and I knew the smaller water would be froze but I thought I could break threw--need less to say I couldn't, was a little thicker than anticipated--hoping the ice will be a little thinner with the warmer weather.

[hunter322]

@ Hunter. I did check it out and it does apply where I am. Minnesota does not have a rule but some Cities/Counties can. Mine does. Police chief claims even if I have permission it is not allowed.

Im pretty sure your police chief is wrong! If someone gives u permisson to hunt within 500 feet of their house or any live stock, who is to stop em? Its their property! Im not 100% on this but it just dosent sound right.

[Stringerless!]

Happy Thanksgiving ! Son will be in the boat with me for the first time since opener. Could still manage to get 40 hunts in if I hit it hard thru Sunday eve. 34 and counting.

[jparrucci]

3 mallards in 3 shots to start the morning off. My usual pond had at least twenty guys there at 5 am in the south metro. This is a small pond that is not safely hunted with more than 3 groups. Drove back up to the north metro near home and set up only place I could. Wind and sun in my face. Flock of 3 right at go time and hit them all. My dog is a Brittany and looked really cold after the retrieves so I called it early. Not bad considered nothing went as planned.

[Stringerless!]

Nice jparrucci! Always have to have a plan b. Son and I got a pair of mallards and 2 geese. All decoying birds ! Beautiful !!

[Stringerless!]

2 buffleheads,2 greenheads, a bluebill and a mergie. Not to many ducks seen. Only heard about 4 shots all morning.

[tracker x-2]

Not me, but a friend was out and seen one mallard and shot one green wing!

[luckycrank]

plenty o buffies and goldies not decoying well though few bills but no huntable numbers

a few hens decoyed to day decide to give em' a free pass this time around did see plenty of drakes the just they wouldnt finish off

had a hen scaup in the decoys for about 45 mins let her sleep for a while i thought about sneaking out and trying to hand grab her

[H0LE HOPPER]

Hunted last thursday on a lake around my house shot 3 geese ice screwed us over big time! couldnt even get on the lake i first went to prolly shouldnt went out icefishing.... Hit a feild this morning around flake shout 11 mallards for 3 guys and 4 geese one of my better hunts around the citties hopefully tommorrow we can manage a limit lots of birds still around.