Looks like the fat lady sang.

[fishface5]

I hate the end of the season, but it looks like it's over. What were some of your observations and opinions? Think back to the beggining, early goose, gen. waterfowl, and late goose seasons. Did you see more or less birds than usual? How about trends in the migration routes, east, west, duration, did they skip right over? How about hunting preasure? I'm mostly interested in just MN, but would like to hear any observations. Thanks.

[dkhntr]

Yup. It was a good year. Didnt kill as many ducks as I wanted to, but its nice to get out. I have got to do more scouting next season and get where more ducks are. Kinda threw me off, the duck forum was lowered.

[fishface5]

I saw more ducks this year than the last few. I'm not sure if it was that the weather cooperated better this year, or my timing was better, or that there were just more ducks, but it seemed better. Even though my shooting was pathetic. That just means more ducks for next year, right? Where did all the other duck and goose shooters go? Ice fishing?

[fishface5]

What, nobody wants to spill their guts on how their season went?

[Mark Christianson]

I can spill.
Mine started great personally. (Actually my son started it off with his first 2 ducks on youth opener)
Opening day, Dad and I limited in 40 minutes.
After opening day things got awfully quiet with the guns. We got some ducks after opening day, but we have taken far more birds in years past.
But this year had several highlights that made it another year to remember. Too many to fully document here, without boring people to sleep at their monitors.
Bottom line, the first hours of the year were great, the middle part of the season was very slow, and a late season successful hunt with a fellow FM'er sealed another fun year.

PS - FF5, a morning hunt on the St Francis behind my house in Big Lake provided lots of shooting at woodies, but no birds taken. Talk about humbling after my marksmanship on opening day!!!

[N Hardy]

I finally got to hunt North Dakota again after a couple year absence. It definitely made my year.I will be moving out there next winter.

[icebum1]

I'm in the central zone in Illinois, a little over 2 hours south of chicago. The duck shooting was poor, we only shot a little over 200 this year. That's out of two blinds, hunting flooded corn and timber. Compared to over 600 last year. Goose season is still in for us , we just had a big push of over 9000 birds. they are sitting on a cooling lake about a half a mile from the pit. Maybe we'll get some of those.

[g'eye pilot]

I think a lot of folks would agree that Rochester-area goose hunting was the best in several years.

Temps/weather were quite mild during past 2 -3 seasons, which allowed the birds to find open water & spread out across southern MN.

This year things seem to freeze up earlier, which was a more normal pattern. As that occurred, a lot of geese centralized in the Roch area, providing excellent gunning right through the late season. At D & H Guide Service, we shattered our previously established harvest record, breaking the 1,000 bird mark the last weekend of the season.

Now what to do as withdrawl sets in?? Some of us go right into hard water angling! While others head to hunting destinations in Southern IL, Texas, and the like.

[fishface5]

Thanks for the replies guys! I realy enjoy reading about waterfowling. It helps with my withdrawl.

[walleyewacker]

It was dissapointing having to leave all my spots and knowledge about the area behind in order to go to college...but since I go to school in SD that dissapointment left in a hurry. Six limits taken both days of opening weekend kicked it off. Canada geese kept us real busy during the lull before the big rush came. There were many mornings it took less than an hour to fill five or six limits of mallards and there was some intense diver action that I had never whittnessed before. Also, I have never seen anything like a snow goose migration before. 26 geese during a late season hunt near Sherburn capped off an incredible fall. Personally I shot over 90 ducks(couldnt quite break 100) and 40 some geese.

[Flipnripem]

Just got the computor back from the shop. For the past couple of years I have noticed the mallards are getting thicker in southern minnesota. They do provide a field hunters dream when you can get under them. It seemed when the geese were picky you could count on a ducks. The last two seasons I have shot a lot more ducks in the field than on the water. The goose hunting was plenty good most all season. It seemed the wife was trying to come up with a new way to cook them buggers every other day. We are going to finish off a couple of limits on the grill today before the game. Go Vikes! Hang in there, sept is coming. Flip

[Esoxmn]

this was my worst season in a while. The early cold snap pushed all the locals out early.

[fishface5]

esoxmn, Where were you hunting?

[Esoxmn]

grand rapids area.