field reports

[ironman]

So you can hunt in the refuge? Or around it?

[Mark Christianson]

Sherburne is 35,000 acres.

There are areas closed to all hunting.

Some areas opened only to deer.

And some areas open to everything.

http://midwest.fws.gov/sherburne/HuntMap.htm

Here is a map showing all the various areas.

[Walleye Guy]

I was up at Sherburne yesterday scouting for deer. I saw a flock of ringers in one area where you can hunt waterfowl. In the closed area there were a few geese, a couple dozen mallards and a 3 trumpeter swans. Overall most of the water was void of birds except for grebes.

I will say the place looks great for waterfowl hunting. Just make sure you hunt in the open areas.

Good luck

[set the drag]

had a blast this morning in the mankato area

this morn me and my bro limited out(12) with a mixed bag of ringbills, greater scaup(green headed bluebill),gadwalls,mallards and a few nice little green wing teal. let all the ducks decoy and took our time getting our limits by taking one or two ducks out of each flock. Oct 29 is still the day to be in the boat b4 anyone else. its beens this way 4 the last 4 years for me. day before halloween rocks can't waite to get out tommorow and bang em again!!!

[Flipnripem]

We spent the day south 0f Mankato and also saw a good number of different ducks. Shot a nice woody and two drake greenies along with some mallards and a blue winger. Saw a nice flock of cans and a few ringies. Man did that wind howl today. Can`t wait to get back at them tomarrow and I think we`ll hunt the up wind end of the lake. Smack em. Flip

[ChuckN]

I wasn't going to hunt being I had to work an 18 hour day ending at 2:30 a.m. this morning, but with the weather I simply couldn't pass. Biglakeba$$ and I hit a small slough in Otter Tail County and had a pretty good shoot. LOTS of Hooded Mergansers and enough ringbills to make the adrenaline flow through the morning. The winds were in full force and rain finally let up, and the birds were moving.

Ended up with 5 ringbills for the day, and yum, they were tasty!!

__________________________________________________

Save the Mergansers!!!

[Mark Christianson]

Why can't Mergansers taste like chicken? Heck, if they even tasted like mud, they would be OK at least...

Darn Hoods made things difficult for sure this morning. Dumping out of the sky, and waiting to see if it was a "shooter" bird.

Talk about some beautiful decoying birds at least. Fun to watch.

Yep, I agree Chuck. Save the Mergansers....(for someone further south to shoot) LOL

A good day again. I sure wish I could shoot at some Bluebills soon. Maybe this week... Maybe.

[hanson]

Finally got out again for some shooting this evening. NW Minnesota- the Ringbills were going nuts for about an hour tonight. Is there a better site than watching & listening to 20+ birds tearing by in front of you. Awesome. Thats all I can say.

Ended up taking 3 home. Should have been 4 if I'd have seen that loner drake drop into the dekes. Oh well, gonna hit it again tomorrow morning.

My dad and brother picked up 7 this morning too. Half Ringbills and Half Lesser Scaup. So Chuck, I think them Bluebills are coming down now. Plenty of geese in the sky this afternoon too. I think we're about to see a good week of bird movement.

[Seabass77]

Was out in traverse co. this weekend.

Friday - 8 ducks

Saturday - 12 ducks

Sunday - 22 ducks

All of the birds are in the fields. There is so much standing water out there, they are staying away from the lakes. We shot mallards, gadwall, teal, and a few spoonies in a flooded bean field adjacent to flooded corn. We stood in the corn and they flew right over head.

Saw a ton of migrating birds on Sunday.

Also managed 8 walleyes on Friday at the dam between traverse and mud lake.

[set the drag]

was out on middle again this morning and did real well with mallards and divers wit a few teal mixed in we shot 13 for three of us

1 buffle head

2 ringnecks

5 mallards

2 bluebills

3 teal

the ducks r on the move and so am I usually this first in my spot on the lake with all the other boats crowding around me and waiting for the dcoys to be picked up so they can bang um to. going out again tommorow. will post on results

[set the drag]

report from thursday look above

weekend report.

friday wind wsw

1 widgeon

saturday wind wsw

1 bwt

sunday wind nw

whatta dissapointing morning. did not get my spot and I was on the lake at 2:00 am but the people that got my spot did sh*** so I didn't care If I was in the spot I would've limited out with mally's but somebody else got a chance and couldn't knock anything down. sometime I wonder if people think they own the lake when its public. There is a guy on this lake that thinks if he's not shooting at birds everyone

else is skybusting and messing up his hunt. I have talked to sevaral parties and know one enjoys hunting when he's on the lake his always bi***** about someone screwing him and his hunting. I just say that the way it goes sometime cuz it happens all the time. come on it just hunting!! get over it

1 canvasback

2 mallards

1 widgeon