2015 Waterfowl Season

[Gissert]

Thanks Ufatz.

It was a rough couple of days, but she went out on her terms. We were ready and prepared as much as you can be at the time. She went from being a retrieving machine on a Saturday to collapsing on a Tuesday. She made it another 7 days with the help of prednisone. Never whined, never stopped wagging her tail.

Not to diminish her memory, but I'm looking for a pup already. I'd rather wait until spring, but if the right one is available I'd pick it up.

 

That said, my Abby was a 75 dollar purebred from a local shopper paper. Once she figured out the the duck hunting game, she was amazing.

 

Still have my old Nellie who is a little over 12, but retired.

[monstermoose78]

The ducks were flying this morning north of St Cloud. See mallards in cut corn and geese. Saw some drivers flying near the river. Ponds that have not had a duck in them for while had a few. I will not be able to get out until Saturday, so good luck to the rest of you.

[Kettle]

Gissert- I am profoundly sorry to hear of your loss, as a single man my dog is the thing that greats me every evening when I get home and is really a spirit lifter.  I am glad you got to spend some time in the field with your dog before she went.  I am looking at getting a second dog just for when the day comes that my near 10 year old lab goes I still have the dog companion.  I hope that day is far away but you just never know.  I adopted my dog at age 6.  Ironically there was a gentlemen on here whose cousin was retiring and becoming a snow bird and could take her with her in the winter.  I ended up getting her for free with a dog crate, food bowls some toys and food.  Don't water hunt her anymore since she slowed down but she still likes her trail walking for grouse.   If anyone fosters a good environment for their dog the dog will want to please the owner like retrieving and behaving well.  Good luck on the search and keep us updated.

Kettle 

[Ufatz]

Well fellas, a final observation. When Annie died if that darned cancer it was just painful. I had sat up with her last ten days or so as we desperately hoped for some delay or extension, but it was not to be. I've had many dogs, but she just got to me and I sat on my front deck and bawled like a baby. My wife says I was a pitiful sight.

At my age I knew if was the end of my dog days. But wife and pal thought otherwise and found a little black runt-just a companion type Lab they said; a pup that would have been discarded in years past. Nothing special about her breeding. And she was a little hard to train for first couple months.  Then something clicked and now I own one of the smartest and quickest Labs I've ever had.....and I have had some dandies!  This little girl reads your mind.  So.....I guess my point is now this old fart has another little dog who is always nearby,  can't be without me and instantly does whatever I ask. Saddest part is odds are I will die before she does and that will be hard on her, But my wife says she will keep her regardless because she is sure Abby would never make it with somebody else-that's how devoted she is to me.

Take your time Gissert. But I must say the arrival of Abby made it much easier to deal with the loss of Annie....even though Annie will always be with me. As are all my other pals.

Okay, that's enough from me.

[fivebucks]

Sorry about your loss Gissert.  I just got back from NoDak and it was my first hunting trip without Jack.  3 weeks ago I come home and let him out of the kennel and he's fine.  Goes and does his business and the next minute his tail is between his legs and he was not good.  Didn't know if he would make it to the vet but he did.  He had a mass on his spleen that ruptured.  He went from the happy tail wagging dog to being put down within 2 hours.  It was tough on me and my wife as we had no time to prepare but it was the best for him as he didn't suffer.  It was a fantastic 11 years and 8 months and he was by far my best dog.  I wasn't sure about a new pup but now I will be looking for an April dog.  NoDak was pretty good on the pheasants but not much for ducks around.  The two groups of 400-500 birds we found were also found by others and fed on land we could not access.  I will be trying to find more of the late season mallards this fall as my pheasant hunting will be limited to tagging along when I can with my friends.

[Neighbor_guy]

My fish dogs ashes are under those rocks. Put her there 8days ago. Sobbed like a baby. Best way to describe it was the strange empty feeling I had the day I went home without her from the vets office.  She was a very happy dog on Monday, gone on Wednesday. Kidney failure. Aged 11 years. I was lucky enough to get the last 8 after I claimed her as a rescue. 

you only get so many good ones. She was definitely one of mine. Never was much of a duck dog. But she sure did like to try. 

Anyways... To bring us back on topic...

The weather this weekend is shaping up to be bluebird again. For whatever reason we can't seem to catch a break this year. Some rain/cold and wind sure would help. We all seem to be chasing our local call wise birds around as much as anything.

My goose is in town this weekend, so she will be going along. Home to get her first official bird. Stay tuned... If it happens there's going to be pictures and a story... Cause why not share an experience like that????

We are still only (22)days through a (60)day season. Still a long way to go and a lot more birds to track down!!!

 

[Lunker]

After a warm sunny stretch and a rough couple of hunts down here on the Miss. tonight was a nice change. Started off the same with bluebird skies and calm water. For some reason the birds decided to change things up and we saw some good movement for a short window. A few teal and woodies still around but mostly gads, pins, and widgeon moving with a few big migrator groups. I took this picture partway through the hunt, we knocked down a couple more after but it got too dark to take pictures by the time we packed up. Off to ND on Sunday for the week.

 

[Gissert]

Thanks all for the kind words. My Abby appeared to have spleen issues as well. Ultrasound showed a small bleed too.  

[CANOPY SAM]

Lots of new Canadian Geese moving into the northwestern corner of Minnesota over the last couple days.  Seems like a little something is starting to happen.

[MJ1657]

We got a little shooting this morning. 

[Neighbor_guy]

Hmmm.... That's not the normal MJ mobile?????

 

Well done on the geese and the ringer!!! That farm pond is definitely paying off. 

[Neighbor_guy]

the goose and I traveled to western edge of MNthis weekend to meet up with some long time friends in Big Stone County. We got an early start as our day one slough was 3/4mile from the road. With the wet rainy conditions Friday driving through the cut corn was not an option so it was boots on the ground. (Sideways... Sorry)

Water levels are down in the spots we have to hunt. Goose ended up in the otter... (Upside down... Crumps) 

and the rest of us were boots and buts in the mud....

At the end of the day she got her first birds and we teamed up on her first goose!!!

We had some drama as the 20ga didn't want to play as nice as it did on clays when it's 80deg, but we worked it out. A Greenwing teal and a spoonbill fell to her gun and the shouts of joy could be herd for miles around!!! Then while we sat enjoying our spot out of the wind in the sun a lone goose flew over. I gave him a lone lonely honk, he spun on a dime and locked on the pair of geese we had set off the the side "just in case". Well for ease of the game I was playing with the 20this weekend as well so I didn't have to carry extra shells. That goose took all the punishment a pair of people could give him and came crashing to the water with a splash as he passed over the decoys landing just yards from the decoys that tricked him. A memory that will last a lifetime I hope. 

I am still learning about all the extra work it takes to hunt with a kid. But it's so worth it!!!

[MJ1657]

Hmmm.... That's not the normal MJ mobile?????

 

Well done on the geese and the ringer!!! That farm pond is definitely paying off. 

Mollie got tired of my old truck so she made me get a new one to cart her around in.  

The farm pond has been good. Nice having a place to ourselves. 

 

Nice work this weekend. Moll was excited that goose got some birds. 

[fishuhalik]

Awesome story!! You're right. Hunting with kids is so much more work, but totally worth it!!!

[Bryce]

Big blow out of the NW tomorrow. Be lucky to get a 2 day migration window this year with the strength they're predicting. Hoping for a rainout at work. Even the metro lakes should get interesting.

[TylerS]

Big blow out of the NW tomorrow. Be lucky to get a 2 day migration window this year with the strength they're predicting. Hoping for a rainout at work. Even the metro lakes should get interesting.

Some birds will move through, but I'm willing to bet a good chuck stays put. They were forecasting snow and frigid temps in Fargo...well, we got drizzle and it's in the 40s this a.m. 

NW wind will certainly help, but I'm thinking the main clump will stick north of the border until they actually receive some decent snow/ice. Could be awhile...jet stream is further north than ever with this El Nino. 

[leechlake]

my buddies were north of Devils Lake for one day Monday, very little water, very few ducks.  The went back to Devils Lake and yesterday am and this am they were done in thirty minutes with divers.  They said the wind was 35 plus this am and 24 degrees.

 

 

[Neighbor_guy]

The extended outlook forecast doesn't have a hard freeze up anywhere in it. Some birds will move as with any big wind. The full moon this week will get more "calendar" birds moving. But we are still seeing Bluewing teal and Woodducks the central part of the state. 

[Todd Caswell]

I wouldn't worry about this little front pushing the birds through, sure some will migrate but the moon phase and snow cover have as much to do with migration than a little wind, I was in ND last weekend and there was some migration on Sunday but they have all the feed they need there tons of food on the ground, same goes for central Manitoba have reports from friends up there that say the birds are staying put.I will be back in ND the third week in NOV. and I'm sure there still will be birds around, best of all the pressure is very limited..

[Todd Caswell]

Few pics from ND we had 3 good shoots, landed a ton of birds waiting for the big load to finish and often ended up not shooting but that is the fun of it for me watching the birds work and of course the dog work, took all three of them on this trip so they didn't get alot of work but all three did very well even the little guy..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ufatz]

If I can't hunt with a dog I won't hunt.  Good to see you fellas had a good time.

[O.T.C.]

The local geese are superflocked now so it's gonna be tough sledding. Duck wise all were seeing are woodies. Up to the OTC within the hour hoping for better there, but dad reports the same deal superflocked out meaning they leave town at 100 yards high now, they all go to the same field so someone needs to bust the feed might as well be me lol ! Good Luck

[Neighbor_guy]

Can't wait to here how guys do in the rain this morning   

[MJ1657]

Mollie, Neighbor Guy, and myself went out this morning. Not alot of birds flying but Mollie scored the dandy Hooded Meganser. We had a good time. 

[Todd Caswell]

It seemed there were a few new birds in our area this morning, had a flock of 30 plus in the decoys 5 minutes befor shooting time and whiffed on two other groups of divers and had two small flocks of mallards that I never seen in time, also saw a large flock of snow geese very uncommon for this area.