2015 Waterfowl Season

[brittman]

If you ain't hunting today, you're missing it. Here in Fargo: 40-50 mph sustained winds, snow and ice. It's a dang ground blizzard. Gonna button up fast! Get 'em while the getting is good.

So is this a field report Tyler ??

Even will temps in the teens it will take 5+ days to seal up completely.  We did well last year rather late, but that said you won't be hunting water and you will be surprised at what water freezes and what stays open.

 

[TylerS]

So is this a field report Tyler ??

Even will temps in the teens it will take 5+ days to seal up completely.  We did well last year rather late, but that said you won't be hunting water and you will be surprised at what water freezes and what stays open.

 

This is an observation of current events combined with years of waterfowl hunting experience. But I do have (crazy) friends out hunting this morning and the next few days. Will give an update when I hear word. 

As for 5+ days to seal completely, we're going to be below freezing for highs through Saturday. Then a brief warm-up followed by several more days of below-freezing temps. So take that for what it's worth. 

This is the first real winter storm we've had, and it's a good'un. So I stand by what I said: Get out there while the gettin' is good! I imagine there are some kamikaze birds on the wing in this weather. 

[brittman]

2014 Temps in ND.  Our best days were the 12th and 13th.

2014-11-10	23	13
2014-11-11	19	10
2014-11-12	20	13
2014-11-13	16	1
2014-11-14	20	-1
2014-11-15	17	4

I will note that 95% of ND was locked up then and no we were not hunting D.L. or the Missouri River system areas.

You are correct - for most it ends closer to now than not.

Edited November 19, 2015 by brittman

[TylerS]

 

You are correct - for most it ends closer to now than not.

That's my point. Thanks. 

[brittman]

What is really sad is that is what it takes to put 20 - 50 snows (or more) on the strap in NoDak.

I am NOT a fan of hunting in that weather (especially for 3-4 days straight).  Tough on us humans, tough on the dogs, tough on the equipment.  What that temp data posted above did not show is the sustained winds !!!!     

NoDak used to compete with Texas for most snow geese killed during a season.   That appears to be long gone.

 

You need to know what you are doing to hunt the backside of the migration ... otherwise it becomes mostly an exercise in observation...  which can be fun, but not what most are in ND to do.

 

 

 

 

[Bryce]

Wow. Was one of those days that will be remembered. Got set up at noonish. Watched 3 flocks land while stashing the boat. Then the wait began. Seemed really slow but in reality, it was only just over 2 hours to get 4 green down. Could only take one per flock with the wind. Then the floodgates opened. Had to have had 500 mallards touch their feet to the water. One would think that a scrapper gadwall or Pintail would be mixed into those bunches but no. Quick picture as light was dwindling. Will make sure to get a proper tailgate shot after tomorrows hunt.

[TylerS]

Buddies are out SMASHING them this morning. Bunch of fresh birds in the area. I've never been so depressed to be stuck in an office. 

[Bryce]

Dried up. Hard to believe they can pull out overnight. Ice helped I'm sure. Lot of migrant geese pouring in and cranes which is new to this location for me. Weird season. In yesterdays big push, besides a few flocks of eyes, I could only positively ID 4 birds that were not mallards.  2 teal and 2 bluebills.

Done with the field report so time for a tailgate shot.

[bobberineyes]

Don't care what some say bryce,  that's what tailgates are for.....nice pic.

[Todd Caswell]

Lots of birds in SE ND , all small bodies of water are froze up but larger bodies are open an full of darks , lights and mallards. Birds fed late this evening and locating them on the ground was a challenge, secured a corn field in between 3 roost that are holding a few thousand birds each, it's a solo trip for me so I'm hoping a traffic hunt will produce enough for one guy and a dog. Low of 10 deg. 

[Neighbor_guy]

well that's all folks.... The attack yak has joined the other kayaks and the decoys, both field and floating in the toy shed. A more thorough summary will follow after I have had some time to process that it's over. Not to mention trying to get caught up on the chores I have neglected over the last 60days.  

But there is no longer any open water on the lake. Ice is to thick to break up. Time to move on. 

Edited November 22, 2015 by Neighbor_guy

[Todd Caswell]

The trip was a bust, two hunts completely ruined buy someone ( one from MN and one from ND) comming in a few minutes after shooting time and firing one shot to jump the roost and then getting in a couple volleys as the birds circled out of range and gone, these were big bodies of water and the only thing keeping them open was 2 to 3 thousand mallards sitting in the middle, I have never seen the enjoyment of hunting this way and never will. Both of these people drove by seen my vehicle stopped, and looked at the field spread and still did it.  Oh well  done for the year back to training club trials with the dogs..

[monstermoose78]

sorry Todd

[Bryce]

I don't know. We've had 2 big blows out of the north. One on Thursday, the other mid October. My money one would say the majority of the birds hopped a free ride and all we're going to see from here on is a trickle. It has been a very strange weather year so my money would be substantially less than most years. It was very strange to see all the snows and specks but very few mallards and darks. I did hear some reports of good diver numbers this weekend  and we actually saw quite a few working the bigger water. 

[FowlSki]

Bryce do you have a flexible work schedule that allows you to leave last minute?   I used to hunt the last push in ND every year and we would watch the weather and leave when we thought the birds were going to push out of Canada.  We used to have epic hunts and basically no one to compete with.  They are cleaning up on ducks and geese in the fields right now.  Your trip was about a  week too early. 

[Todd Caswell]

Bryce do you have a flexible work schedule that allows you to leave last minute?   I used to hunt the last push in ND every year and we would watch the weather and leave when we thought the birds were going to push out of Canada.  We used to have epic hunts and basically no one to compete with.  They are cleaning up on ducks and geese in the fields right now.  Your trip was about a  week too early. 

Even late season there is a ton of pressure, I don't see it happening but the best thing for that state for the residents and the NR would be a cap and or a lottery like SD

[Bryce]

Sorry my post was towards the MN "migration". Our nodak camp is on land with lots of loafing water so not so bothered by the ditch crawlers. Already have a post of nodak turning into the land of crawling hats just like MN and sodak lottery being the way to go. Nodak tried a cap. Not sure why they went away from it.   

Bryce do you have a flexible work schedule that allows you to leave last minute?   I used to hunt the last push in ND every year and we would watch the weather and leave when we thought the birds were going to push out of Canada.  We used to have epic hunts and basically no one to compete with.  They are cleaning up on ducks and geese in the fields right now.  Your trip was about a  week too early. 

Which trip in which state do you refer to?

[Todd Caswell]

 Nodak tried a cap. Not sure why they went away from it.   

Revinue

 

[brittman]

Some general comments.  I grew up in North Dakota, have family there and have hunted in that state for 40 years running...

North Dakota did not put a cap on nonresident waterfowlers because of the money it brings the state.   Of course North Dakotan residents spend money to hunt ducks and geese ... nonresident money is "new" money to the small town hotels, cafes, and gas stations.  It was heavily debated say 10 - 15 years ago.  The legislature had its chance several sessions in a row (ND meets every other year), but failed to cap.

I have heard it said that the nonresident license fees in-part pay for the large volume of PLOT land in ND.  Someone else can confirm or deny this ...  

North Dakota sells about 23K nonresident waterfowl licenses and a similar number of pheasant licenses.  I have never seen data on how many people purchase just one vs. both.  North Dakota peaked near 30K nonresident waterfowl licenses awhile back ... but really has leveled off at the 23K-25K number.  So if you say 50K licenses (pheas and waterfowl combined) at $100 each (that is definitely the low side est) ... that is $5million to NDG&F.

Long time ago, North Dakota had only 3 - 5K nonresident waterfowlers and they were handed harvest tags that dramatically limited harvest of birds.  Before the severe drought of the 80s and early 90s there were about 75K resident North Dakotans that hunted waterfowl ...   there was real pressure on the weekends back then too ...

 

South Dakota can talk big, look big by imposing a strict limit on nonresident waterfowlers, BUT SODAK also has 80,000 nonresident pheasant hunters.  SDG&F and the small towns simply do not need to have the state sell more licenses (albeit that number was raised slightly this year).

 

The problem this year arose largely because ducks and geese did not migrate through the Dakotas in a "normal" pattern in October.  Lack of birds force everyone to go mobile and/or concentrated on what was around ...  not a good situation.   One year event or trend to continue ... TBD ???

 

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2015 by brittman

[brittman]

 

This is an observation of current events combined with years of waterfowl hunting experience. But I do have (crazy) friends out hunting this morning and the next few days. Will give an update when I hear word. 

As for 5+ days to seal completely, we're going to be below freezing for highs through Saturday. Then a brief warm-up followed by several more days of below-freezing temps. So take that for what it's worth. 

This is the first real winter storm we've had, and it's a good'un. So I stand by what I said: Get out there while the gettin' is good! I imagine there are some kamikaze birds on the wing in this weather. 

Lot of large bodies of water still open in NoDak.  NoDak has plenty of "lakes" now.   You will be able to hunt waterfowl until the end of the regular duck season.

Edited November 25, 2015 by brittman

[O.T.C.]

November 23rd and friends of mine are really making hay on greenheads and geese near DL, MN.

[FowlSki]

Bryce I was referring to nodak.

 

Todd the only hunters we ever encountered on our late season trips were nd residents.  We would go late enough that most out of staters thought it was over.  We never saw one group of out of non-resident hunters on any of our late season trips.

[Todd Caswell]

Some general comments.  I grew up in North Dakota, have family there and have hunted in that state for 40 years running...

North Dakota did not put a cap on nonresident waterfowlers because of the money it brings the state.   Of course North Dakotan residents spend money to hunt ducks and geese ... nonresident money is "new" money to the small town hotels, cafes, and gas stations.  It was heavily debated say 10 - 15 years ago.  The legislature had its chance several sessions in a row (ND meets every other year), but failed to cap.

I have heard it said that the nonresident license fees in-part pay for the large volume of PLOT land in ND.  Someone else can confirm or deny this ...  

North Dakota sells about 23K nonresident waterfowl licenses and a similar number of pheasant licenses.  I have never seen data on how many people purchase just one vs. both.  North Dakota peaked near 30K nonresident waterfowl licenses awhile back ... but really has leveled off at the 23K-25K number.  So if you say 50K licenses (pheas and waterfowl combined) at $100 each (that is definitely the low side est) ... that is $5million to NDG&F.

Long time ago, North Dakota had only 3 - 5K nonresident waterfowlers and they were handed harvest tags that dramatically limited harvest of birds.  Before the severe drought of the 80s and early 90s there were about 75K resident North Dakotans that hunted waterfowl ...   there was real pressure on the weekends back then too ...

 

South Dakota can talk big, look big by imposing a strict limit on nonresident waterfowlers, BUT SODAK also has 80,000 nonresident pheasant hunters.  SDG&F and the small towns simply do not need to have the state sell more licenses (albeit that number was raised slightly this year).

 

The problem this year arose largely because ducks and geese did not migrate through the Dakotas in a "normal" pattern in October.  Lack of birds force everyone to go mobile and/or concentrated on what was around ...  not a good situation.   One year event or trend to continue ... TBD ???

 

 

 

 

I was saying the reason they have gone away from the cap or have never gone to a lottery is because of the revenue lost if they did.

[chub]

Happy thanksgiving!

[chub]

The grand finale.  Very few left, but enough flying skunks for a memorable Thanksgiving hunt.