2004 Year in Review....

[TV BOY]

Touch`e

[set the drag]

yep I usually have it at least once a week with the wnole fam dam we usually roast up like 8-9 birds and have feast!!

[JerknPerchSD]

Dang, you boys must be kicking yourselves for living in MN. A full season of waterfowl huntin here in SD would make you sick. Youd never want to go back to MN again...Its been a good year. Lots of limit shoots ans lots more to come...

[bassman222]

Me and my buddies had a poor season considering we got out 20+ times-ended with a total of 96 ducks and 1 goose(from my log book).

Had a great opener with limits of ducks for 3 guys(mostly mallards), decent mid season ringbill action, and a decent late season diver hunt. With a lot of poor hunts in between.

MWKTrapper-your hole isn't in the GRock area is it? Not trying to get down on your spot, just curious with the number of quacks that you guys are whackin'.

[BarTender]

Was a good year, not great by all means. We finally found some green in the later part of the season. warry mixed bag this year. Last year it was hard to fill out a limit every weekend,not enough farkel ducks. this year limits were not a problem, getting 4 mallards a person was a challenge. also less geese got shot by me this year, early season was good, but after the regula season started, I think I shot 4 or 5 total. just goofy goose seasons, the ducks were where the geese couldnt be shot. I will not post up my totals, some here will call talk others will be asking too many questions as to where and how we were able to shoot that may birds. Others have seen pictures so they know Im not full of it.

[mwktrapper]

No bassman, I spend a lot of my fall in western MN. I shot a lot of geese in the GR area but not a lot of ducks. I love hunting the GR area because of the scenery but there just isn't the numbers that we find over there.

Are you going to school at ICC here?

[Ybone]

Maybe everyone is too polite to say anything but does anyone think that it's excessive to shoot 75 ducks or 128 ducks + 49 geese for 2 guys or as one guy said so many we'd think it's talk and ask too many questions about where he shot so many. Even if you could eat them fast enough to be legal it's got to be hard on the resource. Some hunters practice restraint and don't shoot 4 or 5 possession limits a year just because they can. Perhaps the decline in the duck flight over Minnesota can be blamed on overharvest as much as habitat loss.

[lawdog]

I don't disagree Ybone. I've had that thought myself reading some of these posts. I feel the same way with guys that go out and shoot 50 roosters.

On the other hand, the way they slaughter the geese down south, I'm not sure it would do much good to lay off them up here...

DU used to preach voluntary restraint a lot. I think its a concept that's obviously lost on some!

[BarTender]

Here is something to think about.. The birds we kill each year are the weak and young birds. most would have died this winter anyway.

another thing is they say that like 80% of the birds are shot by 10% of the hunters. so me shooting 100+ ducks this season and 5 guys shooting 20 ducks this season will still only equal 200+ ducks which will hardly impact the resource and will not effect the #'s of ducks flying through the flyway.

As for eatting the birds, you dont need to eat duck every day to stay under your poss limit. jurkey usese up alot of birds as well. and if you have three friends over, or have 4 people in your family, one meal a week of duck will wipe out a limit.

you guys can choose to not shoot birds, and I will do my best to pick up your slack.

[lawdog]

"Here is something to think about.. The birds we kill each year are the weak and young birds. most would have died this winter anyway."

HUH??? You are just killing weak and inferior birds? And you somehow know most of what you shoot would die over the winter anyway? Come on, that's just bunk!!!

[BarTender]

Havent you read any articals at all? How about heard of studies of birds being shot where they send in the wings so the biologests can study the age and conditions of birds???

the main reason they ban spinners is due to the effectiveness on YOUNG birds.

Also there is the study on the affect of hunters vs. the natural dieing off of birds. I dont have the time to post you links, but if i do get the time, I will. there are many on the net and many others in magazenes.

[MattKeller]

YBONE. How do you figure? You think 128 is a lot. You'd hate to hear how many our group has shot. That's not the point though. If you shoot 5 birds or 100, the important thing is that these birds don't go to waste. Like Phil Robertson says, "a duck is good for one thing, bringing us enjoyment by shooting and eating it."

We shoot so many ducks and geese because we love to, and we love eat them. We're never over our possession limit and our birds don't go to waste. I would imagine most guys that shoot less than 10 birds can't honestly say that.

[The_Duckslayer]

Hey BT... I would choose to get some birds as opposed to not get any. I live just south of the cities and am available to hunt anytime! Heck, I'll even do all the hard work if ya bring me along some time! Promise I will not come back with my buddies and hose your honey hole up! I hunted 9 different sloughs and lakes this year and only got three birds. Guess I will keep looking next year! Have a good one and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[duckbill]

I don't think that 200 ducks for 4 guys is a lot of ducks at all. If you consider we hunted 25 days. That is pretty poor. Neither do I think 50 geese for 4 guys is a lot for the season. Like some said you can make a lot of the goose into to jerky. We made 20 geese into jerky (early) opening weekend and it was gone by the next weekend. As far as ducks go we make up like 30 at time when we get some fellas together and have a couple beers. The meat goes very fast.

As far as the season goes it was pretty average. I saw more ducks last weekend than I saw all season. We missed it by a couple weeks. Dang! That is the way it goes some seasons. What I can't understand is why SD and WI get to hunt 2-3 weeks longer than that hunters in MN. That seems odd to me.

Duckbill

Time to start ice fishing.

[BLACKJACK]

lawdog, now you're treading on my turf when you complain about people shooting 50 roosters in a year! Back in the early 80's when I was younger and lived down by Rochester and there was lots of good CRP, 50 birds was an average year for me! I had permission to hunt over 1000 acres of CRP, I had two labs, and my goal for the first two weeks of the season before the time change (which stopped my capability of getting out in the evening) was 28 birds. The key was that I spent a lot of time pheasant hunting, every night for awhile, I hunted prime time, and I had good land to hunt. I gave away birds, sent them home with guys that didn't hunt much, and cooked a lot up - my wife is still burnt out on pheasant in mushroom soup!!

These guys that are bragging about shooting lots of ducks and geese sound like they put in their time and are good at it - why shouldn't they shoot a lot of ducks?

[duckbill]

Opps. Lawdog.

I missed your little snip on DU. Trust me when I say that I give plenty to DU. I give time and money. Some people give money to their church. I give mine to DU because that is where I spend my sunday mornings.

Most times people say that is to many because they don't shoot that many ducks. If you could hunt 25 days out of the season are you telling me that you wouldn't? If your answer is no, I have to question your concept of a true waterfowler.

It is the love of tradition, see ducks in flocks of 100+ over the decoys, watching the dog make great retrieves, spending time with good buddies. Time spent working to get birds is often rewarded with good hunts.

Duckbill

[lawdog]

Gluttony; one of the seven deadly sins if I'm not mistaken...taking 28 roosters in the first 14 days of the season, obviously gluttoneous in my opinion.

You just don't need to be that hard on the birds. I shot 22 roosters last year, the most I've ever taken and I'm sure the most I ever will. Several times when I was out hunting though, I didn't even carry my gun. I just worked my dog for my nephew who is just learning. I enjoyed it every bit as much as if I would have been killing those pheasants he wasn't getting...

[lawdog]

Duckbill, I think the same applies to your post as does my post in response to the pheasant question. I'll hunt all the time I can, but I'm not going to pound every bird I see into the ground if I ever have the opportunity to spend that much time hunting... I just don't agree with that philosophy. That sure as heck doesn't make me less of a hunter!

[duckbill]

Lawdog-

I don't pound every duck I see. If fact we don't shoot hens at all. Yes some get knocked down. Saying 200 ducks for 4 guys is to many is not right. That is 2 ducks a day per guy at 25 days hunting. That is not pounding ducks. That is a poor season for the amount of time that I put into waterfowling. The guys out there hunting the most are putting more back into the ducks than that guys that just hunt a weekend or two. A lot of the bucks we spend goes back to the ducks..

Duckbill

[Stratosman]

So one guy shoots 100 ducks a year and the other 9 out of 10 shoot 5-10 for the year on average. I guess I don't have a problem with it, I just wish I was in on the action too! Look at the southern states, I wonder what the average kill per person is south of the mason/dixon line compared to us less fortunate minnesotans? I would wager a guess and say that they kill twice the amount of birds per hunter than we do. So if a guy around here puts in the time and effort to be successful, more power to him, you're not affecting my hunting. And if the DNR was concerned about it they would put a season limit instead of a daily and possesion limit in the reg's. Just my 2 cents on the subject.

[lawdog]

How about 129 ducks and 49 geese for two guys? That's a whole lot more than 200 for 4 guys. I didn't point out any one specific group such as the 200 you mention by the way...

What about a guy that shoots 360 ducks (60x6)? Give em all away that you don't eat and that's cool for the ducks? no way...

[duckbill]

No I don't think that 129 ducks for 2 guys is to much as long as they are taken legally and someone is eating them. 49 geese for 2 guys. No that is not to many. I know that there was a field in Wright county that 57 geese came out of opening weekend. As long as they are taken legally and people are eating them there is no problem in my book. It some wants to shoot 6x60 more power to them. I would love to be able to hunt that much and get that good of shooting everyday. Again as long as there not going to waste.

Lawdog. I respect your opinion. Have a good weekend.

[BLACKJACK]

Gluttony, huh?! I call it good dog work, good spots to hunt, and good hunting. One of the seven deadly sins? Please send me the bible verse so I can read it and feel properly chastised.

You state that you can't understand someone shooting 50 roosters, but you shot 22. If someone spends 2-3 times as much time hunting as you, why wouldn't it be ok for them to shoot 50 roosters? Being kind of hypocritical, aren't you? Same way with the guys that spend a lot of time duck hunting, getting up early in the morning, busting there butts throwing out 5-6 dozen decoys, busting ice later in the season, why shouldn't they be able to shoot ducks for all their effort. Good hunting and lots of effort go hand in hand, whatever type of hunting that you're doing.

[snowgoose]

I want to commend the hunters that spend 25 to 30 days a year in the field to harvest 200 birds. That is a lot of work. I am afraid to post how many birds we took this year. All legally by the way. I hunt the early season here in Minnesota. Then 6 of us go to Sask. That is uasually a 300 or better bird trip. Then I go to Manitoba with 4 guys and a local. We alway harvest at least 100 birds there. Do all the birds get eaten? You bet your &^$ they do! Nothin better than goose jerky on the lake in Febuary.

I have also hunted in Texas and Arkansas. It does not even compare to hunting here. A hunter in the south that take 5-10 birds a year probably only went out 1-2 times.

I guess what I am trying to say is. Minnesota duck hunting is not that good because we don't have the natural habitat it takes to support them.

You guys that hunt Mn 15 times a year! Save that money and go on a couple quality trips. You'll be hooked.

[mwktrapper]

Lawdog; My brother and I shot 128 ducks and the goose numbers are still rising. That definitely wasn't the best year we've had. We had to work our butts off scouting and walking into spots that were far out of reach to most people. Duck hunting is just what we do and we'll go through anything to get inot a good hunt. If I had the chance to hunt every day, I would. I'd shoot birds every day if I could and I would eat every one of them. I love to eat duck and I love to kill them. We practice good sportsmanship and we refrain from shooting hens if we know we're into a pile of birds that day. Once you lay under a flock of 1000 mallards that are tipping up side down and wing tips are so cupped they're almost touching, it's all you'd want to do for the rest of your life. Like you and your pheasants, I've been in the field where we've had such huge flocks coming in that we've laid down our guns and just watched. We're not savages like you make us out to be, we're just the ones that are so addicted to doing what we do that we will do it every chance we get.