Waterfowl report needed?

[mnhunter2]

Will be hunting ducks this weekend in the webster area any divers down yet we have had good luck on bitter in the past?

[PERCHJR]

There are ducks all over the region, I fished over there about a week and a half ago and there were guys hunting them on Bitter and other sloughs. There seemed to be alot of ducks and also geese in the NE part of the state so I think you will have no problem finding a few to shoot!!!

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING, AND HUNTING!!!

[mr wizard]

I'm headed over also, first fall hunt in SD, and am looking for some info. Do I need to bring a boat? Are you guys hunting fields or sloughs/lakes? Just looking for starting points. Thanks in advance.

[Tyler Holm]

You don't need a boat, but it may help depending on where you want to hunt. Several of the WPAs in NE SoDak are shallow enough to wade. A few of them you'd need a boat.

If I were going to do it, I'd field hunt. It all depends on what time your coming and the exact region you're going to hunt. It also depends on what species of duck you want to shoot. For teal and divers, your best bet is water. Mallards can be taken from field or water, but likely hunting fields will yield a better hunt

[mr wizard]

I'll be after mallards and geese. I have field dekes for geese but not ducks. Can I get by with water mallard dekes ( 3 dozen) in the field? Can you give me a hint as to where some of the walkable sloughs are? email is [email protected].

[jigmeister]

Lots of Bluebills on Bitter last weekend, but not as many Mallards as before. You will definitely need a boat for Bitter. Some full body Canada decoys and a couple of spinners will work in the fields for ducks. Scouting is the most important thing here. Lots of ducks (mixed bag) in this area.

[Tyler Holm]

mr wizard,

There are walkable sloughs all over that are public. I'm from the Aberdeen area and there are at least 20 in a 20 mile radius that are public. Of those 20 about 60% you can walk. I'm less fimiliar with those near Bitter and Webster, but I know they are there. You will have to get a Walk-in map or Waterfowl Production area map.

I use mallard water keel decoys in the field every single time I hunt in a field. I just prop them up on top of a few corn stocks and dig the keel down in a bit so they sit upright. It works fine. I'd recommend a roboDuk or two and scout scout scout if your. It's fairly east to get permission in a field. That's your best shot at mallards and geese.

[mr wizard]

Thanks Tyler. Looks like I might be all around Aberdeen from Webster to Roscoe to Long lake up north. I have a public access book so that's a start. Going over kind of blind but I'm trying to hook up with a few FM members from SD. If you have any info for money spots near Aberdeen that would be great.

[Tyler Holm]

Dave Frank,

Maybe you could show Mr Wizard a thing or two about the great hunts Aberdeen has to offer.

Also, post in the Aberdeen forum a bit and you might get a response as well. Mansfield slough (20 miles South of Aberdeen) is a personal favorite public ground for me. You will get shots and see hundreds of birds down there. Mostly small ducks thou.

[Top Gun]

Mr. Wizard & MNHunter - I'll be doing a waterfowl / Pheasant combo hunt next week - 11/6 - 12th - in the Webster area. Just wondering how you guys did out there and if you have any suggestions for field hunting ducks. I know there is a lot of public land, WPAs and Game Management area in that part of the state. How about private land for pheasants - any trouble getting permission?

[Tyler Holm]

Top Gun,

Field hunting ducks on public land is almost impossible. You need to get permission on harvested corn this time of year.

Public land yields pheasants and WPA's may have some decent waterfowl shoots over water.

[Top Gun]

Yeah Tyler, I figured that even the WPAs might be better for Pheasant than ducks this time of year. The ducks are probably on the bigger water and feeding in the harvested fields. I understand that the corn harvest in the area is maybe 60 - 75% complete so there should be opportunities for field hunting. How difficult is it to get permission for field hunting waterfowl on private land?

Mr. Wizard - how did you guys do last week? I hunted in Southeast North Dakota last week and the ducks were decoy shy and pretty scarce. We did real well with pheasants though.

[Tyler Holm]

I'd honestly say we get permission to waterfowl hunt harvested fields from about half of the farmers we ask. I really don't think you will have too much trouble with that. The biggest problem is finding out who owns the field. Since this is harvest time, its hard to reach the farmer because they are in the field all day long.

Also, I'd be sure to mention your not going to be shooting any pheasants. Farmers always have kids, grandchildren, friends, etc that keep their pheasant populations at bay.

Your best bet on roosters would be to walk the public grounds during the morning and afternoon. About 2 hours before sunset I'd recommend road hunting and/or walking ditches bordering a food plot (unharvested corn, etc).

When we do get permission, I always have a gift certificate along and usually after the hunt I go and re-thank the farmer and hand them a gift certificate as a small token of my appreciation.

[mr wizard]

Top gun, We did ok. Thought I had field hunts set up with some fellow FMer's but both fell through. Don't ever rely on anyone to "put you on the birds". Scout yourself. The mallards are sitting on the water till about 5:30 then going to the fields. Same with the geese. We would follow them out, usually with 2-3 other trucks of hunters/locals, then try to get permission.It never worked. The farmers were always combining somewhere and the wives are reluctant because they don't want to get in trouble with their man. We found a private pond with divers on it and shot ringnecks. I'm going back out Thursday and I will be taking the boats. No need for permission that way. Just follow the meandering laws.

[Top Gun]

Thanks for the replies and tips. I know what you mean about finding the landowners. I hunted in the Britton area last year and there were many fields with standing water and tons of ducks. It was a real chore trying to track down the landowner and then actually make contact with them. I did get into some pretty good spots where the mallards were sitting in flooded low spots in picked corn. This is a different year and we plan to be hunting a further south but may have to check out some of the spots I hit last year. Were the ducks you watched feeding only at night and back on the water by morning or did they go out in the morning too?

[mr wizard]

They sat all day. With it so warm they are only feeding in the evening.

[ifishsd]

Hunted around the lake Ponisett area last weekend and there was very few ducks around.

[Top Gun]

That's not good news ifishsd but you were a ways south of where we will be. I know there alot of Ducks in the northern part of the state, probably ND ducks that have moved down due to hunting pressure up there.

[Mike Walerak]

Mr. Wizard,

Sorry to hear about your luck. This time of year is particulary tought to find a hot field much less finding the landowner to get permission. There is only about a 20 minute window for evening scouting so it is race to find the birds. I would say with 2-3 truck scouting yor chances were as good as you are going to get. It just doesn't work out all the time. That what makes me continue to waste gas and wake up early, when everything falls togather it can be some of the best times of ones life!

mw