Honkers

[Fish&Fowl]

Wondering if anyone has seen any big flocks of honkers lately. At work yesterday I saw a big V of over 100 birds headed north flying over Rainy Lake. Today I saw another flock of roughly 80 birds also heading north. Doesn't seem usual this time of year. Just wondering if anyone else has seen any big flocks near here.

[eyehead]

ive been seeing a few flocks of 10 to 20 birds. I think there last years hatch grouped up

[fishingmike0770]

its funny that you mention this. . . for the last couple of days, i have been seeing very large flocks of geese in the north metro, 50+ birds, i was thinking to myself that it was odd seeing this at such a late time of the year, eyehead has to be on to something. . . .

[Finlander]

It's called the molt migration! All the geese you see flying north are all last years hatch and cannot breed yet.

So some freak of nature sends them north into Canada so they don't get shot here in Minnesota during the early Canada goose season in September! Well the last part of my statement isn't totally true but it seems like it when the mosquitoes are biting you and there is no geese flying around in early September!

P.S., I was fishing Mille Lacs last tuesday and I must have seen around 10 big flocks flying north and most seemed disorintated as young birds are, as the flock would break up and kept reforming V's as they flew!

[fishermann222]

This is also the time the far Northern areas of Canada are starting to thaw. Our ducks here where I live in Alaska are just coming back now, our rivers are breaking up the past few days in Western Alaska. Send some of those geese this way, federal subsistance hunting will be this weekend

[fishingmike0770]

fishermann, what types of ducks seem to be the "locals" around your parts? I wish i could take a trip up there and maybe photograph some of the awesome looking sea-ducks like the eiders, oldsquaw and harlequins. Awesome area up there and i hope to visit it someday. . . .

[fishermann222]

Here on the island we see lots of eiders, and scooters. Most are not within shooting range though. For geese we see alot of brants, they are dumb and easy to shoot. We also see a large amount of cacklers and emperer geese. The emperers are off limits for shooting, both in spring and fall. Inland there are lots of pintails, not lots, TONS of pintails . It is a beautiful place when the weather is ok, most of the time the weather is so bad here you can not enjoy it.

If I was coming up to photograph birds I would hit the Kuskokwim Delta instead. Incredible amounts of birds in that area. I am headed that way hunting today for 4 days. I will post some pics when i get back.

[Fish&Fowl]

I figured they were last year's birds, but I just can't ever remember seeing flocks that size this time of year around here. I guess this spring is one of those ones you don't know what to expect. Definitely not a typical MN spring.

Fisherman222,

I'm very jealous learning you get to take a poke at some honkers in May I'm also jealous of where you live. If I move from MN, Alaska would be the only place I'd go. Good luck hunting, last I saw they were headed your way!

[gorrilla]

This molt migration happens every year about this time. I usually see flocks of 15 - 200 canada's northbound between Memorial and musky opener. My old DNR Wildlife Biologist boss used to say tracking studies in MN tend to show lots of these geese going to places like Fergus, Thief, and LOW ares (and I'm sure farther north too).

[fishermann222]

Well the hunting this weekend was only fair. A buddy and I shot 59 ducks and one goose. We could not get the swans to come in, I am pretty sure they do not like robo ducks at all. They seem to flare when they see them. Out of the 59 ducks we shot only 3 were hens. Mostly pintails, widgeon, bluebills, and shovelers, yes shovelers do taste great up here.

[Quackaddict9]

sounds like a good time, post pics if you have. Are the ducks easy to decoy where you hunt?

[tealitup]

Fisherman, thanks for leaving the hens - well done - respect a person who can hold off.

If you took some pictures please let us see. Some of us salavate waiting for our season to open.

[fishingmike0770]

i think salavate is an understatement, i keep my duck calls in the glove box all year round and give them a couple minutes here and there.

[tearin' lips]

Saw quite a few cross over black bay two weeks ago. Six or seven flocks of 50-60 birds.

[fishermann222]

Sorry guys I did not get any photos. Camera was burried in the bottom of my dry bag that whole weekend. Alot of guys are still goose hunting here on the Island I live on, getting a few black brandts, but with their populations declining drasticly due to predation by fox on the nesting grounds, I am not hunting them this spring. This fall I will though