Opener Stories!!

[hanson]

Let's hear your Opening Morning stories!!

I honestly didn't think we could top last year's opener but this year's is going to be something to remember. Its 2:30pm and its an hour drive back from where we hunt if thats any indication as to how fast the action was.

We got our dekes out and were into the blind by 8:45am. Let the waiting begin.... 5 minutes pass... no birds... 10 minutes pass... no birds... 15 minutes pass... no birds.... Its now legal shooting time and we hadn't seen a single duck in those 15 minutes.

Another 10 minutes passed by and here come the mallards in small flocks! They were running right into our face about 4-6 birds at a time. We couldn't get them to decoy, but the decoys were pulling them down enough to get some great shots out front at them. The first few flocks we actually let fly because I thought the shots were just too far out. Then a small flock of 3 comes in and I pulled up and dropped 2 with 2 shots. Doubling up is not a bad way to start the season!

This continued for 2 hours... couple small flocks would come in, we'd drop a drake, fetch it, and wait 5-10 minutes. Repeat.

Once the mallard action slowed down, the Ring-Necks and Bluebills were going crazy!! We had some HUGE flocks of Ring-Necks circling. When I mean HUGE, had to have been 150+ birds in these flocks. Really, really strange for this time of year. The problem is, they just wouldn't commit to our small decoy spread and stayed out of harms way. Holy man was it fun to watch though!!!

By this time, things had really slowed. I figured lets get out of here, its been a good morning and tomorrow will be fun!!! So we were getting ready to snap a few pictures when I heard a fairly loud Herrrrr Onk! from somewhere. Scared the dump out of me it was so close.

"Where they at? Where they at?" I yelled.

I turned around and we've got 6 with flaps down and feet dragging dropping right into my GHG Floaters. I've got a digital camera in my hand! Drop the camera... grab the gun!!!

"Take em!" Got the first bird, my buddy Adam pulled onto another one, and I think we tag teamed a third. My dad, Adam, and I were all looking at each other like what the heck just happened there!

What a morning!!! Windy as all heck!! 30+ mph! White caps! Waves!

3 Geese, 9 Mallards (7 Drakes), 2 Ring-Necks and we just stopped there. We could have easily filled a full limit this morning but called it early.

How'd everyone else do???

[BeerHunter]

2 MALLARDS AND WOOD DUCK, NOT BAD WHILE BUILDING A BLIND.

GOT THE BLIND DONE .

Now i have to work till 10 and get out there tomorrow.

Sounds like you had a great hunt.

Good Luck tomorrow everyone.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

i was on the road @ 5:20 this morning...headed out to one of three spots i had scouted (public land) every freakin parking lot i pulled up to already had guys there. couldnt believe i got up at five just to get beat to the first six wma's i pulled up to. finally doubled back to a wpa right near some of our crp; not much cover, only short flooded grass around the open water, but it was enough to hide in if kneeling. walked out, tossed my decoy bag in the edge of the grass, then walked back to dry land where my blind bag and gun were and proceeded to watch wave after wave of woodies come from somewhere close. after it was light out i was able to pass the next 1.5 hours reading a book. threw out the dekes around 8:40,loaded up when i heard the first early shots of the season, and about 10 minutes later realized there were already blue wing teal swimming in my dekes. no idea where they came from but i kicked em up and dropped the big one out of the three. then had sporadic teal action for the next 30 or so minutes, i wasnt really too concerned about shooting a limit so i just poked another fatty as he cruised by. had 4 mallards circling a near by pond, down wind so i figured what the hey and let a hail rip. dang birds whipped right around and started to decoy. three hens and a drake and i missed the drake clean 3 shots. 2 minutes after that i had a pair of spooners decoy nicely and i took the drake. i was just getting ready to leave when i saw a flock of about 8 or 9 geese working their way towards me against the wind. broke out the money maker and got em to sail right into the pond. unfortunately i wasnt anticipating hunting outside the west central goose zone, so i only brought along one floater for confidence; the birds short landed the spread out of range and got spooky pretty quick. fun to watch though. it was good to get back out again, and it was kind of fun to listen to world war three to the west of the pomme de terre river near lake oliver.

[dukhnt]

3 of us had no problem getting our woodies. Not much else around. Did manage one mallard and one blue wing teal. Hoping for more variety tomorrow!!

[skies]

TOday was the best opener we have had in many years. After we scarred about fifty mallards and a dozen geeses putting out decoys the ducks kept comming.

With four of us we wound up getting 5 mallards, 2 woodies, 2 readheads, 1 drake merganser and the rest was a mix between green and blue wing teal with 3 really nice drake geen wingers. To top the day off we got a flock of geese to commit and dumped 2 out of the flock and we did this all by noon. Not a bad day 23 ducks and 2 geese. good luck to every body tommorrow morning

[bigdog]

West of Alex. Suprisingly few hunting rigs on the road and less than normal shooting. Had many flocks of wood ducks work our decoys, very few geese and a few flocks of Cans before opener. Ended with 12, a mix of woddie, mallard and ringneck.

[huntmup]

I thought the day was going to be over before it started. My lab had his first encounter with a SKUNK at 8:40am. It was a good thing we were UP wind because that tail was sky high and there isn't much uglier then facing a skunk's a$$. I was able to get Dakota to backoff with the first "HERE". That was way to close for me.

This was a typical opener 5-Bluewing Teal, a Drake Woodie and 1-SKUNK.

Dan

[jwhawkridge]

It rained.

[Esoxmn]

I dont rememeber the last opener i never fired a shot, today may have been the first. There where a few flying before shooting time. At 9:01 i had i guy and his kid walk throgh my decoys and sit 30 yards up wind of me, At least they were up wind and didn't set out any dekes. A storm was blowing in at about 10:30, didnt like the lightning coming. When i was picking up decoys a few flocks flew by most likely would have got a few shots.

[french_lake_kid]

Well between an 1" of rain, 40+ mph winds, decoys flipping over, & a dead TM battery, the only good thing was we didn't drown. Just not a good day, but what do ya do, look'n 4ward 2 2morow!

[SneakAttack]

My buddy and I scratched out two nice drake woodies, had plenty of shots but just flat out choked. The conditions were just like french lake kid said, rained a ton and the wind was howlin'. Was hunting public land north of faribault. Very Suprised there were only 2 other groups on the lake.

[sheephead24]

Quote:

---

3 of us had no problem getting our woodies. Not much else around. Did manage one mallard and one blue wing teal. Hoping for more variety tomorrow!!

---

VIVA VIAGRA!!!

[mpester]

I tried a new lake for this opener and I was not expecting to see many ducks. I was happy to see a lot more ducks than I see on opener most years. I skipped Pelican Lake and hunted a metro lake with "only" seven other groups. I saw no skybusting and no crazy callers. I got three greenwings and missed a couple of other birds. I did not get a limit but it was a more enjoyable hunt than hunting on Pelican Lake in Wright County.

[Borch]

n interesting day for sure. Ended up with two mallards and a spooner. Missed a couple mallards and a BW teal. Lots of ducks and a few geese flying. Broke off an oarlock and then the oar lock holfer thingy off the boat. Ended up moving canoe style which was pretty tough in the wind. We'll be more prepared tomorrow.

[Jaspernuts]

Besides all the cloud to ground lighting not a bad day - Me and a buddy ended with 10 ducks. Went to some public land at 5:30 and already had 6 guys on it. Gotta go to bed, leaving at 4am tomorrow!

[jwhawkridge]

Wow. Sounds like was kinda rough today. We actually did good. The three of us came back with 5 green wing teal and 3 mallards (2 drake, one hen). Only thing that was rough was the ones we shot and couldn't get. Didn't have a dog right away, went and got two, but the scent got old. Bummer. Must have seen over 1000 ducks. One of my other buddies with 4 other guys came 1 duck away from limits for all (got 29, needed 30 to limit). It rained from the time I was pushing the boat out (7:00) til after we left (11:30). The wind was unreal. The most soaked I've ever got while hunting. Going out in the rain again tomorrow. Fun, fun, fun.

[kc0myy]

Where I go hunting I have a renter who thinks its ok to party and drive his 4 wheeler and TRUCK at down at the duck pond where we hunt. I even saw the fire pit!!! This guy is a (Contact Us Please). and I didn't know he had to check the pond for ducks with his truck (hes to lazy to walk). But anyways I think he really F'ed up our spot for us down there with too much going on down there and the birds didn't think is to safe. but we ended up with 2 mallard 1 wood duck 1 merganser and 1 teal not too bad. In my party I was the only know who didn't shoot a bird

[icecold]

My son and I hunted our spot on the Minnesota river that I have hunted with my father for the past 30 years and we got Skunked, First opener ever, The few ducks we saw were flying high in the strong wind and heavy rain, nothing would decoy at all,Were trying my secrect honey hole out of the wind this morning, and see how that goes, Gotta go running behind schedule. good luck to all

[The_Duckslayer]

My son and I went to public water. There were fewer hunters there than we expected, but of course all the "good" spots were taken. We were sitting on the water at 7:30 and there were a lot of ducks that came by that were killable. Then at 8:15 or so we put out the dekes and there were still ducks flying straight into us that we could have shaot. Then at about 8:45 some one shut off the duck faucet. We had one duck come by after legal shooting time and he is upstairs in the fridge right now. We stayed till about noon and by then we had enough rain. Thunderstorm just moved on so I think that I will go out now and see what I can find to get into. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[fisherking01]

My son and I went out on a private point on a lake, Got there at 5:45 AM and there was a party hunting the rushes by the end of the point. It happens and it's legal for them to be there so I said good morning, asked them to quit cussing and moved away. Didn't do much good to ask, and it was quite pathetic. F this, F that. Not what I like to hear, sounds terrible. Anyway we got a couple woodies and a ringbill. Lots of opportunities were wrecked by the other party who must have decided if they weren't going to get ducks, no one else was. 100 yd shots not uncommon for them. Heading back out there this afternoon with the weed eater. No more little clump of rushes by the point. Blocks my view and too much swearing.

Good luck to all sportsmen! Brent

[B. Amish]

didn't go out on saturday, went grouse hunting instead.

but today i shot my first banded mallard in minnesota. my second band overall. the other was a wood duck.

[Hookmaster]

fisherking01,

I can understand your disappointment but I'm pretty sure cutting lake weeds is against the law. I hope those guys don't come back and see what you've done and report you to the CO. The only way to prevent it is to beat them to the spot.

[Bryce]

Sweet talked the office into working my crew. 10 hours OT with a stop at Cabelas after for a new Finisher, assorted odds and ends, and enough left over for some nice Von Hansons steaks. Managed to keep dry. Let the wackage and stackage begin in NoDak in 3 weeks and continue in MN when the real ducks arrive. Hope all had a fun weekend and kept safe in the high winds. Some of those small boats make me cringe when the winds come up.

[123fish]

Had a good opener down here in the southwest corner. Seven of us shot 26 ducks including 9 mallards and 6 pintails of which five were drakes. The others were gadwall, bluewing teal, and a woodduck. Could of filled out on greenwings but let them pass along with countless spoonbills. Sat in a thunderstorm with cloud to ground lightning. Have never done that before in 42 years of hunting and won't do it again. Only on the Opener would that happen. Oh yeah, the wind also blew. Hunting public land with one other party.

[gurkster]

Slow going here. A few birds around, but fewer than the last several years. It was great though, I took my daughter out for her first duck hunt, and I think she is hooked!!! I managed a Redhead on Saturday and a Wood Duck on Sunday. I had a few other good chances that I should have connected on too. If I can figure out how to post a picture , I will.