Seasons Memories Good and Bad?

[IceHawk]

Well the Waterfowl season has come and gone and as I look back there where some slow times but some great times had that won't be forgotten. Here is how I have broken down this years hunts:

I found the first half of the season to be average, I had some great hunts especially for wood ducks! We found great pockets of these birds on a river system and enjoyed numerous days of excellent shooting. I found the puddle duck action okay saw a fair amount of local mallards and on a postive side noticed more teal this year than last. On a negative side I was dissapointed in the number of early season geese. I realize the hatch was down but the numbers locally were noticeably down from previous years. We shot a few and had some good hunts but not what I expected.

Midseason hunting seemed slow but there were some pockets of birds. The posative side was the number of pintails and redheads harvested locally. Goose hunting was pretty much a bust as the locals were gone and the migrators didn't really arrive yet.

Late season was incredible!!!! We shot a pile of honkers during the late season and to top it off we shot a limit on Sat, a Greaat way to end the season for us. We had some awesome late malard shoots with some nice curly tails taken. And the highlight of the late season was the unreal diver hunting. Our slough held alot of Golden eyes Buffalo heads,Ringbills and a few Bluebills and we took full advantage of it with some great shoots!!!

Some of the Highlights of the season were the good times spent with family and friends,the excellent dog work of my brothers lab and last haveing the abilaty and right to enjoy the great outddors.

I noticed the waterfowl licenses sold this year were down but I can gurantee I will be out next year enjoying the waterfowl season again even if the duck numbers are down! Now I have to wait until the spring snow goose hunting to get here to fill my void untill next fall!!!

[Dean Schellinger]

Early season Goose was poor I thought. Very few geese around.

Duck season: First 3/4 was awesome, last 1/4, which generally is the best, was [PoorWordUsage] poor for us. Increase in Canvasbacks seen and shot was a added bonus. Disappointing the diver numbers on river were way down. Geese were non-existent all duck season

Late season goose was fantastic. Geese everywhere and the snow made them stupid.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SEASON:

Had an unreal hunt on mallards, limit for 2 guys, easily could have shot 5 limits that day. With a bonus drake can...(avatar pic)

Last time I pulled the trigger this season, I shot a banded honker. Sweet way to close out the year.

Like Icehawk said: doves, spring snows, squirrel hunting, pheasant hunting, and fishing will hopefully fill the void till next years waterfowl season!

[ironman]

The best season I've had so far. Still some room for improvement. My goose bag was noticably down but way up for ducks. Really spent the time and money scouting and trying to be in the right spot. Sometimes that meant multiple spots on the same day. Started off with a bang...a few of them actually. Opening day finally found a slew that didn't have people on it already, on the way down the whole pond lifted up and flew away..we sprinted to get set up. Before we could they already started coming back. So many ducks that really, really wanted to be there allowed us to pick out the ducks we wanted to shoot, a full limit with a limit of mallard drakes and a couple widgeons. The next day was slower thanks to the rain but still got half a limit. The rest of the season followed suit. A few slow days but some pretty good ones. Not once did I get skunked in 13 outings. Got my first drake can and two really nice buffies. Cant wait for spring goose and next years ducks.

[Quackaddict9]

early goose season was good but not as great as last year, lots of birds showed up the 3rd and last weekend of early goose in September in the TRF area. Duck season was slow for me, didnt do much duck hunting. Geese was my primary target this fall. Other than that, shot a nice 9 pointer, a bunch of pheasants.

looking forward to 2008 and a better season. Happy Holidays!

[carpshooterdeluxe]

our season was pretty good. the highlights were learning some new tricks early goose season that payed dividends, our first trip to north dakota was pretty awesome, got into some massive clouds of late season mallards, and finished it off with 14 new friends in fergus falls for late season goose.

the lows were losing permission to some good fields to some slobs who soured the landowners on hunters, gas prices, not finding guys to hunt when i needed a bigger spread of dekes, and dealing with the same roost busting

/-\SS goblin ruining what would have been awesome field hunts just because he wanted to jump shoot the 5 snow geese sitting with 2000 canadians.

[ChuckN]

This was a season I didn't hunt as much as I usually do with a new addition to the family. I did have a great 4 days at duck camp in western MN and had some good shooting, and that trophy bull Can I always wanted.

October was a warm one, and with the lack of fronts it really showed. Mid-October there were lots of ducks staging in certain areas (most areas void with birds. My luck on weekends included gorgeous sunny, windless days to chase ducks.

November was uneventful for ducks. I enjoyed deer hunting.

I do know more people in the state had a great season, but here in W.C. MN it was not good at all. Friends around St. Cloud had a great later season while I never saw a bird.

[bigbucks]

One of my poorest seasons ever, but much of that was due to lack of effort. Never really goose hunted, hunted ducks 2-3 times, shot 3 wood ducks. Pretty slow fall really, saw very few ducks & even less geese. Hunted deer as much as possible, with whatever weapon possible, including a couple of bow weekends in WI. Love to hunt ducks, but not as much as I love to hunt deer. With opportunities & tags so abundant right now just don't have the same excitement for birds.

[HUNTFISH69]

Our group had a decent season, nothing to brag about, but it was fun for 3 of us we shot between 80 and 100 ducks and about 25 or 30 geese. The geese managed to foil our plans almost every time, seems we were always a day late, but oh well. There's always next year.

[Duncan7709]

This Duck season was one I will never never forget because it was my first year ever Duck hunting. I shot my first duck a drake canvasback and that was also my dogs first duck retrieve. I never did get a limit but that is just fine with me. I think I am addicted to this duck hunting stuff.

[Dean Schellinger]

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This Duck season was one I will never never forget because it was my first year ever Duck hunting. I shot my first duck a drake canvasback and that was also my dogs first duck retrieve. I never did get a limit but that is just fine with me. I think I am addicted to this duck hunting stuff.

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Definitely worse addictions out there...

[Ufatz]

Duncan you are a lucky fella. Tuck that day away in your mind firmly, your first duck and the dogs' too. You will remember it a long time from now....even if you never shoot another duck or have another dog.

I hope you have a lifetime of good days with ducks and dogs.

[Ray Esboldt]

It was awful for me, but it was purely work induced. I worked almost every weekend of the fall out of neccessity. So, 20 days in the field shrunk to about 8. And, much like Chuck, when I could go the ducks didn't. However, I did squeeze out a couple good days.

Highlights were taking 5 kids (only one armed) on opening day and watching the one burn through a box of shells. We got into a couple real decent mid-season hunts bagging a variety of ducks. Finally, seeing my young (3) but slightly crippled dog finally "get it, completely." She was flawless on ducks this year, but I don't think she has but one season left in her. She'll be a good training guide for the next dog.

I don't think I'll ever regret going duck hunting even under less than perfect circumstances.

[brittman]

Ray - what is wrong with your dog? Can answer in a PM if you want .....

[SSSTaxidermy]

I'm happy about the season in a whole. Granted it wasn't the best season in the world harvest wise for me. But I was part of situations or memories that I will remember forever. The first one was...This was the first year with my 1 ½ yr old BLF. Things were rocky early on, which I was expecting, I doubted myself which I think she picked up on...But once the season moved along I noticed improvement each outing. At least I know what I have to work on during the off-season. It was a great learning experience for this new dog owner. I've learned to realize I will never hunt without a dog anymore, if possible.

The next time was I got to be apart of my hunting buddies son and nephews early goose opener and youth hunt. Both boys did well.

And that last memorable moment, I shot a nice big northern greenie with a 4-curl.

So like I said, I've had better hunting outings harvest wise, but I won't remember those harvest numbers nearly to the extent of the 3 topics I mentioned above.

[Sartell Angler]

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And that last memorable moment, I shot a nice big northern greenie with a 4-curl.

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sounds like a good year. Don't know about the 4-curl thing though...all mature drake mallards have 2 curls...made up of 4 curled feathers...so if you separate them out you're left with 4 curled feathers. Right?

[Quackaddict9]

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Don't know about the 4-curl thing though...all mature drake mallards have 2 curls...made up of 4 curled feathers...so if you separate them out you're left with 4 curled feathers. Right?

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theyre still curls right? many have said they shot a 3,4,5 curl drake mallards.

[bluebill]

i spent 45 days duck hunting this year a few less than last year im addicted to duckhuntig love to watch the migration happen my best year ever love the divers next season cant come fast enough

[IceHawk]

If you like witnessing the migration head to one of the Dakotas in the spring and try snow goose hunting. I will warn you, once you witness it and do it you will be hooked!!

[bluebill]

even if you dont hunt its a awsome sight but its a lot cooler with a gun in your hand

[HDRIDER02]

We had the best late season goose hunt down by Rochester. There were 6 of us,3 freinds,my 2 sons and my self. We do a unguided hunt with a service that I have used for the last 10yrs and usually do real well.With snow on the ground it worked out great. The geese started flying about 9 and by 3 we had 12 big honkers on the ground and on the way home. Its the only waterfowling I do. Dont have much time for ducks and lack of places to go. Hope everybody had a happy holidays and a good new year.

[SneakAttack]

The highlights of my season is that my friend and I hunted both days of opening weekend at a WMA near Faribault and we were the only ones there, and at a lake near Mankato, my brother,his friend and I took 3 bull cans(we each shot one)and a couple of ringers. The lowlights were like everyother year,the stupidity of a few other groups that show up a half hour before legal time, call terribly, take horrible skybusting shots and set up 50 yards away from me when they have a 250 acre lake full of spots to choose from but decide since they didn't get "there spot" they'd set up to it as close as possible.

[Bowfin]

Duck hunting 2007 is one I'll always remember primarily because my 9 year old son, no longer just a spectator, was able to participate for the first time with his single shot 20 gauge. A stormy Opening day found us hunting together out of the old Alumacraft Ducker along the fringe of a wild rice flat on a central MN lake. My son dropped a male wood duck for his first kill and a blue wing teal for his second duck (he also took a few coot). The season wrapped up for us when he dropped a ringneck on a chilly October morning on a small lake in the Chippewa National Forest.

I think I have a duck hunting buddy - Can't wait till next year!

[Scott M]

I'll remember 07 as the year I had horrible timing. I could hardly go out on account of school, and when I did I picked the worst times and saw nothing. Then on Thanksgiving day, and many of you MN hunters know this, the biggest blast of birds came through....and I had to pick up decoys at 10:00 a.m. to make the family festivities. I have no doubt I would have had the hunt of the year if I could have stayed. Ducks coming in from all angles.

Other than that, I'll remember the stinging, sidewaysflying, painful rain of opener, a couple other decent days were we scratched a bird or two, and many birdless days.

Next year will be better, with more days afield for this guy and less to worry about in the fall.