Weather's got me iching

[Fishhappy1986]

Didn't it this morning just get you going with the nice cool temps. Ahhh feels more and more like duck season don't it? What is it about 5 weeks and we'll be blinded at 9A.M eating a sandwich and drinking a cup of joe just waiting for a feathered freind to come join our dekes.

[morefishplease]

Ahhh I had that same feeling! This morning I pictured sitting in the blind drinking joe shooting limits of cans and bluebills......Oh wait...I live in Minnesota yeah wont be shooting any cans! Probably not my one bluebill either and by half way through the season my cup of joe will be a bottle of black berry brandy to dumb the pain of the worst duck hunting season

[kc0myy]

Ahhh I had that same feeling! This morning I pictured sitting in the blind drinking joe shooting limits of cans and bluebills......Oh wait...I live in Minnesota yeah wont be shooting any cans! Probably not my one bluebill either and by half way through the season my cup of joe will be a bottle of black berry brandy to dumb the pain of the worst duck hunting season

Yes I had the same feeling this monring. I'm even setting up my tent tonight in the back yard for grins. I started hunting when I was 15 i'm 20 now. I even seen a decline in birds. And all the DNR is trying to do is help keep the number of birds up by keeping LOW LIMITS AND CLOSING THE SEASON ON CANS. Get over it just think next year you will have just that many more birds to hunt. and if you drink to dull the pain of the having to "LIMIT OUT" you might want to get some help. Yes sure i'm don't like the idea of not getting cans this year. but thats the law and they have laws for reason. To keep the number of birds up.

[Gordie]

yea its getting closer that feeling was even more amped up this morning at 6:00 am when 4 woodies came sailing over the deck when I was havin coffee

[Labfan1]

I am some what of a newbie to waterfowl huntin. A couple of buddies took me along on a duck hunt to the mighty mississippi back waters last year and ya I will just say I got hooked after the first flock flew in to our deke spread. So after a long off season and a couple grand spent getting gear I cant friggen wait as well

[nate larson]

And all the DNR is trying to do is help keep the number of birds up by keeping LOW LIMITS AND CLOSING THE SEASON ON CANS. Get over it just think next year you will have just that many more birds to hunt. and if you drink to dull the pain of the having to "LIMIT OUT" you might want to get some help. Yes sure i'm don't like the idea of not getting cans this year. but thats the law and they have laws for reason. To keep the number of birds up.

Actually it is the USFWS that set the can limit for our flyway. The MN DNR and most hunters that I know were supportive of a one can and two bluebill limit for this fall. The can count was off by quite a bit this spring because the cans weren't on their traditional nesting grounds when the survey was done. It is crazy that we could shoot two cans last season but none this year. What a joke! Plus why can the central flyway shoot one and we can't? And don't get me going on how many can be taken up in canada. The fact of the matter is that many people are going to quit hunting divers all together which would be very sad indeed.

[morefishplease]

I agree nate, it is sad indeed. We hunt lakes up north that all you shoot are divers and now have to cancel the trip due to the closed season and one bird limit. Im just shocked that some people really agree with the rule changes, just my .02 When people start to cancel hunting trips and quit hunting divers altogether I think its a sad day for the outdoorsman.

[nate larson]

Hey morefishplease,

I grew up in Albert Lea and I still make it back to the area every fall to duck hunt. I am curious to know where you hunt. Shoot me an email if you have a chance at larson underscore nate at hotmail dot com

P.S. Sorry to get this topic so off track. But yes, this weather is getting me pumped for the season!

[morefishplease]

I kinada got this topic off the subject my bad, don't get me wrong I'm pumped up for the season too. I will shot you an email. The lakes I have hunted around here are Geneva, Lower Twin, Upper Twin, Freeborn, Minnesota lake, and Walnut lake. The last few years we had more success in the fields than on water

[chub]

Originally Posted By: morefishplease

Ahhh I had that same feeling! This morning I pictured sitting in the blind drinking joe shooting limits of cans and bluebills......Oh wait...I live in Minnesota yeah wont be shooting any cans! Probably not my one bluebill either and by half way through the season my cup of joe will be a bottle of black berry brandy to dumb the pain of the worst duck hunting season

Yes I had the same feeling this monring. I'm even setting up my tent tonight in the back yard for grins. I started hunting when I was 15 i'm 20 now. I even seen a decline in birds. And all the DNR is trying to do is help keep the number of birds up by keeping LOW LIMITS AND CLOSING THE SEASON ON CANS. Get over it just think next year you will have just that many more birds to hunt. and if you drink to dull the pain of the having to "LIMIT OUT" you might want to get some help. Yes sure i'm don't like the idea of not getting cans this year. but thats the law and they have laws for reason. To keep the number of birds up.

You ever hear the phrase compensatory harvest mortality? The Feds and biologists have been using this for years. Funny how all the sudden, with blubills, who's populations are holding steady, and I belive is still one of the most populous species, is getting regulated down to near nothing for harvest.

All I've ever heard is you can't stockpile ducks.

There's gonna be a lot of "chuckers" shot this year.

"oops, I thought they were ringies", and chucked into the cattails.

As for the "magically" disappearing Can population..... Sleeping at the wheel....

Atleast the DNR had the cajones to squeal to Feds about the regs.

Anyone know exactly what would happen if they(DNR) would happen to buck the Feds and flyway council, and go with their limits? I would guess some federal funding would come into play, but how much, and I wonder if anything else would happen?

Only plus I can see come out it is maybe people will hold back shooting at anything that flies within a 120 yards of them. I doubt it, but maybe.

[Gordie]

I will not quit hunting divers! I will just have to make darn sure of what I'm shooting at and if there is any doubt then I will just have to not pull the trigger.

I would of liked to see the woodie limit go to three but it didnt so I will only take what I am allowed.

I call myself a diehard duck hunter and if some guys dont go because of the reduction of limits then thats there problem and that leaves more for the guys that are diehards.

[norwall]

koomyy what up ?@ 20yrs old n 5 yrs huntin under ur belt does that make u a authority on everything ? byw Mr.Dogooder how ru soo certain on these soo called duck #'s ever thought the DNR might be responsible for low duck #'s ?hmmmm thats what I thought

[norwall]

Glenwoody u still over on WFC ?

[kc0myy]

norwall i guess your right. It is the usfws who does the regs my bad.

[morefishplease]

I don't buy a license for this year to hope for more ducks the next year. Hummmm remember that the can season was closed in the 80's to and that was suppose to bring the future population back to normal. I gave up on all the excusses the usfws hands out every year. Year after year it's the same story.

[Fishhappy1986]

"I call myself a diehard duck hunter and if some guys dont go because of the reduction of limits then thats there problem and that leaves more for the guys that are diehards."

Elwood I agree. I've been hunting or at least been in the blind with my uncle and gramps for 16-17years and I've seen my fairshare of limit changes and never worried about limits(ANYTHING IS A BONUS), we will have to have more patience and make sure it's that ringie instead of the bill.

Thats really all we are set up for is hunting divers. we have bout 5dozen bill dekes and maybe a dozen or two between are geese and mallard dekes. Will never stop hunting the JET driven wings of those divers.

[hhguide]

I agree what happened to going out there and not worring about a limit yea its great to shoot lots of ducks everyone enjoys that but just sitting out there getting away from work, school or whatever is always nice. watching the sun rise and fall all part of the experience.

[Gordie]

hhguide you are right its not about just getting ducks the experiecne is by far the most important part of it and the ducks are just a bonus and a bigger part of it is getting my two sons out with me my 11 yr old just passed his gun training and hes accutally been hunting and shooting ducks since he was 9yrs old and my other son is 9 and he is going to start duck hunting with us . In my family its tration and I hope that my sons will share the sport with their kids.and so on

[eyepatrol]

By far my favorite part of hunting is the BSing and re-kindling memories and stories of hunts gone by. Second is getting on the call and working the birds. Third is the other aspects of a hunt...enjoying the wind, the cold, the sunrise, breaking ice, freezing snot, etc. And a close 4th would be picking and cleaning the birds. Always interests me to see how well (or poorly) I aimed.

[rattlereel]

You guys should come to North Dakota to scratch your itch early goose has been open for 2 weeks. 80 degrees dosen't seem right to be hunting though. Sunday was nice and cool

[chub]

I guess I've been hunting these things for somewhere around 35 years.

It's all fun, but face it, you can tell war stories anywhere, and the sun comes up 365 days a year. I spend a lot of time, effort and money to get ducks 15 yards in front of my face.

The sunrise just blinds you when the wind is right, the ice usually freezes the decoys in(or breaks loose somewhere up wind and takes the blocks with it), which equates to more wet and cold, retrieving them and re-deploying them... .

About the only thing that would make shooting them better, is if there was a puff of smoke and they started on fire when you hit them.

One of the best things you'll ever see it your dogs whole demeanor change when he sees something coming in when you don't. His head locks on like a radar. Those eyes are all business. They can fetch sticks anytime. They know their favorite, by far, is a real duck.

It's all good.

[Gordie]

It's all fun, but face it, you can tell war stories anywhere, and the sun comes up 365 days a year. I spend a lot of time, effort and money to get ducks 15 yards in front of my face.

The sunrise just blinds you when the wind is right, the ice usually freezes the decoys in(or breaks loose somewhere up wind and takes the blocks with it), which equates to more wet and cold, retrieving them and re-deploying them... .

About the only thing that would make shooting them better, is if there was a puff of smoke and they started on fire when you hit them.

One of the best things you'll ever see it your dogs whole demeanor change when he sees something coming in when you don't. His head locks on like a radar. Those eyes are all business. They can fetch sticks anytime. They know their favorite, by far, is a real duck.

It's all good.

God I love duck hunting its the kind of hard work and effort that I love about it. in most cases duck hunting is harder than work.

[chub]

It is. If a guy worked half as hard trying to make money as he does duck hunting, I'd have more than Trump.....LOL

(...bet he's never smoked a flock of green heads on a cold November Morning though).

I'll take what I got.