Bowstring Lake ?

[bogwalker]

I have not hunted Bowstring for years. Has it improved for duck hunting? Any tips? Thanks.

[bassman222]

Nope, but the hunting pressure keeps increasing!

[Scott M]

How about the sand river? I bet weekends are bad.

[Scouter]

I went up when there were about 1000 ringnecks on it two years ago and the guys in the clubs were beyond stupid, blasting at anything within 150 yards, the river was over crowded with the duck flying out of range, and after the opening barrage, the raft settle in the middle of the lake.

I know the local conservation officer up in that area and he tells me how disgusting it is now adays. He said between the huge influx of hunters the instant the birds show up (if they ever do...) and the constant walleye fishermen out (who never used to be around to disturb birds daily), the birds usually show up for about two days and off to the southern refuges...

We need to do something other than have more youth days to save our hunting sports. The birds have hardly any safe havens to loaf on, slob hunters are everwhere, and lakes are all getting developed.

I like the internet for fishing tips (fish can't fly south to avoid pressure), but in this day of cell phones and internet the warden said its ridiculous how when a raft of 1000 birds arrive on a Wednesday, magically 15 rigs are in the parking lots the next morning and there are hardly any birds left in two days.

MN hunting in a nutshell:

Early goose season over water shagging ducks,

Youth opener shagging ducks,

Opener (sucks compared to when I was a youth),

No Ducks for three weeks because its still 75,

Some ducks for 2-3 days,

One day of shooting GoldenEyes and Buffleheads (if it gets cold enough before season closes)...

I'm all for youth hunting, and take kids hunting at every opportunity, but if the parents aren't having success the rest of the season, how are the kids ever going to get started if they quit...

This state is going the route of all the eastern/mid states with growing development and population. Good for deer, coyotes, turkeys, and city park and waste pond geese.

Losing critters like rice bed mallards, spruce swamp moose, hungarian partridge in the prairies, and we can't shoot cans, bills, or anything other than our two wood ducks for two days...

Sorry, did I get side tracked ranting??