Well How Did You Do In The Wind?

[MN Greenheads]

I couldn't get out today due to family commitments. I was wondering how every one did today? I have a theory that ussually a cold front without snow up in Canada you get a small push of mostly divers but no big flights of Mallards. What did you guys see? 1. Big Push,great shooting. 2. small push. 3. No push, but the wind moved the existing birds around well. 4.A bust, only saw a few and pushed old birds out. Thanks for answering and good luck.

[Tipup101]

We did pretty good outside of Rochester. Even though evertime the geese would boil in about eight decoys would blow over. But some where still willing to get within range. If the wind wasn't so [PoorWordUsage] strong we would have shot a limit today.

[123fish]

It was a real good morning here in far southwest Minnesota. We had mallards, spoonies, gadwalls, greenwing teal, and even saw four snow geese that stayed just out of range. There was absolutely nothing in the same area Saturday so I would say it was a real nice push. 55 mph northwest winds never fail.

[Eric S]

WE smoked em snows,ross,mallards, teal,redheads,ringnecks,bills,widgeon, we have not had a shoot like this in years in this area.western MN

[HNTNBUX]

Other than trying to control my boat it was a great morning. I did not even try to get a good spot because push poling into a cross wind or at any direction was a real pain. I ended up with a spot with very little protection and still decoyed them in. Hunting by myself this morning the birds decoyed very well, missed one bird three times, ended up with four ringnecks, one greenwing, one gadwall, one merganser and one goose with thirteen shots. I could have waited for the mallards but I just wasn't that picky this morning. The mallars were really coming in when I was picking up. I will be back again in the morning, hopefully the slight change in wind direction will help.

[icecold]

This morning my son and I got 1 goose a drake mallard and woodd uck and then we went out thisafternoon in the snow and wind and got 2 wooducks and 4 teal, lots of ammo blown up today

[Lip'em]

Had a decent hunt this morning in central MN. Saw a dozen or so big flocks of new mallards, some divers, and a handful of GWT. The wind made the shooting really tough and I managed a snow goose that must have gone on astray on its migration and one greenhead. Would have stayed out all day to get some more greenheads but the wind was brutal and punishing. Plus it took me an hour to pick up 2 dozen decoys by myself!!

From the reports that I have been reading today it sounds like the birds are really moving considering the reports for the last week have been kind of depressing.

Good luck to all who venture out tomorrow for I am heading back to work. Picked the wrong side of the weekend to take off. Call 'em in close and shoot em in the face. Were headed for a great fall flight and the best is yet to come (hopefully).

[311Hemi]

A buddy and I hunted a little ways SE of Leech Lake on a small slew and ended up with 9 ring necks for the morning shoot. Finally had a day where the ducks were decoying great....it was a fun morning!

We went out yesterday for an evening shoot on a little larger slew and didn't get a shot. Saw a couple flocks of divers really high and far off.

[koonie]

Dude you just posted that you had SEVEN ducks this morning while hunting by yourself. Can you say Hello to the game warden for me?

[duckman5547]

the merganser limit is in addition to the daily limit of good ducks. maybe you should know the law before you cry wolf!!!

[basssmasher*]

Let me at em Koonie! thats what I'm going back to school for , to be a C.O!

[Traxxx]

merganser are a seperate limit, not included in the duck limit.

[Cody Lubeley]

Wait so you could really shoot 8 ducks in a day if two of them were hooded mergs?

[koonie]

I don't shoot them so I was unaware of the seperate limit. Pass the rag so I can wipe the egg off my face.

Back to the regulations book, I guess.

[Quackaddict9]

you can shoot 5 mergansers (2 can only be hooded) or 5 common mergansers and shoot 4 mallards and 2 redheads or 6 buffleheads or even 6 ringnecks or whatever...so yeah can shoot 11 "ducks" and ducks.

[eyepatrol]

Our day started out nice with mallards, pintail, woodduck and some divers flying around (and decoying). Funny thing though, when the wind really start to pick up here, the birds were gone. We saw one small flock and a couple loaners after the BIG wind showed up. Kind of odd, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

[dan z]

some ducks were willing to work for use but the other guys we were hunting with were shooting early after the first couple flocks we just hung out as the birds were none exsistance (sp) stayed till noon and low and behold started pickin up biggest flock of divers for the day wanted in. thats how it goes no matter when ya pick up your gonna have a flock fall outta the sky. ended up losing one buffle head and took home one green head and one honker

[jeepguy]

It was our last day of our annual North Dakota Trip, woke up to rattling windows and the sensation that the roof was going blow right off the house. We were about halfways down US2 between Grand Forks and Devils Lake. The weather channel called for 40-55 mph winds with gusts up to 65. Out of 5 guys 2 of us braved the weather. With near white out conditions we figured we were just going out for a cold walk. We got to our spot exited the truck and walked to our pond. To our suprise ducks were around in the fields and the ponds. RIght away I got a good shot at a Blue Bill, I dropped it "feet up" dead, but the wind was troo strongs and the dog could not make it to the bird. We called the dog in, we did not want that dog to get too far out there of it would be curtains for her. We decided, even though they were around, it was going to be impossible to retrieve so we pakced it up.

[Shoot2Kill]

Hunted Fri, Sat, Sunday and Friday we saw the most birds - lots of flocks of divers showing up, and a few nice big flocks of mallards too. 2 of us shot 28 ducks in 3 days south of St Cloud. Mallards, widgeon, gadwalls, ringnecks, and a few random woodies that were still around. Hunted till noon in the snow/wind/ice on Sunday and any duck that was caught in the sky when the snow let up came in on a string to the decs. Had a group of 3 drake mallards cup from half way across the marsh into the decs...it took them FOREVER to reach the pocket and was one of the coolest things I've seen duck hunting. It seemed like they were never going to make it to the spread floating down into that wind. Only goose we could have poked landed in the spread 20 minutes after we left the pond....figures!

[chillincarp870]

I did better today in 1.5 hours than i did all day yesterday. You gotta love the NW winds. I think its finally pushin some new big dumb ducks down

[depopn44]

My buddy and I did well. Ended up with 7 greenheads, 1 hen, 2 gadwall and 2 spoonies

[tearin' lips]

We hunted a private field towards the northwestern part of the state. Hunting was insane!!! There were thousands of Mallards, honkers, and snows/blues around us for four hours in the morning. By far the best shoot I have ever experienced...maybe even better than a Dakota hunt!! We limited on honkers, greenheads,and shot a few snows as well.

[fish4cats]

Wait!! you forgot about the tasty Coots. That would make it 26 a day. lol

[oilguy]

Sun AM was brutal. headed on to lake at 06:00 and returned to landing due to visability. waited till 07:15 to head out again. bumped a couple thou birds on way to spot. got set up and had the best diver shoot in MN I've had in 38 years of hunting. we left the spot at 45 min to hypothermia (11:00) It seems like many of the birds didn't stick around after the front. We had a big boat, so safety wasn't too much of an issue. If the temp hadn't been about 30, It would have been the roughest weather hunt I've ever been on. A fresh set of moto goggles are now permenant residents of my blind bag.