Let's talk about ducks.....

[A Wood]

So for some of you guys duck season is over and for others things are just starting to heat up. Always love to live vicariously through others as I live in a duck desert. Finally have time this weekend to go with a buddy. We used to hunt 30 days a year pre children now this will be our first hunt together in 5 years. Kind of excited to say the least. Still want to get back to Canada someday but for now I will deal with dark geese and black ducks to bide my time. How has everyone's season gone this year????

[RFeyoMN]

It's been another good year here. Had to travel more than normal...again, due to drier than normal conditions.

I've got 4 or 5 more days next week, then done for 2021. Will try to squeeze in a 9 or 10 day trip in January if conditions in the midwest change for the better.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell us the ducks don't migrate anymore...stuck in Canada.

[EJmagnum186-NH]

So for some of you guys duck season is over and for others things are just starting to heat up. Always love to live vicariously through others as I live in a duck desert. Finally have time this weekend to go with a buddy. We used to hunt 30 days a year pre children now this will be our first hunt together in 5 years. Kind of excited to say the least. Still want to get back to Canada someday but for now I will deal with dark geese and black ducks to bide my time. How has everyone's season gone this year????

I hear you. I used to hunt 30-50 days a year.....now, 2x a year for ducks. It is a young man's game with the time commitment and hauling all the gear. For the last 5 years I have stuck to upland hunting. I just get up, grab the gun, ammo, dog and license and go for a walk. I find I get out more and enjoy it more......but I do miss killing them woodies.

[A Wood]

I hear you. I used to hunt 30-50 days a year.....now, 2x a year for ducks. It is a young man's game with the time commitment and hauling all the gear. For the last 5 years I have stuck to upland hunting. I just get up, grab the gun, ammo, dog and license and go for a walk. I find I get out more and enjoy it more......but I do miss killing them woodies.

Ya I hear you. Slogging around bay mud is not bad when your 22. At 42 it is a little more laborious. Mostly why I drive to NY nowadays. Drive into a corn field throw your crap out of the truck and hunt.

[A Wood]

It's been another good year here. Had to travel more than normal...again, due to drier than normal conditions.

I've got 4 or 5 more days next week, then done for 2021. Will try to squeeze in a 9 or 10 day trip in January if conditions in the midwest change for the better.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell us the ducks don't migrate anymore...stuck in Canada.

You guys ever get sandhills up in MN? And no birds dont migrate anymore...

[RFeyoMN]

Yes. They are all over in Spring/Summer. They all head to Wisconsin in the Fall. There a place just over the border that stages several thousand every year. Eastern birds.

Then we get western birds that cut through the NW corner of our state. We have one zone up there we can shoot them in September. Otherwise, the hunting is in ND/SD and north of the border.

[A Wood]

At some point I will make a trip to kill ribeyes again.... Texas seems like a good place but I would rather hunt further north.

[RFeyoMN]

Texas is really your best bet. Or Saskatchewan. When the western birds leave the Canadian prairie, they don't stop much. They hit the sandhills in NE for a short spell, but I am not sure if hunting them is allowed. Then on to TX. They're like Whitefronts, they don't stop much when they leave their early fall staging areas. I've hunted the Dakotas for 20 years, still never had the chance to kill one!

[bigmess]

We've got loads in CA but not allowed to shoot em

[BP in ME]

We've got loads in CA but not allowed to shoot em

CA has some interesting game laws. Don't they also protect feral hogs? By "protect" I mean strict hunting regs that seem to promote protection of a resource over eradication of an invasive

[dukhntr]

Been tough here. Shooting a few each time. My kids are loving it so it's been great!

[A Wood]

So I went out yesterday and I can say that the duck numbers in my area are the worst I have ever seen for this time of year. I honestly thought it was just talk, until i glassed yesterday and realized there were almost no mallards on the bay. Thousands of black ducks, geese and scaup but the mallards were missing. I hope this is only one year thing......

[RFeyoMN]

Well, I am done for 2021...and ended with a bang. I wasn't very optimistic for the last week, but with a little extra effort it payed off well. The 2 of us killed limits for a few days, plus invited a father/son pair we met at the hotel last year out for a day. They had a rough couple daysn so I kinda felt sympathetic for them, and told them to come with us one day...which is very rare for me. We had their best day of the year finishing with 19 mallards, 2 pins, 2 gwt, and a bluebill. They were ecstatic, and very appreciative of the experience. Both newer hunters to the arean they were thankful of learning a new way of doing things. And seeing how they hunt, I can understand their limited success.
As I said above, it was another great year! It was a little work to stay on good bird #'s, but we did from Sept. 1st to yesterday! The truck and boat are a disaster area, itxll take a week to clean them out. Only got a few pics to share...most of the others have revealing backgrounds that will remain private!






img upload




upload png

I'm still hoping to squeeze in another hunt somewhere in January, but might not be able to find a travel partner. I might have to dig deep to muster up the motivation to do it solo...again!