Duck Hunting 2024

Guess I’ll start it off this year (excluding the early teal). Trying to get back into waterfowl hunting now that I have a versatile dog. Got one hen mallard and my new pup had his first wild retrieve so even though tbe numbers were light, it was a good day for me. Didn’t hear much shooting and not many birds moving yet. Think the storms around me helped get them moving a little but I would think the cooler night tonight might get them moving more tomorrow morning. Good luck out there all.

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We had one of the poorest openers that I can ever remember. Two wood ducks and two teal for four guys. I’m not sure I even saw a mallard. Hunting southern Murray county.

We shot our limits pretty quick so wasted some time waiting for the geese. Listened to the other group of EIGHT in the slough unload on every duck that flew within 60 yards. They must’ve gone thru an entire case. Our bag was 9 blue wings, 1 green wing, 1 Drake woody, a gadwall, and 1 goose. So many spoonbills around but they get a pass for now. High hopes for the morning with a full moon and north winds.

Today was a grind but got our 2 man and 2 bonus geese. 9 blue wing, a green wing, a very brown Drake mallard, and a redhead. Far fewer ducks and much less movement. praying for some fresh birds for next weekend.

What part of the state are you hunting? Didn’t get out this morning, but figured it would be a bit better with the cooler temps.

Western MN. Seems like with the north winds the birds that were there took off and didn’t get replenished.

Hunting24seven wrote:

2 bonus geese

“Bonus geese” said no one, ever.

Still hunt opener more out of tradition then anything else…more of a late season hunter. Anyways, for this years adevnture we got thunder, lighting, heavy rain a few times out by Hutch. Did manage to get a couple Teal and Woodies, kinda surprised by the lack of ducks and hunters.

Seen lots of ducks saturday not near as many sunday. Sibley county. I used to consider myself a well above average shooter now I think im not even mediocre. Says alot when i shot 23 times saturday before i even realized my front bead was missing. WTF

I have to imagine a lot of ducks and geese are already pretty wise to what’s going on now with the early teal, goose, and youth seasons all staggered right before the general opener.

And since there is really no cold fronts on the horizon, there probably won’t be much of a migration happening soon either. Could be tough sledding for a while.

I am not out there duck hunting anymore but I remember this sort of thing happening for years. Only local ducks around and all being shot at made for a difficult stretch of hunting until a new migration occurs.

Where we hunt at my dads is maybe a mile at most from the river and even on bad years theres hundreds of wood ducks every morning. This year they are almost non existent. Their nests dont flood wonder what happened.

Decent opener for our mixed group of hunting and fishing folk over the weekend…

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Opener was great for us.Hunting Red Lake area birds were good on Saturday and with that little cold front storm Saturday night temp was 40 in the morning and doubled the birds moving.Mallards , teal , woodies, snow’s and blues and Canada geese in our bag. Bonus sharptail messed up on another but saw plenty of them around.

We had one small bull moose come out in our set Saturday morning and saw another bigger on on the road later Saturday. A lot of moose tracks on the roads and patties.Always one of my favorite trip opening of duck where I started hunting and fishing. Figured out it was year 44 since my first trip to Red.

A few grouse did get away from us somehow always a tree in the way

JEREMY wrote:

Where we hunt at my dads is maybe a mile at most from the river and even on bad years theres hundreds of wood ducks every morning. This year they are almost non existent. Their nests dont flood wonder what happened.

Man they have been banging away in the preserve, and my neighbor got a beautiful drake woodie out there too. That’s interesting that you haven’t been seeing them tho.

I got a friend who lives right by there. He said there was lots of birds.

JEREMY wrote:

Where we hunt at my dads is maybe a mile at most from the river and even on bad years theres hundreds of wood ducks every morning. This year they are almost non existent. Their nests dont flood wonder what happened.

With wood docks in my neighborhood it all comes down to acorns.
When there is a good crop, I know a couple places that have hundreds of them. Years with little to no crop and there are very few ducks. They know how to find the best areas.

With wood docks in my neighborhood it all comes down to acorns.
When there is a good crop, I know a couple places that have hundreds of them. Years with little to no crop and there are very few ducks. They know how to find the best areas.
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Acorns fell like mad last week, wood ducks are thick by me right now.
If I were deer hunting I would be following the acorns at the moment.
We didn’t see a woody when we were on the river Sunday morning but when we went squirrel hunting every pond in the woods was loaded.

Bearcat89 wrote:

With wood docks in my neighborhood it all comes down to acorns.
When there is a good crop, I know a couple places that have hundreds of them. Years with little to no crop and there are very few ducks. They know how to find the best areas.

Acorns fell like mad last week, wood ducks are thick by me right now.
If I were deer hunting I would be following the acorns at the moment.
We didn’t see a woody when we were on the river Sunday morning but when we went squirrel hunting every pond in the woods was loaded.
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Poor acorn crop at my dad’s place, no ducks. Last year he had 100 woodies every day walking around his yard.

Poor acorn crop at my dad’s place, no ducks. Last year he had 100 woodies every day walking around his yard.
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The woods by me was acorns every where. I believe they a red oaks that are dropping them. I was curious why my camera quit getting deer pics and it only took a few minute walk in the woods to realize I’m no where near the acorn food source now that they dropped.

Finicky- that one duck and retrieve would have made the entire trip worth it to me.

One of the most special, proud, and memorable moments in my life was when my(first and only, so far) dog made her first ever retrieve. It was only a little woodcock but I was absolutely STOKED!!!

Congrats

Got out yesterday evening for a few hours. If I made all my shots (do you ever) I could have had 5. But I’m happy with 2 with a spur of the moment decision to go. Always happy to get Cody retrieves.

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Well, we had a good weekend in western MN. The one picture shows my dogs favorite spot sitting on the rear pod of the boat. He will sit there for hours looking for birds in the sky whether the boats in the water or not.
The woodie was banded in 2019 in Missouri. I thought it was younger based on its size and feather detail but maybe they go through a molt process as well.

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Jason wrote:

The woodie was banded in 2019 in Missouri.

Banded birds are always a bonus. Interesting to find out where that occured too. Nice work

Dang! A five or more year old duck.

I’d imagine that’s pretty old for a wild duck? I know rooster pheasants on average only survive a year or two in the wild.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Dang! A five or more year old duck.

I’d imagine that’s pretty old for a wild duck? I know rooster pheasants on average only survive a year or two in the wild.

Ducks and geese live a long time.
They can be 15-20 years old.
I shot a banded goose in 2008 that was banded in 1995.

Minnesota Reader Stories: Not just a blue-wing, but a symbol of conservation

Got out for a few hours Thursday morning before it got hot. Not much flying. The only bird I shot at. Got beat by another teal.

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Surprisingly there was actually a good push of new birds for the “reopener”. No one else seemed to be hunting though so made it tough to keep the birds moving. I got my 6 including a green head, eclipse pintail, 2 blue wings and 2 green wings. This weeks forecast looks awful again… here’s to hoping for cold and north west winds.

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nice!!!

Plenty of wind this weekend in Central Minnesota…really fun morning..

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