Fall Migration

I made the drive from De Soto down to Prairie du Chien today along the Miss and saw the incredible fall migration of waterfowl that is underway. Thousands of ducks, geese, swans were in the air and on the water. Absolutely fantastic! If you want to see something really NEAT then take a trip. The migration appears to be centered around Lynxsville. A few mile south of that and very little is flying. Take your binocs and enjoy.

In a normal year, this would have taken place in October!

Amazing! I wonder what this warm weather up here did for the waterfowl hunting in the Southern States? I heard that there was a big rumble about one of the Senators (Trent Lott?) trying to extend the season down there for Southern hunters. Even Mr. Wellstone chimed in on OUR behalf.

Tuck

Chris, what’s your opinion of Trent Lott? I make him out as another self serving politictian for special interest groups. A few years ago when he was Senate majority leader, he ramrodded new hunting regulations through the Senate that became law which only benifited southern waterfowl hunters, but not us.

Every year you will see a concentration of birds from Ferryville to just above the Lynxville Dam. Most of the birds there will be divers. Mainly Canvasbacks, Bluebills, Goldeneyes, Ringnecks etc. and alot of swans. The divers and the swans are the last birds to leave and the area of marsh that you see them in right now is where they will fill up on food until cold weather forces them out. Siltation is threatening to destroy what weedgrowth is left in that area. Old-timers told me that that area used to be full of wild celery root which was the main part of the diet of the migrating Cans. I don’t know if there is any of it left down there. You’ll see the same thing in reverse in the early spring as the birds make their way north again. That whole area south of the HWY 82 timberline has been a gathering place for birds for as long as I can remember.

FYI….

Watch your speed when you’re around Ferryville. The local constable has given out more tickets than some lottery outlets.

Beav

Hey Beaver, You wouldn’t happen to be one of those lucky recipients of a ticket would you?

I was up there this weekend and there were a lot of mallards and pintails mixed in the bunch also. The wild celery grass is making a comeback after several years. Just hope it continues. You’d be surprised at the many species of fish that use it also at certain times of the year.

Speaking of migrations, I spotted a small bunch of pelicans on the backwaters of pool 18 today. HONEST

Chris, I’m sure that that if duck hunters laid eyes on the sight of all those birds they would cry. As a duck hunter myself I thought what if…. Wow…. Beaver and Herb, the thought of celery beds immediately came to mind as you see thousands of cans, divers, etc congregated in one area. They have to be feeding on something. What does the future of the river hold for this food source? If only we knew.

No tickets for me….yet.

I can’t begin to tell you how many hours I spent out in that marsh out from the Lansing power plant. I was a die-hard duck hunter for years. When my dog quit hunting, so did I. Now I spend my falls in a tree, but I think those days are coming to a close too. Every time I’m in a tree I can hear the river calling me.

hopefully your tree is not hanging over the river!!… lol…..

but really, you hung around lansing huh?… I was around there for years…. I frequented Waukon, my mother was from there and I knew people there…… so I fished all those areas….. and duck hunted them too, though now I too only fish…..

I live in PdC and was in route along Main Street and had to stop to count the eagles hanging around in a couple of trees. I lost count at 60 and about 40 of then were not mature . Its a great come back for our national bird.

I can’t begin to count the hours I spent hunting the Mudhen area below the Lynxville dam waiting for a wind big enough to blow a few birds off the pool above the dam! LOL Great area!!…B

Leo,

I agree. From what I have seen and heard, it appears that he feels that the Fish and Game dept. at a federal level is there for his constiuents only, and can be manipulated as he see fits. I was very suprised to see Wellstone and Dayton sticking up for us. I don’t plan to change my voting policy any time soon, but it was good to see that in this particular case, they WERE putting all of Minnesota’s interests ahead of special interests, and their own agenda’s.

Tuck