Some goose migration over the weekend and a few more divers in the Grey Eagle and Upsala areas. I expect the smaller and shallower sloughs to freeze up this week.

Update: Grey Eagle and Upsala areas are void of waterfowl.

We make a habit of getting out there the second week of deer season. Most of the loonies with rifles have their deer or are done with hunting. The field hunting can be phenomenal. I do agree with the posting of land that it is almost entirely meant for deer hunters. Ask around and you’ll find the majority of landowners out there are top-notch folk who gladly give permission to waterfowlers over big game hunters with long-range ammunition.

Things in the Upsala and Grey Eagle are very quiet. Some sporadic shooting over the opener weekend but very limited compared to the past 4 seasons.

You may be better off with a jig and minnow combination right now. It is absolutely beautiful fishing weather.

My earlier reply entailed a wish for more feeding and resting areas in MN to keep the ducks and geese around a bit longer.

Well, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by a news release from MN DNR:

http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/index.php/2010/08/23/western-minnesota-refuge-established-as-part-of-dnr%E2%80%99s-duck-recovery-plan-moist-soils-efforts/#more-43788

We used to take out an ad in the local paper in the area we were looking at. On a given day we would go out and view all of the prospects.

Nowadays you could probably put something on craigslist at no cost and get responses.

I noticed there is no “late” Canada goose season this year. Looks like the regular season runs up to Christmas day.

I don’t understand the season length limits either. The flyway council is to blame.

I am hoping we stay at 1 hen mallard as well. I would, however, like to see the woodduck daily bag limit set at 3 (no more than 1 hen).

I agree with Lars. The tail end is the best. Don’t get in the front of it. They are old and tough birds that know the ways of the decoy.

Does anyone have the scoop on the percentage of juvies this year? I had read the hatch was almost nil last spring.

I had hoped they would spend their energy on creating some waterfowl resting areas and refuges in MN. If not that, then why not make MN itself a resting area for a week or so (split season)?

Bottom line is we need something to keep the birds in the areas longer if we want the chance to hunt them in actual numbers.

Ultimately I’d like to see more work on habitat for the spring migrators but that puts us up against the fishing lobby. I strike out everytime I go up against the “MN Dept of Walleye and Muskie Fingerling mafia”.

You need to chase the spring snow geese to fill yer freezer!

I bet all of you Debbie-downers already forgot how much your season stunk!

Putting a new set of aggressive tread tires on the truck and I’m counting down the days.

Every year I get to the point where I ask myself if it’s all worth it. Each stinky season tends to be stinkier than the preceding season. But, when September rolls around and there is a chill in the air, I tend to forget how stinky the seasons were before and maybe this time it will be different.

I went to ND twice this year and it was a tough one but we got some birds and had a blast. If you’ve got kids who are of hunting age you had better get them out there. A kid who can bag one duck or goose in a season will still consider it the best season ever.

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Our DNR is so inept when it comes to managing habitat, wildlife, and seasons/regulations….

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I used to be an ardent supporter of the MN DNR. After learning how they pulled the stops in the mid-80’s in disproportionate support of fisheries over waterfowl and upland game, I removed my support.

I now agree with the charge of ineptitude and pure political calculation in the setting of policy and regulation.

I am in full agreement with the west shift. I think this occurs shortly before if not on opening weekend of waterfowl hunting in MN. The habitat is too poor in MN to keep a large amount of ducks under any kind of hunting pressure. Geese don’t have this problem as they can graze for food off the waters.

We’ve either drained the good (abundant with fall food source) wetlands or filled them up with fingerlings and minnows without ensuring their yearly winterkill.

Have you ever wondered why the average adult Mallard weights in the Dakotas are much larger than in MN? They are the exact same species, mind you. I believe it has everything to do with hunting pressure over inadequate food sources.

We either need to create more refuges or quit ruining our shallow basins. Probably need to do a mix of both.

Things are butt-ugly in Central MN for ducks. Geese can still be found but they are wise in the ways of city limits.

Nothing to report from a morning shoot in the Morris area. The few ducks that I saw have been around for awhile. There are more geese than anything and they are hitting the turned-over cornfields.

I zigzagged from Morris back to Sauk Centre and the land is virtually void of waterfowl.

I did see a trickle of a handful of migrating flocks this evening near Upsala, however. I am hoping I was ahead of the curve this morning in western MN but time is running short.

I’ll be hunting north of the Morris area tomorrow. I’ll give a heads up if there is any movement. Tomorrow should give a good indication if there will be any new birds for the weekend.

I do see some favourable weather for Sunday from NOAA. A little more snow and cooler temps. Might be a last-ditch blowout for MN duck hunting.

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Probably my good friend Ole’s report?

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I never identify sources…

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I would love to see a few days in a row with highs in the 30’s and NW winds at 15-20mph. but i just don’t think we are going to get it…

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From NOAA: “Wednesday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a northwest wind 9 to 12 mph increasing to between 18 and 21 mph. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.”

It’s not a string of days but I’ll take it.

I read on another website that the Bemidji area had seen heavy increases in Mallard activity. Could be someone hit a pocket or it’s an overall account. As with everything, take it for what it’s worth.

All quiet in Central MN. I scouted the usual haunts from Upsala to Grey Eagle to Long Prairie down to Sauk Centre and back through Melrose, Freeport, Farming and back up to Upsala. There isn’t a duck to be found. The large pockets of geese I spied on Monday and Tuesday have moved on. It’s pretty ugly around here right now.

Got out last night to do some local scouting. Canada Goose numbers (couple thousand) have infiltrated into the Freeport/St. Rosa area. The corn is being combined pretty quickly so the food source should keep them around a little while. Duck numbers are nil.

Just returned from a trip to SE NoDak. The area is littered with snows and blues. But, unfortunately, that’s about it for waterfowl. There were pockets of Mallards but a dude had to burn a lot of fuel to find them. We came back yesterday through the Herman, MN area. It looks like the Canada Geese have finally arrived in good numbers. Duck numbers were very limited.

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I did see 1/2 dozen different flocks of 20-30 snows & blues.

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Airborne or ground?

I noticed a couple rafts of ringers and buffleheads (300 or so birds) on Trace Lake near Grey Eagle yesterday. I also spied a few small flocks of Mallards floating about during the day around Upsala but it was nothing spectacular. I couldn’t get a good read on Goose Lake and puddlers as the cattail mats were on the move when the S wind picked up. Honker activity is close to nil as is typical in an area without a protected roost.

Hunted SE ND Thursday thru Monday. Fair duck hunting throughout but a guy had to do some scouting if he wanted more than gadwall and spoonies. There was very limited field hunting (all corn still standing) for large flocks of mallards so we concentrated on getting them in loafing ponds mid-morning. The light geese started to show up Friday afternoon and were still building in numbers when I left the state yesterday.
All in all the hunt was good. The migration was stop-and-go it seems with each day presenting something different.

ND needs a good stretch of dry weather for the farmers to start getting the corn out of the fields. Otherwise they might end up being flyover country for corn-fed mallards.

I don’t have a report from the Grey Eagle area. I haven’t been around to take it all in.

How about some general locations from those posting? Your nick location doesn’t mean squat to me unless you hunt in your backyard all the time.

Hunted the Donnely area Friday. Didn’t see much at all in the way of migratory or staging flocks. I did have a flock of at least 100 ringers or scaup that cruised me at first light. God I love that sound! I remember when it was almost a constant sound in the 70’s and 80’s until the MN DNR decided to start raising walleye fingerlings in natural water bodies (but I digress).

The numbers of Mallards seen I could have counted on my two hands. There were small groups of spoonbill, gadwall, teal, and pairs of Cans around but they looked as if they knew the area quite well. This is not typical for this location and I know the flights have not come through. Ended the morning with 2 GWT, 1 Can, 2 spoonies, and a gadwall. I put on some miles scouting eastward and found about the same kind of birds on the waters as well. Where are the Mallards?

No activity in the Grey Eagle area. There are a few nocturnal flocks of Mallards and some smart divers around but other than that it looks like a typical mid-season slack.

We floated miles of streams and creeks with little to show. The MEA weekend was close to a bust for us.