Author: Webmaster

Posted By:
mallarddux
Web Member

east/central 10-19-2011 09:24
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just finished our annual trip up north – first of all, thank you nd for all you have to offer and to all our friends who make it possible! plenty of birds and enough water to keep you scouting all day. no migration yet to speak of, but certainly enough ducks to give us three great hunts. may be awesome the next couple of weeks when the push gets going. also, need to get out and walk or use a 4 wheeler in some areas as some normal roads are surrounded by wetlands. good luck to all! already looking forward to next year.

get ’em!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-18-2011 22:25
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Went up in the hills tonight. I had heard the lakes up there were empt, but there are good numbers of birds scattered throughout up there. A mixture of divers and puddle ducks all around. Also saw a handful of Canada Geese. Temps are cooling and should be in the 20’s by morning, then warming for the next week. Snow to the north, maybe some will head south??

Posted By:
callmaster64
Web Member

trip north 10-18-2011 20:28
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pluckaduck i hope your friend made it up and you all got to shoot some birds and had a great time. We ended up around deloraine manitoba. On the way up the ducks were spotty with very few geese. On our way up on rt 2 about 20 miles east of devils lake the ducks picked up it seemed to be huntable numbers it stayed that way until we turned north by alice n.w.r all the way north to rock lake. I dont think we seen 1 snow or blue anywhere. The canadas we seen were spotty but where we seen them there were 2-300 of them. The birds seen was on the 8th oct. cant report anything on our trip home becouse it was dark until Fargo and east. There were plenty of ducks around the whitewater area in manitoba and the geese started pooring into that area tuesday night through the rest of the week(canadas and snows and blues) Plenty of water up that way to. Sorry for the delay in the post but been busy since the reurn on sat. the 15th. keep sending the birds south and good hunting. Keep up the good reports.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

Rolette County 10-17-2011 10:07
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Hunted same area last night with good numbers of birds from scaup to cans and Mallards. Scouting on way back I found a good bunch of Mallards. Will see if they hold for a few days. I have heard south of here about 75 miles guys are doing well, but no confirmation of that. Also found bunhc of swans, anyone looking to go out for them, shoot me a PM and maybe we can hook up.

Also, anyone knowing how to tan a Moose hide, please let me know, I have one I want to tan myself. Thanks

Posted By:
jayvachal
Web Member

10-17-2011 09:12
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Thanks for the feedback guys. Guess I was expecting more posts and intel. I understand we all rely on other members to report, but guess I expected more from field reporters….. That’s my last post on the matter….not trying to be a drama queen. Good hunting everyone!

Posted By:
mallarddux
Web Member

East Central 10-16-2011 13:40
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Annual trip started good today – birds are here. Need to scout hard as there is a lot of wetland areas. Most beans are in, starting on corn. Limits for everyone this morning.

Posted By:
kjktks
Guest

Harvey 10-16-2011 09:44
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
5 of us limited out on Ducks by 8:30 this morning. Landing low and into the wind they were almost at a stand still. Awesome field hunt today

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-16-2011 09:11
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Huting has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Many birds have moved south due to pressure. Lots of walking and scouting have turned up few birds.

They will be moving soon, with winds turnign to the north. Any member wanting specific info, shoot me a message and I will do my best to help you out.

In regards to what you get for your subscription, I as a field editor, provide accurate honest information to hunters and do my best to help them have a great hunt. In addition, I have opened my home to hunters and may do this again depending on the situation and these hunters met me through this site as members.

On a side note, we ran into a group of hunters that were pretty vocal about their hunting. They stated, we found out all you need to do is ride around and shoot them. Who cares about Posted signs, as long as there is no people around do what you want, thats what everyone does!

That is exactly what will help ruin it for free lance opportunities and please ask permission and treat the resource, its opportunities with respect, for if we dont’t, it will surely disappear.

Sadly, the guy talking about this, also stated it was his boy’s first hunt and he really is starting him down the wrong road!

Anyway, up to the hills in hopes of finding some fresh birds. Enjoy the season, it only comes once a year!

Posted By:
kjktks
Guest

Harvey 10-15-2011 22:01
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
Four of us hunted north of town. Lots of Ducks this morning over the decoys. Was so enjoyable to have them landing on top of the robos that we didnt start shooting any until 25 minutes after legal shooting tiime. Ended up with 17 ducks 2 pheasants and a grouse. Any day hunting beats working no matter what the outcome.

Posted By:
HonkerHotline
Web Member

None 10-15-2011 16:50
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Hi Jay,

What would be good to get off this site?

I hunt Sask Canada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Mexico each year for Waterfowl. If you ever get a chance to hunt Mexico – I recommend it. Shoot a limit of ducks in the morning and drink Corona’s on the beach in the afternoon 🙂

I have been trying to post the results of most of my hunts this fall on each of the forumns.

If you have specific questions about bird numbers or hunting areas I would be happy to share any information I have.

Posted By:
jayvachal
Web Member

10-15-2011 10:23
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This is the first time I’ve used my subscription. What exactly am I getting cause from what I can find on the site thus far it’s next to nothing. I hunt ND and MN…

Posted By:
DU870
Web Member

10-14-2011 09:44
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My dad and 2 of his retired buddies are heading up to ND this Saturday for thier first ever trip to ND. They are planning on hunting the Crosby area. Any info that I can pass along to them would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-13-2011 23:14
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Tough conditions and scarce birds led to hard scouting tonight. Fields are soft, be careful. Hunt in morning should be a slam dunk on mallards but I will be teaching. Some geese flying high and south. Getting a little colder

Posted By:
coalition
Guest

Devils Lake Region 10-13-2011 12:33
Cloudy, High Winds – 50-60 Degrees
Three of us hunted DL Region on the 8th, 9th and 10th. 11th annual trip. In comparison to previous years, found water levels to be good. Duck numbers were OK – not what I expected from the B-Pop surveys. I would expect the increase in potholes has the ducks spread out. We have always hunted this same weekend and have seen all weather conditions over the years, sunny and 80 to snow. Duck numbers are consistently stable regardless of the weather patterns (in our observations). This year we harvested 45 ducks in the 3 days – ate 9 to keep within the legal possesion limits. Did not shoot a 3 man limit any of the days, but did well all 3 days. Most common ducks were BWT, shovelers and Buffle Heads. Did not see the canvasbacks and scaup numbers we are used to. Mallards were scarse – we hunted larger bodies of water and the mallards never seem to work for us, they always land out in the middle. We did harvest a couple gadwall, couple mallards (one banded drake with a 6 yr old band from Manitoba) 2 cans, and 1 redhead. Did not see many geese at all – no snows or specs. Only saw a hand full of swans. Weather was in the mid 50’s to 60’s, windy and cloudy. Excellent time – as always. I’d expect the migration will begin soon. Thanks again ND for the wonderful memories, can’t wait to return!!

[Edited By coalition on 2011-10-13 12:35]

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-13-2011 09:47
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Scouting last night did not produce much. Heading to different direction tonight, birds seemed to have been pushed out? No reason to leave except pressure. Cooler temps forcasted and a chance of snow to the north this weekend might get them moving.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-11-2011 21:51
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After rain making some roads a mess, it warmed to 60’s today. Hunted after work and it was poor, few birds seen and none worked where I was. Filler hip boots and was reminded how one can disappear in a marsh. Be safe

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-09-2011 21:45
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Coming back from Perch fishing this afternoon, we saw fresh divers in the hills. Redheads, cans, bluebills and Ringnecks are starting to show up along with some Mergansers.

BTW: Fishing was awesome, many fish and little wind. Will be a great fish fry starting with duck breast first for Wisconsin hunters tomorrow night. Maybe that should be called Cast and Blast!

Posted By:
Larry-Olson
Field Editor

NE corner 10-09-2011 20:49
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 50-60 Degrees
We drove through the Ne corner Saturday crossing the border north of Fortuna. There was ducks everywhere! I’m sure a person could do well pond jumping there.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-09-2011 11:05
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Hunted depression in field with water this a.m. Birds poured in before light, then quieted down. Magoo and I shot 4 Mallards and a Black Duck. Numerous groups milling around when we left. Froze lightly last night, around 30, temps in 50’s all week.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-08-2011 21:25
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What a difference a day makes. Although hunting was poor this evening, I did watch several big groups of Mallards working the fields. Also, some geese coming from the north heading south and based on their altitude, I guess they are migrating from north.

Abest, I havent really seen much change in NR hunters. One thing is for sure, many people try to guess and hit a home run all the time with hitting the migration perfectly. I have always thought best to plan early because when the water is hard, they will be long gone.

Posted By:
mallarddux
Web Member

central 10-08-2011 19:29
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heading up next weekend for the annual trip – have heard lots of water and crops coming off – scout as usual. will try to post after we get up.

get ’em!

Posted By:
ABest
Web Member

10-08-2011 17:15
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Pluckaduck I am glad you are giveing out the info, read your posts daily. Will be out there soon. Just wondering if you may have noticed a down turn in out of state hunters this year cause of the economy??

Posted By:
HonkerHotline
Web Member

North Central 10-08-2011 15:38
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 60-65 Degrees
Pluck,

Late report from 10.1 – 10.3. Had decent success field hunting for Honkers and Mallards. Put on a ton of miles and knocked on many doors to obtain permission, etc.

With the warm weather it seemed like the birds weren’t as active as past years, but had enough action to keep it interesting. Also, the spinners did not seem to be as effective. We had a tough time getting birds to finish after making multiple adjustments to the spread/ blind placement.

It has probably improved, but we had 3-4 times where we let the ducks land in the decoys because we could not identify drakes vs. hens.

Total for two days of hunting 24 Mallards 6 geese.

Best of luck to everyone out there!

Go get em.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-08-2011 09:26
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Weather has changed. Temps now about 5o, we got rain last night and winds now from south to west. Heavy clouds fill the air.

Last night was the first night this year I did not see birds anywhere. I was scouting for a field and found nothing. They are still out there, just got to find them.

Heading to Bottineau then to the field. Anyone having a chance to shoot me a message, please do so.

Sadly, it seems I am the only one providing any reports? Whats up with that?

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-06-2011 09:35
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Harvest continues to go on without any stopping. Started to see corn being taken off along with soybeans. With temperatures apparently holding the the 60’s through next week without any real cold in sight, things will start happening real soon. Migration in my records starts on the 10th and would be great to see a trickle migration instead of mass exits as we are custom to.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-05-2011 09:44
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This morning while cleaning ducks, the first migrators went over the house. About 8 groups of Swans flew over Magoo and I high heading south.

Posted By:
backroadstravler
Guest

South Central ND 10-05-2011 05:40
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Heading out on Sunday.With the warm and dry weather crops should be coming off. I hope to get into some geese. Pluckaduck, I know you are North, any reports from a southern area?

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

nd 10-04-2011 23:19
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Hunted field with Magoo tonight in memory of dad. Saw small groups and had a great night hunting. Small groups hanging all over the place, got to get out and scout by foot.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 10-04-2011 09:37
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Scouted and hunted a little north, east and south. Found small pockets of birds but few working the fields. Did shoot 2 big Mallards but overall numbers were poor. Around 9 last night the wind switched to the north. Although not cold, it might bring some fresh birds down. The Cranes that were here seem to have drifted away.
Guys staying with me did well yesterday morning hunting water, lots of birds and variety.

I went into a slough last night up to my waist and water was quite refreshing, not cold yet but that will change in the coming weeks!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

Northern ND 10-03-2011 09:51
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Weekend was tough hunting. Set up on cranes both mornings with birds never returning. Did get some canadas and ducks but overall weatehr made it tough to decoy. Temps hit 86 Sunday afternoon.

It appears the first migrators, some swans have shown up. There are plenty of birds in the area for those wanting to put miles on their feet. Got a nice bunch of birds after walking through flooded grass knee deep. The pup made great strides over the weekend.

Mallards are starting to green up and I saw no large groups working gain fields this weekend and I am guessing the weather kept the birds loafing around.

Anyone WF needing help, please shoot me a message and I will do what I can. Take care and hug the hounds hunters!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 09-30-2011 22:26
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Went south tonight looking for cranes and such. After much looking, I found a good group of them to hunt in the morning with a few ducks and dark geese sprinkled in. There seems to be less ducks south but also the first occurence with a non-resident. While Magoo(my pup) and I were walking in a field, I noticed a truck sitting on the prairie trail where we came in on. I did my business, loaded up and tried to drive out. Well the trail was blocked with water on both sides. I drove right up to the truck and the guys just looked at me. I got out of the truck and he yelled, Your’e in my field. I said what are you talking about, its not posted so anyone can hunt it. He said, I have been hunting this for 6 years and it is mine. I said, move your truck or I will push you in the ditch. After a few choice words, he backed up and I drove away.

Quite simply, it is everyones land unless it is legally posted. This had nothing and I hope people realize that crap like I dealt with tonight do not make Non-resident concerns any better. I was a NR for many years and have seen that relationship dwindle for various reasons, but come on people.

I go out of my way to help people, ESECIALLY ethical good guys who are NR’s because I was in that same position a few years ago. Its not fun driving a whole bunch of miles to find posted signs and landowners who are not very friendly. So with that I shall leave it.
There were good number of swans down there too, anyone having a Swan tag and wanting a heads up let me know, I will quietly tell you where they are!

Guys heading up here from Tennessee as I write, they are first timers excited as all hell which is great. As I told them, come with expectations to work hard, enjoy the fresh air and the magical world of waterfowling, shoot a few birds, miss many more and enjoy the time of your life because there is no place like North dakota in October!!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 09-29-2011 21:13
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Temps have cooled but not much. There seems to have beeen an influx of cranes. I found a field filled with them tonight. Plenty of ducks scattered around, they should start jumping with more pressure this weekend. I wonder why they havent started havested beans yet?

Thanks for the thoughts on Shadow, he is now walking some, continues to eat well, but sight may still be lingering, but he is ok.

Posted By:
callmaster64
Web Member

ND 09-29-2011 18:57
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Keep up the good reports pluckaduck I will contact you before we hit the road. Hope Shadow is coming right along and gettin better by the day.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

bottineau Area 09-28-2011 21:44
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Starting to cool a little bit, highs in the 70’s today. Went out after work, found some birds, not large bunches but nice groups scattered. They were in shallow water with grass to deep sloughs. Many ducks are still brown and hard to tell colors. One suggestion to anyone coming out, bring waders instead of hip boots. I walked into two sloughs tonight and both were waist deep, right between hip and waders. Water is not too cold yet, but it will get chilly in a hurry. Did manage to bring back 3 ducks, 2 Gadwall and mallard.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 09-27-2011 22:22
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Was warm today, in the 80’s so we went fishing. Perch were biting, but oddly on the way home I drove by about 15 sloughs in the hills and they were void of ducks. Kind of odd but maybe they were loafing where I couldnt see. Long range forecast is no cooler than 40 for next week so if coming, bring bug dope!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

Northern ND 09-26-2011 21:37
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Was out first time tonight. Lots of birds scattered, ducks, dark and light geese. Bugs were bad but cold weather this week should get rid of them.
I walked 2 sloughs, water was maybe knee deep but footing was very solid. Access to both sloughs was very good right to open water through cattails.

An update on Shadow, he started walking somewhat today, his appetite is fantastic and it appears he is slowly on the mend.

Anyone heading to manitoba, I got a poor report on light geese up there but plenty of specks and dark geese and ducks were marginal in western Manitoba/eastern saskatechewan.

Posted By:
Trial Lawyer
Web Member

09-26-2011 15:02
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Pluckaduck,

Best wishes for Shadow’s full recovery.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 09-25-2011 21:39
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Thanks to those who wrote me with my buddy. He is back at home and trying to recover, which could take two weeks or not at all. Magoo my 5 month black will be learnign the ropes for a while.

Traveling back through ND to Dunseith, there is lots of ducks all over the place with good numbers or dark geese from just east of Rugby on Hwy 2 to about 20 miles north of 2. After that I ran out of light. Got a call from a friend who did great this weekend, limits of Mallard, Pintail and Woodies field hunting. In fact he said green heads were easy to pick out.
Weather calls for much colder by mid week. I plan on getting out each evening and will report when I return. Take care and thanks again fellow waterfowlers!

Posted By:
John-Donelon
Field Editor

N. Dakota 09-25-2011 11:54
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PLUCKADUCK
My thoughts are with you and shadow.My good friend Rick there in N. Dakota,your other VFE lost his dog at way too young a age.I would guess 99% of true waterfowlers with a dog would miss opening day if their dog needed them.Not the same hunting without that dog.Here is the best for you and shadow.

Posted By:
callmaster64
Web Member

pluckaduck 09-23-2011 23:04
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Take care of shadow bud we will talk to ya later

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

ND 09-23-2011 14:34
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It will mark the first in 20 some years I will not be after waterfowl opening day, as Shadow is fighting for his life and I owe it to him to be right at his side as he would be for me!

If I have not got to your messages, sorry and please shoot me another one as I have been in Wisconsin and will get after them next week. Take care and hug those hounds.

Posted By:
callmaster64
Web Member

ND 09-22-2011 20:18
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Just checking to see how the waterfowl season is lookin to the north. Hopefully coming up the 1st or 2nd week in october. Hope you all have a great season. Sent you a pm pluckaduck

Posted By:
webmaster
root

ND 09-20-2011 14:26
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RS —

Try areas between Goodrich and Rugby. We found quite a bit of field opportunity there on our last trip.

If you have an afternoon to blow, by all means take in some upland hunting at Lone Tree Wildlife Management Area — more acres to walk than you could walk in an entire season and birds were plentiful — just be careful of the dogs and porcupines in some of the tree lines with old brush piles.

Posted By:
rsweers02
Guest

nh 09-19-2011 11:52
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We are coming up again for fourth year in a row to the jamestown area. Mainly we have done nothing but pothole hunt with about a dozen decoys and have done quite well. This year I would like to try something different. IE field hunting, bigger water hunting… any suggestions anyone??? We historically have stayed right in jamestown and traveled west to hunt. Not sure if there is maybe a better direction to go to field hunt or not.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

North Central ND 09-15-2011 10:12
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Cooler temps have killed mosquitos for now. Birds are all over the place, good numbers of cranes and even snow geese have showed up. Harvest is going well and should continue.

I will reserve information for fellow waterfowler.com people in hopes to bring some action to this site. If you are heading this way and want some help, shoot me a PM and I will do my best. I have been and plan on being out and about every day hunting or scouting so will have information for this sites users.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

rugby and north 08-30-2011 21:07
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Conditions are looking very good right now. Wheat is coming off and water is holding off. There are many trails that are rough due to theater this spring but that are dry. Lots of birds all over. First cranes have arrived west of bottineau. First cool snap coming this weekend. Mosquitos are bad!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

07-25-2011 08:52
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Heading back to ND today, will be working on a house about 10 miles south of Manitoba. Hope to have this ready for school as well as hunting this fall. Anyone out that way, shoot me a message and let me know. My house is always open to honest, ethical hard working hunters!

Posted By:
Drake Slayer
Web Member

06-15-2011 11:39
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Best of luck to you, Rick…..

Hopefully you’ll be rewarded for your sacrafice in the way of many days of greenhead limits!!!!

Take Care, and when it’s convenient, keep us posted…..you are our “eyes to the north”.

Steve

Posted By:
Rick-Nelson
Field Editor

Bismarck, ND 06-13-2011 22:21
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Thanks to my good friend John for that post on my situation. Here is an update as of June 13, 2011.

The entire Missouri River basin from Ft. Peck, MT to St. Louis is extremely wet. All the Missouri River reservoir are full, and I mean full in the engineering sense of the word, which isn’t a good thing. Releases from Garrison Dam in ND will be 150,000 cfs by Friday and normal for this time of year is about 25,000 cfs. Many parts of Bismarck are flooded and the COE is telling us to expect these high flows through August. I am betting it will be longer.

So far my end of town is dry thanks to some hastily constructed dikes courtesy of the COE. They are built to the 150,000 cfs level but I am also betting that in a few weeks the COE will announce they need to go higher to protect the integrity of the dam. When that happens, there is a high probability that south Bismarck will be flooded.

The river has not reached these levels or flows since 1952, the year before the gates were closed on Garrison Dam. Three wet years in a row, 140-180% of normal snowpack in the mountains of MT and record rains this spring have pushed the entire MR river dam system to its capacity. Snowmelt is just starting and heavy rains continue to fall in the upper basin.

North Dakota is wet all over and it isn’t just the Missouri River that is flooding. The City of Minot evacuated 10,000 people living near the Souris River a couple weeks ago and just when the started returning to their homes the river rose to flood stage again.

There are miles of roads washed out or under water throughout the state and hundreds of people are being flooded. Hundreds more are negatively impacted by the flood even though they haven’t received water, yet.

Every wetland in the state is full. I don’t think we had this much water during the wet period of the 1990s and that decade was very wet. The long range forecast for the next month is below or near normal temperatures but above normal precipitation.

Whether my part of Bismarck remains dry is yet to be seen. Many families in Bismark and Mandan as well as people living along the river who are several miles from it are being flooded. A good friend evacuated his home last week and can only reach it by boat. So far his house is dry but it is surrounded on all sides by the Missouri River.

The river is doing some amazing things. There are parts of the channel in the Bismarck area that were 10 feet deep prior to these high flows. USGS estimates now indicate these same areas have experienced channel scouring and are now 60-80 ft deep. Bank erosion is occurring at a phenomenal rate, check out Youtube and search for Missouri River eats an evergreen for one example.

When the water finally recedes, and who knows when that will be, the river is going to be significantly different. For the first time in the history of the Garrison Dam, the COE has opened the spillway gates to try to get as much water out as possible. The incredible force of nearly 150,000 cfs is reshaping the river and its flood plain.

I am still here, but don’t know for how long. Best of luck to everyone who is being or will be impacted by this historic flood.

Posted By:
John-Donelon
Field Editor

N. Dakota 05-25-2011 12:13
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Got an e-mail from my good friend Rick Nelson one of your VFE in N. Dakota.Hunted with Rick a few years ago at his invite.Great guy.In his e-mail he said he would be off the net till ?His home is near the center of Bismarck,and he states in his e-mail he and his family moving everything they can out of their house due to flooding from the Missouri River.He figures in the next week or so,he will have lost his home,had purchased flood insurance,but it does not go into effect till 2nd week of June.He states at this point he does not know what he and his wife will do,for they will be homeless when the water comes.This flooding will have a severe affect on the entire Missouri River basin along with the duck hatch in this duck factory state.Keep Rick in your prayers.

Posted By:
Rick-Nelson
Field Editor

03-23-2011 20:56
Arctic Blast – 10-20 Degrees – Ice
Well, contrary to my last post, signs of winter were everywhere today. Another major winter storm pounded North Dakota yesterday with new snow accumulations up to 16 inches in some parts of the state. Not sure what we got here but prediction was for 6-10 and I am betting we got the 10 inches. If the five hours of shoveling I did yesterday and today was any indication.

And while I was shoveling last night I heard numerous flocks of geese GOING SOUTH and this afternoon I watched hundreds more doing the same thing. Mighty depressing even though I know it is temporary. Fields are covered again in snow deep enough to make feeding difficult.

For waterfowl, the condition of our state’s wetlands is going to be exceptional given all the moisture. We should see excellent breeding conditions on the prairies of ND this spring. I am anxious for spring to get here and stay and the opportunities for spring waterfowl observations.

I have not seen or heard a snow goose yet. We typically don’t get the huge flocks in this part of the state in the spring. But we should see fair numbers when they finally arrive, assuming they don’t just fly over.

Field hunting for snows is going to be characterized by one word this spring – MUD.
When the snow finally does melt I believe we are going to have extremely wet fields. Might have to try an over water hunt this spring just for something different.

Posted By:
Rick-Nelson
Field Editor

03-15-2011 21:30
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
Signs of spring were abundant today. Temperature hit almost 50 with light winds and clear skies. I saw a guy riding his Harley this afternoon AND flocks of Canada geese moving north, first waterfowl I have seen since last fall.

They were a welcome sight and as often occurs I heard them before I saw them. I only saw three flocks totaling probably 100 birds but it was awesome. As we move farther along toward spring this wonder sight will become more common. I always look forward to the return of waterfowl and it is amazing how seeing even these few birds really made it seem like spring.

With some good fortune perhaps we will slowly move out of winter. Although I won’t be surprised if we have more snow and winter weather before it really ends. We are in a wet period and we often have severe spring storms that dump heavy, wet snow on us well into April.

But, even if that happens we are now on the down side of winter – YAHOO! I look forward to seeing more and more birds.

Posted By:
John-Donelon
Field Editor

N. Dakota 03-15-2011 15:27
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Rick,thanks for the update on conditions in balmy Bismarck.We here in Missouri are bracing for some serious flooding this Spring.Yesterday,we had a forcast of one inch of snow,instead we ended up with six inches.All this heavy wet snow did was add more water to the already heavy soil moisture.Have a temp of 70 on thursday being predicted,normal Missouri weather.Concern here is if farmers being able to get in and plant,more thunderstorms for the area on thursday.I agree with you,winter has to come to an end,shoveled more snow this winter than the last three put together.

Posted By:
Rick-Nelson
Field Editor

03-11-2011 19:39
Arctic Blast – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
BLIZZARD – A late winter blizzard is hitting most of North Dakota today. Freezing rain turned to wet snow, and 50mph winds are buffeting a large part of the North Dakota. An already long, hard winter continues. We have plenty of moisture already and don’t really need more.

This winter has been extremely hard on many species of resident wildlife, particularly deer and pheasants. It is anticipated that the state’s deer and pheasant populations will be significantly decreased.

Our spring snow goose season has been open for a few weeks but it will be awhile before we see birds. Long range forecast for March is below normal temps and above normal precipitation. The snow pack has settled greatly but in this area there is still nine inches of snow covering the ground and not many open spots. Unless we get some warm, dry weather we won’t have much in the way of places for birds to feed with this snow pack.

The extreme water conditions in the state will be good news for returning waterfowl. Unfortunately, these same conditions are potentially going to result in serious flooding throughout much of North Dakota.

All the water is resulting in heavy pressure to increase tile drainage in the state, an activity that will likely have significant negative impacts on wetlands, ground water recharge and water quality.

It has been a long, long winter. I am ready for spring!

Posted By:
CPAMAN
Guest

01-27-2011 22:46
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Nice report Rick. Thanks!

Posted By:
Rick-Nelson
Field Editor

Mid-Winter Report 01-18-2011 21:01
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – Below Zero
There will be no shortage of water in North Dakota wetlands this spring. We are experiencing our third hard winter in a row. Most of the state has received above normal snowfall and snow is deep everywhere. We entered the fall with excellent water conditions and wetlands will be full again this spring.

This is obviously good news for wetlands but not good news for resident wildlife. Upland birds and deer are likely to be significantly impacted if we continue to receive snow, bitter cold and strong winds. The last two winters had a big impact on resident wildlife and this winter could also pose problems for many species. And the long range forecast is for above normal precipitation and below normal temperatures.

Despite the potential for excellent water conditions the conversion of CRP will continue to be a major issue for waterfowl production. Good wetland condition is only half of the equation and without good nesting cover we will see production begin to decline.

The 2010 waterfowl season was the strangest one I have experienced in over 40 years of waterfowling. Why the majority of ducks left early remains a mystery, even among waterfowl biologists. And even given the hypothesis that they moved north into Canada the question remains, why didn’t they return later in the fall? Or did they simply trickle their way through North Dakota on their way south.

It is certain that 2011 will be different than 2010 as each season brings new opportunities and new surprises. But unless our weather pattern suddenly changes and we go back into a major drought, water conditions in wetlands next fall should not be a surprise.

Of course if the wet conditions prevail we could all be surprised at how much water is on the land next fall. This past season we had wetlands that were full in October that should normally be dry by July. Plenty of places for waterfowl to roost.

Enjoy the rest of the winter, wherever you are. Honestly, I am sick of it, or at least I am sick of shoveling snow. And for the sake of our resident species, I hope conditions moderate for the rest of the winter.

[Edited By Rick-Nelson on 2011-01-18 21:03]

[Edited By Rick-Nelson on 2011-01-18 21:03]

Posted By:
CRP
Web Member

01-11-2011 13:50
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Anyone know if the ND GFP has completed the Mid-winter goose count for the Missouri River?

Posted By:
CPAMAN
Guest

Northeastern North Dakota 11-22-2010 12:06
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 0-10 Degrees – Ice
Deer hunted Saturday. Hit a deer with my truck on Friday evening around 8:15 pm. Took a U-turn off Hwy 35 heading north to south to look for the injured deer on the side of the road/ditch. Upon pulling over to the shoulder after turning around, a buck was running out of the ditch with another doe. I parked the truck leaving it running and headlights on. I stepped out of the truck and closed the door. A doe was standing about fifteen feet from me in the middle of the road. She looked at me for about thirty seconds. I examined her wondering if she was the same deer I had hit with my bumper.

Suddenly, I saw headlights from the south heading north. A vehicle was moving fast so I stepped towards the shoulder of the road. The deer moved a couple of steps away from me on the northbound side and the pickup did not slow down. Thud! The deer was hit directly by the truck at high speed 60-65 mph. The deer literally flew past me missing me by no more than three feet. It ended up about twenty feet behind my truck with its intestines and bowel sitting in the middle of the road.

The pickup left pieces of its grill and headlight on the paved road. The driver continued on down coming to a stop about two hundred yards up the road from me. He got out and looked at the damage to his truck and then did a U-turn back towards me. He asked if I was OK and said he did not see the deer at all. I was a little surprised that he did not slow down seeing me on the side of the road with my headlights on. Anyway, he declined the deer so we tossed it into my pickup. I gave it to a farmer whose hunting party was partying in their garage about twenty miles away close to my farm.

It got down to zero degrees Friday night and it was bitter cold Saturday AM. The deer were moving between 8:00-8:30 AM. I saw four bucks and a total of twelve deer during that time with all bucks seen chasing does. No bucks came within reasonable shooting range so I took a doe at 160 yards. Nothing moving after that. That ended my/our 2010 ND deer season. Very exciting and very cold.

I did not see a single duck or goose all day Saturday. Three inches-plus of ice on all water in the area. There were some goose hunters set up with a huge spread north of Lakota. I have no idea why they were there because there weren’t any geese around anywhere that I saw with no open water. I seriously doubt they saw any geese, let alone shot any that morning.

I would say the season is over in North Dakota except along the Missouri River.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

Devils Lake Basin 11-20-2010 19:58
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As I write, moderate snow is blanketing the region. I spent the day looking for birds and open water. All sloughs are froze and most lakes are as well. The SW, W and NW side of Devils Lake has shoreline ice making it unhuntable. In addition, I saw no Mallards only a few sparce Canada Geese fighting the waves on the lake.

With highs in the single digits for the next few days, the season is pretty much done. Maybe time to go check out Washburn!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-17-2010 19:37
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Most water froze, however Devils lake is still open and some ducks. Temps should not get above freezing until next week. Geese were migrating at noon big time overhead going south.

Posted By:
jefbet03
Field Editor

11-17-2010 10:06
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Stumper, Thanks a lot for the great post. It is post like these that give us guys down south great insight as what to expect or hope for. Good luck to you guys up there. JB

Posted By:
stumper
Web Member

Sargent County 11-17-2010 00:29
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Just returned home from several days hunting the fields for mallards between Lidgerwood and Oakes and I must say these were probably the best conditions for hunting I have seen in my 10 years of hunting this area. The birds were very plentiful and limits were had by all over 3 great days of hunting. Mallards were mainly northern birds of good size, colorful plumage and heavy layers of fat. Birds responded pretty well to the dekes, though we found minimal spreads to be most effective. Migration appears to be close to peak, with birds holding in small cattail sloughs in very large concentrations. Hunted cut corn which was 90+% harvested. Numbers of snow geese and dark geese were very low in this area. I have never seen such large numbers of migrating teal and widgeon, which mainly flew after sunset and did not decoy at all. Several evenings as we picked up we stood in sheer amazement at the beauty of the sunsets which silhouetted thousands and thousands of birds streaming out to feed. Awesome sight and really was worth the price of admission!

If you are considering a hunt in this area I would say go now, with the cold snap approaching next week you should find excellent conditions and good success.

Be safe everyone and have a great Thanksgiving. We should all be grateful for this great sport we are so privileged to enjoy…

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

DL Basin 11-14-2010 19:13
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Temps at or below freezing all day makin glots of water hard. Good nunber of snow geese in the basin along with scattered Mallards. Divers on lake scattered but lots of fun chasing Goldeneyes. Cranes sky high migrating along with geese from the north. Weather could put a close on a tough season this week as temps are to say around or below freezing.

Posted By:
kobear
Web Member

Jamestown 11-13-2010 18:26
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Big groups of mallards scattered around ND. Lots of smaller dark geese most big canadians left. More snow geese around now. Divers numbers definitely declining with some bills and redheads still around. Lots of miles between flocks but some flocks were tremendous. Mallards often using huge flooded cattail swamps and flooded plowed fields. Tough going but worthwhile. Doing that late season land in the middle of the lake frustration, decoy shy.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-12-2010 19:28
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Plenty of birds around. Most water that was hard opened up during the day

Posted By:
hannibal
Web Member

11-11-2010 20:07
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Rick, where are you at???? We are anxiously awaiting your reports down South. Anything to come? More to the North? I have been following you for some time on here and always appreciate your reports…..time for another????

By they way when I say I have been following you for a while don’t take that the wrong way…..I’m not stalking you :O

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-11-2010 19:09
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Interesting today while cleaning birds I heard a familar sound, cranes flying overhead. String after string heading south and made me wonder what is going on? Went out this evening and shot some Mallards and both drakes were just greening up. Beginning to wonder if the bunches of birds I am seeing is local birds bunched up and not migration? Also found some cans today

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

Devils Lake Basin 11-10-2010 09:54
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Lots of birds in the basin, scattered throughout. Only species I did NOT see today was canvasback and teal, rest are still around. Snow to north might bring more down. Birds sat in this morning as few left the roost to feed but plenty sitting on the water!

Posted By:
ilduckboy
Guest

Mercer/McClusky/Turtle Lake 11-08-2010 19:33
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Arrived in area 10/22 – stayed an extra week until yesterday 11/7 – didn’t get limit of ducks every day, but that was only due to poor shooting on our part. Weather ranged from blizzard – froze up to 60s. Had a GREAT TIME – hunted some PLOTS and some private that the landowners were more than gracious to allow us to hunt. Couldn’t believe the variety of ducks; mallards increased in numbers at the end of the hunt. You guys are really lucky to have such a great place to hunt – and we will most definitely return next year.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-08-2010 15:05
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Nice post John!!

Posted By:
John-Donelon
Field Editor

N. Dakota 11-08-2010 13:04
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Pluckaduck
Had to reply to your post. I am 74,have gone thru three great four legged friends and now on my 4th,a golden lab who is seven,saw very few ducks on our opening day in NW Mo. we shot three birds at shooting time.The only ducks we saw all day.But my day was made watching Holly making her retrieves,especially the drake that kept diving on her and her determination to bring the bird back to me.You hit it right,a good four legged friend and good friends over the years have make me the duck hunter I am today.Stay safe.

Posted By:
CPAMAN
Guest

Did Not Hunt 11-08-2010 10:01
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 50-60 Degrees
At my farm in ND, there were about 2,500 geese using the fields right next to my farm. Approximately, 2,000 Canadas, 200 cacklers, 250 snow geese, and about 50 specks. We saw at least another couple thousand geese migrating through at 200-300 yard altitude flying straight south. They were active all day long but especially in the AM until 11:00 and in the afternoon from 3:00 until after dark.

Duck numbers were increased over the last time I was there with huntable numbers of birds in at least a half dozen sloughs in the area with 75-200 ducks per wetland. Primary species were bluebills, (majority) goldeneyes and mallards. There was one field holding around 350-400 mallards and they liked the same field. Sunday AM, I saw two flocks of GWT with about 15 birds in each flock and a couple smaller flocks (8-10) of redheads. No swans seen which is unusual for the deer opener.

Hunting would have been very good for ducks and geese as the birds definitely had preferred fields and roost areas. Rather than spread out, they were in larger groups typical of migrating waterfowl.

I think the migration is about in the middle. There are likely plenty of birds still north of the border.

Of course, we were there for the deer opener. Plenty of does around, but not moving much. My son got a fork buck but that was the only antlered deer seen by him or myself. Way too warm for deer to move around. Practically no sign of buck activity with no rubs or scrapes seen in wooded areas. Very tough hunting with more hunters pushing large CRP and PLOTS land, rather than private land, than in previous seasons.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-08-2010 09:38
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Got a confirmation of big time numbers of young geese south of Hwy. 2. Must have come in last night as they were not around at dusk yesterday! May be short lived with snow and cold coming!!

Posted By:
Doug-Miller
Field Editor

11-08-2010 06:28
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Pluckaduck,

Amen,

You understand the try spirit of being a duckhunter.

Its all about Ducks, Dogs, and Kids

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

Goofy season continues 11-07-2010 19:41
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Well this weird season continues. Weekend was in the 60’s. Birds have started to move south and makes no sense that snow geese are leading the way. Ducks are scarce in north but Devils Lake has very, very huntable numbers.

I spent the afternoon on a slough with my 11 yr. old Lab. Did not see many ducks but it was one of the most enjoyable days this year. No hunters, nice breeze, sunshine and swans migrating, stopping and drinking water. As we walked backed to the truck with gear, we stopped to reflect on our trips together. We have spent 11 glorious years together chasing birds and putting on thousands of miles together. It saddens me to think that this may be his last year. Certainly there will be others but never will this dog and best friend be replaced.
Certain things stir everyone, but for me it is very simple. Waterfowl and dogs and the freedom to chase them until we are totally exhausted. Then repeat over and over.
I thank my father everyday that I am blessed to walk with nature. I guess if you are a waterfowler you understand where I am coming from. If not, I feel sorry for you, you are missing out on a real cool thing!

Snow maybe late this week, things might change, hug the hound if you got them!!

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-07-2010 06:26
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Large numbers of snow geese remain in area. Diver numbers are good but puddle duck numbers continue to be sub-par. Temps should hold in the 40’s this week, maybe a little snow late in the week!

Posted By:
CPAMAN
Guest

Did Not Hunt 11-04-2010 10:58
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My son was working out in the Lake Sakakawea area Monday-Wednesday. He said on the ride back there are hundreds of thousands of snow geese about thirty miles north of Bismarck along with 100K Canadas. More than he has ever seen out in ND. Smaller flocks of mallards sprinkled in. Sounds like the same enormous grouping of light and dark geese I saw in Saskatchewan one month earlier. Without any snowfall or extremely high winds and cold weather to move them, I would suspect they will be around for a week or longer.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

11-04-2010 09:40
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Deer Hunting does get crazy but if you come the 11th things will have settled down. Weatehr is suppose to hold thru next Monday, then maybe some light snow and temps in the low 30’s. Almost all snow is gone now, birds are sprinkled around, good numbers of snow geese

Posted By:
kobear
Web Member

Pekin 11-03-2010 16:11
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I’m planning on Nov 11-14th. It gets a little hairy during the first week of deer season out there. Not sure if the sloughs can hold till then got pretty chilled during that storm. Interesting snow and freeze line we hit around McHenry to Aneta on 10-30. Seemed almost more waterfowl on the south side of it in the iced areas then N.

Posted By:
pluckaduck
Field Editor

DL 11-02-2010 15:07
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Hey KO Bear, things are happening. If you got time, maybe a trip out west should happen in the next 10 days, birds should hold and hunters will thin out.