Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
middle of the mitten 10-25-2010 21:48
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
Well as you have heard me say many times it must be Oct 25. I say that because that is the date that I use to say wood ducks are gone. I hunted a local lake with about 2 miles of oaks heavy with acorns where last week there were hundreds of woodies. This morning not a wood duck in sight. Must be Oct 25! A few smaller geese around but no real numbers. Locals pretty wise.
jacduck Hmmm! MI, ND, SD, NE, TX and anything else I can add. Got a new pup on order too. My youngest YLF is 7 and I promised myself that I would get a pup started so when she is nine she won’t have to work quite as hard. Takes a couple of years to get a pup to where I want ’em so now is the time. A serious hunter has to plan ahead! BSEG!
Posted By:
wberg
Guest
none 10-25-2010 17:45
– – –
What a crappy year mom and father in law diagnosed with cancer in July and August. Me surgery in July now last week screwed up knee at work. Dad has been getting out a little in the Freeland area has gotten a few geese here and there. Me on the other hand made it out for early goose opener, duck opener and another day with dad and Zack.I do believe my season is over. Will be the first season in over 38 years that I have hardly hunted. Always next year.
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
Sag Bay area 10-23-2010 18:01
– – 45-50 Degrees
Hunted NQP Thurs PM with my son John and had a great hunt even though ducks did not cooperate. Very few mallards in the area as indicated by the weekly count. Most birds taken are woodies, teal and widgeon per Brandy.
Wigwam Bay the next morning and again the ducks did not cooperate but there are quite a few divers off shore.
Fish Point Lodge this morning not for a hunt but decoy business. Doug was still out abut Chris gave us a report that good hunters are doing well if they can shoot and call. If not it gets sketchy. Divers and big mallards showing up.
My memory calendar says this is the week for the major push. My pal in NE says sandhill cranes are passing over early and all the ponds in the sandhills are full of ducks. I will be there the first week in Nov. and then up to SD to see what is happening.
Ya’ll play safe out there, do some scouting and get some ducks.
jacduck Hmmm! MI, ND, SD, NE, TX and anything else I can add. Got a new pup on order too. My youngest YLF is 7 and I promised myself that I would get a pup started so when she is nine she won’t have to work quite as hard. Takes a couple of years to get a pup to where I want ’em so now is the time. A serious hunter has to plan ahead! BSEG!
Posted By:
nurban
Web Member
St. Clair Co. Monday 10-18-10 10-20-2010 17:16
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 50-60 Degrees
Set (3) dozen oversize shell goose decoys
approx. 100 yards from the pond in the cut coy bean field and laid down amongst the group.(5)geese decoyed by 8:00 am and I shot my limit. Between the (10) floaters in the pond,(6)full size and(8) shells goose decoys along the shore, also (4)standing and (4) floating mallards and (6) teal floaters completed the spread.A total of (70)decoys and a live blue heron made for a great hunt.The geese responded well to the open field and later in the morning decoyed in the pond and my nephew shot his limit.
There are many geese in the area and some of these groups are large during their morning flights to open cut grain fields.There has not been any duck activety to date.
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
middle of the mitten` 10-18-2010 08:25
– – 50-60 Degrees
Odd thing happening here in the middle. Corn is going in by the train load and sugar beets are still in the field. Get out and do some scouting the geese are changing pattern daily. I can’t remember corn going in this early around here, usually some is done on frozen ground.
jacduck Hmmm! MI, ND, SD, NE, TX and anything else I can add. Got a new pup on order too. My youngest YLF is 7 and I promised myself that I would get a pup started so when she is nine she won’t have to work quite as hard. Takes a couple of years to get a pup to where I want ’em so now is the time. A serious hunter has to plan ahead! BSEG!
Posted By:
rick-hungerford
Field Editor
Saginaw Bay Fish Point Area 10-18-2010 06:14
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
I took the weekend off. Completed a long list of “honey do’s”. Hopefully I won’t miss for a while.
This from the area, the only day that produced consistently was last Thursday. The N blow and rain on Wednesday brought down some green birds. Still no real large build up of divers. That should start this week.
The Management area at Fish Point is still behind in flooding. If you are going this week, take a set up that you can drag since the many areas with water still aren’t floatable. They are getting birds.
Hopefully I will post on Friday this week.
Everything else is between seasons!
Posted By:
nurban
Web Member
St. Clair Co. 10-15-2010 15:03
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 40-45 Degrees
Hunted farm pond yesterday morning until 1:00pm.All goose movement began at 9:00am and stopped by 10:00am. The groups were large and were headed for cut grain fields in the surronding area.Smaller groups were difficult to decoy as the larger groups called them off.There are many geese due to the northern migration arriving lately.The weather condishions were good with breezy west wind and rain.No early movement was puzzling and a few loners were leary.Observed no duck flights all morning.
Shot a 10 pound hen turkey Monday morning.The weather was mild,sunny and still. There are a fair amount of young jacks and jenneys in the area. The spring season should be productive in all southern units.
[Edited By nurban on 2010-10-15 15:11]
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
middle of the mitten 10-15-2010 12:03
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 50-60 Degrees
This from the web page of Brian Wallace a taxidermist I know from AL. He does fabulous work so check him out if you are in the market.
Meanwhile here is his story that I would like all of you to think about how things happen so fast even to the highly experienced. Brian can be thankful he was not in MI waters because of severe hypothermia which occurs very rapidly. Take that from a Paramedic who has seen it many times.
http://wildaboutfowl.com/huntersbeware.htm
I guess copy and paste is the only way to do a link here, if that is not so please tell me how in a PM or something
Please play safe out there.
jacduck
Hmmm! MI, ND, SD, NE, TX and anything else I can add.
Got a new pup on order too. My youngest YLF is 7 and I promised myself that I would get a pup started so when she is nine she won’t have to work quite as hard. Takes a couple of years to get a pup to where I want ’em so now is the time.
A serious hunter has to plan ahead! BSEG!
[Edited By John-Cottenham on 2010-10-15 12:04]
[Edited By John-Cottenham on 2010-10-15 12:04]
Posted By:
wberg
Guest
Freeland 10-10-2010 16:20
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
Not as many birds today plus a few more hunters in the area. We managed to get 2 geese very leary almost acted like they have been shot at for weeks. At least dad and I got to spend some quality time with each other, seeing things with mom have been up and down at times.
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
Middle of ND 10-10-2010 11:07
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Sorry for lack of reports but I am in ND and net access is very limited. Canvasbacks outnumber mallards locally. Great hatch they just moved somewhere else according to the local warden. No matter still getting what I want and having a great time. Hope you all played safe the past two week-ends and I will catch you up when I get home next week.
jacduck Hmmm! MI, ND, SD, NE, TX and anything else I can add. Got a new pup on order too. My youngest YLF is 7 and I promised myself that I would get a pup started so when she is nine she won’t have to work quite as hard. Takes a couple of years to get a pup to where I want ’em so now is the time. A serious hunter has to plan ahead! BSEG!
