Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
07-01-2011 21:24
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Delta waterfowl report in today sure makes it look like we will have plenty of ducks this fall. Now if the weatherman helps out. Guys in MO are crying because of crop failure because of floods and TX folks are doing the same because of worst drought in 50 years or more.
Now is the time to start getting the gear ready and the dog in shape. Work on some new drills with your pup. Mine are lining drills in particular. Simple stuff to do but oh so important.
jacduck Wow 136 days afield in 10-11 and maybe a few more for snow geese. Over all my season in MI, ND, SD and TX went basically as planned and we sure ate a lot of waterfowl topped with sandhill cranes. My new pup Kate CLF is 2/3s grown and has the makings of being a good one. We are going to hunt test her this season to exploit her potential. And give me more time doing what I love–getting ready for the 11-12 season. A serious hunter has to plan ahead! BSEG!
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
TX 02-15-2011 17:36
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Funny I just reread your post and last week-end I was in a group of TX waterfowlers discussing the season past and the split options etc. They expressed the same type of thoughts you are having. Problem is Weather is a big component and there is no one except the russians who can control it. Seems we are now covered up with ducks just a few days after season closed on Jan 23 and it happens “every year”. Same thing happened when I lived in Sag. Co. as a younger hunter.
Sure does, when the loud noises over favored hunting spots stop with the stings in the butt that accompany those noises the ducks return from smaller less favorable or larger less accessible areas.
Just an observation based on 62 years of waterfowling seriously…. Oh yeah that day we were laid out in a pasture with cows and 400 or so snow decoys…. Only got 22 snow/ross’ geese but it was great fun. Want to extend your season? Don’t stay in MI but plan some southern trips.
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 2011-02-15 17:38]
Posted By:
trisspeaker
Guest
Saginaw County 01-01-2011 16:02
Cloudy, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
We saw more ducks today than we saw the whole month of November and most of October , it is time that we get a split in our season like they do in other states along the flyway. Every year we get two days when the birds are in. limits of ducks and geese this morning in shiawasee state game area and outside……
Posted By:
wberg
Guest
Saginaw Twp. 12-13-2010 17:54
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Dad tried to get last hunt in before Saturday ending. Hunted all day. He said that the geese were very leery. At times had 200 or more birds working but kept flaring off. Every time he would think about picking up had geese come in. Did this four time finally left 5 monster big foot full bodies in field and then got his birds. With all the health issues going on with mom this season he was blessed enough to get around 20 geese. Never had a shot at a duck all season, first time this has ever happened. Myself after hurting my knee on the 18th. of October I never made it out. At least opening day I got two geese. That looks like it will be it this season. I’m having knee surgery on the 15th. Always next season GOD WILLING. Have a Blessed and Happy Holiday season.
Posted By:
BPage
Guest
12-12-2010 17:04
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Pulled my gear off of Saginaw Bay in November and brought it to the west side.
As usual the hunting was very slow compared to the Bay. Thanks to Rick and John for your reports. I check each week to see if anything new pops up.
Posted By:
wberg
Guest
Lansing area 12-05-2010 16:07
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Took ride over to the Lansing area yesterday. Looked like the St. Johns Marsh was covered with ice. Open water east of the 127 bridge. Left the area around 5:00 p.m. seen a few flocks of geese and a few setting on some open water ponds off of the highway. Dad hunting close to home since goose opened up again not much around seen a few ducks. Last week my cousin called my dad and told him that there were 1000 geese in the field behind their house off of hospital road. He went to check it out there yard, driveway and roof of the house were covered with crap along with the neighbors house.
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
Amarillo Crane hunt 12-02-2010 19:28
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 40-45 Degrees
Three of us hunted Amarillo TX for 3 days. Got 2 first day in 40 mph winds and they hung at 80 yards. 2nday no wind and it took almost 2 hours to get our 9. Spent the PM running roosters and got 7. I never saw so many pheasants in one area. Today 6 hunters started at 0709 and had 19 cranes at 0830 along with 4 unfortunate geese. Crap man it was fun. Drove 300 miles for cranes and pheasants yesterday. Things are a little spread out here.
Heading to Matagorda Co. for the winter in the morning with arrival before dark tomorrow I hope.
Hope you all had a good season. Oh yeah all 3 days it was colder at daybreak than in Gladwin MI
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:
callmaster64
Web Member
s.w. michigan 11-25-2010 17:20
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Wheres all the mallards nobody been shooting any up there or even seeing any in the southwest part of the state.
Posted By:
rick-hungerford
Field Editor
Saginaw Bay Fish Point Area 11-22-2010 08:59
Cloudy, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
I hunted Wildfowl Bay last Friday. I scouted the Bay the afternoon before in a 30-40 NW blow and the birds piled up in the lee of Sand Point. Literally tens of thousands, redheads, cans, blue-bills, buffleheads and a ton of mergansers. Tons of small feeding bunches spread out all over Wildfowl Bay, and everybody else were chasing deer.
So I stealthily planned my hunt with my boat blind and Bell. Off at the crack dawn, one problem, the wind had gone 180 degrees to the SE and I could hardly float my boat at the launch site. An hour later, I had chased birds off a feed bed and thought I was in for the diver shoot of the century. You know, the one shell in the gun kind because you want it to last longer, right!
Well the best laid plans didn’t work so great, I did manage my two redheads from the three groups that came back. But, I kept missing singles. After, an hour of this I looked at my gun and realized in the dark of morning, I had grabbed my sons which is 2 inches shorter on the stock. So much for planning ahead.
I did see something rare however, at precisely 10:50 AM. The entire raft in the middle of the Bay got up swirled up into the air, spread out into high multiple-layered V’s and headed South. Later that afternoon I scouted the area and almost all the birds had left. I think I would rather see the inbound migration, but it was still awesome.
There are still more birds to come, but even the refuge is reporting losing birds. With the Thanksgiving freeze coming, get out this weekend. We are running out of days.
Everything else is between seasons!
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
middle of the mitten 11-18-2010 15:26
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Sorry for the lack of reports but I hate being the negative news guy. I just pulled in from a quick trip to SD. 4 days hunting shot a GWT and missed 1 mallard. Things are slow no matter where I go so don’t follow me…..
[Edited By John-Cottenham on 2010-11-18 15:28]
