Posted By:
CPAMAN
Guest
Central MN 10-29-2010 12:44
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
Hunted this AM after the lowest barometric pressure system EVER recorded in the USA this past week on Tuesday. Yesterday may have been the day to be out as winds were out of the NW at 20-30 mph and overcast until late morning. Hard freeze overnight with temps down to around 23 degrees. Ice on the bays of the lake and the more shallow areas. Water levels extremely high-as high as I ever seen for this late in October.
I got to the landing early at around 5:50 am. That is a full 1.5 hrs before legal shooting. To my surprise, two vehicles were already there, and one vehicle was parked with the hunters already on the lake 20 minutes prior according to he other guy there who was just launching. Hardly a duck seen on my way in, however, it was still very dark. I got flashed off one point on the lake and chose to go the other side. Had plenty of time to set up, so I put out 18 diver decoys with a half dozen mallards just off to the side.
As a little twilight shown in the east, I saw a few small flocks of ducks moving around. Shortly thereafter, two other groups on the lake opened up with a volley apiece, and then another. I had a bluebill fly right into my decoy spread and took him right in the decoys. He drifted nicely to a clump of slough grass so I stayed in my boat blind. Five minutes later, two geese came in from behind me and I made a nice shot on both of them at around 40 yards. Unfortunately, both glided about 250 yards so I had to put the chase on them. I got one of them and the other one managed to get enough lift to just barely get off the water. It was shot by another hunter on the lake, so it was put in the bag.
A fairly decent number of migratory ducks showed up on the lake the first hour. Probably ten flocks of mallards ranging from 25-80 birds and about 15 diver flocks, primarily goldeneyes, ranging from 15-25 birds. I had a couple of goldeneyes pass through my decoys that came out of nowhere with no shots fired.
About ten minutes after sunrise, the most incredible blackbird swarm I have ever seen busted out across the lake. In my forty years of waterfowling, I have never seen a bigger swarm of blackbirds. I kid you not there must have been several million. The flock was at least a half-mile wide and it took half an hour to pass by and it was thick! The noise was so loud it almost hurt your ears. During this disturbance, several flocks of divers and mallards got literally buried within the swarm. It was nearly impossible to pick them out of the blackbird swarm as they moved about.
Despite seeing a fair number of ducks, the decoy shooting was very poor. Most of the birds swung around the lake at 100 yards up but never came to rest. This was surprising to say the least. I ended up with only the one duck and goose. At least I saw some birds today, however. That was encouraging.
Posted By:
kobear
Web Member
Alex-Fargo 10-29-2010 09:57
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Small ponds and lakes are skimmed with ice this am. Some new birds but just a few I’ve seen. Some nice mallards. A few Redheads. Head to Nodak.
Posted By:
Paul-Burton
Field Editor
brainerd area 10-28-2010 15:18
Cloudy, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted same water and point as yesterday. Not alot of bird activity, if anything less than yesterday- birds left? no new ones in yet?
ran a diver set tweaked a bit from yesterday due to wind being more north than west. Only shooting we had was at one group of buffles that came right in the pocket, dropped 4. That was the only real opportunity of the morning.
Did recieve word that new birds have arrived in western minnesota near Morris.
Still gonna hit her hard tomorrow and thru the weekend, keep ya’ll updated!
Posted By:
knute
Web Member
Breckenridge/ Rothsay 10-27-2010 21:49
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – 45-50 Degrees
Scouted last Saturday afternoon for about five hours and put on ninety miles. Very few ducks around. Very high water around the area. Finally found a promising spot on a wpa. A slough that was way over its normal edges up in to the grass.
Walked in Sunday morning with a dozen duck decoys and 1 goose. Set up in a foot of water in the grass. Had a few mallards working it early but I think they were seeing me in the tall grass so I moved into the cattails on the edges of the slough and dtood in the waist deep water.
Bingo!
Within ten minutes, in comes a big four curl drake. Dropped him at about 30 yards dead on impact!
Then about twenty minutes later I saw two mallards, started calling, and heard a quack above my head and looked up to see twenty big mallards over head. Dropped probalby the biggest hen I’ve ever seen. It was raining so hard and was so gray that I couldn’t see any colors at all between the hens and drakes.
Then a half hour later another huge drake comes over solo. Shot him and broke a wing. he dropped 15 yards away in open water, but very much alive. I peppered him with two more shots but couldn’t kill him, so I ran out to grab him and he dove under. Searched for 45 minutes for him but he never came back up! He looked even bigger than the first drake i got, which was huge! Bummer!!!
That was it and I picked up. Not a lot of birds but at least they were big ones.
Going back up this weekend. This weather should drastically improve things!
Posted By:
Paul-Burton
Field Editor
brainerd area 10-27-2010 12:00
Cloudy, Snow & Rain Mix – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
hunted close to home this morning. The nastiest weather I have ever hunted in. 20+ mph winds and blowing snow.
Setting dekes was a bit of a challange in the wind.
Hope was that the corner/point we set up on would be more protected than it was. Side set with 24+ loose decoys, didnt want to mess with the long line.
Didnt seem to have any new birds in the area i was, but did have movement from birds after 8am.
Had some cans and ringers decoy perfectly right up the string, left the lake with 2 cans and 3 ringers.
Planning on hunting rest of the week with the hope that birds are still coming in, keep you posted
Posted By:
crowwing hunter
Guest
detroit lakes park rapids area 10-27-2010 07:26
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My friend and I hunted hard for 9 days straight in the park rapids area. Should have waited a week later though. It’s always a crap shoot here in minnesota. Ended up harvesting 14 ducks. Saw very few birds. Hopefully this week will be better with this low pressure coming in. I might have to sneek up north for a day here. Good hunting. Crowwing hunter
Posted By:
Mendota Go-Devil
Guest
Big Fork River 10-26-2010 15:15
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 40-45 Degrees
Three days, seven guys, four dogs and two ducks! I’ve been hunting the Big Fork River annually for 35 years and it was by far the most discouraging duck hunting I have ever experienced there. We “maybe” saw 3 or 4 mallards and a few flocks of Rignecks but that was it. There weren’t even any coots hanging around! We had heard the hunting was slow in this area of the State but we didn’t think it would be that slow…especially when we had cooling weather and mostly north winds. The Big Fork’s water is very high this year and this probably has something to do with the lack of ducks but boy, when a bunch of good hunters with well trained dogs can’t even scratch out one limit between them after 3 days of hunting it tells me something is wrong! No wonder people are quiting duck hunting!
I’ll be heading up to central MN this weekend and will report back on Monday.
I hope this current storm pushes some good flocks of birds into MN this week and that everyone can get out and have some good hunting.
Posted By:
Paul-Burton
Field Editor
statewide 10-26-2010 14:46
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HERE WE GO!!!!!!!
WE GOT SOME WEATHER AND IF ANYONE CAN GET OUT, DO IT. THIS SHOULD DEFINATELY BRING NEW BIRDS TO THE STATE THRU THE DAY AND NIGHT
GOOD LUCK, SHOOT STRAIGHT, BE SAFE!
Posted By:
Paul-Burton
Field Editor
skime/nw minnesota 10-25-2010 15:03
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
Hunted large public water saturday and sunday. I believe that this water has held the same birds since opener, with fewer every week due to birds taken and pressure pushing them off the lake.
bluebills, bluebills, bluebills. Few buffles and even fewer golden eyes.
Ducks on this water had very specific flight/excersise patterns.
Saturday morning we were NOT on the “x” saw flock after group take the same flight pattern with no change, cover and decoy shy. 3 of us left with only two bluebills.
Sunday morn moved in to where the birds wanted to be after morning excersise and we WERE on the X! Great shoot with 4 bills in the boat for 2 of us in under 2 hours. Waited to get some buffs with no avail. We could have easily killed 12 bills for how flocks of 5-15 came right in the pocket, feet down. our other group of 2 killed 8, 4 bills and 4 buffs. My buddy trav pulled the ultimate shot, saw it from a distance, 3 bills with one shot, all deader than a door nail when they hit the water.
Summary: We need weather, I believe that i have been hunting and shooting at the same birds on this lake since opener. Other note- been loving doing a side set with the decoys, the covers i have been hunting have been thin, the side set doesnt have the hunter in the birds sights as they come up the string.
I believe bird numbers and activity is the same other places in the state, maybe all birds have left your area due to pressure and better food down the road for them. KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER!
I will be hunting local water around the brainerd area this week and weekend, reports in the last week of good numbers of ringers and a few small flocks of cans! keep ya’ll posted!
[Edited By Paul-Burton on 2010-10-25 15:11]
Posted By:
CPAMAN
Guest
West Central Minnesota 10-25-2010 13:02
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
On Saturday my son and his buddies did OK. They ended up with ten variety species birds but could have taken a limit with better shooting and not having been totally surprised by a couple of small flocks that suddenly buzzed the decoys out of nowhere. The wetland fog was a little dense early on making it difficult to be ready for those kind of opportunities. Mostly diver ducks seen with a mallard, wigeon and gadwall tossed in the bag.
