Another New Year, Post your pics and/or comments here for 2018!
Waterfowl Hunting
2018 Waterfowl Reports
Just sat and watched 2 cans play and a pelican and I swear try to eat them! Thing swam with its bill at waterline like a cripple and swam after them zinging and zagging as they turned about five feet in back of them, went after a few bills and they flew turned back after the cans and they took off too when it got too close! Had five bills 5 feeet in front of blind and all over the bay. The cans were at 40... also had 30ish mallards within sight some close enough to shoot. This was a first for me as I sat down 30 min before close and just watched.. didn’t shoot. Must be getting old. More ducks than I’ve seen at this spot all season.
Suspendedmusky my bad on that. I love diver hunting. I've killed blue bills in 200 feet of water out of the the layout boat on LM. I mainly stick to mallards these days because the lake shore doesn't really numbers of buff's and blue bills anymore for reasons I dont know. The long tail hunting got old to me with all people doing it. Also it's hard for me scout divers on water away from home because I have 2 young children now. I do miss diver hunting a lot. I know from reading your post you work hard and are a true waterfowler I enjoy reading your posts. Every year free guide comes on here trolling us cold weather hunters and he gets me every time.
TR...when you make the comment to "leave the mallards to the true waterfowl hunters" it might upset a few people (not me ....I could care less). However, I consider myself a "true waterfowl hunter", but I choose to not chase mallards all the time because hunting them is not all that exciting to me. They are slow, easy to shoot, and I like variety (normally kill 16-18 species in WI each year). Try anchoring in 130 ft of water on LM. I would never consider anyone who does that vs. hunting mallards not a true waterfowl hunter.
Yes this year was a strange weather year. That made it tough. But if some people work harder at find new spots or birds instead of complaining on here all the time they could kill more birds. Every year it seems like free guide wants the season to start at the end of August or just be September- October season.
I'm one of them. Free guide as of right I'm absolutely covered in mallards. In the areas I hunt. The wind doesn't look good to get out on the big water Thursday or Friday. So I might be getting the chainsaw out to cut a hole open in the river for those days. You can have hunting in 70 degree weather chasing teal and wood ducks. Those birds take no skill to decoy. Leave the mallards to the true waterfowl hunters.
I'm in Jefferson county. Have seen ducks last 3 days from the deer stand. Some have been mallards, others I can't tell from where I'm sitting.
Most larger waters and all rivers are wide open.
Roughly 50+ birds in 4 flocks Sat, 20-30 in 2 flocks Sunday morning, flock of 10-15 tonight.