Another New Year, Post your pics and/or comments here for 2018! 
Waterfowl Hunting
2018 Waterfowl Reports
1/3/18 @ 9:13 AM
Displaying 46 to 60 of 218 posts
Mallards are fun to shoot and I've been on some epic field hunts, flooded rice hunts, flooded timber hunts, etc, etc. But truthfully for me, I would much rather hunt divers. It is more exciting to me, more intense, and there is nothing like having those flocks of 10-25+ birds buzzing the decoy set up at mach 1. If I had to choose only mallards or only divers, I would choose divers. In terms of table fair, cans, redheads, ringnecks, and bluebills are excellent eating. So are many of the other species if you are good at preparation and can cook.
Good numbers of late season migratory birds accumulating on Lake Onalaska / Pool 7. Heavy flights of swans the last week or so. High water is keeping a good portion of the backwaters open and ice free with the moving water.
Still some good duck hunting going on for late season Mallards and Divers. I'm all plucked out for the season.
So blessed to live a short distance from here. A true paradise for migratory birds.
Check out some real-time cam footage on the flyway Cam. True stress reliever when you need it.
https://explore.org/livecams/raptor-resource-project/mississippi-river-flyway-cam
With two weeks to go on the duck season, I would say the later opening of the northern season efed us. Hunted the river that was forming ice in moving water it was that cold. Seen dozen geese, 3 mallards, 8 mergs, and 7 swans. No takers today. No late season push through this neck of the woods!
Northern zone.....cold, cold, and windy. Also lots of ice forming this morning in the calmer water out of the wind. Ice at edge of wind zone kept dragging dekes away. In calm water they kept getting frozen in. One drake mallard, 2 drake goldeneyes, and a "trophy" drake mergatroid. Saw more swans headed south also.
Nicely done, Suspended. That's a Great picture...nice hunt.
Thousands of fresh geese moved into Northern Illinois this week. Anyone with some field permission near water should do well, as usual. Once again though, we just haven't seen the flight push of ducks along with the geese, as we sort of expected with this front.
Hopefully they'll be along soon... big sigh.
I saw a handful of tundra swans today. Also a bunch of mallards, bluebills, buffs, and goldeneyes.
Pic is from a recent hunt for divers. Nothing like having a sizable mixed flock of ducks come across the decoy spread, quickly ID redheads mixed in with bluebills, shoot from an awkward position and connect on a triple....2 drake redheads and a greater scaup.
edit: corrected "goldeneye" spelling
As no-luck mentioned, non stop tundra swan flights the last couple days on the mississippi corridor. End is near.
Did go for jump shoot walk this afternoon to check conditions. Lots of high water again in the backwaters. Dog wasnt too thrilled swimming in the bone chilln cold water. Very few ducks, jumped a couple mallards, no shots. I think im done plucking birds for the year.
Displaying 46 to 60 of 218 posts
