2019 Waterfowl Reports

Another year, and time to Post your Reports and stories for another great year of Hunting!

Thanks WIngs!  I try to jump on those pic opportunities with Bella. At 12 yold, mayb another season or two in the tank. 

Slow morning today. 2 mallard morning. Only good shots of the day. Comparable morning weather-wise but just one of those "miss" days. 

Added pic of "after the hunt". 

@ Fowler 2......great retrieve pics from your post.  

Good point on having a drake/hen pair. As far as shooting limits of hoodies goes, I’ve never shot a limit of any kind of duck. Just don’t do enough of it. 

Didn’t see many other birds yesterday. All the local birds seem to have pushed out. One flock of divers and a few geese. 

Merg in northern wisco rare?! Lol!?? know few spots Where one could limit out everday! Drakes on wall, let rest fly!

Bowhunting guy, just a thought....Wrap/freeze your hen and go after a drake hoodie. The pair standing on drift wood would be a nice mount. 

Terrible table fare. Better fit on your wall. 

Great to know. Thank you sir! 

Hooded mergansers actually nest in northern WI.  So...on some bodies of water up there it is not rare to see them.  On other bodies of water it is very rare to see one.  Compared to mallards, black ducks, and wood ducks, the hooded merganser is definitely much less common.

Thanks musky. I’ve taken several birds to a guy in Oshkosh who does phenomenal work and I’m confident he’d do a great job. 

I’ve read your reports and you seem to be an accomplished duck hunter. How rare is it to see hooded mergansers in northern WI? 

Bowhunting Guy,

It wouldn't be crazy to mount a hen hoodie....they are cool looking birds.  If you do decide to mount it make sure you take it to an accomplished waterfowl taxidermist....one who can make sure the head crest is properly displayed.  Not all taxidermists who will mount ducks use the proper techniques to accomplish that.

I'm not a waterfowler but enjoy any hunting stories. Nice pictures to boot, like Fowlers and others 

I’m not a huge waterfowl guy, but I managed to shoot a hen hooded merganser this morning up north. Would I be crazy to mount it? Very pretty bird and something I have rarely seen. 

Great weather, cupped wings and flying steel! Duck calling could do no wrong. 10 bird morning between 2 of us. 5 mallard, 4 wood duck and a gadwall. All inflicted by 8am. Not many birds left but the weekend pressure stirred the pot during another bout of river rising conditions.

What birds that where around are now gone or hiding away from me. Had two mallards decoy, one got away. Hopefully the cold weather coming pushes some fresh birds in! 

It looks like a, Bibbed "mallard" also known as, Duclair and I think a Manky. Farm cross. I watched a brood all spring grow up in the Racice marina. They followed, what to look like a hen mallard? 

Otherwise, I can't believe the amount of blue wingers around this season? This was from Thursday morning.

I was able to grind out 14 birds of the potential 18 bird limit on 3 big water hunts this week.  Not the best conditions.  Mallards, gadwalls, wigeon, bluebills, ringnecks, and buffs.  A ton of work, but a lot of fun.  A couple of pics.....