2020 Waterfowl Reports

Another New Year. Place your reports, Pics and comments here for the new Season. Stay Safe and have fun!   

While I was out grouse hunting yesterday I found a good amount of geese. Hunted this a.m. for them. Was limited out on geese by 8 o'clock. Plenty of mallard still around but season is over up north. Had 4 otter greet me at the landing while loading up.

Way to go rustyduck. Its been rough going for the past couple hunts. But there's just something about duck hunting on Thanksgiving for me its normally a good a day of hunting. It was a so start to the morning but I was able to scratch out my limit of mallards. One funny/cool thing i got to watch today was a red breasted merg diving in 1-2ft of water. At some points it looked like he got stuck in the mud but would shoot our like a spooked fish next to shore. Hopefully the birds will play nice in the morning.

Yesterday was slow with just 2 ducks to show. But the difference a day and a little scouting goes a long long way.was  at a  spot I've never hunted. Just scouted. Found the birds there after yesterday's hunt. Was limited on mallards and geese by 930. Had 50 plus geese in the decoys for over an hour after that.sure was neat listening to the communication they made with flying birds. Waited them out and we will see what tomorrow brings. Another hunt you work all year for. Very thankful for God, great friends,family, and the great outdoors. Happy turkey day everybody.

Shot these this morning before work

Most people take this week off for deer season, this the reason I take it off for ducks. With the weather coming in I knew the mallards would be willing to work. And did they ever. Decoyed great and answered the call. The snow and sleet just made it that much sweeter. Was limited by 8:30. These are the days I wait all year for. 

Beautiful morning today....just awesome watching the sun come up.  It was also nice to see thousands of birds again.

A coworker and I decided late yesterday to make a quick "blast and cast" trip on opening day of gun deer.

1 duck morning. Couldnt resist the balmy 40 degree wakeup morning. Not many birds in the area anymore.

High water conditions after the previous weeks rainfall. Rat house in pic was nearly wet mud most of season. Wish the recent balmy weather and high water was here in October during migration. Oh well, another great season anywho! 

Suspendedmuskie

Use the Avery power hunter blind. Bought it few years ago. Light weight and very low profile. Killed many of birds out of it. Some of my favorite hunts in that thing. Got a few more duck hunts to come. Still mallards and geese around on the river. Deer season duck hunting is always pretty good.

When much of the smaller water systems have iced over early (again), its time to go big and man the battle station.

Today I was hunting in a proverbial "slushy."   Beautiful morning, but ice kept forming around my spread and I had to go out and break it apart.  Lots of geese around and had 7 tundra swans cross my diver spread (that was cool).  Only had a total of 9 ducks decoy....1 mallard, the rest late season divers.  I am glad I didn't set everything out today.....it was bad enough picking up 4 doz dekes with an 8 inch perimeter of ice bonded to each of them.  That made for some real cold hands.

Thank you fowler. I love my late season mallards. I look forward to this part of the season as much as I do for the opener. Alot of my early season hunting/scouting is all setting for this time of year. Great job and pics like always griz and suspendedmuskey. It was a up and down weekend for me I was feeling under the weather most of the I ended up over sleeping Saturday morning. Went to go take a ride and my truck battery took a crap on me got that taken of so scouting I went. I ran into a buddy and his group packing up from a field. He said the ducks didn't fly in the morning. So that's all I needed to hear. Ran home hooked the boat up and off I went. Set by noon had my mallards limit by 2. Decided that was good enough and wanted to play it safe on the big water with a smaller boat. Didn't hunt Sunday am but tried in the afternoon set up in a different spot had birds working but that wind was to much for them to finish right but thats hunting. Only 6 more days of work then hunting the rest of the season.

Griz, very cool pic out of the layout setup.

On Saturday, I found a pile of birds tucked up on a leeward shoreline.  With the wind switch overnight into Sunday, most skedaddled and were not there on Sunday am.  Saw a few, but it was a real challenging shoot with 20+ mph winds gusting to 40.

Trouter,

Ducks and Geese don't like stormy weather anymore than we do. They go feed right before and right after a storm. On real windy days, they "hunker" right in where they are and sit tight. Just normal behavior for them. See it happen all the time when it's like it was yesterday. Have a good day!

Hunted a.m. till 11. Very windy to say the least. Had one decoy floataway before light. Hunted in layout blind with snow cover. Had birds working better today just struggled to hit them. While I looked for a downed bird had 3 land right in blocks. Why when your away from spread they decoy perfect? Also will making trips to the landing a duck landed on shore where I was hunting. Of coarse left gun at truck cause my hands were freezing. Hopefully it don't freezer up this week.

On windy, blustery days, like today, all the ducks and geese disappear.   I have yet to find out where they hide from the wind.   There are not in the creeks or on the fields.

Someday, I will find their windbreak site.