2024 Duck and Goose Season Reports

Highly recommend Kansas if you have never tried it!

Finished this waterfowl season in Arkansas, hunting during one of there biggest snow fall totals in history.  The Specklebellys and snow geese played along very nicely for 3 consecutive days.Definitely made some great memories and a few new friends .

The big lake finally calmed down enough for a quick layout hunt. Still a lot of birds around the area.

I was going to hunt Sunday in Manitowoc county until I seen a few dead geese on the ice where they have been roosting by the hundreds.  Not how I wanted to see this season end here.

Anyone shooting geese south of hwy 10?  Huge flocks around central WI.

Great season.  One of the best in several years. The last story about the young kids asking permission, made my day!

Nice to see your post Edge. Your kindness in allowing the young group access and the way they handled there introduction pre and post hunt. 

First time this year yesterday I had some northern birds land in my corn field. Had a couple young men come up and ask me if they could hunt. First words out of my mouth is, are you guides? They said no so I let them hunt. I had left for the afternoon and when I came home I could see there spread but no ducks flying. About 4:30 one of the young men came up to house to thank me for letting them hunt. He had this big grin on his face. He said they shot 9 and one honker. What a way to end season. Sure made my day looking at that grin.

Thanks Kona.  I appreciate that.  As I've aged, I am thankful my son and one of my sons-in-law have really taken up duck hunting and can carry on the tradition.  

Based on pics the past couple of years, Bird Watcher and a few others on here are duck hunting to the very end.  Some of the days late in the season can definitely challenge a guy's sanity.  Of course, the safety factor will always win out over the passion of hunting ducks if conditions ​warrant staying home.

A couple pics of how bad the ice buildup was on the decoys.  Pics of 2 white-winged scoter decoys.  The remaining 5 dozen mallards, goldeneyes, and buffs set out today all look the same.  Lol.  I have the propane heater under the boat trailer right now trying to thaw the sheet ice from between the bunks and the boat hull.

SM-  Appreciated all the reports and pictures. Had to give up waterfowl hunting (neck issue) 10 years ago and miss the mornings in the marsh. Kudos to all your work /effort. 

It was a brutal one out there today.  Stiff WNW wind, whitecaps, and ice forming in the calm water.  The boat is an absolute sheet of ice parked in the garage right now.  The decoys used today will all have to be thawed in the utility tub to be put away for the season.  With tonight's lows dropping to 9-10 F and continued strong winds tomorrow, this was the last open water hunt out of my household this year.  Any remaining duck hunting this weekend will have to be a field hunt.

A few pics from the last few days, not all birds harvested are pictured.  1st pic (left) is today's limit of "black and whites."  Then a few pics from the previous 2 days.

Overall, 2024 was an excellent WI waterfowl season for my household. 25 harvestable species over the decoys with 22 species taken (not including 3 subspecies of Canada geese).

Ice on the edges of the river was thick enough to walk on this morning. Was the only idiot out there today where I was.   Lol

Still a few die hard out there, and a lot of birds around.

Not a ton of ducks flying where I was.  We did manage a few ducks and 1 goose.  Saw a few flocks of mallards, buffleheads, and goldeneyes.  Also saw well over 300 tundra swans migrating south with the largest flock having 78 birds.

Pic of one of the ducks from this morning and a flock of tundra swans passing over.  This drake mallard had an interesting "gold" patch in the center of its head.  

Mix of blue bills and buffleheads this
Morning.better results ​then last few hunts
Set up where we scouted on Friday 
And it was a good hunt
Bigger water inland spot . ​Trying 
Again tomorrow AM