I spent a week in SD fighting weather and shooting a few ducks and some geese. We fished in the evenings and had a heck of a trip. Weather really sucked. 15-20mph winds in a 14' boat I named the SS Winecork was an experience to be avoided.

Got one woodie in East NC on Saturday. Missed one before that. Could’ve maybe had another one but I didn’t want to push all the birds out of that area. Not a lot of action here so far. Only other ducks I’ve seen have been mergansers that were feeding on some big water this afternoon.

Got a couple last weekend.

Hoping that the big storm this weekend pushes them down here from Canada. Haven't seen any flight ducks yet.

Cousin near Sioux Falls reported the other day he had great hunting in flooded standing corn. One of his buddies saw them landing there and they set up the next morning with 3 robo ducks. Teal and mallards, locals of course. Doubt the weather will bad enough long enough to push anything. ND waters gotta freeze up hard first.

A lot of that here (teal, mallard, flooded corn). Snuck in of a flock of mallards in a small pond - hit the edge and stood up.....they were all asleep! I had to yell at them to get them to flush. Only one hen in the group and I managed not to shoot her.

Kaiser Norton

First hunt of the year last night and this morning. Disappointed in so few shot opportunities (Monte Vista refuge). Shot 2 drakes last night. This morning jumped up a mix of about 15 and bagged a teal and a hen mallard. I was halfway back to my truck when I noticed the hen was banded.

Three mallards this morning, shot them out of waterlogged fields while trying to find sharptails or pheasants. Weather was terrible with 15+ mph winds blowing heavy wet snow. Never found any sharpies but did get two roosters to go with the ducks. The dogs and I are now trying to warm up in front of the fireplace. Some may scoff that it is a gas fireplace but it fires up with the flip of a switch and throws out heat right away. In a couple hours I'll head to the tavern for something to eat and catch up on the town gossip.

There's gotta be a few more guys shooting ducks as openers continue to coverge on the mid latitudes of the flyways?

I killed one mallard some time ago with my 10 ga.. But my favorite spot the local lake, has a ban on use by people and dogs.. So waterfowl is going to be pretty much a bust this year..

Still not seeing flight ducks down here from Canada. With the big early blizzard we had, I'm wondering if they steered themselves around the snowfall and headed south already without coming through here.

It appears that it will start freezing-up later this week on all small ponds/sloughs.

There are local ducks around yet, including oddly quite a few teal, both blue and green.

Have seen just a smattering of greenhead mallards but not many.

Hoping that I didn't miss most of the migration somehow.

I found some local mallards yesterday late in the day while scouting. Killed two drakes from a small flock just passing through. I plan to have my blocks set up there in the morning.

Was quail hunting a local conservation property and heard mallards sounding off. Got to the pond and they started flushing. Had to be 200+ mix of mallards and blue wings. Of course it’s still a month out for our season to start here in SWMO.

Killed 43 with 8 guys today. Mainly mallards. They were really strung out with about every group having less than 6 birds. It was a good hunt but sure wasn’t the best we’ve had. Last year in early January we killed an 11 man limit in 45 minutes.

Most of what we hunt are dry fields, grass, and ag. Today we hunted a pond that was about 3-4 acres. Should be seeing huntable numbers of geese in a week or two. That’s when it gets really fun.

Not many here yet.
Shot 4 last Sunday morning.

Was wondering how you were doing Splatter. Going to try ducks this year for the first time in many years.

cool you got a band. Is there a way to submit the number online?

found this online https://www.fws.gov/birds/surveys-and-data/bird-banding/reporting-banded-birds.php

Nearly all frozen up here, sloughs are done, only some big water left around.

Most ducks have gone down into South Dakota. Big flocks of geese going through the past few days.

After Wed night (down to 10 degrees), we will be froze out and most every waterfowl will be gone.

Here's a good resource if you're tracking the migration through eastern South Dakota. Sand lake National Wild Life Refuge is on the northern border near Aberdeen and is in the migration route. It's a major breeding ground and rest stop for everything that migrates. Gives good reports.

I did notice in driving around Aberdeen this weekend that they had a lot of open water yet in the small wetlands, in comparison to an hour north where we are froze up in all small areas.

Funny how the weather can be like that particularly this time of year. One year ND froze solid with snow covering food while south of the border the weather stayed nice for a couple weeks. Pheasant, waterfowl, good walleye fishing all at the same time. And archery deer if you had a mind. A couple years later birds were holding in ND and Canada until a big Arctic blast pushed every duck and goose through the state in 48 hours. Didn't even stop when they hit Nebraska.

I'm seeing lots of fowl already stacked up in southern Missouri and Arkansas.

Oregon is locked up by a big off shore high pressure. Sunny every day, very little wind. We got one mid day wind out of the north several days ago. There is a spot that is only hunt able with a strong north wind. So as the wind picked up mid morning I ran out to the spot. Shot 5 Wigeon and 5 specs in a couple hours. Then the wind dropped.

Youngest kid killed one on the crick by the house the other day. Not many birds here yet in SW Wyoming.

My wife sure has been stepping on a lot of them lately.

If the temps stay like this, people will be ice fishing the Twin Cities lakes by Thanksgiving. Many of the lakes on the north edge of the metro area had skim ice on most of the lake yesterday. The very largest lakes and moving water is open but there aren't many ducks around. Should be able to walk the swamps for pheasants once deer season is over.

last 4-5 days have been Wigeon days. about 6 a day. today 1 goose, 1 redhead, 2 mallards, and a wigeon.

Got 4 mallards and a teal this weekend. Very warm, very calm weather. Some decoyed, jumped a few.

30338,
Been okay.
Yesterday, was my last hunt for the season.
Getting back surgery tomorrow.
Not much flying down here yet.
My Mike Miller Bird & Trout did its duty as always.

Be careful, being successful, you'll get bit HARD..
Happened to me !!

My second season and am BIT!

Well, it's below zero already tonight. So ND outside of the Missouri River corridor is frozen and done. Time for ice fishing for most guys.

I saw hundreds of Canada geese over by the big river though this weekend.

Lots in lower Mississippi flyway already. Really early migration this year.

Seasons not opened yet and ducks are feeding all night, coming back to loaf before sun up. Too early for that to start happening. I'm sure the recent full moon has them in that cycle.

Saw a huge blob of ducks land on the crick right before dark tonight. I’ll be after em in the morning

Blob?

What you don't know the BLOB?

Isn't that sort of like a Gaggle?

I’m not astute enough to quantify the size of the group numerically. So ya, a giant fuggin blob of ducks. Now it’s a blob minus my limit I got this morning 🤠

Been killing some woodies and got a hooded merg this week. Seeing some flocks around of various species, it just happens that they don’t like to come into the woodie holes I love so much.

No prob, it just struck me as sounding odd. The language police could nail my ass too. Flock of ducks in the air, raft of ducks on the water if you want to sound cool. Big ones or small ones.

"Washington (CNN)A "slow-moving blob" that may have been a flock of birds triggered a lockdown of the White House and caused the US Capitol to be placed on "restrictive access" Tuesday morning."

I stand corrected, birds do come in blobs. According to the CNN style book anyway.

Probably the same blob I saw. Minus seven of them
Of course. 🤠

Our first few day split opened yesterday. Slow morning today but beats sitting in the couch.


My buddy and his lab Patch thinks the couch might have been better though.

Nice. Been thinking about roasting a duck, would have to be domestic this year. Which ain't all bad but definitely not the same. May even go for oyster dressing but they come in frozen and are priced high for even fresh oysters. One of the (very few) things I miss about the east coast.

Having trouble finding spots that will let me get on the big ducks without needing a boat, but there’s more woodies around than this time last year, and occasionally another species will visit my woodie holes.

Had a good day two weeks ago, groups flying until 10am. Mallards, Woddies, Gadwall, Teal. Went to the same river spot this morning and ... Saw 2 waaay off just after shooting time, then crickets. Went scouting new spots after pulling up the deke's. Dog was bored. #1 son slept in, didn't want to get up at 4:30. He was the smart one today.

Goldeneyes are starting to show up on the river now!

Been slow on Currituck Sound so far (four hunters bag here from last Tuesday morning).

Had a good mixed bag in central Texas this morning. It’s so dry I was setup on waters edge, 30 yards to the nearest cover. Makeshift blind out of some weeds and some fog was good enough.

Mallard, gadwall, teal, and the first merganser of my life.

Got a good recipe for merganser?😂

Merganser recipe:

Soak cedar shingle in water....cook duck on shingle in the BBQ. When done, throw the duck away and eat the shingle. YUM.
I’ve known really good duck dogs that won’t retrieve mergansers. Can’t say I blame them.

Got excited and flubbed on a group of ringnecks at first light this morning. Then got a pair out of a flock of teal about 30 minutes later. No dog, so got to go swimming to get one of them. Luckily central Texas is 70 degrees this morning.

First two days hunting a small piece of property I bought. Creek is currently flooded into the alfalfa and the ducks approve.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/14411320#Post14411320

Gators are back out here in force and the high temps just sucks period.

During the little cold snap we worked on them pretty good Coastal SC, killing mostly Blacks, Mottleds, Teal and divers.

After a double limit first season I went back two days later to the same spot with my new Chessie hoping for more of the same. Temp read 36* on the truck when I put in. At 0715 an 11' gator swam into the spread.. Pisses me off that our state won't put more drawings in the lottery pot as we are over freaking run with them. It takes like four years to get drawn and they are literally sliding off the banks like cock roaches.

I swear its like I every where I go the state and fed agencies are trying to save everything but the American Hunter and his quarry.

How can you hunt with a dog with gators around? that sucks

I believe that much of the protection given to certain species (wolves, gators) is specifically oriented to aggravate and discouraging hunting - being done by those who believe humans are encroaching on the natural world (seems to be most of the employees of federal agencies).

all my areas are froze up. haven't heard a quack in a week. sucks.

IF the water temp is in the 60s and the air temp is below 70 then you are usually good but I still stick to the big water bays etc. IF its more than that I either don't hunt my dog or don't go at all.

We are litterally covered up with them. It sucks and the alligator hunt draw chances have gone from every year you drew to know one out of four years. Its ridiculous.

Odessa, much agreed. I guarantee it.

Not seeing much besides woodies and hoodies but that’s to be expected in a lot of the areas I hunt in ENC. Don’t have a boat or a lab, just a kayak and a Boykin so we stick to small water. Missed 2 this morning, went home with nothing. Hoping to get in maybe 3 more good hunts before the season is over.

I thought the fine for shooting a merganser was that one HAD to eat it.

We once kept a variety pack of duck labeled and sorted all the way to the plate. Even had a background coot in the mix. Among 4 consumers, the universally negative comment centered on a green wing teal.

Looks like a good time there,

Real slow here last two days. Valley received a lot of rain and the ducks have left the river for flooded fields.
Missed a passing shot on Taverners Canada geese, which earned me the requisite doggie stinkeye

I never had a GW Teal that wasn't tasty!

It has been slow most of the season, with some days of pretty good. Mostly, Gadwell...

I sure like the Boykins...

My season ended on Dec 15th but this was the last morning.

Game warden called today and said there are so many ducks using one of our fields he'd gotten 5 phone calls about it. Hopefully changes our season trajectory.

Today is the last day for ducks here, but I'm staying in.
Last goose season opens Feb 8 and I'll get after those a little.
Time to think about steelhead now.
Then turkey opens in April, and away we go..

All I get to think about for the next three months is work! But Spring Bear when I get back home.

Work is good!
Where are you going to hunt for the bruin?
And which knives will you take?

Yup it pays the bills!

Here in Montana

I'll skin the bear with a Triple B, and break the carcass down with either a Big Chris or Marauder K.T.

I'm hoping for pics!

Our season ended yesterday. It couldn’t have ended soon enough. Worst season I can remember.

I spoke with a buddy that is a regular at hunting our coastline. He reported a pretty dismal season, one of the worst ever. He said that he know of hunters that hunted our coast and never flicked the safety off. What the heck is going on? Two VERY bad seasons, back to back. We had very few ducks inland as well. Lack of cold weather up north surely has something to do with it.

From what I understand, the early migrators showed up in November, got educated, and no new arrivals came to liven things up. I killed one woodie in October and another on January 31. Could've shot a few mergansers in between, but that was about it. Maybe it's just me, but NC is a far cry from what it used to be for a shotgunner.

This is exactly what happened in Arkansas. Early November had a good number of birds move into the region. They turned into resident birds and became very call shy. After that early migration, nothing else came down. For curiosity sake, I’d love to know where the ducks are.

Strick , when I lived on the cast, Gtown, I had a deterrent method to keep the gators away from my Chesapeake.