# Northern Flight?



## tb (Jul 26, 2002)

I was hunting a big lake yesterday and saw a lot of mallards. I mean a lot. I'm wondering if anyone else saw lots of birds yesterday. We used to say the flight usually comes in between the 7th and 11th of November. It would be pretty much on schedule.


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## Gooseguy10 (Oct 10, 2006)

I was in North Central ND Thursday-Saturday and did not see any ducks. Maybe I missed them by a day.


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

My buddy hunted Friday in Hastings, MN. Said he saw a ton of birds, but none came down. Almost no shooting down there, he said.

He hunted another suburb this weekend and saw lots of birds, but same thing. Not lots of chances.

I hunted south of the Twin Cities today, NOTHING. Nothing flying at all. Except I think 4 ducks, all high. No shooting.

What's going on here?


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## Neck Collar (Sep 19, 2006)

I just got back from SE North Dakota after a six day trip, I'm fairly sure we were right in the middle of the mallard migration. We saw thousands upon thousands upon thousands of mallards... Hunting was great. However we didn't see nearly the amount of snows we saw last year at this time.


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

> However we didn't see nearly the amount of snows we saw last year at this time.


Prolly because they're stacked in the northern half of the state!


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## Neck Collar (Sep 19, 2006)

Yea i figured that, although sand lake is loaded with em as well


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

I was hunting snow geese Friday and saw mallards, I assume the were mallards, go over so high that they could probably see MN. Things were definately moving as they musta been up there a mile high. Headed southeast.

Thursday last I saw two or three nice bunches work a flock of snow geese that were feeding in the next field over from me. This was in North Central ND.
Good luck,
Dan


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## orangefeet (Nov 7, 2007)

Big waters east of XXXX are holding a ton of mallards...should be killing some in the morning, if this isn't the migration I don't know what you would call it.


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## greenwinger_13 (Oct 6, 2005)

Went out last thursday and yesterday morning and it was evident that there was a northern push last week... Thousands upon thousands of ducks and geese in the two different spots i went too and it didnt take long to find them either just look for large tornadoes of stuff..


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

Just got back from XXXX area. 22 miles West of there to be exact. Didn't see many ducks at all. Very few. Lots of snows and blues, but they seemed to be headed out the same day we were headed out. They were high and in V's. Headed South West.


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## blja0601 (Aug 9, 2007)

i'm headed out on the 23rd to the SE part of the state do you think i'll be to late? i figured with all this warm weather might as well go as late as possible


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

I find it a little upsetting that I cannot help out my fellow hunters by telling them where I was and if the birds were there or not.

BLJA0601, you'd have better luck calling a local farmer out there. This site is getting pretty touchy about info. Basically it's a bragging site to show pictures of the hunt (as long as you dont' say where you were).

God forbid you try to find out if your vacation would be better spent in a certain are of the state.


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## FLOYD (Oct 3, 2003)

I know you have email and phones where you live.


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## FLOYD (Oct 3, 2003)

Or better yet, here's an idea......sign up, pay the membership fee (since your in such a helping mood) and PM each other. Its really not that hard of a concept, but then again, why would you care if you ruin others hunts, your probably not coming back in the next couple weeks.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Ruger1 you don't like kids and well most on this site don't like cyber scouters. :beer:


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## orangefeet (Nov 7, 2007)

Killed a ton of greenbeans this morning in a chisel plowed cornfield. Not kidding...flocks of hundreds to upwards of probably a thousand mallards trying to land on our faces. None of these birds seem to have been shot at, 3 dozen honkers 1 dozen full body mallards and two spinners...really small set up. Took us longer to get the truck unstuck then it did to limit out...if you are thinking about calling it a season you should go scout. THE NORTHERN FLIGHT IS HERE IF YOU LOOK AROUND!


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## Neck Collar (Sep 19, 2006)

I agree, There are HUGE groups of birds around if you go look for them..


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## Duckmaster15 (Nov 13, 2007)

Neck Collar said:


> I agree, There are HUGE groups of birds around if you go look for them..


Yea i just got from Western Minnesota and we saw a big push of geese and mallards.... going back out there this weekend to go get em if there Still there


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

ruger 1.....you can help out your fellow hunters all you want......just do it by PM.The philosophy here is no internet scouting.It isn't fair to the guys who already hunt or live in specific areas to be overrun because some guy wants to brag and name specific places where there are lots of birds.To much time and gas goes into finding those places w/o someone giving them all away.

So......no naming specific places.I'm sure there are other websites that allow this.....just not this one.


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## Dan189 (Nov 8, 2007)

I completely agree w/ Ken. Yes it is nice to get info about general areas in the state, and what kind of birds are around, but I spent the last four hours scouting for my hunt tomarrow morning at $3.13 a gallon, and it's a little disconcerning when you have people posting for everyone and their grandma to see where I'm going.

On that note, I'm more than willing to help out with general bird reports. I've been out 3 of the last 5 days and I'm still seeing thousands of mallards, and canadas in the SE ND area, however they're are getting sparse. I've been coming across progressively more and more snow geese, which leads me to believe that the "main push" is nearing it's end.

What kind of birds are people seeing in the northern/central part of the state? With the cold weather we've had and have in the near forcast, have you seen them staying around very long?

Dan

"Freedom is never Free"


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## orangefeet (Nov 7, 2007)

Dan, 
I think you speak for a lot of people when you talk about the price of gas and the price of all the time we put in scouting. I mentioned an area earlier in this forum and apologize for doing so...I thought I was pretty relative, but on second thought, wasn't. As far as North Central ND...tons of mallards, lots of divers have moved out since last week. Big flocks of canadas that are hard to decoy because of their size...too many eyes. Some snows and blues but I haven't seen anything ridiculous.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

Hey, I agree with you guys about the slackers that "cyber scout". I put 300 miles on my truck the 3 days I was out there doing my own scouting.

Don't come whining to me about gas prices, time spent driving, and wear and tear on your truck. I suffer those symptoms as well.

Leo, that's partly why I made the comment on your thread. Nobody will take the time to answer a location question and help out a fellow hunter, but everyone will take time to get all emotional about a couple of pics.

I find that amusing and irritating. I'm finding the people of NODAK are a fantastic bunch who are very helpful and nice. However the hunters of NODAk that frequent this site (with a couple exceptions) are selfish braggers.

I enjoyed this site when I first found it, and I still do enjoy parts of it. However I find the duck info to be lacking, due to the selfish nature of a few people.

Nobody bothered to PM me when I asked a location question. So what good does PMing do?

And yes, I do intend on being out there again in two weeks.


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## FLOYD (Oct 3, 2003)

ummm.....I guess I'm confused. You are ****** because you can't "help out" by telling people specific locations of birds, yet you "agree with us about the slackers that cyber scout"?

Just take a stance and stick with it. Either you like cyber scouting or you don't. I think its pretty obvious you don't like the fact that its not allowed here.

If you have to ask the question of what the value of PM'ing over posting locations and numbers on the forums is, then I think I'll just let you win.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

I'm helping out people who bother to ask specific questions. Those are the hunters I am helping.

OK, fine. I should have PM'd them instead of putting on the general page. My apologies.


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

> I put 300 miles on my truck the 3 days I was out there doing my own scouting.


Selfish huh? two weeks ago i put on 500 miles in 24 hours. I did not find any good fields, so i didn't hunt. I could of saved myself a lot of time and money by asking people on here where the birds are, but i didn't. If you can't find birds on your own or within your friends you shouldn't be out there hunting.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

> If you can't find birds on your own or within your friends you shouldn't be out there hunting.


And If I live 200 miles away? What then? I can't hunt the weekend because I don't have the time to drive out there after work and scout?

Nice attitude, and you wonder why MN and ND have so many issuse with resident and non-resident license.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> Nobody bothered to PM me when I asked a location question. So what good does PMing do?


That should tell you something about how you have come across on the forum.

You'll catch more flies with honey.


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

ruger1 said:


> > If you can't find birds on your own or within your friends you shouldn't be out there hunting.
> 
> 
> And If I live 200 miles away? What then? I can't hunt the weekend because I don't have the time to drive out there after work and scout?
> ...


heck 200 miles? thats all? i live 1000 miles away and i go and scout my own birds when i come out...wouldn't do it any other way. If you can't understand these guys points about internet scouting then seriously....why would anyone pm scouting information knowing full well your gonna reveal it for everyone to see.


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

> And If I live 200 miles away? What then? I can't hunt the weekend because I don't have the time to drive out there after work and scout?


Thats your problem, not mine. That why i CHOOSE to live in ND. I know i could make a hell of a lot more money if i lived in MN, but then i would have the same problem as you. It's your choice and with it comes some downsides. If i were you i wouuld try to make some good friends on here (if you haven't already). Then you guys can talk scouting and what not between each other as a group instead of talking about it with everyone on the whole site


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

*ruger1*

ND duck hunting is all about scouting. There are few things in life that are that simple. Bottom line; if you cannot find ducks in ND early in the season and when the migration starts you are not looking (scouting) very hard.

Would you complain and who would you compalin too if the internet did not exist????

This site is a great tool we list the migration reports for you to read and a ton of other information if you are willing to read it..

Listing specific locations of where to hunt and where you hunted is not allowed, deal with it.

This is not a R vs. NR issue do not make it into one. If you want to know an exact location of where to find birds hire a guide or outfitter and spend your scouting gas allocation with them. I get really tired of threads that turn into a R vs NR debate and I am not going to let this thread continue if it is going to be the same old crap.

BTW

I did not receive a PM from you if you would have sent one I would have responded, I always do.

Bob


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

> i live 1000 miles away and i go and scout my own birds when i come out...wouldn't do it any other way.


You see, hunters like this are the type of people i am willing to give out information to. Hunters that realize they need to do their own scouting but if in a desperate time of need are more than welcome to PM me about an area and i will be more than happy to give them the information they wanna know


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## du21 (Oct 15, 2007)

Do you guys ever actually use this forum to share stories? Or inform others on how you are doing and how the season is treating you? Maybe things you've noticed that are working? Things that aren't? My god, I check nodak outdoors all the time and all I see is bickering about residents and non-residents, online scouting, field hunting vs. water, etc. ect. ect. ect. ect. IT NEVER ENDS. Food for thought:

1. You live in North Dakota, the top duck-producing area in North America. What you guys call a sub-par hunt would be the highlight of my year. God forbid some NR's ask you whether or not it's too late to come up and hunt before they drive god knows how long, use vacation days, and spend a lot of money, (which, by the way, is a great thing for NoDak's struggling economy). His request did not even ask for a city name, much less a landowner or specific area. The guy just wants to make sure he doesn't waste his time off. But somehow you guys dilute it into 30 replies of bull ****, but you don't bother to answer a simple freaking question: too late? YES or NO. That's it. 
2. I think we all know by now- which, by the way, I have only looked at this forum this year- that you guys hate water hunters, online scouters, and non-residents (at least some of you seem to hate nr's). SO, you don't need to bring up all your hot topics and battle back and forth on a PUBLIC forum like a bunch of middle schoolers talking crap through instant messenger.

I had planned on coming to North Dakota next week to try and see the region and hopefully get on some good hunts. I abide by the rules, and would gladly hunt fields, not scout online, and do everything I could to make it easy on everyone involved. But I tell you what... I'm going to stay here in ***** instead. Do me a favor and stay up there.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> Do me a favor and stay up there.


Oklahoma vs North Dakota...???? I'll gladly stay up here... :beer:


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## bowhunter04 (Nov 7, 2003)

The posted replies to this thread didn't come from the question asked. It actually started when someone started to complain about how they can't list specific information. Don't make it sound like they were being jerks to someone who asked a question. They were telling someone who was complaining about not being able to internet scout why this website doesn't allow it.


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## tumblebuck (Feb 17, 2004)

> which, by the way, is a great thing for NoDak's struggling economy


yea....that's why we have a 2+ million dollar surplus in the general fund.

:roll:


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

DU 21, well stated. These guys are just to uptight and touchy. Specific areas sure help the guys who drive a long ways. I'm not asking anybody to scout for me. But Devils Lake is a fair distance from Bismark (Example). It sure would be helpful if someone would be willing to tell a NR to avoid an area and look around another if they ask.

The best you can get from these guys is SE or NW. Well woopty do. NDOAK is a big state. If you break it up into 4 quads, SE or NW are big areas.

Opps, I named some specific areas. I hope I don't get in trouble for that.


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## ruger1 (Aug 16, 2006)

Good to know Bob. I appreciate the offer. Thanks.


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## johnsona (Dec 4, 2003)

du21 said:


> battle back and forth on a PUBLIC forum


Wrong. It's privately owned and operated. You have a privilege to be here, not a right.

The main reason these problems keep coming up is that people who haven't been here long don't get it yet. They come in and jump right into the forums instead of first reading all of the stickys and other good info that's around. The thing that's frusterating is that half of these peoples first few posts are asking for specific info on a specific area, which, like others have said, we try not to do because there's way too much gas money and time put into finding out info like that. Tell you what - next time you come up here and get a hot area that you found the good old fashioned way, with your money and time, list how many miles and what direction it is from the nearest town. You'll understand our views the next morning when you've suddenly got 5 groups within a mile of you.



du21 said:


> The guy just wants to make sure he doesn't waste his time off. But somehow you guys dilute it into 30 replies of bull ****, but you don't bother to answer a simple freaking question: too late? YES or NO. That's it.


Nobody replied to that because that's not what this thread is about. If he wants to find that out, and it's that important to him, he can start a new thread where I'm sure people will answer him, or he can go search the site and find that there's already been about 5 threads dealing with the same thing within the last month.



du21 said:


> like a bunch of middle schoolers talking crap through instant messenger.


Hey, that's how I made all my friends too! (Please note the globs of sarcasm dripping off of that remark.)



ruger1 said:


> I'm not asking anybody to scout for me. But Devils Lake is a fair distance from Bismark (Example). It sure would be helpful if someone would be willing to tell a NR to avoid an area and look around another if they ask.


Yeah, you are asking people to scout for you. Why should anyone even tell you a general area around a town? We don't get that info from anywhere. We get out and find out by ourselves when there's no birds in our area. It might be great in the new area we head to, and it might be a bust. We don't have big meetings where all the resident hunters get together and share info that we decide to keep away from the NR's. We had to go through ALL of the work, including picking a general area, and there's no reason you shouldn't too. Besides, the migration reports ought to help you with that part.


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