# ...So, How Was Your Season?



## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

*Rank The 2002 Waterfowl Season*​
Excellent818.60%Above Average1330.23%Average1227.91%Below Average613.95%Terrible49.30%


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Although there might be a few oppurtunities left for waterfowl on the River the season is, for the most part, all but said and done. How would you rank your 2002 season?

I had a pretty good season. This year's early goose was excellent, and we really hammered the honkers. The resident's only first week was also a big plus. Duck numbers were good for the first part of the season. The negatives for the 2002 season; the amount of posted land was at the highest it's been. Competition was also higher than it's ever been. There were a few times this year where I put on hundreds of miles scouting, finding several prime fields, but after talking to their owners wasn't allowed hunting on any of them. The other downside to this season was the early freeze up.

How will 2002 go down in the memory books for you?


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

I had a pretty good waterfowling season. 
My group and I hammered the early season honkers also. But after 3 weeks of the regular waterfowling season had opened the canadas became really smart, I had to find birds that were fresh ,ones wich were migrating into our area,, I put on like 7000 miles this season, more then I wanted to but it payed off. Then after the big cold blast I started chasing mallards,and man I never had ducks decoy as good as they did this year, which all the mallard shoots were in corn fields.
For sure this year will go out with bang, I will have alot of memories to reflect back on.


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## Qwack (May 25, 2002)

Got to spend a lot of time in the field. Hunted by myself, with old friends and family and with some new friends too. Disappointed by the early freeze up and also didn't get a chance at a swan. But, to sum it up in one word-- fantastic! How many days until 1 Sept 2003???


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## 870 (Oct 14, 2002)

We hunted Oct. 27 and 28 with hardly a shot fired. That evening we located a field being used by a good number of Canadas and got permission ($$$) to hunt the following morning. About 6pm on the evening of the 28th, the wind shifted from south to north, and went from light and variable to 30 mph steady! Temps did the same, dropping to 12 degrees F by morning.

We hunted daylight to dark, with things made difficult by the motion in the Outlaw silhouettes cause of the wind. Actually burned up the bearing in our Winduk! But killed some Greater Canada geese that were absolutely huge, and drake mallards with necks the size of beer cans! One of our party is in poor health and just could not stand the cold that morning. I stayed in the field while eveyone else went back to town for a warmup and lunch. When they returned, he wanted to give it a go while I ate my sandwich in the truck. So we put him in my hide and backed out of the field. Five minutes later and the biggest bunch of Lessers I have ever seen came into the field and just smothered him, literally standing still over him in that wind. He was so amazed by the show, he didn't bother with firing a shot.

Thanks to all who provided their thoughts to my earlier post. Maybe we'll see you next year.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

> and got permission ($$$) to hunt the following morning


...there's a lot of people that will hope not to see you next year if you're paying for access. Thanks for helping to ruin the hunting here. Next year try hunting like a true hunter...FREELANCING!!!


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

I totally agree with you Matt, to hell with fee hunting.


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## goosehtr4life (Dec 16, 2002)

:beer: I have had the best duck and goose hunting in the last two years than the 20 plus years I have hunted combined. I have also had no trouble finding land to hunt on and have never and will never pay someone to use their land. If people are finding trouble with access you are in the wrong areas. I have hunted on posted and non-posted land with no problems. Ducks, shot my limit EVERY time out in the last two years(10 hunts) Hunt fields and have a robo. it doesn't matter if they have fed in that field or not. They come right in. Also if you are looking to hunt with less pressure wait until later in the year. It is also the best hunting.


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## 870 (Oct 14, 2002)

Sorry for spoiling your birthright! After getting the shaft from virtually every other North Dakotan we encountered (oh, Yaah, the birds are everywhere; oh yaah, we have plenty of water; I fix raw sausage every morning and no one ever complains!), I really did not have a problem with paying one of the few people who actually gave me something in return. The weather and day of the month caused the absence of birds area-wide the first few days, as nobody (including locals) shot anything besides a few scaup. Yes, we probably could have found a free spot to hunt but with a limited number of days in-country, there is only so much scouting and miles that can be put on the rental.

That having been said, we found plenty of nice folks willing to let us hunt their land. Problem being, they had no birds. Yes goosehtr4life, we may have been in the wrong area, but that's part of the learning process. We did not set foot on a single parcel of land that we did not personally (face to face) ask permission from the owner to hunt. And the attitude that we deserve something for nothing is a helluva lot more disturbing than my willingness to buy the guys' daughter a prom dress!

Merry Christmas!


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## goosehtr4life (Dec 16, 2002)

870, I have no problem with you paying to hunt. I personally would never do it, but I have never condemned anyone for paying to hunt. I am not like most people on this board. I think everyone has the right to do whatever they want and if someone wants to charge you to hunt their land it is their right to do so....Next year, if your looking for good hunting try central N.Dak....it is the BEST!!


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

The fact that you have to pay to shoot waterfowl in ND is what I find most disturbing...you must not have any idea what you're doing??? I guess I don't have that much of a problem with you paying as long as you realize how it makes you look to real hunters. I guess it's a legit way for the wannabe's who aren't good enough to freelance to find a way to shoot some birds without having to work for them. :wink:


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

870 notice how many miles i drove over the waterfowl season??? Thats from what you call SCOUTING if you have any idea what that is??? I bet the field you payed to hunt had one just has good or better a couple miles from it. I saw that many times this year. If I saw a field that was posted and I knew i couldnt get on it and it was loaded with birds. I just drove around the radius of that area and found a field just AS GOOD. What you did is called lazy. #### like what you did is ruining the ND waterfowling heritige. And I put my foot down to the person that does that!!Hunting isnt supposed to be easy, if it was they would call it shooting right??? 
I may have blown up but this site isnt about payhunting, notice no guides have there advertising on it? Thats because Chris H the page creator, and other hunters that hunt ND dont want anything to do with that. Go and look at FishingBuddy, it is a complete joke all the #### they put on there. Woodland resort is manily keeping a site like that going.
If you are not a freelance hunter get the hell out of here!!


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

The early goose season was awsome until the birds smartened up(man were they tough after the 3rd week in October).The duck season for the areas that I hunt were average.


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## 870 (Oct 14, 2002)

Matt, you are absolutely correct. I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not a real hunter. I stop when I reach the limit or before. I respect landowner rights. I don't skybust. I chase down cripples, regardless of how far they sail (which during my trip to ND was straight down).

GooseBuster, 7000 miles in a season is a lot of miles. Figure a 30 day season and that's about 230 miles a day. In 3 days of hunting we logged 900 miles on the rental car, about par with you if you subtract the miles to/from Bismarck. It was interesting in your post that all of your mallard hunts were over cornfields. Same for us, only we were hunting in a part of the state where this was the only cornfield we could find that was being used by the birds. Shame on us for picking the wrong location for our first visit. Yep, the field right next door was corn as well, free access too, but not a bird to be had because the field had been picked then picked clean by cattle. I guess you and Matt are right, it would have felt better at the end of the day to have scratched down a few passing shots over that field rather than shoot the field we found.

It's easy to sit back and ridicule everyone who does not do it your way, the "real hunter" way. That having been said, I don't believe either of you appreciate what you have in North Dakota. No competition, plenty of land access, birds galore and first crack at 40% of the migrating waterfowl in North America. Your "late season" hard hunting is what we experience every day of the season. I'm sure each of you are fine callers and can hold you own against the likes of Eli Haydel, Tim Grounds, Mike McLemore and some of the other "wannabes" of this world. We welcome you to try your hand down here anytime you feel up to the challenge. Reelfoot, Bayou Meto, White/Cache River, Felsenthal Bottom and Wren Lake are eagerly awaiting the real hunters arrival.

P.S. And when you come drag-assin' out of the field, with one scrap duck between you, I'll be kind enough to not bring your failings as a hunter and human being to everyone's attention.
:withstupid:


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

870 like I said I may have blown up. But stuff like what you are doing is monoplizing the ND watefowling. I know were you are from the only way to get into the good fieids is paying right??? It is we dont like the guys coming around paying up front for a duck or goose hunt in a corn field. Why?? we ask ourselves. . Just put the pay hunting in a more nonchalante way,so then you wont get the #### from use Nd resident hunters. 
Im not against any of the N-Res hunters, i even hunt with them if they are watching the same field I am. I have met a many of great hunters that way.


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## 870 (Oct 14, 2002)

I appreciate your comments. I just hate to get slammed by folks who don't know me from Adam and take issue with me trying to give a good friend, who may not be around to see next season, a memorable hunt. Especially on something like paying for access. I understand that it has not been an issue in the past, and is becoming more of a problem as time goes on.

And you guys are probably right, that with the influx of birds on the front that moved in the evening of Oct. 28, we probably could have set up on a free field some distance away and had success. Democracy rules, and when you are in a party of five, you have only one voice/vote. If we return, I'll make a point of doing it the old fashioned way.


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## tb (Jul 26, 2002)

Hey Goosebuster3, why are you backtracking from your 12.26 post? When you are right, don't apologize. Let Mr. 870 have his Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, or whatever, but don't let him think he's right.


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

Hey, tb if i would know better, it is better to make get along then fight all the time. I was just stating my view on the NR issues.


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