# So What are your expectations for the upcoming season?



## Jack_Coughs_Alot (Sep 11, 2007)

Just curious how everybody thinks they will do this year, with duck numbers in their area, water, etc etc.

better then last year, worse, or about the same?

over here, the geese numbers are down, but ducks seem to be up, and with a 6 bird limit again, i thinking (hoping) we're gonna have a real good season on ducks. Geese - have to wait and see how the migrator population numbers are coming through.

...only two weeks away!!


----------



## Nick Roehl (Mar 7, 2002)

I think it is going to be another great year for ducks and geese. Seeing good numbers of both, especially ducks. I am ready to lay out some redlegs. :beer:


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I just hope some ducks hit the ground. It doesn't really matter if the numbers are up or down, I'll still find myself doing the same thing either way.

I do find it funny that MN boosted the limit back up to 6. Here's my theory on that: Lots of people have stopped hunting in MN because there aren't many ducks left. They either come to ND to hunt or they just don't hunt at all. So to increase revenue from license sales they have boosted the daily limit back to 6 to paint the false image that things have dramatically rebounded, even though they really haven't. Because either way, not many guys are going to shoot 6 ducks a day anyways, so why not give people the hopes that they might do it.

I haven't done any research on this, so I could be totally wrong, that's just the way it seems to me.


----------



## justund223 (Aug 28, 2006)

you are right on there diver, it has been that way for years and will continue to be bad until they invest money into habitat. i hope that their "ploy" to boost licsnese sales works, so it can get better over there.


----------



## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

justund223 said:


> you are right on there diver, it has been that way for years and will continue to be bad until they invest money into habitat. i hope that their "ploy" to boost licsnese sales works, so it can get better over there.


It is *ALL* about the habitat!!!


----------



## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

I have shot a limit on every trip out duck hunting this year. Lots of ducks in Sask this year.


----------



## CDK (Aug 1, 2005)

Diver Sniper hit the nail on the head, the 4 duck limit was just a feel good bandaid to fix a broken leg. MN DNR is so F-ed up it makes me want to puke, between our ducks and our deer I don't know which one is worse. Back to the topic, Here in central MN I think we have a few more birds around then last year but not many more. Early goose has been pretty good, hand a nice push of birds on on Sat.


----------



## SJB (Jul 2, 2003)

Diver is right. It is not only the MN DNR, many states want more revenue any way they can get it. If Minnesota had a bag limit of 99 ducks, most would never get to six ducks.
With regards to the topic, Colorado, (where I reside) should have a boost in the duck season a bit due to much more precipitation this year than in the past few years. However, I would not come here for waterfowling. I would however, say that if you like to shoot an elk, come on over, (or should I say up) to Colorado. Looks like another record year on the horizon for big game hunters.


----------



## MrSafety (Feb 22, 2005)

Diver, CDK, you're both right on. MN wants $$ from licenses.......just look at how many different licenses you can buy. As I've said before, the limit could be 100 and it wouldn't matter. Mn doesn't produce ducks anymore.......the last several years there have been a few ducks, but the pressure from early goose hunting on water and the youth opener force birds out early. Plus, this years drought has concentrated ducks, so after the first weekend the ducks that are here are history. It's the same old story with the DNR in this state.....they don't manage anything........ :eyeroll:


----------



## waterfowl stocker (Sep 13, 2006)

slaughterfest


----------



## diverboy (Jul 5, 2007)

Whats really sad is that the MN DNR has suspended flying in planes to catch wetland drainage violations because they have such a backlog of cases and they can't keep up.


----------



## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

headshot said:


> Lots of ducks in Sask this year.


Headshot,

How's the whole province doing?

I drove from Fargo to Edmonton ( & back on a different route) late this summer, as I have for the last 20 years, and I was almost disappointed in the numbers of ducks and geese I saw north of the border.

The water was good most everywhere, but there was nothing on it. Even my mother in Alberta, out of the blue, lamented that she didn't see many ducks and geese this year - she drives several hundred miles per week. Sure, there were a few regions with birds, but as a whole over the pothole region there wasn't the number I have seen previously.

My guess for the season in ND is the local ducks will be fine, but over hunted and spooky, and the late fall flights just won't materialize. Until freeze up folks will be arguing whether they are still coming or already gone.

M.


----------



## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

hmm, thats funny, I have plenty of friends in MN who shoot the snot out of the ducks. I myself saw plenty on a couple hunts last year. Depends where you are and time of year but... I do agree with the DNR issues.

As far as my expectations, I expect to shoot ducks this season. I am more excited to get my dog some work then anything.


----------



## HonkerExpress (Sep 23, 2005)

As long as the birds stick it out for the next couple weeks, opener should be nothing short of spectacular. Lots of birds around and I will be trying for some woodies. Had a flock of about 20 come into the decoys last weekend and I really want one to put on the wall, lol. Hopefully we can get them to come back to the decoys. But over all the ducks look fricken awesome.


----------



## water_swater (Sep 19, 2006)

I think duck season will be OK, every publication is seeing a big boost in Duck numbers, but thats in Canada, I think our duck season will be the same as always in ND good for two weeks, one in september and one later.


----------



## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

> How's the whole province doing?


I can't say for sure, but I have never had such consitantly fantastic duck hunts like this before. Literally thousands landing in the dekes, my partner got the sh!t slaped out of his face when they landed right on the blinds. WE DON'T USE A MOJO, just calls and decoys. Lots of pintails, crap ducks and every species in between.


----------



## D&amp;D (Sep 14, 2005)

Did you guys get your new issue of DU magazine yesterday? If that forecast doesn't get your blood pumping, nothing will! It appears that the heavy rains in May and June, although causing some nest loss, actually helped the overall breeding and made great conditions for re-nesters. I can't imagine it being much better than what I saw last year, but who knows? We're most likely looking at another good year.


----------



## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

Expect the worst, hope for the best. :beer:


----------



## jkern (Aug 10, 2005)

Going off what I have seen so far....Gonna need quite the surplus of ammo going into this fall. :lol:

Life will be good to the duck hunter.


----------



## bloodnguts (Nov 22, 2005)

I've been hunting my friend's property in N. Dakota for the past eight years. When we first started, we would maybe see one or two groups of hunters milling around the area in the course of a day, and hear no more than a few occasional muffled shots in the distance. The birds seemed to have no more than a kindergarten education, and just about everything in hearing distance would respond to a call and a small spread of decoys. Now I see multiple groups of hunters buzzing up and down the gravel roads all day long, I find them set up in secretive spots that use to get hunted very little, and the ducks have more education than I do. I expect to see more hunters this year than I did last year, just as I saw more hunters last year than the year before, and the year before, and.... Oh I get some ducks here and there, but that wonderful relaxed feeling of being alone in a vast region is long gone, and that uneasy feeling of having to compete is really creeping in. N. Dakota is still a beautiful state, with more opportunity for waterfowl than any other state it seems, so I am grateful for this place.


----------



## scissorbill (Sep 14, 2003)

Too many hunters yet all anyone hears is youth season this, early youth season that, ad nauseum. Can't find a place too hunt too crowded, Need to get the youth involved or we wont have any hunters. All the land is tied up. guides outfitters hordes of "synthetic" hunters. No one is hunting we need to have every conceivable combination of youth hunts and special seasons. I see.Very clear now.


----------



## maanjus11 (Nov 17, 2006)

After a lot of scouting and some early goose hunting in MN, I feel that duck hunting is going to be similar to previous years. Real good the first weekend (typically limit out or close to it) decent the second weekend and horrible there after. However, some years if it gets cold enough and long enough before the season closes you can get some good late shoots, usually being mallards and sometimes bills. However, last year there were a lot of geese during the late season, but were tough to hunt!

Like the group consensus, I don't agree with the limit jumping up to 6.


----------



## Lindahl (Mar 20, 2007)

I am going to start by saying I love Minnesota. I want that to be clear, Minnesota is near and dear to my heart. It is the only place I and generations of my family have called home.

It has a huge population of local geese. The fishing is accessible and second to no other state for the variety of options. From great walleye and pike water to the bass that go largely ignored. Grouse hunting on vast acres of public land that is better than most private apple orchard plantations out east that are only for the rich seems almost unappreciated. The bear hunting ain't bad. Enough deer to ruin a lot of cars. It also has the potential for very good pheasant hunting.

Minnesota has in years past been a great place to hunt waterfowl.

That hope in my mind has gone away with the family farm many years ago.

All we are going to be able to do now is curb the destruction on the last remaining islands of prairie pot holes and hope for a good flight and timing on the Canadian migration.

I have scouted in far western Minnesota the past 3 out of 4 weekends. Logged many miles. There are still very hunt-able numbers of waterfowl. But it is in isolated pockets of miles and miles of endless corn. Many of the sloughs and ponds on private property that have gone dry have been mowed and tilled under. The miles of tile is unreal. The tile business must be very good right now. The last few years with the drier conditions it only gives the farmer more reason to mow, till up and tile any problem areas he's had in the past.

How little the farmer will learn from his fathers father's mistake.

Floods will swell the ditches in the spring causing nothing but problems for roads and homes. Once the water runs off there is in my uneducated opinion more chance for future drought. But who knows?

The problem is nothing new to Minnesota and Iowa.

It is not out of the question that Canada and the Dakotas are not far behind in the process to grow more diverse energy solutions. I.E. Corn. Lots of it. Buy futures. Expend enormous amounts of fuel and financial resources to try something that has yet to be long term proven a viable answer to energy questions and concerns.

Farmers and the government have made very bad business decisions in the past who's to say this isn't one of them and at the ducks expense?

My expectations for this year are we will scout, find ducks and shoot them. It will involve putting many miles on the vehicles, hunting areas we've never hunted before and being far from home for long periods of time. The amount of work involved in doing so will be costly and time consuming. Something many do not have the luxury of time or money. If you have the money you buy your hunt. If you've got the time you find your hunt. If you have neither you tough it out or go the way many have gone and give it up. I did not understand that a few years ago. But now I understand for many the amount of effort needed to put in to hunting is far greater than many other activity's.

For many it is not an option to give it up. It is in your blood. It's in mine. If I couldn't hunt I'd sell my guns and take up photographing waterfowl in the spring.

Waterfowl hunting for me goes so far past shooting. When flocks of ducks are circling the decoys or riding cold winds they push air in and out of my lungs. Pump the blood in my veins and fill my empty chest.

Farming practices are the driving force behind waterfowls demise. There is no other reason so large, unmovable and unchangeable. Development takes its tole but to no degree that the section after section of land that is farmed and tiled. The farmer is not evil. He's doing what he needs to do or what he knows how to do. The government is trying to feed it's people. We as a country do not understand being hungry. Even many of our poor are over weight.

There is no change in farming practices on any grand scale that is in the works or in the near future. Only progress in the wrong direction. Granted there are stories of hope. But on such small scales in such a desert of corn.

The Minnesota DNR wants to get more people into hunting?

Give the ducks some habitat and the hunters will come. Look at how many MN's hunt North Dakota, South Dakota and Canada for ducks but not their home state.

The DNR doesn't do as good as a job as it could I will never argue that. But many with in the agency try. IMO the biggest hurdle they are up against in getting ducks back on the right track in MN is the AG business and its puppet the USDA.

The fat lady is half way through her song.


----------



## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

Where i hunt, the duck numbers have seem to skyrocketed!

My prediction, just another episode of--- "murder she wrote"


----------



## duckjunky (Mar 8, 2007)

I lost my spot that really produced several awsome hunts and limits, I was able to get another and so far we have killed a few geese off of it and this coming duck hunting season looks promising. I also started a new job so I'll be hunting on my scheduled days off when ever I am not on call. My expections are kind of high since we are seeing lots of birds. I hope this season is safe, everyones dogs work well and everyone shoots extremely well. :beer: 
Good Luck and Be Safe,
Duckjunky


----------



## greenwinger_13 (Oct 6, 2005)

Early goose season went great and I did very well the 5 or so times i was able to get out... as for ducks they were definetly spotty but great numbers... almost anywhere I scouted had good duck numbers... last year was great but another year means more knowledge.. of everything from scouting and finding birds to shooting, calling, and understanding every little aspect.. i cant wait for 5 years or so when i have a kid that i can someday teach


----------



## malspeck (Nov 21, 2005)

Getting my sons their first duck and/or goose! That's my goal and expectation and if that's the only duck/goose killed this year I'd be a happy man!


----------

