# Sand Lake, SD--Ducks



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Just visited with two friends who came by Sand Lake, SD, (just across the border with North Dakota) at different times in the last two days. They said northern SD is loaded up with ducks. Across the border in North Dakota it is sterile for waterfowl. Too much pressure moved them out. Water conditions are similar in both areas.

Last winter at the hearings some legislators said hunting pressure has no effect on bird movements. If BS was feathers, they could fly too. These are the same legislators who would not listen to Mike Johnson, NDGF. We need to put some heat on the grade Cs thru Fs on the scorecard.


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Dick,

Agree 100%. Friends in Aberdeen area said duck numbers skyrocketed by the second weekend of the north dakota season. They are all thanking the ND legislature for their inability to understand biology.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Dick...maybe you should load up a bus with those guys and show them.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Ken, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Of course the legislature's rejection of 2048 had nothing to do with biology. It was strictly a cave in to market hunters that require saturation hunting to be able to sell the prime resource. Pretty disgusting.


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## zdosch (Aug 31, 2003)

Well i guess the word is out....some buddies and I went out this morning just west of Webster and had 4 different groups of hunters within .5 mile of us. Unbelievable!!! It may have helped out a bit...it really kept the birds moving around.. We managed to shoot our limit of northern mallards and did see quite a few snow geese flying high. I think the cold weather and snow down here really got the ducks and geese messed up. Hope you guys are having fun up in North Dakota because I know we are down here! 

dosch


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## james s melson (Aug 19, 2003)

We hunted in the Sand Lake area for upland for several years, there were always lots and lots of waterfowl around, my problem was getting the SD license to hunt. In the years that we couldn't get a license we hopped into ND. Pressure in ND is one reason Sand Lake is holding ducks now, but it is a fantastic waterfowl area and attractive to birds, don't fool yourselves. Maybe some of the resident hunters in ND should pack up the gear and check it out for themselves, see what its like to hunt another state, do some scouting, ask for permission, spend some of that tucked away money, those birds belong to you too. Start a lottery system in ND and cap NR licenses.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Geeze....Not to sound too frustrated but do you really think it's a cake walk if you're a resident of ND? We scout, and ask permission every week just like you do when you visit and it gets harder every year as the G/Os continue to proliferate.

If you feel strongly about the lottery and cap PLEASE contact our governor and legislators....It may mean more to them coming from a NR.


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## cootkiller (Oct 23, 2002)

You mean the fact that there are thousands of ducks feeding in northern manitoba, sask., and alberta has nothing to do with the fact that there aren't ducks here right now.

Wait a week. 
I have hunted the entire year and have yet to see the big flocks of ducks. Even the first weekend of regular season. Sure during canada season there were lots of skinny locals here but the Northern mallards haven't come through our area yet.
Weather and water have a lot more to do with it than pressure.
If it gets too cold, we may be out of luck. That is just the way waterfowling goes.

There are thousands of cacklers in the area right now. Have never seen so many lesser canucks. Killed a few this weekend.
They are almost like shooting a duck (same size :lol: )

cootkiller


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## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

CK,
We got a Mallard and a Richardsons last week that were both 3.4 lbs exactly. They may be small but sure are tasty.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

I don't know about the other provinces.....but if anyone is waiting for a huge flight from mid to southern saskatchewan......you will have a long wait. The duck numbers were horrible up there and we put on some miles scouting!!!


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