# REPORT IN ON YOUR OPENNING DAY



## floortrader

FILL THE POOR BUMBS IN WHO COULD NOT GO HOW IT WAS OUT THERE.


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## teamshakeandbake

6 man limit of mallards including 3 honkers in a wheat field :beer:


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## TK33

pretty good opener. Didn't see many mallards or canadas but got into a lot of divers. Perfect opening day weather, the dog had a good time and worked well.

Once the weather cools down and the crops come off it is going to be a great season. :beer:


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## bornlucky

6 man limit of Canada's. Everyone got shooting and it was in your face. We will trry it again in the morning.


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## Chaws

4 man limit by 8am this morning. Birds were in our face all morning. Had some green heads that were almost fully bright green and some that were completely gray still. Kind of weird to see for this early. Guess some were eating good over the summer.


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## pointblankshot

3 man limit of honks and ducks. Birds came down on top of us. Very exciting! Good luck tomorrow and the rest of the season!


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## wburns

A friend of mine and I did well both days. Mostly teal though in my area. Got a redhead, shoveler, a couple of widgeons and a couple mallards over the two days but the majority were blue wing teal along with a couple of greenwings.









Saturday


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## Duckmaster15

had a great opener... limited both saturday and sunday with 6 mallards ( all greenies) 1 redhead and the rest teal.


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## Prarie Hunter

Hunted Sunday, 6 man limit of ducks 1 banded greeny.


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## goldfishmurderer

3 man limit. saturday was much too hott for duck hunting though.


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## Great White

Congrats to all of you on your successful weekend. Hope to have similar results when we get there this weekend!

--******


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## USAlx50

Our opener- Ducks are brown and we had trouble patterning them in fields this weekend. We did alright, sure felt like fall out there today.


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## lil chubby

12 mallards/gadwalls/widgens and 3 geese!!!


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## backora

We had a great opener, Saturday we got a seven man limit, a few greenheads but a lot were still brown, pintails, gaddys, teal, redhead, cans, and a couple of honkers!


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## Rick Acker

We had a good day as Chaws said!


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## speckline

Rick, 
That picture is truely awesome! :beer: 
His grin is ear to ear.
Congrats!!!


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## Bisbee Hunter

we got our 8 man limit of mallards all; greenies and one diver a piece. Had all the ducks in 45 min. Limit of honkers took a lil longer. With a bonus 20 snows and blues. A total of 10 bands all openiong weekend. Our best opener ever.


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## Bisbee Hunter

i notice th MN plate in the above pic :-?


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## GKBassplayer

Bisbee Hunter said:


> i notice th MN plate in the above pic :-?


probably students, we rocked MN plates all weekend... 8)


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## prairie hunter

Bisbee with an opener like that you must surely have some pics :wink:

Suspect the MN plates are based on the fact that these guys look college age ...



> NDG&F site:: By answering yes to this question you are certifying that you live in North Dakota and are a full-time student attending an institution under the jurisdiction of the state board of higher education, a private institution of higher education, or a tribal college. You are eligible to purchase hunting and fishing licenses at resident rates.


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## Bisbee Hunter

good point didnt think of that one. Lil slow this morning. No sleep all weekend. Work in the afternoons and hunt in the morn


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## backora

I kinda figured somebody would point that out, just got the truck and no new plates yet, don't worry its not the forsaken non-residents shooting all your ducks during the first weekend.


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## Bisbee Hunter

I lost my camera in the field saturday but im sure my cousins have some pics. Try to get some posted later today


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## Jmnhunter

field hunted Saturday morning; 2 of us, shot 5, fog and sun made it dificult to ID the drakes. Very warm  finished up in the afternoon pass shooting a pothole, great time in ND 

I have blue plates too  , not a student but I'm going to be working here atleast 1 year so I have waiver form


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## take'em down

3 Honkers, 1 lesser not a whole lot of birds but an awesome morning


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## kkelly

Went out with 5 other guys on Saturday and had a very rough day. The fog was really thick and didn't lift until about 11 so we couldn't see the ducks until they were right on us. But that didn't stop us! We ended up taking 18 ducks in a barley field. We had a whole bag of birds including a couple hen pinnies, immature drake pinni, some immature drake mallards, hen mallards, couple gadwalls, widgeon.

Overall we didn't see too much color and had quite a few immature birds. Didn't really see too many medium or larger flocks, everything we shot was in small flights of about 8 birds. Overall great hunt!!

Went out Sunday morning and had another rough day only this time without near as many birds. Clear skies, but very, very windy which we fought all morning, ended up with an immature drake mallard and a canook.

Great weekend!!








First Duck of the Season!!


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## Scott LeDuc

Bisbee Hunter said:


> we got our 8 man limit of mallards all; greenies and one diver a piece. Had all the ducks in 45 min. Limit of honkers took a lil longer. With a bonus 20 snows and blues. A total of 10 bands all openiong weekend. Our best opener ever.


Bisbee,
Not trying to bust your balls here but 40 _greenheads_ by 8am?? Most of which I am assuming were shot before sun up? How were you able to tell the brown drakes from the hens??


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## wingaddict

Bisbee Hunter said:


> we got our 8 man limit of mallards all; greenies and one diver a piece. Had all the ducks in 45 min. Limit of honkers took a lil longer. With a bonus 20 snows and blues. A total of 10 bands all openiong weekend. Our best opener ever.


wow :eyeroll:


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## hunt61

Hunted Saturday and Sunday in wheat stubble. Eleven guys in two groups. No geese in our group which surprized me. Mallards and Pintails, 1 Wigeon, 1 Gad. No large groups, mostly 3 to 8 bird flocks. They sure are stupid these first few days.....


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## blhunter3

Bisbee Hunter said:


> we got our 8 man limit of mallards all; greenies and one diver a piece. Had all the ducks in 45 min. Limit of honkers took a lil longer. With a bonus 20 snows and blues. A total of 10 bands all openiong weekend. Our best opener ever.


Im going to throw the BS flag on this one. :bs:

Depending on where you were hunting, you were more then likely covered in fog. Pretty hard to ID the ducks in the fog, unless they were in hand.


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## floortrader

you could not do that well if you hunted in a goverment sancuary sorry i have to throw out the bs flag also I think it was the blues and snow story got me.


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## IAMALLARDMAN

I'll give him the benifit of the doubt for now, but im gonna need to see some picks soon? No one has a hunt like that any where in the lower 48 and doesnt take picks!! :eyeroll:


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## quackhead01

had a great weekend the honkers decoyed great the ducks just didn't seem to be feeding in the fields where we were. as you will see day one is the first pic and day two is the second pic even a banded blue.


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## take'em down

so when do we get to see these pics bisbee? sounds like a great hunt id like to see it...


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## duckslayer

blhunter3 said:


> Depending on where you were hunting, you were more then likely covered in fog. Pretty hard to ID the ducks in the fog, unless they were in hand.


I hunted not too far from his area, there was absolutely no fog where we were. We had ducks in our face from 6:40-shooting time. Pretty easy to identify when they are close.


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## Bisbee Hunter

heres the one pic i have still waiting for my cousin to email me more


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## teamextrema

> With a bonus 20 snows and blues


Ha.. Like Bisbee, I also do not like to include my snows and blues in pictures with Canadians and ducks I shot that day.... NOT

I was approx. 20 miles south of Bisbee and out of the Forty or so ducks we shot this weekend.. There was 1 that was as green as the ducks in the pictures... Looks more like an old late season pics..


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## Maverick

Considering Bisbee ND is so close to the canadian border I don't doubt you one bit Bisbee! The green in the picture look like northern birds to me.
We didn't have any fog as well on Saturday morning.
Glad to see you got a female involved as well!
Nice pic!


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## Gooseguy10

I also had some luck this weekend in ND......










:lol: [/img]


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## prairie hunter

May have been easier to just stay with ... lost my camera in the field. Hope you prove us wrong ...

They do seem to be a little too green for Sept 28th ... not all greenies ... see hens ... see no divers they with the snows?

_That said, we have occasionally gottened into bachelor groups of old drake mallards during the first week where they are all big greenhead, full curl birds ... struggle to see hens in the flock ... not you are looking to hard for them ..._

If I had a banded duck or goose, they would be in my hand :wink: not the line-up.

You report them yet ... how many young of the year? what was your oldest bird?


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## Rick Acker

I don't like to call B.S. on anyone...It's not my business...However, I can tell you with 99% certainty those Mallards are NOT opening day plumage. I know a little something about that!


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## take'em down

Bisbee Hunter said:


> heres the one pic i have still waiting for my cousin to email me more


Where are the snows??


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## USAlx50

Maverick said:


> Considering Bisbee ND is so close to the canadian border I don't doubt you one bit Bisbee! The green in the picture look like northern birds to me.
> We didn't have any fog as well on Saturday morning.
> Glad to see you got a female involved as well!
> Nice pic!


Most of the mallards we shot in SK in mid Oct last year weren't plumed like that.

I'm not saying, but I kind of am...


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## goldfishmurderer

If that picture is opening day why are the people in the picture wearing sweatshirts under jackets? It was a pretty hott day where we were hunting. We had long sleeve t's on to start the morning and that's it and we were on the shore of a lake. Can't imagine how hott that pit was with no breeze in there.


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## Duckslayer04

Ya I can't stand when people mix snows, ducks and cans in the same picture.:lol: I think hen teal turn out best for pictures. Out of 60 some ducks this weekend not one was pure green, if what you say is true....can I hunt with you!


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## Maverick

> Most of the mallards we shot in SK in mid Oct last year weren't plumed like that.


Funny..... I was in Sask's in mid Oct. as well! All the green we saw were that green. Maybe you were seeing all hens?...... :bs:

Some people just love to hate!!!

I do agree that they drakes do look fully plumed.....but really...who cares?
One thing I hate is photo police! If someone wants to stroke their ego. Let them! They feel better about themselves, great, but if this is really true! Your just being an A$$HOLE!

I shot 6 teal on opener!

Again Nice Pic Bisbee !


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## Rick Acker

Seriously Maverick...Are you looking at the same pile that I am...If you are any kind of experienced hunter at all...It easy to see those are late October Mallards at the earliest...Probably November. This story is fabricated...With that being said...Who care's? Some young kid messing with everyone and is probably getting a charge out of it.


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## averyghg

yeah id have to chime in and call BS as well, mainly for the fact that he said they shot all greenies and there is definitely hens in the pic


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## Maverick

> Seriously Maverick...


I could care less really! Your the one getting all worked up about it!
I shot 6 teal on opener! They were fully plumed!


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## Rick Acker

Not worked up at all...Would love to see a pic of your fully plummed out teal! :beer:


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## mshutt

Rick Acker said:


> Not worked up at all...Would love to see a pic of your fully plummed out teal! :beer:


Hell I bet Rick would even mount one of your fully plumed teal Mav! :lol:


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## Scott LeDuc

Rick Acker said:


> This story is fabricated...With that being said...Who care's?


Probably the truest sentence in this whole thread!

I know one thing... I'll bet hotel reservations in Bisbee are through the roof since this conversation started!


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## Maverick

> Not worked up at all.....


I laughed when I read that!



> Seriously Maverick...Are you looking at the same pile that I am...If you are any kind of experienced hunter at all...It easy to see those are late October Mallards at the earliest...Probably November. This story is fabricated...





> I don't like to call B.S. on anyone...It's not my business...However, I can tell you with 99% certainty those Mallards are NOT opening day plumage. I know a little something about that!


What was that again.....

If you give me a minute I will post my bountiful hunt that my GF and I had!

You guys and your ego's.....


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## Longshot

This is the reason some don't care to share their pics. There is always a critic.

Wish I could have made it out. Had to put my yellow lab (Ruger) down last Monday.


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## Scott LeDuc

Maverick said:


> Not worked up at all.....
> 
> 
> 
> I laughed when I read that!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously Maverick...Are you looking at the same pile that I am...If you are any kind of experienced hunter at all...It easy to see those are late October Mallards at the earliest...Probably November. This story is fabricated...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't like to call B.S. on anyone...It's not my business...However, I can tell you with 99% certainty those Mallards are NOT opening day plumage. I know a little something about that!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What was that again.....
> 
> If you give me a minute I will post my bountiful hunt that my GF and I had!
> 
> You guys and your ego's.....
Click to expand...

Maverick - above you criticized the photo police. Judging by your last post I guess that makes you the thread police?


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## Maverick

Call it what you want Scott! 
I just don't understand why you care so much?

Have a nice day!


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## Rick Acker

Wow, I don't think I've ever been quoted 3 times before...

Ego huh? Because I have an opinion? And, I don't agree with yours...Maybe you should look in the mirror on that one.

Here's a better idea...Why don't we go back to Opening Day reports and just let it go.


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## Maverick

Rick Acker said:


> Wow, I don't think I've ever been quoted 3 times before...
> 
> Ego huh? Because I have an opinion? And, I don't agree with yours...Maybe you should look in the mirror on that one.
> 
> Here's a better idea...Why don't we go back to Opening Day reports and just let it go.


Still not worked up ehh.... :beer:

the real question is...can you


> just let it go


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## crewhunting

Correct me if i am wrong but there should be forty mallards in the picture and well there isnt. Also were are the divers that were shot out of a feild which seems odd to me?!?!?! Alls I can say if they killed that many birds I would proudly show the hole bag. And well most hunters take pictures of the band and well to shoot ten on opener I would again be showing the jewlery.


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## Rick Acker

Maverick said:


> Rick Acker said:
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, I don't think I've ever been quoted 3 times before...
> 
> Ego huh? Because I have an opinion? And, I don't agree with yours...Maybe you should look in the mirror on that one.
> 
> Here's a better idea...Why don't we go back to Opening Day reports and just let it go.
> 
> 
> 
> Still not worked up ehh.... :beer:
Click to expand...

Nope, it's Hunting time...Enjoy the season! :beer: :beer: :beer:


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## Maverick

Like a football coach once said...(note: I didn't say good football coach).....


> Enjoy the season! :beer: :beer: :beer:


Exactly!!!! :beer:


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## Blue Plate

That photo was taken from the Aero Outdoors website, makers of full curl and drop zone decoys.

http://www.aerooutdoors.com/products/de ... ating.html

Scroll half way down.

Bisbee Hunter - has reached an new internet low. :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll:

Maybe you shouldn't post photos that are not yours, especially when staff frequents this website. :eyeroll:


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## Rick Acker

Hey, we agree on something else! He was a lousy coach!


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## Scott LeDuc

Blue Plate said:


> That photo was taken from the Aero Outdoors website, makers of full curl and drop zone decoys.
> 
> http://www.aerooutdoors.com/products/de ... ating.html
> 
> Scroll half way down.
> 
> Bisbee Hunter - has reached an new internet low. :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll:
> 
> Maybe you shouldn't post photo that are not yours, especially when staff frequents this website. :eyeroll:


CHECKMATE!

Now lets move on.....


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## nodakoutdoors.com

haha - I cringe when I was reading this thread once it got nasty....but that checkmate was hilarious! :lol:

We did well Saturday on ducks in the fields. We probably only shot at 0.01% of them all though...we had a hard time identifying drakes, even with the sun at our backs. I scathed the weekend hen-free though. 8)

Sunday was a slam dunk on lessers and we got a bonus snow. A couple kids got their first ducks and geese, it was nothing short of a great time.


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## IAMALLARDMAN

WOW!! Thats all i have 2 say!! N to think I gave you the benifit of the doubt last night!! :eyeroll:


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## prairie hunter

Warning:  This site has too many teachers and teacher wannabes on it :wink:

Think twice before copying someone elses work.

Family did well both days this weekend. Mostly teenagers hunting so it was a mixed bag of geese and ducks of all sorts. They heard few if any other shots. Saw no one scouting either F or Sat evening.


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## Maverick

Glad we all feel better about ourselves!



> but that checkmate was hilarious!


I guess I missed the humor?


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## Scott LeDuc

Maverick said:


> Glad we all feel better about ourselves!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but that checkmate was hilarious!
> 
> 
> 
> I guess I missed the humor?
Click to expand...

Not surprising...


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## Maverick

Scott LeDuc said:


> Maverick said:
> 
> 
> 
> Glad we all feel better about ourselves!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but that checkmate was hilarious!
> 
> 
> 
> I guess I missed the humor?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not surprising...
Click to expand...

Because it wasn't funny!


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## Longshot

Submitting someone elses hunting photo! I just don't understand why. That is just sad. uke:


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## Scott LeDuc

Maverick said:


> Scott LeDuc said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maverick said:
> 
> 
> 
> Glad we all feel better about ourselves!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but that checkmate was hilarious!
> 
> 
> 
> I guess I missed the humor?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not surprising...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Because it wasn't funny!
Click to expand...

I can do this all day Maverick. I will let you get the last word in.....


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## wingaddict

Blue Plate said:


> That photo was taken from the Aero Outdoors website, makers of full curl and drop zone decoys.
> 
> http://www.aerooutdoors.com/products/de ... ating.html
> 
> Scroll half way down.
> 
> Bisbee Hunter - has reached an new internet low. :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll:
> 
> Maybe you shouldn't post photos that are not yours, especially when staff frequents this website. :eyeroll:


 :beer: :lol:


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## Maverick

Scott LeDuc said:


> Maverick said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Scott LeDuc said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maverick said:
> 
> 
> 
> Glad we all feel better about ourselves!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but that checkmate was hilarious!
> 
> 
> 
> I guess I missed the humor?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not surprising...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Because it wasn't funny!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I can do this all day Maverick. I will let you get the last word in.....
Click to expand...

Thanks and have a nice day like I said earlier!


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## USAlx50

:lol: A+ thread, highly recommended, will read again.


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## Maverick

USAlx50 said:


> :lol: A+ thread, highly recommended, will read again.


Then post something constructive....instead of adding to the hating!

Here is my second day of opener weekend!









and this was opener.....11 teal 1 mallard









and no she didn't wear the heals hunting!


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## averyghg

I suppose i might as well post something constructive.

The girls cut em up for both of their first duck hunts. It was pretty fun, we had MASSIVE amounts of ducks all around us just minutes before shooting time and they kept asking us when they could shoot every 10 seconds. Ended up with 20 ducks 9 greenheads. Could have shot our limit but it was more fun just to sit back and see the girls shoot and miss, and miss and miss and miss, haha. We also got 3 honkers


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## Rick Acker

Maverick, looks like that Gaddy and Pintail are pretty nice for this early...Mac very smart to get the gf's involved in hunting...Believe me, this will pay off in the future when you want to go without them. Plus, if it's a slow day, there other things you can do to pass the time.


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## Maverick

> Maverick, looks like that Gaddy and Pintail are pretty nice for this early...


A flock of about 10 Pinney's came in and he stood out like a soar thumb! He was extremely fat as well for this time of the year! My guess would be that he just flew in sometime earlier in the week! Only a guess though!
It was an awesome weekend!!!
:beer:


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## USAlx50

Maverick said:


> USAlx50 said:
> 
> 
> 
> :lol: A+ thread, highly recommended, will read again.
> 
> 
> 
> Then post something constructive....instead of adding to the hating!
Click to expand...

There was no sarcasm in that post, just a little ebay reference.

Our opener was less than stellar, we battled fog and birds that didn't seem to pattern in fields that well for some reason. Birds were very brown, most in this picture are actually drakes. Some literally dont have green feathers on their heads at all, had to ID based on bill, chest, and wings.


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## barebackjack

Waterfowlers ..... :roll:


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## nebgoosehunter

Great job guys! I still have eleven days to go


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## possumfoot

Maverick said:


> USAlx50 said:
> 
> 
> 
> :lol: A+ thread, highly recommended, will read again.
> 
> 
> 
> Then post something constructive....instead of adding to the hating!
> 
> Here is my second day of opener weekend!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and this was opener.....11 teal 1 mallard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and no she didn't wear the heals hunting!
Click to expand...

judging by the bill, looks like ya shot a black..


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## Kris brantner

or just a very immature greenhead


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## Kris brantner

[quote="Maverick"The green in the picture look like northern birds to me.

Nice pic![/quote]
this is my biggest pet peeve!!! you think that the birds grow bigger or faster in the north? i hate it when someone shoots a nice greenhead and says huh... must be some northern birds down. they are just older birds! the ducks that are over a year old dont loose every feather in their body. mostly their primary flight feathers. so hence they are still green come fall. i agree that picture is defnitally not from opening day tho...


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## bandman

Good ole' ND opener! :beer: :beer: Talk about a week that should not exist on my working calendar.. :x Friday morning can't come soon enough.

Opening day; seven of us were done with the greenies by 7:45.








3 fallen comrades didn't make it out the next morning, but that's what you get when your bday falls on opener.. :lol:


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## Wacker 44

My brother and I only ended up with four mallards. The reason for this is we both and yes I repeat both of us forgot our shotgun shells at home! as soon as we relized this I flew home grab the shells and called him on my way back and he said that he had multiple flocks of mallards of groups from 10-40 birds in his face! By the time I got there the birds stopped flying except for the few that we got. But he said that we would have had our limit if we had shells. As soon as we got back home I put two boxes of shells underneath the seat of my truck so it will never happen again. But that night we turned things around and shot our limit of honkers which were HUGE I have never seen Honker that big this early in the season!!!! Good luck for the rest of the year talk to ya hunters later.

Wacker 44


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## Maverick

> Kris brantner said:
> 
> 
> 
> [quote="Maverick"The green in the picture look like northern birds to me.
> 
> Nice pic!
> 
> 
> 
> this is my biggest pet peeve!!! you think that the birds grow bigger or faster in the north? i hate it when someone shoots a nice greenhead and says huh... must be some northern birds down. they are just older birds! the ducks that are over a year old dont loose every feather in their body. mostly their primary flight feathers. so hence they are still green come fall. i agree that picture is defnitally not from opening day tho..
Click to expand...

The reason people say this is because you will see the drakes of most duck species leave the hens as soon as they start to nest, or shortly after. After leaving their hens, drakes gather in flocks and migrate to large marshes to molt. Some birds in this state head north! North into parts of Canada. Hence the phrase "Northern Birds"! Do they grow bigger and faster. Nope, it just means they are the older/mature birds that have made there way back down.

Great Pic's Bandman!


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## Duckslayer04

Well I hate to break it to you but northern birds are actually larger. It's called Bergmann's rule, it pretty much says the polar form tends to be larger than related ones from a warmer climate. Mallards are one of the only ducks that are recognized under this rule....So I suggest that you find a new pet peeve :eyeroll:


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## KEN W

Sorry but you are the one who is wrong......when a hen finds a mate,she doesn't care where that drake comes from.He will follow her where ever she wants to nest.So a drake born at the north pole(northern mallard) could easily follow a hen that nests in say Texas.Is he a northern mallard then?????

A mallard is a mallard.....your Bergmanns rule only affects animals that don't migrate or follow their mate to another place.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

Article from biologist Doug Leier this morning:



> A recent study involving thousands of ducks banded in North Dakota and other Central Flyway states and Canadian provinces produced information for biologists and hunters alike to dispel some of the myths of mallard production. One such discussion regards the production of mallards in North Dakota and Canada, as many hunters assume brown ducks that lack full color in late September and early October were raised locally, while field-feeding November mallards with all colors in place are transient late-coming migrants.
> 
> The study indicatec a solid majority of banded mallards shot in North Dakota early in the duck season were also banded in North Dakota. After Oct. 28, the proportion of birds recovered in North Dakota that were banded in Canada increased, but local birds were still well represented.
> What that means is a lot of North Dakota-raised mallards are still in North Dakota in late October, despite the increased likelihood of shooting a mallard that's on its way down from Canada.
> 
> Hunters in search of picturesque plumaged drakes might assume that the ones with a full set of full-curled tail feathers and not a pinfeather are "big northern mallards, down from Canada."
> 
> That might have been the case a few decades ago when a much greater proportion of the Central Flyway's mallards nested in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, instead of North Dakota. In the last 20 years or so, due to overall loss of duck breeding habitat in Canada, and a temporary gain in North Dakota with a wet cycle coupled with the peak of the Conservation Reserve Program acreage, North Dakota has attracted a much greater proportion of mallards.
> 
> While old hunting stories don't change much over time, hunting dynamics do. These days, a plump grain-fed greenhead that decoys just before deer season could just as well have been born and raised over in the CRP across the slough, instead of hundreds of miles north on the Canadian prairie.
> 
> When you stop and think about it for a second, you'll realize a drake mallard looks pretty much the same, whether it was raised in Canada or North Dakota. In fact to shoot another hole in the myth, the young-of-the-year North Dakota birds just might even have a slight edge in size and coloration because the nesting mallards stop earlier here than farther north migrating mallards setting the stage for earlier production and longer growth period before the hunting season.
> 
> I'll also acknowledge that local mallard migration does take place and most waterfowlers have experienced many a cold front that pushes some local birds out, with migrating ducks filling in the void several days. It's little nuances like this that give duck hunters something to kick around over a cup of coffee as they anticipate their next outing in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Midwest.


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## TFA

Bisbee Hunter said:


> heres the one pic i have still waiting for my cousin to email me more


These guys even made front page of a magazine!!! What a good hunt!!!


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## ReeceCampbell

barebackjack said:


> Waterfowlers ..... :roll:


Yup. :wink:

We had a good opener. Had to work Sat but got out Sunday with a few guys from B town that we never met before. Great guys, great hunt. It is too bad we couldn't get any of those fully plumed northern mallards. Although we probably had a better chance of shooting snow with a Jack Miner Band on it.


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## tclark4140

5. the moderators: They have made this site very enjoyable, from what it was a couple of years ago. Especially for us outdoorsman who drive a vehicle without n.d. plates
4. Stories of the youth who are able to get out and hunt.
3.Facts: Like the one on "report in on your opening day" from chris quoting the biologist on the size of mallards. 
2. General hunting conversation story telling and the clips from the dnr rules, on what is legal and what isnt.
1. The pictures, they r so good, nothing but memories, i really liked the sunset with the robo duck, very north dakota, very beautiful. :lol:


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## tclark4140

did chris use to be a football coach and did maverik play for him?


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## Maverick

While I do understand that the local ducks can be raised at different stages due to loss of a brew of even loss of a nest. Facts are that the drakes do group up after nesting and leave! Do they all go north? No, but some do&#8230; Hence the "Northern Birds" quote again! The young of the year do not leave and the drakes that did leave making their way back are what I am talking about. Not the young of the year!



> did chris use to be a football coach and did maverik play for him?


....Um no...but i do recognize you from the powder puff game! :lol:


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## templey_41

[/quote]







[/quote]

You should see if Mojo will give you some royalty for that pic. Very nice!

See you ND boys in 3 days! BUt first a graduate physiology class, chemistry and pharmacology quiz! :-?


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## Kris brantner

the only thing i was saying was that when someone shoots a mature bird, they always insist that they are from the north and the ones that arent mature are from here. its not a big deal really... it just bothers me... 
ducks and geese are constantly moving, even when they are not migrating north or south. we shot a banded mallard in northern north daktoa, that was banded less than one month earlier in southern south dakota. it was a fully plumaged bird that was hatched a year or more ago. so was that a northern bird?


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## Duckslayer04

Ya I get where your coming from Kris. But Ken - Bergmann's rule does apply to migratory birds, including Mallards. Older studies have concluded that Bergmann's rule holds stronger for sedentary birds rather than migratory birds but in a recent study from the University of Colorado-Boulder did not find this to hold any validity. A hen might not think she cares where her mate comes from but mallards tend to pick the largest drake (Northern) they can to mate with, in order to get more fit offspring. (sexy son hypothesis) I am not saying it holds true 100% of the time, but in general it holds true.


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## Kris brantner

its just the timing we have here in wisconsin. usually the time the migration is really heavy here, is about the time that most of the ducks are mature. but that time of year they are mature pretty much anywhere. didnt mean to hijack the thread... i will have an opening day picture up here after this weekend when we open in WI


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## MuleyMan

Not trying to stir the pot here, but the largest drake is not necessarily a "northern mallard." Bergmann's principle does not apply to migratory species in any specific way. These birds leave the cold regions, thus are not exposed to extreme temperature decreases that have caused non-migratory species to attain larger body sizes. Think about it in terms of geese and the associated subspecies. Small geese like lessers and snows nest in the extreme north. Compare these to the size resident geese that reproduce each year throughout the lower 48.

Good luck to everyone this fall!

:beer:

MM


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## Matt Jones

After reading this thread all I can say is WOW, NoDak has to be the Internet-Trolling Capital of all websites. It's like some some of you guys think everything on the internet is true.

No wonder so many guys come here to troll...the fish are always biting! :beer:

As for my opener, it was good. Lots of ducks shot, a few bonus geese taken, plenty of twelve-oz curls, and even some new friends made. Couldn't have been better.


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## Rick Acker

The only thing I would like to add is that the main reason the drakes leave the hens who are on the nest or after the babies are born is because the hen will litteraly kill them otherwise. And, I'm not kidding. I've seen it. It's nature's way of protecting the ducklings. Drakes are colorful and attract predators. Hen's instinctively know this and curb them. That's why drakes eventually leave the nest.


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## USAlx50

templey_41 said:


> You should see if Mojo will give you some royalty for that pic. Very nice!
> 
> See you ND boys in 3 days! BUt first a graduate physiology class, chemistry and pharmacology quiz! :-?


Thanks for the compliment. I dont think Mojo would be real fond of the on/off switch hanging from its butt in an ad :lol:


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## dakota31400

Duckslayer04 said:


> Well I hate to break it to you but northern birds are actually larger. It's called Bergmann's rule, it pretty much says the polar form tends to be larger than related ones from a warmer climate. Mallards are one of the only ducks that are recognized under this rule....So I suggest that you find a new pet peeve :eyeroll:


Not all mallards, but there does appear to be different "races" from the far north that are clearly larger (much larger)....we always called them "Canadian Red Legs"....a late season treat.

However, I think you guys are taking about 2 different things....color vs. size. The larger birds I speak of are usually late migrators and stop way short of the South...They are also brightly colored, but that is because they are seen later in the season. In either event, there are bigger mallards that come from the north,, but not necessarily prettier ones.


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## barebackjack

> A recent study involving thousands of ducks banded in North Dakota and other Central Flyway states and Canadian provinces produced information for biologists and hunters alike to dispel some of the myths of mallard production. One such discussion regards the production of mallards in North Dakota and Canada, as many hunters assume brown ducks that lack full color in late September and early October were raised locally, while field-feeding November mallards with all colors in place are transient late-coming migrants.
> 
> The study indicatec a solid majority of banded mallards shot in North Dakota early in the duck season were also banded in North Dakota. After Oct. 28, the proportion of birds recovered in North Dakota that were banded in Canada increased, but local birds were still well represented.
> What that means is a lot of North Dakota-raised mallards are still in North Dakota in late October, despite the increased likelihood of shooting a mallard that's on its way down from Canada.
> 
> Hunters in search of picturesque plumaged drakes might assume that the ones with a full set of full-curled tail feathers and not a pinfeather are "big northern mallards, down from Canada."
> 
> That might have been the case a few decades ago when a much greater proportion of the Central Flyway's mallards nested in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, instead of North Dakota. In the last 20 years or so, due to overall loss of duck breeding habitat in Canada, and a temporary gain in North Dakota with a wet cycle coupled with the peak of the Conservation Reserve Program acreage, North Dakota has attracted a much greater proportion of mallards.
> 
> While old hunting stories don't change much over time, hunting dynamics do. These days, a plump grain-fed greenhead that decoys just before deer season could just as well have been born and raised over in the CRP across the slough, instead of hundreds of miles north on the Canadian prairie.
> 
> When you stop and think about it for a second, you'll realize a drake mallard looks pretty much the same, whether it was raised in Canada or North Dakota. In fact to shoot another hole in the myth, the young-of-the-year North Dakota birds just might even have a slight edge in size and coloration because the nesting mallards stop earlier here than farther north migrating mallards setting the stage for earlier production and longer growth period before the hunting season.
> 
> I'll also acknowledge that local mallard migration does take place and most waterfowlers have experienced many a *non-resident* front that pushes some local birds out, with migrating ducks filling in the void several days. It's little nuances like this that give duck hunters something to kick around over a cup of coffee as they anticipate their next outing in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Midwest.


There, I fixed it for you. :lol:


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## prairie hunter

Rick Acker said:


> The only thing I would like to add is that the main reason the drakes leave the hens who are on the nest or after the babies are born is because the hen will litteraly kill them otherwise. And, I'm not kidding. I've seen it. It's nature's way of protecting the ducklings. Drakes are colorful and attract predators. Hen's instinctively know this and curb them. That's why drakes eventually leave the nest.


Rick that is not why. They leave because their original hen is hiding on the nest and now they see other hens to mate with. I would put the drake duck more in the catagory of the cock pheasant and even buck deer. There goal is to pass on their genes to as many offspring as possible. This is accomplished by being a player. In areas where there is an excess of drakes ... the hen is also a player...

they have done DNA testing of turkey eggs, pheasant eggs and mallard eggs in wild nests. The nest has eggs from the same hen, sometimes eggs were fathered by different males. Some nests have eggs from other females (dumping).

_ever see a hen mallard on the water looking to rebreed in June. Lucky she survives the gang bang attack by all the drakes in the area._

Geese and swans have some how adapted to a two parent structure and raise the young together. In this case both male and female parents realize the best way to ensure their off-spring survive is to work together. That said the old gander spends a lot of time defending his mate from other males before the eggs are laid.


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## USAlx50

prairie hunter said:


> Rick Acker said:
> 
> 
> 
> The only thing I would like to add is that the main reason the drakes leave the hens who are on the nest or after the babies are born is because the hen will litteraly kill them otherwise. And, I'm not kidding. I've seen it. It's nature's way of protecting the ducklings. Drakes are colorful and attract predators. Hen's instinctively know this and curb them. That's why drakes eventually leave the nest.
> 
> 
> 
> Rick that is not why. They leave because their original hen is hiding on the nest and now they see other hens to mate with. I would put the drake duck more in the catagory of the cock pheasant and even buck deer. There goal is to pass on their genes to as many offspring as possible. This is accomplished by being a player. In areas where there is an excess of drakes ... the hen is also a player...
> 
> they have done DNA testing of turkey eggs, pheasant eggs and mallard eggs in wild nests. The nest has eggs from the same hen, sometimes eggs were fathered by different males. Some nests have eggs from other females (dumping).
> 
> _ever see a hen mallard on the water looking to rebreed in June. Lucky she survives the gang bang attack by all the drakes in the area._
> 
> Geese and swans have some how adapted to a two parent structure and raise the young together. In this case both male and female parents realize the best way to ensure their off-spring survive is to work together. That said the old gander spends a lot of time defending his mate from other males before the eggs are laid.
Click to expand...

I always knew a lot of hens were sluts... You can tell in the way they decoy so promiscuously, you really want to tag em for making it so easy but you know you shouldn't. SLUTS!


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## templey_41

USAlx50 said:


> templey_41 said:
> 
> 
> 
> You should see if Mojo will give you some royalty for that pic. Very nice!
> 
> See you ND boys in 3 days! BUt first a graduate physiology class, chemistry and pharmacology quiz! :-?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the compliment. I dont think Mojo would be real fond of the on/off switch hanging from its butt in an ad :lol:
Click to expand...

That's not an on off switch! Those are curl feathers! :lol: :lol: :lol:

and I've got an idea. how about someone start another thread about why people call some mallards, northern mallards instead of cluttering this thread about opening weekend with that crap.


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## Duckslayer100

Hey USAlx50, like my new signiture?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Scott LeDuc

USAlx50 said:


> I always knew a lot of hens were sluts... You can tell in the way they decoy so promiscuously, you really want to tag em for making it so easy but you know you shouldn't. SLUTS!


That needs to go to the post hall of fame right there! Funny stuff... :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## USAlx50

Duckslayer100 said:


> Hey USAlx50, like my new signiture?
> 
> :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


:beer:


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## btaumann

"I always knew a lot of hens were sluts... You can tell in the way they decoy so promiscuously, you really want to tag em for making it so easy but you know you shouldn't. SLUTS!"

Funniest post yet :beer:


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## wiffler

Bisbee Hunter said:


> i notice th MN plate in the above pic :-?


Probably a college student. They are eligible for resident status if full time.


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## waterfowl kid

wow i would say this thread has officially been hijacked....


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## weasle414

I hate MN opener....

Last year I get shot at and now this year I wrecked my only shotgun  Short lived season I guess.


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## waterfowl kid

weasle414 said:


> Last year I get shot at and now this year I wrecked my only shotgun  Short lived season I guess.


how did you happen to do that?


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## duckhuntinslife

It's gotta be nice gettin to shoot em in october. All I get to do is look at pictures like these for one more month. Good news is all those mallards are a litttle more green once they make it to me. Congrats on the success. Looks to be a good year.


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## gamberc

Rick Acker said:


> The only thing I would like to add is that the main reason the drakes leave the hens who are on the nest or after the babies are born is because the hen will litteraly kill them otherwise. And, I'm not kidding. I've seen it. It's nature's way of protecting the ducklings. Drakes are colorful and attract predators. Hen's instinctively know this and curb them. That's why drakes eventually leave the nest.


Lol isnt this proven to be true in life, i know if i dont leave my gf alone sometimes... that im pretty sure i would get killed


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## weasle414

waterfowl kid said:


> weasle414 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Last year I get shot at and now this year I wrecked my only shotgun  Short lived season I guess.
> 
> 
> 
> how did you happen to do that?
Click to expand...

Winchester shell was a dud. The wad and bb's all stayed together when I shot and mushroomed the end of my barrel when it hit the choke. If I can find a good gunsmith around Alexandria I think I can get the barrel cut down and tapped though.


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## IAMALLARDMAN

Hmmmm, What kind of winchester shell?


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## USAlx50

weasle414 said:


> waterfowl kid said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> weasle414 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Last year I get shot at and now this year I wrecked my only shotgun  Short lived season I guess.
> 
> 
> 
> how did you happen to do that?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Winchester shell was a dud. The wad and bb's all stayed together when I shot and mushroomed the end of my barrel when it hit the choke. If I can find a good gunsmith around Alexandria I think I can get the barrel cut down and tapped though.
Click to expand...

Or you could just buy a used 870 for $200.


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## weasle414

I was shooting the xperts or whatever those cheap-o's are. Never gonna trust them again.


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## Milla Tha Killa

Minnesota hunting is terrible this year. i have only seen about 5% of what i saw last year on the opening week. Only seen 5 ducks today. What happened to them all. Last few years we got limits opener week. Now hunted everyday and have only shot 3 ducks. and 8 geese. But for early goose got 45 geese and didnt see any ducks on the lake then ether


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## greatwhitehunter3

I have seen more birds this year in Minnesota then ever before, just havent had much of a chance to get after them yet.


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## Milla Tha Killa

Today we only seen 10 ducks on the lake. Im hunting just north of the twin cites. any good up north


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## sleeri

I was out for the MN Opener in Western MN. I should give out the name of the town... it would actually keep hunters away!

We saw a few birds flying just after sun rise and our hopes were high! Of course when 9:00AM rolled around and we were legal to shoot, not a thing was moving. We ended the day with a drake woody and a teal. We also missed a greenhead point blank. Didn't have anything else come into shooting range. We might have gotten a few more with a mojo, but that's not legal in MN for the 1st week. Very, very slow over all.


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## waterfowl kid

no birds north. was a few on opener, now with this front moving through there is nothing.


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## LockedWings

You guys are killing me. MI opener for the Southern zone is Saturday and I'm chomping at the bit. Keep posting the pics and stories.


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## DNovicki

Keep those pictures coming guys for us duck deprived people here in NW. Pa.. Hell we wont shoot that many mallards in a season let alone on a weekend.


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## Lefte

Well,
Have you ever been so excited to go hunting, have your spot all picked out, get up early, drive to your spot, treck in over a mile on foot only to be totally frustrated taht someone is already in your spot? That was my opening day. We showed up about 15 minutes to late, and boy is that a hard lesson to learn. I was sure we had made it early enough, but these guys must have slept on the spot. With sun up at 7, 5:30 should have been plenty of time. First opener for my 13 year old daughter no less.

Well we took a spot just to the east on the same water and hoped for some left overs. We ended up getting three that day, and yes my daughter picked up her first duck that day as well, a pretty blue teal.

We could see "our spot" from where we ended up and man they were dropping everything that flew. My jaw was grinding every time a new flock of birds flew over them. I wasn't mad at them persay, but at myself for not being on the spot just those couple of minutes early.

Good day over all, but could have been a limit day.

Lefte


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## Maverick

We had a great opener! We had to do some driving to find a concentration of birds but it did pay off!

Morning...








Dad got his first duck band this morning!

later in the afternoon.....









Next morning.....









Get out and scout!


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## gonehuntin'

We hunted the Non Resident opener again this year. It was great. We limited out in 45 minutes each day (three of us). What a wealth of ducks. We didn't hunt geese.










One folded up, one coming in.










Sunrise; Get Ready!!










We didn't try for these.










You fellas are indeed very fortunate to live in a state like ND. Everyone was great to us.


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## HerbanHunter

two days of 5 man limits in South Dakota every pot hole loaded with mallards, gadwell, teal, widgeon, pintail even shot 2 canvas backs. Looks to be a great season. States south of the Dakotas get ready there are BIRDS a coming.


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## IAMALLARDMAN

looks like a great hunt!! Good Job guys!! Couple drakes in there :roll:


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## blhunter3

Lotta hens :eyeroll:


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## duckslayer

blhunter3 said:


> Lotta hens :eyeroll:


Looks like a lot of gadwalls to me...


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## Gooseguy10

blhunter3 said:


> Lotta hens :eyeroll:


Get off your high horse.

Great hunt guys. It seems to be going very well out in the dakotas this year.


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## Swanger

Great hunt - makes most of us jealous! Well said Gooseguy!! My thoughts exactly.


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## wish2hunt

These were from this past sunday. They were the first 2 birds my 6 month old lab retrieved. Sorry the pics are so bad, and not in the field. But i dropped my camera in the water...wife not happy. This was taken with my phone, at home...water free.


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## torf

A little late, but here is a pic from our opening morning hunt. Pea soup fog and birds not leaving the roost kept the hunt from being what it could have been, but it was still a great time. Grayheads, gaddies, pinnies, and some honks. And as you can see, we were also honored with the ultimate warrior's presence.


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## gsehnter-bloms

Me and a couple buddies went out tonight and had a good hunt just a couple birds short of out 4 man limit.


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## iaduckkiller

Great to see some young blood out there enjoying the sport of waterfowling!


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