# Report



## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

Here's a good old-fashioned bird report from the last few days in NE ND - hopefully it doesn't get deleted or turned into a rambling discussion on the rules of this site. Bird numbers very poor. Lots of water and fields pretty much undriveable unless you want to make some serious ruts. Not even many gadwalls or teal on the potholes. Pretty much no corn has been cut and probably only a little over half of the soybeans have been harvested. Hopefully this cold front helps.


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

this report is very similar to what i'm seeing in south central. pot holes have some gaddies and teal still. hardly any mallards though and i've put on close to 500-600 miles in last 2 days.

Seen lots high flocks headed for SD this morning, haven't seen that til today so somethings going down, just hope they don't skip all the way to kansas.

on a good note, divers are keeping me busy....they seem to be showing up in good numbers.


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

I also just got back from NE ND and the bird numbers were fair to poor. I don't think the birds have been pushed down in good numbers yet. Pretty disappointed, but that's the way it goes.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I'm not sure if the bird numbers are poor or they are just widely distributed because of all the moisture. I've seen a fair number of birds flying but they are all going different directions and it seems like you never see more that one small bunch land in any given field. I have seen very few birds on potholes ever since the opener yet in those same areas have seen good numbers in the fields (subject to some fluxuation).


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

ya think its lil combination of everything. today most of our roost holes were iced with mallards sleeping on it or around the open parts. lots of s&b's moving south this morning. I'm hoping this lil morning ice up will bunch the birds up so they will start feeding in bigger bunches.


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## water_swater (Sep 19, 2006)

This morning there was lots of ice in Devils Lake, small potholes were frozen and duckless. Even larger waters had crusts of ice, it was 17 with no wind.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

I am a lifelong N.D. waterfowl hunter who appreciates field hunting and water hunting. I'm so sick of this "field hunting better than you attitude" that I could puke.
It's all about preferences. You can educate the benefits of not busting the roost all you want...but leave it at that. Your not going to change the world. 
I don't know about you, but I like to be versitile, and after a season like this one...I'm glad that I enjoy water hunting, because field hunting for me and a lot of people I know has been poor for ducks. With the crop situation and the muddy fields, I'm glad I've had options rather than chewing up a farmers field...I got turned down from 3 farmers south of XXXX this past weekend because of idiots tearing up their fields and getting their trucks stuck. You can kiss field hunting goodbye for a long time from those guys...They were nice enough to let me shoot a limit of ducks on a nice transition slough though...
Roostbusting can certainly contribute to poor hunting, but let's face it...There is just not as many ducks this year...Plain and simple.
With that being said, I'm off to a bean field tomorrow, can't wait! It's good to have options!


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

Rick,
I think your post is better served over on the water hunting thread. 
This report thread is cruising along just fine with out the roost busting stuff.


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## Colt (Oct 25, 2007)

Good post Rick.

You know, come to think of it, I've never shot baldpates, redheads, canvasbacks, bluebills, ringbills, or buffleheads field hunting.


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## northdakotakid (May 12, 2004)

LOL... see the first post... makes me laugh... leave it to reports and comments on the hunting conditions. If you want to stir the pot start a a new thread...

Similar reports for Central NoDak... birds go from exceptional to very poor... lots of odd ball ducks and some concentraions of mallards... we will have to see how this warmer weather treats them... I think it may actually help in areas where there are few numbers with lots of water.


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Yet another year where the timing is dictating bird numbers more than the weather. People always believe that cold weather will push down birds, and it will to an extent, but this mid-October is not different than any other mid-October. Its days on the calender not degrees on the thermometer that dictate bird numbers.

Some may disagree, but with all the latest wintery blast there is still relatively nothing for birds. One more crappy weekend before heaven hits the North border.


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

We need some birds to get down to Sodak! :lol: Nothing much after this past weekend alot of the birds left, had a pretty good amount of divers in the area and they all booked it out of here. Mallards are starting to show up a little bit


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