# no mercy huh



## greenheadhunter (Aug 26, 2005)

im new to this site and i guess i asked a dumb question. where the ducks at? funny guys woent do that again


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

You have to understand form our point of view how this sounds. We are losing hunting areas at an alrming rate in ND to commercial interests. We scout hard to find good concentration of birds that are not on land controlled by a g/o. We spend a ton of money to find those birds (even more soon, gas is going to $3.00 tonight I guess in Fargo). And the someone wants us to point out the birds to them so they can waltz right in and shoot them without the hard work taht went into it. ND people are the friendliest around and all you really need to do is come up here a day or two early and put in some windshield time and you will find ducks. Knock on some doors and you will be granted permission if you are not in one of the commercilaized areas. Please don't shoot the roosts so the birds hang around for everyone to enjoy. 
It is too bad that we tend to gang up on some possibly innocent questions but please try and see it from our point of view. We work hard for our birds and I would guess that you would want to also. That is why it is called hunting and not just shooting. The scouting is half the fun (until you filll your gas tank :crybaby: )


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

It also helps to use the search button. "Where are the ducks" & "Duck numbers" are the 2 most common questions on the forum for the past 3+ years. Most guys will tire of answering the same questions, but if you're willing to look, some of the best advice was from some of the same people you get sarcasm from when they first answered it.

For example: Go up to "Search" - Specify to search the "Duck Hunting Forum" - and search for the keywords "duck AND numbers".


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

greenheadhunter

:welcome: to NoDakOutdoors !!!


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## deacon (Sep 12, 2003)

greenheadhunter, sorry for the oke:

Chris and Djleye are right lots on info on site just need to search. Guys hate to give up spots/locations and has become part of the hunters "code" on this site.

Burned badly once, took my neighbor to a spot that was full of Mallards on a Saturday, the next weekend he was there with two different people and never mentioned a word to me. I should have known better.


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## wtrfwlr (Sep 29, 2004)

Yeah I've come to find that a simple question can turn into some of these guys hanging you up by your balls because they are afraid you're gonna come hunt in their back yard. That's only a select few though, most are pretty understandable.


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

This may seem like a dumb question but what do you mean by "shooting the roost?" and you mention that the birds will leave? sorry if this has been asked a million times.......


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

If you go to a pond in the morning when it is still dark and you can hear/see tons of ducks and geese that is a roost. It is where they spend their loafing time. If you go in there and shoot them off the birds will leave the area.

If you intend hunting ponds, drive around about an hour to two hours after sunrise and find smaller ponds that are holding ducks. These are called Transition sloughs. Those are the ponds you want to hunt. The birds will leave the roost at daybreak and do one of the two following things:

roost - field - transition slough - back to roost

roost - transition slough - field - back to roost

Either way you have good shooting on the transition slouhgs for about 1 to 2 hours. If you can hit aything you will be filled out in 45 minutes.

When you get to the transition slough before light there will be no ducks or just a few on it, but if you scouted the day before and saw 100 ducks...they will come after daybreak. Hope this helps.

How old are you? I work in Brainerd at BISYS.


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

Thanks.... Guess that is what we do.. just never knew why...

I am 27.... I work at Maddens! who are you?


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

I am from Clarissa. Now live in Sauk Rapids and work behind FleetFarm. I am 28.


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

Why do you live so far away.. do you have to go to the office every day? What do you do there?


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

My wife teaches down there and I come to the office most days unles I am traveling. I am a Sales Rep here and cover the UpperMidwest and the Great Plains states down to Kansas. Spent two of the last 3 weeks in ND. Makes it nice for scouting.


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

I guess... Well nice to meet someone else from B town!


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

J good description and one you have posted before! You guys have figured it out. k:

Good luck this fall hope to run into you guys again!


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

Ron - The first couple years we didn't, but have been good to go for 4 years  Strictly field hunting now and 1 or 2 transition slough hunts for the week.

I hear the Wander Inn closed up. My dad and I went through there last week on our way home from a sales trip in NWND and saw Mitch. She said she closed the doors. Going to have to bring beer and a lawn chair I guess. See you in a month!


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

So what time in the evening do most people scout.... what time are the ducks on their roost?


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

Night scouting is a little different. You need to be out about 1 hour before sunset. Check the fields for birds and hunt that field the next morning. You will see the mallards fluttering around in the fields and other mallards landing as well.

If you see ducks dumping into a pond right close to sunset, it is probably a roost and you should avoid it in the morning. That is the mistake we made one year and it cost us dearly. We hunted that pond the next morning. Looking back it was a roost, because when we got there you could hear hundreds of mallards and geese squacking. Sure enough, the next morning there was a duck in the area. That was the only and last time we made that mistake. That next winter someone explained the roost theory to me on this site and I am glad they did.


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## Smith Creek (Jan 23, 2005)

*That next winter someone explained the roost theory to me on this site and I am glad they did.*

Somebody mind posting that Roost theory again.

Thanks


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

Look about 6 posts above. I posted it in this thread.


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:49 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you go to a pond in the morning when it is still dark and you can hear/see tons of ducks and geese that is a roost. It is where they spend their loafing time. If you go in there and shoot them off the birds will leave the area.

If you intend hunting ponds, drive around about an hour to two hours after sunrise and find smaller ponds that are holding ducks. These are called Transition sloughs. Those are the ponds you want to hunt. The birds will leave the roost at daybreak and do one of the two following things:

roost - field - transition slough - back to roost

roost - transition slough - field - back to roost

Either way you have good shooting on the transition slouhgs for about 1 to 2 hours. If you can hit aything you will be filled out in 45 minutes.

When you get to the transition slough before light there will be no ducks or just a few on it, but if you scouted the day before and saw 100 ducks...they will come after daybreak. Hope this helps.


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## Smith Creek (Jan 23, 2005)

Thanks for posting it again,I was so glad to see roosting areas being talked about I didn't look at the beginning of the thread sorry!

I wish more people in my area would follow those rules we would all have more waterfowl to hunt.

Thanks again!


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