New duck ponds???

[styles038]

I have been duck hunting for the past 5 years very strongly.  Although i have tried the fields i am very hooked on the water.  I have everything a duck hunter would need/want.  The only thing that has crossed my mind for the past couple seasons is finding new water.  I have done my fair share of scouting, actually i do ALOT of scouting.  I have been overly disappointed by what i have seen.  I will tell ya'll right off that i like potholes and am normally a Carlos Avery hunter.  Until last year it has been okayyy, definatley nothing more.  This year the little amount of precip and large amount of wild rice have taken most of the water away in that area.  Late season i always hunt the backwaters of the Mississppi in the Red Wing area.  That has proven to be moderate.  The big bonus there is the water doesn't freeze over as quickly like many of the potholes.  My question to the more avid metro waterfowlers is; are there any areas that i could try out for this years waterfowl season?  I am on the east metro, so any of the belle plain, fairbault, new prague, mille lacs, and other similiar areas would be a little more of a drive than i'm looking for.  Although i have put in my scouting hours, i'm hoping that i missed a decent duck hunting resource that isn't tooo far away from me.  I know some people are touchy about giving away their area for fear of showing up to a full lake/pond/pothole.  If it makes you feel better i usually/enjoy hunting alone and won't give away any secrets.  Oh, and i am normally a weekday hunter.  The only sole i would tell is the dog!  If you don't mind helping a fellow hunter out than please reply.  Otherwise shoot me a PM and i will be very appreciative.

[Russ-Judy]

give Russ&Judys "Duck Inn" a try
Beaver Dam and a place to stay
7 miles west of Garrison
1-320-356-7792

[dj]

Styles:  I haven't been there for years, but have you tried the Sunrise River by Stacy? 

[Russ-Judy]

thanks Woody for posting the pics for us and adding a classic of your own :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO: tequila.gif

[styles038]

Thanks for the info guys.  What is this "duck inn"?  Is this owned by a hunt club?  Is it public or do you have to pay?  I'm confused......And about the Sunrise River:  I haven't tried it or even seen it (as far as i know)!  I did scout out a great looking pool about 2 or 4 miles east of stacy.  I heard this pool crowds up very very fast.  I don't have any pictures or know the name but this stacy pool i'm talking about has a dam on one end of it and a tremendous amount of islands and points!

[dj]

It's been years since I've been there, but that sounds like part of the river.  They probably dammed it to create more water.  During the week that could be a good place, with less hunting pressure.  It sure used to hold alot of ducks.  But as word got out it became more crowded, and I quit going there.  Some jerk putting an oar thru my drivers window in a cold rain didn't help either. 

[Russ-Judy]

The Duck Inn is our cabin on 64 acres near MilleLacs- it is connected to land locked  county land which has the beaver dam, were the only ones that let people through to it, yes we charge or you can stay in the cabin during the weekdays, our heated garage with stove top, refridge, cots, sleeper sofa, or our fish house, camp tent, on weekends because were always there, etc--the dam access is by walking or atv only- 3/4 of a mile away- we dont hunt duck or geese, the nieghbor does and we buzzed out there sat evening and watched a few geese take a gravity fall, we do have gross and pheasants also on the 64 acers