Opener

[Tyler Rother]

Looks like were gonna have a nice opener weather wise.

33 degress and slightly cloudy in the AM Saturday.

Nice cold push for opener should help.

Seeing a lot of ducks now.

What ya'll doing?

I'm sitting on a flooded crick being my boat is on it's way to the scrap yard.

[FireRanger]

Taking 'Big Red' and heading up north of Deer River to the spot. Meeting Finpower and another guy for the opener. Small lake, just off the beaten path. Putting out about 60-70 decoys.....mallards, woodies, bills and geese!! Can't wait....been looking forward to this for 47 weeks!!

 

                                                                                         

[HD]

I'll be sitting on the pond in back 40, calling the ducks for the boy to take a poke at... 

[Go Big Red!]

I'll be sitting on the pond in back 40, calling the ducks for the boy to take a poke at... 

Just remind him it's like shooting sporting clays!  Good luck to you and "Little HD"!!!!!

Taking 'Big Red' and heading up north of Deer River to the spot. Meeting Finpower and another guy for the opener. Small lake, just off the beaten path. Putting out about 60-70 decoys.....mallards, woodies, bills and geese!! Can't wait....been looking forward to this for 47 weeks!!

 

                                                                                         

So much for sleeping tonight.... I cannot wait and neither can my wife. She wishes the season would have opened weeks ago since I have be going stir crazy.

[Tyler Rother]

Got out this morning, a cool crisp bite in the air, geese and ducks calling away at 545, only one vehicle in the lot besides mine. Flashed my light towards where I was going to hunt, no response, YES! 

By the time 8:30 came along, I counted 8 parked vehicles. 5 boats, and lots of pass shooters.

Fun watching people try to figure out how to get over a submerged log. Always a hoot when they don't know your watching. Took some videos, but don't know if I should post them without their consent?

Seen very large flocks of Teal and Woodies and Mallards and Geese before the 9 am shoot time(which really needs to go), assuming they were jumped from boats traveling through the slough.

Few flocks of bills flew over head(What a rush to hear them!), and a couple cans or redheads, were moving to fast to define them.

Mallards after Mallards.
Flocks of Geese after Flocks of Geese(flying high tho).

Come 9 o'clock, I am sitting on the west side of the crick hunting the flooded trees, since that where everything flew through while I was scouting.  Everything flies behind me. Go figure, I picked the wrong side.  I had perfect pass shots and coming at ya shots but just couldn't take them because there was no way I could cross the crick to retrieve them.

Helped another hunter retrieve his woodie, due to him wearing hip waders, and me wearing chest waders. Karma. Is always a good thing in the field.

Ducks flew pretty steady and shooting was fast and rapid for the first hour and 20 minutes. Then it slowed down a bit. Then, as I was picking up dekes, go figure, I get buzzed by a nice group of mallards and a few teal.

Other then that... Was great to be out early and hear the cackle of the pheasants, the gobble of the wild tom, and the whistling of the wings above.

Hope you all had a safe and amazing hunt!

Mine was even tho I came home empty handed.

~~Highway 8 and 91 in CRT

[HD]

A couple geese flew by and a pair of woodies buzzed us...
That was about it. The boy got some shots off, but didn't connect.

Oh well....there's always tomarrow...

[redbull135]

sitting along river got to the spot about 10 to 9 sat just south of a bend and about five after had flock come by we waited till they came in between us. but the brother thought he needed to get gun ready so flash and was gone shot 3 times first one wqas a miss fire

[HD]

We got 2 honkers down this morning and some shots at some fast moving teal.
No ducks, but the geese will do for now.

[FireRanger]

Well, after 47 weeks of murderous waiting, duck season has opened. Ours (myself, Go Big Red, Finpower and another) came with visions of juicy mallards and  flocks of geese with Teal mixed in here and there. We ended up with 4 woodies and a miniature goose. Spent the rest of the day jumping ponds and ended up getting a goosasuarus rex out of one pond with a long shot from Red. The second morning came with HEAVY fog on the lake and the wind nonexistent. After whacking a couple mergs coming in out of the mist, we had some divers come through that were missed and some geese that just didn't get close enough. Jumped some more ponds and shot an eclipse mallard. Shot a few grouse as well, they are skiddish for sure. All in all, a great weekend and can't wait for the next one. Best part of all is the water levels have risen about 1 1/2 feet on our lake which gives the mallards and woodies a lot of their environment back. The future is looking even better for our immediate area up there. Too beautiful of a weekend for the ducks....but as a very wise man once said.......I'd rather be warm and dry and not shoot ducks, then be wet and cold and not shoot ducks!!

[deadeye]

Sounds like a great time.  Not too many ducks around my place.  Event the geese were scarce.  Lots of grouse to shoot at.  (shoot at is the operative word). 

[snow]

No pics just memories for my 2010 opener,pass shooting saturday brought a pair of beautiful woodies by 9:15 outof one flock~

Sunday two more woodies and 3 geese,noticed high flying migrators all morning,mostly mallards and geese.

Buddy from the northfield area said the ducks are thick in flooded beans and corn,woodies,mallard,pintails and gadwalls were bagged.

1st duck opener in 37 years w/o a retriever   kinda sucks,just not the same watching your pooch work,luckly we were hunting dry land.

[MTCOMMER]

I wasnt out hunting (for ducks) but I heard alot of shooting around our land, saw a ton of geese, both in the fields and in the air.  Lots of passing ducks as well, I have a feeling it was a good season for those hunting around Sedan (between Glenwood and Belgrade).
I read an article how there are fewer and fewer duck hunters each year, but I noticed a ton of trucks, boats, etc, and alot of shooting - granted, alot of goose hunters too, but most of them are hunting ducks too, if they fly by.  Anyways, its nice to hear you guys having some luck - good luck during the next few weeks!   

[HUNTER2]

Had a pretty good time. About 40 ducks and 3 geese between 10 of us. Let the nephew hunt on my land and he wacked a doe. Didn't think he would shoot one this early.

[MTCOMMER]

Had a pretty good time. About 40 ducks and 3 geese between 10 of us. Let the nephew hunt on my land and he wacked a doe. Didn't think he would shoot one this early.

Were you near Wilmar?  I was impressed of all the birds around the area - alot more than usual I thought.

[Go Big Red!]

As FireRanger mentioned, we shot a few birds.







And my kids getting involved in the show.

[Cody Gruchow]

we ended up with a few mallards some woodies and a dew ring necks thats about it. was a good time. weather was to nice but i was thankful to be warm and dry for the most part(found out the waders leak in more than one place....)

[Tyler Rother]

Went out this morning, shot some footage, or tried too.

Seen 4 geese and a few flocks of ducks. Not much flying with the heat and blue skies.

Ended up with 2 mud hens, a hen spoonie, and a hen woodie.

Got some nice pictures of the fall colors and views from the blind.

Other then that, was a good day just to warm for approaching middle of October.

[NephronRacing]

Went out last night in the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge.  Had a few fly overs and a few come in too far away for a shot.  I did kick up two grouse on my way in.  Didn't shoot since I was loaded for duck and didn't have any blaze orange on.

[Tyler Rother]

Here's a few pictures, one from my Opening day hunt, and 3 from Saturdays hunt.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Cody Gruchow]

ill be out tommorow morning, im hoping its not to hot, that would suck.

[Cody Gruchow]

went out this morning, was a tad late. about 10 minutes. but got everything set-up, put both robo ducks up turned them on and got onto the bog. reach into the shooting bag for my calls and nothing just goose calls, i forgot them on the truck seat, just GREAT, well had to hope to do some pass shooting, on the ducks that would buzz my spread, then sun starts coming up and i realize im directly across from someone(only other person on the marsh) but they never shined there light or anything because i shined my over that direction a few times to see if any one was there with no answer. so i decide im just gonna stay put but i wasnt going to pass shoot and ruin there oppurtunitys. they are directly across the small section of the marsh from me, like 100 yards maybe. and i set-up north south, so i decided i would also not shoot that way either. i guess he didnt care cause first shot of the morning my decoys got a BB shower(very light) ducks started moving but they would circle me and circle me then circle him and circle him then leave.  then they started flaring out earlyer and i couldnt figure out why, until i looked at the robo duck on the left and the right wing had fallen out(pin holds them in) pin falls out just great, so i get into the boat to go fix it and fish the wing off the bottom. finally manage to get it out, then i put it back on and put a small fishing hook i found in the boat as a pin(worked pretty good). then ducks just wouldnt commit, thinking calls would really help about now. geese would come over the trees low but flare as soon as they see the robo ducks(guess they really dont like them). then at 8:30am was the last flock of birds that came over. didnt see another flock at all. left the marsh at 11am. great weather to enjoy a day, bad weather to hunt in

[Go Big Red!]

I have had geese flare from the MOJO I use.  Too bad MN won't allow a remote on/off system to be used cuz that would help a ton with geese.

[FireRanger]

I have never had geese flare until Red started hunting with me......I think it's his calling .......could be my goosasuarus rex call too

[Cody Gruchow]

haha from what i hear they hate them, but also had other guys say the geese love them, but i have yet to find a goose that will come into mine..

[Go Big Red!]

I have never had geese flare until Red started hunting with me......I think it's his calling .......could be my goosasuarus rex call too

I wish we had an icon for giving a person the finger, but this will do.....   

[FireRanger]

I have never had geese flare until Red started hunting with me......I think it's his calling .......could be my goosasuarus rex call too

I wish we had an icon for giving a person the finger, but this will do.....   

Awesome!! Can't wait to see ya on Friday for the ride up!! I have somethin' fer ya!

[Go Big Red!]

I have never had geese flare until Red started hunting with me......I think it's his calling .......could be my goosasuarus rex call too

I wish we had an icon for giving a person the finger, but this will do.....   

Awesome!! Can't wait to see ya on Friday for the ride up!! I have somethin' fer ya!

Just make sure you're gentle...

[Cody Gruchow]

well red? how did you and ranger do? ill be out tommorow morning, lots of shooting this morning, when theres only 1 guy down there today so hoping for the same shooting tommorow....

[Go Big Red!]

Ranger, myself, and another shot 21 ducks and 3 mergs on Saturday.  A good day to say the least.  Had a great wind and the dog was terrific.  A mixed bag between ring bills, woodies, buffle heads, scaup, and the mergs.  No mallards though, but did see plenty.

Today was much slower, only two.  But of course, as we check out another spot to set-up, we had a huge flock buzz where we had just got done picking up the dekes.  Never fails.

[Cody Gruchow]

 But of course, as we check out another spot to set-up, we had a huge flock buzz where we had just got done picking up the dekes.  Never fails.
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thats why i keep my gun slung over my shoulder! that crap makes me mad. wont see anything for HOURS then as soon as you pick up there they are.