fit to be tied

[illinoisduckboy15]

man this is my rant for the season. Got a farm with flooded corn near morris il. Most years we harvest somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 birds, this year however with 15 days left we havent even reached the 100 mark. Got lots of birds using the farm at night, however very few return.I know of a few other guys with places like mine that are having the same problems. Is anyone experiencing the same problem in the area or am I doing something wrong.Is it just this year,is it something different about the area or is just that there hasnt been any real weather as of yet? I am about to go off the deep end here guys!

[tim k]

man this is my rant for the season. Got a farm with flooded corn near morris il. Most years we harvest somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 birds, this year however with 15 days left we havent even reached the 100 mark. Got lots of birds using the farm at night, however very few return.I know of a few other guys with places like mine that are having the same problems. Is anyone experiencing the same problem in the area or am I doing something wrong.Is it just this year,is it something different about the area or is just that there hasnt been any real weather as of yet? I am about to go off the deep end here guys!

your not alone here in PA this week was a bad one for us....weird weather...the moon was fairly full this week and the geese were feeding at night.....need cold fronts snow and a freeze out and snow to fall up north...we were a little spoiled last year with a major freeze and snow from northern PA through canada. our last season comes in dec 19-jan 25...hopefully the weather will cooperate......don't give up before the miracle...cold weather and snow will bring a sense of urgency that we need....hang in there it's not over

[BigR]

Join the club man, its a bad season all around it sounds like for alot of folks. For me personally its the worst on record and I know the managed hunting area nearby here is down about 75% harvest of what it should be at this time.

[BUBBA DUCK]

Same here in South East, Iowa!! Only 9 days left bet we have not killed over 20 mallards yet.

[Quackwhacker]

First time in years never had limits over the Thanksgiving holiday in NW Missouri. Stale birds, water and field conditions perfect but no birds.

[SBE II]

Join the club man, its a bad season all around it sounds like for alot of folks. For me personally its the worst on record and I know the managed hunting area nearby here is down about 75% harvest of what it should be at this time.


Dude it's going on coast to coast right now, Canada and Nodak was the place to be...

Ryan this is why we need more December!

[Gary]

yep every where ....... even guys i know who went 2 canada { same spot for 20 years } said this was there worst year ever and even guys i know in nodak and other border states said the same ....... i know the geese have been here pretty good but the ducks are split up and if u have a great spot ur on them and if not ur counting blackbirds...... our season split ends in a few days in my area and when it comes back in everything will b froze over ......... least were getting out 2 enjoy it .. i guess better luck next year for those of us with a bad season .

[cut em]

I am also near morris and I am not seeing any birds to speak of. I bought an awesome duck boat with a mud buddy motor this summer so that I could chase the ducks and geese, I just see them on the neighborhood retention ponds.

[jjwanz]

your not alone here in PA this week was a bad one for us....weird weather...the moon was fairly full this week and the geese were feeding at night.....need cold fronts snow and a freeze out and snow to fall up north...we were a little spoiled last year with a major freeze and snow from northern PA through canada. our last season comes in dec 19-jan 25...hopefully the weather will cooperate......don't give up before the miracle...cold weather and snow will bring a sense of urgency that we need....hang in there it's not over

Yeah it's been either extremely slow or extremely fast here in western PA! Friday night was intense, that snow hit the birds and they got a urgency to feed well before shooting hours went out!

[jrode237]

So with the majority of hunters saying it's been a terrible year can we expect that many more birds to be back and breeding next year? Or, are the guys down south just going to pound them that much more?

[SBE II]

So with the majority of hunters saying it's been a terrible year can we expect that many more birds to be back and breeding next year? Or, are the guys down south just going to pound them that much more?

The boys down south always pound them, why do you think our seasons get cut short.....

[Goose4280]

Our duck season closes today. Was an up and down season,some good days and some bad days was colder in october than it was in november. Oh well back to the honkers now.

[damorim]

Gary's right...even up here in Canada things aren't like they were last year..Maybe we got a tad spoiled with the cold snaps. My fields which i hunt usually fill up to 1000-1500 birds around this time. i go scout it now..im lucky to see 20 local birds. Ducks are the same way...all my timber holes are still wide open, no ice, and NO birds...definitely a very tough year. Have family out in Alberta Peace Country...killin em is always good there..but apparently guides r noticing it isn't quite the same this year..Smaller flocks, just not the huntin they r used too..We just need to be patient...they will come!

[illinoisduckboy15]

this is not good, im glad to see im not alone however i would have thought that someone knew where the birds were. Im not trying to sound like a cyber scouter, just saying theres guys on this post from canada and all across the country and no one replies that they are having a good year.. gives me lots of concern for the future

[Goose4280]

I know MN got unusually cold early october and that moved all the teal and early migrants through about a week before season opened. Was a few here and there and few divers here and there but it never got cold enough for us to get the mallards,not in southern MN anyways. At least there are geese around for the december season.

[SBE II]

Normally I'm smashing ducks in the field right now.....all i have seen is divers. Does anyone know what a green head looks like?

[illinoisduckboy15]

we shot 10 ducks in the last week in 6 hunts. In my 5 day thanksgiving break, i shot 2 drakes.

[hunter2578]

I hear you all, this is the worst end of the season I can remember. I dint have alot of work this year so I hunted my ass off and the northern ducks never came. I have end of the season depression right now. Maybe there will be more ducks next year and we will make up for it.

[Nathan Bender]

For my dad and I up in WI its been our best season by far in years. We past the hundered mark for ducks about 30 days ago. Last year we hit right at 101 ducks to mark the season off and this year our bird numbers are a lot better than last year with 5 days left to our duck season.
I get up real early to go to school in the morning and with this full moon I have been hearin a ton of geese fly over my house early in the a.m. as its still real dark. We have actually pushed birds out of fields as were drivin in, in the early morning when theres a full moon.

[jstbob]

I had geese fly at 6 am this mourn I was still puttin on my waders when they flew over. Im seein alot more birds around. Nowhere near as many as there should be. I just hope we dont get a freeze and they fly right on by like last year. It seems like these birds that are here are alot harder to kill, they stay in big flocks of 50 or more. Ducks and geese. Not sure if its the warm weather or what. but I seen at least 1000 ducks this mourn. And didnt get one to peel out my way. Its only a half mile. I dont get it

[Sgt14]

Guys and Gals:

I have heard that this is an El Nino year, with milder temperatures. Here in NW Indiana, the weather has just been too nice, not cold enough yet for birds to be moving and feeding as they normally would. This time last year we had snow on the ground in late October, and had a good year hunting.

I have also seen birds, but they're in their "summer" mode yet, with not many of them being curious in checking out decoy spreads.

Oh well, that's why it's called hunting....

[dirtycletus81]

Guys and Gals:

I have heard that this is an El Nino year, with milder temperatures. Here in NW Indiana, the weather has just been too nice, not cold enough yet for birds to be moving and feeding as they normally would. This time last year we had snow on the ground in late October, and had a good year hunting.

I have also seen birds, but they're in their "summer" mode yet, with not many of them being curious in checking out decoy spreads.

Oh well, that's why it's called hunting....
+1..................

[corybdesign]

next year everyone will be bitching cause it freezes up in november and theres no place to hunt for half the season or the birds keep going on by. :rolleyes:

[illinoisduckboy15]

cory i agree.. but that will at least bring good shooting in the first month... we got 13 days left, best day was the opener so far.

[wooziegoose]

just curious, does anyone know how this is affecting the strait meat duck club? i wunder if their kill numbers are way down...

[illinoisduckboy15]

out on a limb but i would say down.. heard of some other clubs down that way that are also struggling

[SoILKiller]

so is the consensus that the birds are still up north hanging out? what about the guys in canada who are saying its been down for them also? anyone here hunt louisiana or arkansas or east texas and can give us a little more perspective on where the birds as a whole are at? i'm in west texas and we don't get **** for birds to begin with but my dad says back home around st. louis, it's been one of the worst he can remember. not sure exactly what's goin on but sure sounds like a lot of people are already looking forward to next season

[Jacob Mercer]

So with the majority of hunters saying it's been a terrible year can we expect that many more birds to be back and breeding next year? Or, are the guys down south just going to pound them that much more?

i hope thats what it means but who knows

[fireandrain]

South central ontario is slow, there is still alot of ducks up far north of us, nothing even up north is froze up yet and there is nothing to make them want to leave yet, they just loaf around on the water all day.

[illinoisduckboy15]

the year of no migration

[jstbob]

how does canada not freeze but texas gets snow

[freefall319]

I've had a few good shoots. But only a few. I am used to killing or at least seeing mallards every time i go out to my pond. I have'nt killed a single one all season and have only seen 3. Hope the migration brings them in.

[wackin_n_stackin85]

Guys and Gals:

I have heard that this is an El Nino year, with milder temperatures. Here in NW Indiana, the weather has just been too nice, not cold enough yet for birds to be moving and feeding as they normally would. This time last year we had snow on the ground in late October, and had a good year hunting.

I have also seen birds, but they're in their "summer" mode yet, with not many of them being curious in checking out decoy spreads.

Oh well, that's why it's called hunting....

+2.... accuweather was talking about the El Nino a few months back...for you guys wondering what an El Nino is...you really need to check this out...or just check it out anyway.......very informative!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEoHz56jWGY

[fireandrain]

how does canada not freeze but texas gets snow

I have been asking my self the same thing! western canada has got snow tho

[illinoisduckboy15]

piss poor saw 602 ducks today.. ran 600 out of the farm this am, seen only 2 by 10 A.M. thank god i can just go deer hunting

[jbrant]

So with the majority of hunters saying it's been a terrible year can we expect that many more birds to be back and breeding next year? Or, are the guys down south just going to pound them that much more?Lets hope so on both accounts. My club in MS sux now.

[illinoisduckboy15]

weather didnt make a difference.... got some open water by the ice eaters and 1 acre with good corn... only holding like about 15 ducks... this year is just a waste

[SBE II]

weather didnt make a difference.... got some open water by the ice eaters and 1 acre with good corn... only holding like about 15 ducks... this year is just a waste


Amen...Tired of going after residents...Birds were hitting a field hard day and night for past two days, decided to do a evening hunt...birds bounced to another field..The field I'm in has mountains of left over corn, the field they went to is disced....gettin old real quick

[illinoisduckboy15]

talk about residents, in my area theres a refuge with about 7k ducks on it all year with little change. Besides my place theres at least 3 flooded corn operations, with mine being the smallest. At peak i had about 3k ducks, everyone else had ducks mostly more then me. So we all freeze up or close to it after everyone having the worse season on record. Where do the ducks go, ahh back to there daytime roost on the refuge and in the evenings are pouring into this huge cornfield down the street from me.. To bad the farmers son is a big duck hunter.... maybe the geese will show up.. by the way i shot less ducks then when i left my farm in weedseed sloughs!

[WGM-57]

Not many geese in our area either:( Area refuge normally holding 50 - 70 thousand this time of season. Last weeks count was 7 thousand dark geese and 35 thousand light geese. Haven't shot a one yet:(