Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting

We setup on the flight path 2 miles from Scatterwood Lake 2 years ago. It was tough bringing anything in. When I first viewed Scatterwood, I thought the ice hadn't gone out yet, but closer inspection revealed that it was all snow geese.

Change of plans due to weather. Let's see what happens towards the weekend or next week.

Heading out to the Aberdeen area Friday night for a weekend hunt and likely a Monday morning hunt as well. Join me if you can. Don't forget to make your motel reservations!

cstemig wrote:Heading out to the Aberdeen area Friday night for a weekend hunt and likely a Monday morning hunt as well. Join me if you can. Don't forget to make your motel reservations!

Don't forget your drill!!! Gonna be cold in the morning.... 10 degrees with 30 -40 mph winds burrrrr

mr wizard wrote:

cstemig wrote:Heading out to the Aberdeen area Friday night for a weekend hunt and likely a Monday morning hunt as well. Join me if you can. Don't forget to make your motel reservations!

Don't forget your drill!!! Gonna be cold in the morning.... 10 degrees with 30 -40 mph winds burrrrr

Mr. Wizard, you are absolutely correct. I failed to consider that the ground will be like concrete for the weekend. The weather forecast is for nighttime lows in the single digits with wind chills at or below zero. I do not feel like drilling several hundred holes for decoy stakes and I do not have enough drills/bits to support it.

It is perhaps best that we wait until next week, when the weather is predicted to be warmer. We may have to pass on the adults, but we still should have time for the juvies. My apologies to all for this mess!

Set them out the night before ull b fine

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A few tips for frozen ground conditions and hunting.

If you have silosock type of stakes you can often stick them into the corn stalk, so you don't need to use a drill. But finding corn fields that are not plowed is the key for this.

Having at least 3 batteries, and keeping them in the cab under the heater will provide longer run time. I use a 1/4" concrete bit long shaft for a 3/16" stake. 1/8" for silosocks, becuase it is easy to snap the drill bit if you go to a smaller diameter. Bring with extra drill bits for in case you snap 1 or 2. (you can always return them if unused and still in the package). The longer the shaft of the bit the better so you don't have to stoop over as much while drilling. And having a converter to use the battery charger so that as the truck idles and it is going down the road it can recharge the batteries. And when the 1st one battery dies--throw it on the charger right away, as then you'll get just about a full charge on it as you use up the 3rd (based on using 1 drill). This is based on large 18V batteries that I have used in the past.

Also you'll need an ice chisel because if it gets above freezing during the day it melts around the alum or steel stake and once the air temp drops below freezing they'll freeze into the ground. So an ice chisel is used to "pop" the stakes out of the ground during take down. If no ice chisel--talk about a royal PITA to remove the frozen in stakes.

I hope this helps some of the newer Snow hunters in the learning curve. Good luck gentlemen.

cstemig wrote:
It is perhaps best that we wait until next week, when the weather is predicted to be warmer. We may have to pass on the adults, but we still should have time for the juvies. My apologies to all for this mess!

That is what I decided to do. Stay home this weekend and take an extra day off next and head west.

cstemig wrote:My apologies to all for this mess!

We can all blame Chuck for this unending Winter

"hey, lets go pound stakes into the ground this day. It'll be perfect!"

(old man winter) what's that you say? Here, have some snow, and ice. Muahahaha.

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