Open water and iced over reports.

[ducksmuggler]

Why do the river guys want to screw over the other 90% of guys in the South zone?

They probably don't...it's more a less an oversight by the DNR.

Combine the South and central zone (keeping the central zone season structure) and create a river zone keeping the current South zone season structure.

Everyone's happy. Well, there's no way to make 'everyone' happy...a lot less people are pissed might be a better way to put it.

Bingo.

If guys want to hunt mallards late season, something has to give. They are going to have to give up days somewhere in the early to mid part of the season, to get those later days.

I would gladly give up day early in the season!!!

[get-n-birdy]

So you guys are saying in a "normal" year the only place to hunt ducks after say November 15 is the Mississippi River or Rochester? Every year you are done hunting by Nov 15? Seriously?

I took a quick glance at the Upper Mississippi River Refuge counts for the past few years and peak migration is never the first week of October. Not even close. Even early December can have more ducks than early October.

Are you telling me the river is that much different from the rest of the state? We're talking 10 times the birds in mid-November than what are there in early October. All the birds leave the state and head to the river in mid November?

Maybe we need more zones then.

Have you done much scouting in Mn in mid November other than along the river?

[Bailey]

So you guys are saying in a "normal" year the only place to hunt ducks after say November 15 is the Mississippi River or Rochester? Every year you are done hunting by Nov 15? Seriously?

I took a quick glance at the Upper Mississippi River Refuge counts for the past few years and peak migration is never the first week of October. Not even close. Even early December can have more ducks than early October.

Are you telling me the river is that much different from the rest of the state? We're talking 10 times the birds in mid-November than what are there in early October. All the birds leave the state and head to the river in mid November?

Maybe we need more zones then.

Have you done much scouting in Mn in mid November other than along the river?

I remember 2007 and 2008 my best river hunting was around Thanksgiving and the week after. It was really,really good. Of course every year is different and last year we had an early freeze as well. The river seems to get more and more crowded every year and that certainly does not help the hunting.

[Bailey]

2011 was also really good the last couple of weeks right up to closing day.

[h2ofwlr]

Lake Minnewashta in the deep water areas was still open today. So I'd expect similar type of lakes would still be open too.

[tbuc]

Have you done much scouting in Mn in mid November other than along the river?

No I haven't. That is why I am asking these questions that no one will actually answer. With ducks in my back yard in November and December, why would I go somewhere else?

In previous years, I don't recall people complaining that they lost 25 days of their seasons because of an early freeze up. I also don't recall people saying that peak migration in any part of the south zone is in the first week of October. All of a sudden, people are complaining on here like this happens every single year and the DNR should fix it. So I started off by pointing out that this is one of the coldest Novembers on record and we should not base all of our future seasons on what happened this year. I know people got screwed out of days this year. We did in the southeast as well. Still 2 weeks of season here and we're done too for the most part. But I'm still not blaming the DNR for setting up the dates wrong. 99 out of 100 years I would say they set it up just fine.

People talk about how different the river is from the rest of the state. But then when I ask if they would be hunting still if this was a normal year, they avoid the question. I honestly don't know because as stated earlier, I don't hunt other than the southeast this time of year and have no reason to.

If 90% of the south zone is actually froze out by Nov 15 every year, then yes there should be a change in the zones. If this year is an exception, then stop blaming the DNR when reality is mother nature is to blame.

[gimpfinger]

Actually people have answered you. You just refuse to hear it.

Hell I've never hunted the se mn area and I understand that it's completely different than the rest of southern mn. Birds stage there. Birds stay there. There is late season opportunities there. No one is saying that se mn wouldn't benefit from a split thus making a later season. So why is it that alot of eastern mn hunters are satisfied with the rest of southern mn getting screwed?

Team Power Dump

[Bullet21XD]

Have you done much scouting in Mn in mid November other than along the river?

That is why I am asking these questions that no one will actually answer.

Here's how it works...

On an average year, most of the water south of 94 and west of 169 will be iced up by Nov.10. There will be open water, but it will mostly be unhuntable. On top of that, 90% of the ducks that will migrate through the area, have. Yes, there will be ducks, and in huntable numbers. But many, including myself couldn't give a f less about trying to kill a Mallard in a stupid cornfield.

So overall, any day lost in October...will NEVER be made up with a day in late November or December. Basically, most water hunters lost 5 weeks of their season this year. A normal year,they'd be out 2-3.

Yes, the prairie region is very different than the Mississippi.

[h2ofwlr]

Well said Ron. I agree, we get hosed in the south zone with the 11 no hunt days in Sept/Oct. And as I've repeatedly said, I do not mind 4 or 5 closed days during the split in Sept, but that is it.

2 things that I view a bit differently than what Ron mentioned. The area should include South central Mn, the area between Hwy 169 and Hwy 52 south of the cities. And the freeze up date of the old prairie area (from 125+ years ago) that is basically the WSW 1/2 of MN. Traditionally Nov 10 was when the sloughs had serious (1+) ice on them, but in recent years (the last 25) it is closer to Nov 17. I'd guess vast majority of the past 25 years between Nov 10 and Nov 24th the sloughs have froze up. This year was early. It was not just early--but a wholesale freeze up, meaning even the small lakes froze, where as often we can hunt them for a few more days than a slough.


Over all Mn is a diverse hunting state. From the shallow lakes and sloughs of the SW part, the rivers of the SE, the forest lakes of the NE to the swamp lands of the NW to the rice lakes if central MN. All thing have 1 thing in common -- how many days can we hunt them before they freeze up? Ask Hobbydog about NW MN. VS a guy in Winona--a good 3 week difference in freeze up. Do I still believe in zones--yes. But they need some tweaking for sure.

[gimpfinger]

I know one thing, I'm killing at least 30 birds less a year because of the split. We've missed out on alot of gadwall, redheads, bwt and woodies.

Waiting to hear "well I shot a ... in November so they all are still here" crap.

Team Power Dump