# Look out below



## The Doob (Mar 4, 2007)

All these NW winds have been great for the hunting on Saginaw Bay but when things laid down yesterday afternoon, there were a lot of them missing.
Went out with my son and daughter-in-law for an afternoon hunt yesterday and the ducks were gone. Now with it being calm they might have moved out into the Bay proper but Wildfowl Bay was noticeably void of ducks. We managed 3 redheads but I think our birds are now probably sitting on Lake St. Clair.


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## onebad800 (Apr 28, 2003)

I was up in northern mi over weekend deer hunting with the cold, snowy weather we woke up to our small lake full of divers sunday so some are starting to head down with this cold push we got


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## CHASINEYES (Jun 3, 2007)

While bow hunting yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see close to the same number of ducks coming into the beaver ponds as what was there for the opener last weekend. Nice flocks of mallards and woodies that were raised locally.


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## TNL (Jan 6, 2005)

I'd rather be hunting in Michigan than here in NoDak. It's absolutely dead. Seriously.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

TNL said:


> I'd rather be hunting in Michigan than here in NoDak. It's absolutely dead. Seriously.


My buddies are pounding birds in nodak. Not sure where they are but I seen his pics on FB last night. Puddles and divers both.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

TNL said:


> I'd rather be hunting in Michigan than here in NoDak. It's absolutely dead. Seriously.


They got 16 mallards out there this morning


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## bheary (Dec 29, 2010)

The Doob said:


> All these NW winds have been great for the hunting on Saginaw Bay but when things laid down yesterday afternoon, there were a lot of them missing.
> Went out with my son and daughter-in-law for an afternoon hunt yesterday and the ducks were gone. Now with it being calm they might have moved out into the Bay proper but Wildfowl Bay was noticeably void of ducks. We managed 3 redheads but I think our birds are now probably sitting on Lake St. Clair.


They just moved away from your location. They were tired of you posting pictures of their dead family members. Only 500 reds at the bridge yesterday from what I saw. Stull waiting for the first big push to show. I'll save some for you guys


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

Birds on most the west side disappeared as well, but they showed back up this morning. Yesterday i picked leaves of phrag i was so bored


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

The Doob said:


> All these NW winds have been great for the hunting on Saginaw Bay but when things laid down yesterday afternoon, there were a lot of them missing.
> Went out with my son and daughter-in-law for an afternoon hunt yesterday and the ducks were gone. Now with it being calm they might have moved out into the Bay proper but Wildfowl Bay was noticeably void of ducks. We managed 3 redheads but I think our birds are now probably sitting on Lake St. Clair.


Not here on LSC either.


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## TNL (Jan 6, 2005)

It's dead here in the south central. Many crews have packed up and gone home. Cloudless days in the high 60s, dried up sloughs everywhere, and a lot less ducks. 70mph north winds may have pushed them out last week. We're buggin out a day early. In 4 days I have over 600 miles of scouting. Only feed I found was posted. Worst I ever seen it. Been going for 12 years.


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## Bigeejakes (Nov 11, 2011)

TNL said:


> It's dead here in the south central. Many crews have packed up and gone home. Cloudless days in the high 60s, dried up sloughs everywhere, and a lot less ducks. 70mph north winds may have pushed them out last week. We're buggin out a day early. In 4 days I have over 600 miles of scouting. Only feed I found was posted. Worst I ever seen it. Been going for 12 years.


Agreed, it's just dead until new birds show up. The mid October lull is in full effect. You can get some birds, but it will take more work/luck than normal.


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## Lurker (Jan 25, 2009)

TNL said:


> It's dead here in the south central. Many crews have packed up and gone home. Cloudless days in the high 60s, dried up sloughs everywhere, and a lot less ducks. 70mph north winds may have pushed them out last week. We're buggin out a day early. In 4 days I have over 600 miles of scouting. Only feed I found was posted. Worst I ever seen it. Been going for 12 years.


is it too late for a refund?


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Every year there is a lull at this time. I would be perfectly happy if the season closed this time of the year. Everyone knows about the lull. I know some other states do a setup like that. I also understand the reason why we don't....lost dates to freeze up plus we have to pander the warm weather and weekend warrior types.


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## duckbuster0123 (Jan 31, 2013)

Yall talk bout a lull but I went out this morning and seen all kinds of birds. Not stop action till 915am. Stopped cause had to work. Got 1 goose 2 mallards 1 gadwall. Should have limited but I can't hit water if fell out a boat. Birds are just need to scout hard


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

duckbuster0123 said:


> Yall talk bout a lull but I went out this morning and seen all kinds of birds. Not stop action till 915am. Stopped cause had to work. Got 1 goose 2 mallards 1 gadwall. Should have limited but I can't hit water if fell out a boat. Birds are just need to scout hard


Obviously there's pockets of birds. This happens every single year. The locals and first flight of birds get shot up and get pushed around and pushed out. Now we are I between flights and kind of waiting. Things are on the slow side just about everywhere.


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## The Doob (Mar 4, 2007)

I'm going to take a first hand look tomorrow morning - headed out of Quanicassee to see if there are any still around.


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## duckbuster0123 (Jan 31, 2013)

I was thinking the same thing for a afternoon smash-n-grab


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## bheary (Dec 29, 2010)

How's the celery off of Qsee


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## The Doob (Mar 4, 2007)

bheary said:


> How's the celery off of Qsee


Plentiful


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

TNL said:


> It's dead here in the south central. Many crews have packed up and gone home. Cloudless days in the high 60s, dried up sloughs everywhere, and a lot less ducks. 70mph north winds may have pushed them out last week. We're buggin out a day early. In 4 days I have over 600 miles of scouting. Only feed I found was posted. Worst I ever seen it. Been going for 12 years.


Some of my crew will be there Friday night. I won't get there until late Sunday, so probably hunting Monday morning. Hopefully things have picked up by then. Although the house we rent comes with several thousand acres of private land, and our farmer/landlord told me on Monday they had several large groups of feeding birds on the various properties. Who knows by next week? They did say the corn is all off now, and the pheasants are up from previous years, and vulnerable  I plan to do LOTS of ditch chicken chasing LOL


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## The Doob (Mar 4, 2007)

I think the bluebills head for the Carolinas. I think the amount of light in the day has as much or more to do with the urge to mirate as the weather. No other way to explain them leaving a food rich environment into a contrary wind.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

The Doob said:


> I think the bluebills head for the Carolinas. I think the amount of light in the day has as much or more to do with the urge to mirate as the weather. No other way to explain them leaving a food rich environment into a contrary wind.


majority of them head to lake pontchartrain, LA and surrounding marsh/coastal areas. huge hangout for bills.


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## wavie (Feb 2, 2004)

What makes you think they left? I had a great lakes freighter captain who was a duck hunter tell me the rafts would be huge long way off shore where most wouldn't venture. No matter the weather they stayed put, 15-20 miles off shore (off mouth of bay). Nocturnal feeding is well documented.


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## jlucky (Apr 10, 2015)

If I got shot at and got ran out of my breakfast spot every morning by 20 boats I'd go sit out in the middle of nowhere too. I've never seen this much pressure on birds in my life. Guys were trying to kill them out of their walleye fishing boats last weekend! Everyone is a duck commander now lol


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## The Doob (Mar 4, 2007)

Jlucky - I agree that the ducks react to the pressure and make adjustments accordingly. Earlier in the year, we are whacking at them as they come in and are finding their way around. They have now been here a while and have gotten into larger, more secure groups that inhabit more secure locations. 

We are not seeing the 10 -15 birds groups bomb into the spread now. Mostly it is singles or pairs.


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## carsonr2 (Jan 15, 2009)

Lot of bills may head for the LA, but I think the majority winter along the East Coast. The sounds in NC hold piles of bills. Here is the link to a scaup satellite GPS study out of long point. http://longpointwaterfowl.org/research/staff/current-staff-research/scaup-tracking/ 

They have the satellite tracking maps on the webpage


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## The Doob (Mar 4, 2007)

Still waiting on the next influx of birds to the Bay - or for the weather to get rough enough to break up some of the big rafts out in the middle. It has been super slow this week with the bluebird weather and we only managed a pair of redheads yesterday.

Drove up to the launch today and discretion being the better part of valor, took one look and after speaking with a fellow waterfowler, turned around and drove home.

BUT, some days not waterfowling does have advantages (from Tuesday afternoon):










Buddy has 120 acres in the CREP set-a-side program and we scored an invite for an afternoon shoot. Cover, food and water provide an ideal setting and we moved more birds than I could count. Would have had our 3 man limit but we lost one in standing corn and then it got too dark. We had a blast!!!


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## Smallmouth Chaser (May 17, 2009)

We hunted an area on Saturday and their was tons of pressure and very few birds. We moved a few miles away from the launch area on Sunday to get away from the pressure and at around 11:30 there was a huge push of bills and redheads. I haven't seen huge flocks decoy like that in years. We were in an area all by ourselves and it was amazing. We ended up finding a feeding area and had Monday was even better than Sunday. They were not were you would expect them is all I am saying but they are there.


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