# Where are the Bluebill?



## Divers Down (Mar 31, 2008)

Erie is a diver desert right now, very strange. No usual coot and ruddy rafts either.
I’m sure it’s the warm temps but we always have calendar ducks regardless of temps.
...never seen this.


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## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

I've seen far more redheads than bluebills on St. Clair too...


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## dankoustas (Sep 18, 2007)

Ya Divers Down you aren't kidding. Hope they show up for the weekend


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## Fowl Play (Nov 30, 2014)

With the Great Lakes water level being higher than last year and the year before that, you have to wonder if the food source suffered as a result.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

The food source had been bad for a long time. The celery is starting to come back, but slowly. Too much of that damn invasive crap out there.


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## tdduckman (Jan 17, 2001)

Went fishing on Sunday last and saw several large groups (100+) of divers, did not get close enough to properly ID. but this was on a 500 acre inland lake.

TD


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

We are used to seeing thousands. Smoke on the water when they get up.


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## tdduckman (Jan 17, 2001)

DecoySlayer said:


> We are used to seeing thousands. Smoke on the water when they get up.



I am sure that is true but this was on an inland lake not the big water so I was suprised to see so many.


TD


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## twoteal (Jul 22, 2001)

I was on an inland swamp yesterday with a diver spread. And it payed off. I was covered up with ruddies and buffleheads. I passed on them and ended up with a one man limit 3 mallards two cans and a redhead. Never seen cans on this particular and smallish body of water.


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## lastflight (Aug 16, 2005)

The whole reason we have a reduced bag limit on scaup this year is due to lower populations. That could be the reason.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

lastflight said:


> The whole reason we have a reduced bag limit on scaup this year is due to lower populations. That could be the reason.


IF I understand it correctly there was no spring fly over and they lowered the limits just to be safe. 

It's one thing to be lower, it's another to just not have any to speak of. Something else is going on.


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## AaronJohn (Oct 18, 2015)

we had large numbers of BBs in South MI and North Indiana like 2 weeks ago.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

We had more two weeks ago as well. They were not hunted hard. Gone now


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## lastflight (Aug 16, 2005)

DecoySlayer said:


> It's one thing to be lower, it's another to just not have any to speak of. Something else is going on.


It's very similar to last year, the BB never showed up in typical numbers on Erie. I believe the water levels and resulting habitat change is the main reason. I've noticed the same thing in other areas I hunt, the birds have changed patterns.


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## Divers Down (Mar 31, 2008)

DecoySlayer said:


> We had more two weeks ago as well. They were not hunted hard. Gone now


We were ready to hunt that group but they bugged out eat her before during or after those gale winds. Nuthing has replaced them.


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## Deadeyedeek (Jan 7, 2019)

Divers Down said:


> We were ready to hunt that group but they bugged out eat her before during or after those gale winds. Nuthing has replaced them.


Had a bunch show up on my lake (Hillsdale Co.) not used to seeing that many, usually later..go figure has been a strange year for everything!!


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## dankoustas (Sep 18, 2007)

Just came across my email. Good article that hits the nail on the head










https://www.ducks.org/hunting/water...michigan-waterfowling?poe=migrationemailalert


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## Fowl Play (Nov 30, 2014)

I don’t they they did any nesting counts due to covid. The limit was set as a conservative measure. I was glassing Lake Erie during the last hurricane and saw quite a few ducks, not sure on species - had that diver look, that were headed south.


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## fsamie1 (Mar 8, 2008)

They must have got the memo from the queen, travel ban to US, covid numbers are too high.


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## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

Divers Down said:


> We were ready to hunt that group but they bugged out eat her before during or after those gale winds. Nuthing has replaced them.


It was the Halloween full moon that cost us our birds.


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## crawdad_79 (Mar 3, 2015)

Plenty on the Can side of the lake (lsc) We’ve been passing on them mostly waiting for cans and reds. If they don’t show we start poppin some bills. Not seeing the 10000 raft that is usually out here but plenty of them decoying


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

We limited out on bluebills tonight.
Had our four down in one flock, then had to hold up on all the rest of them that decoyed for us. Managed a few mallards and a hooded merg, but was pretty slow tonight.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Got a few more BB's tonight, but not much else flying unfortunately. Maybe tomorrow morning will be better with more wind pushing birds around.


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## salmon_slayer06 (Mar 19, 2006)

Divers were around most of winter last year on lsc. Whacko weather we are having is keeping the ducks local. Some moved i think we had one push few weeks ago.


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## Rhawk86 (May 21, 2013)

We smashed them for three days in Augres this weekend. They are coming in the numbers you guys are wanting. Some good size greaters.

Buffs were plentiful as well. Some goldeneye. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## hunterdau2 (Feb 7, 2006)

There were a ton of Bluebills and Ruddy ducks in North Dakota the last week of Oct. May be shifting west for migration.


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## Divers Down (Mar 31, 2008)

I just glassed Erie for a while...nuthing but a few scrap ducks around.


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## twoteal (Jul 22, 2001)

They are around.


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## Divers Down (Mar 31, 2008)

twoteal said:


> They are around.


Nice Can!


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## Rhawk86 (May 21, 2013)

The ducks were going _bananas_ today.


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## twoteal (Jul 22, 2001)

Divers Down said:


> Nice Can!


We saw two flocks come right through the decoys. Surprised the hell out of us, I had a face full of honey bun the first time. Second time I was looking the other way. I had no intentions of going this morning but my son who has been a busy 19 y.o. Lately really wanted to go. So I slept for 2 hours after working late last night and I’m glad I did. I was backup in case he missed and I fired one shot at a cripple. Soon he will be to busy to go at all so I’m glad I had today.


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## 2manyfish (Feb 17, 2003)

I need to do a better job on my blind. Yours looks warm. Like the backing fabric.


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## twoteal (Jul 22, 2001)

2manyfish said:


> I need to do a better job on my blind. Yours looks warm. Like the backing fabric.


That's just nylon from joe ann fabrics. It’s actually thicker that the wind blocker I had years ago on my mud buddy blind. Keeps the wind out and makes the heaters work great.


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## Delta Duckman (Aug 24, 2018)

We have bluebills down here in SE Louisiana. Normally they show up mid December but they are here already. We could have shot loads of them this weekend but the limit is one per man per day. We have been shooting redheads too. Has me scratching my head. So much stuff is out of whack.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Concur on the wind backing material. We have the Avery windblocker on our Avery blind and it definitely lives up to its name. We've had ours for a long time and it's held up great.


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## justducky430 (Sep 25, 2014)

We got into a small handful of them on Friday - Saginaw Bay but it seems like an awful lot went straight through over the Halloween weekend.

Seems like mostly buffies, goldeneyes and a few mallards here and there now.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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