# FP yesterday



## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

Anyone go to FP yesterday? Me and a buddy went for both am and pm. we drew very early and got one of the "hot zones" to find out it wasn't very hot anywhere. Heard very little shooting all day. We took a few ducks + 1 a dead teal in our corn.. still debating if I want to breast it out or not. Hate seeing a teal go to waste but I have no idea how long it had been sitting there. 

Hunted the evening and took a zone we did very very well with on Wed and again, very little shooting at all. The zone across from us even packed up early and left. I'm assuming that massive storm blew out all the ducks but me and my friend both said we couldn't recall a day we've heard that little shooting going on.


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## OnHoPr (Jul 21, 2013)

It can be questionable on the BT. But, you also put in the "well guys let their ducks age a few days to a week before cleaning, SO? I don't know, breast it and see what it looks like. 

Ah, reverse psychology, trying to keep the good units to yourself.lol


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## Duke of Flintown (Aug 27, 2018)

I was at Crow Island in the morning and picked up at 9:30...... all the birds were high flying straight down the refuge to a private field and then back up the refuge to the bay about 30-45 min later.... picked up and went to FP to check out the evening hunt and went for a drive around the refuge saw the 1000 Coots in the refuge and a few Ducks flying within the refuge and dropping back into the refuge and a goose posted up on Beaver/muskrat lodge honking right at me and figured it wasn't going to be worth my time so I drove home.


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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

Duke of Flintown said:


> I was at Crow Island in the morning and picked up at 9:30...... all the birds were high flying straight down the refuge to a private field and then back up the refuge to the bay about 30-45 min later.... picked up and went to FP to check out the evening hunt and went for a drive around the refuge saw the 1000 Coots in the refuge and a few Ducks flying within the refuge and dropping back into the refuge and a goose posted up on Beaver/muskrat lodge honking right at me and figured it wasn't going to be worth my time so I drove home.


Where you in the Silver SUV? I believe a Ford Escape size SUV kinda creeping forwards and backwards between the refuge and the 20's?


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## Duke of Flintown (Aug 27, 2018)

No, I didn't want to drive the roads too much and possibly ruin opportunities for anyone, I just drove to the north of the refuge and parked and rolled the window down and watched and listened for 20-30 min. After watching the smart birds at Crow Island avoid any where that wasnt the refuge, I would just consider the extra 30 min trip a scouting trip and I dont believe I heard a single gunshot from 10-11. Of course the goose was taunting me for 20 min or soo atop his perch.


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## TheHighLIfe (Sep 5, 2017)

monkel said:


> Anyone go to FP yesterday? Me and a buddy went for both am and pm. we drew very early and got one of the "hot zones" to find out it wasn't very hot anywhere. Heard very little shooting all day. We took a few ducks + 1 a dead teal in our corn.. still debating if I want to breast it out or not. Hate seeing a teal go to waste but I have no idea how long it had been sitting there.
> 
> Hunted the evening and took a zone we did very very well with on Wed and again, very little shooting at all. The zone across from us even packed up early and left. I'm assuming that massive storm blew out all the ducks but me and my friend both said we couldn't recall a day we've heard that little shooting going on.



if the eyeballs are not glassy, the bird is fresh
if they are, consider the recent temps and water temps and season length. if it has not been above 60 in the first days, like this year, it is probably fine - but like onhopr says, give it a smell. you will be able to tell if it is a throwaway


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## West side shooter (Jan 22, 2015)

We were there thurs until Sunday morning. 
Hunted the 20s on thurs afternoon, fri morning and sat morning. Hunted a scramble zone sat night and zone 1 Sunday morning. We scratched out 3 ducks Sunday morning, our neighbors shot 1 and the guys in 3 downed a couple and a goose. We heard sat night was really hot in 1,2 and 3.


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## 3shotmike (Sep 30, 2008)

monkel said:


> Anyone go to FP yesterday? Me and a buddy went for both am and pm. we drew very early and got one of the "hot zones" to find out it wasn't very hot anywhere. Heard very little shooting all day. We took a few ducks + 1 a dead teal in our corn.. still debating if I want to breast it out or not. Hate seeing a teal go to waste but I have no idea how long it had been sitting there.
> 
> Hunted the evening and took a zone we did very very well with on Wed and again, very little shooting at all. The zone across from us even packed up early and left. I'm assuming that massive storm blew out all the ducks but me and my friend both said we couldn't recall a day we've heard that little shooting going on.


Was out for the afternoon draw on Sunday. What a crappy hunt! Had a good draw and selected our second choice on fields (1-3). No birds! I don't think I counted more than 1 dozen ducks that came out of the refuge. Were no birds flying around the refuge either. Guessing they were all out on the bay. Very little shooting around the unit even from the 20s. Skybusters were plentiful though!

Anyone know what happened to Zones 1, 2 and 3 this year? Looks like they let it overgrow. Decoy openings were very small. Zone 3 can only hunt the west side of the corn due to the east side being overgrown and a huge brush pile in the middle of the field. And that blind in 3! Wow what an eye sore. Sticks out like a sore thumb and impossible to work/track birds with that roof. Not to mention, the ducks would have to be sitting in your decoys to shoot anything.


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## spartansfan (Nov 8, 2011)

Hunted Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday morning. Got drawn putrid each hunt, yet managed to shoot 4, 1 and 4 birds. Considered ourselves very lucky with the lack of bird movement. Had 2 single geese fully commit to 20 yards on Sunday. That's a first for me in many years at fp.

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## spartansfan (Nov 8, 2011)

Also I have to say, putting the shooting holes on the west side of the corn has to be, one dumbest decisions ever. Not only is it terrible for getting birds to finish and having to shoot them over the corn, but it's somewhat dangerous. Parties setting up facing each other was seen consistently. We gut rained on good once due to this. The guys hunting the east sides struggle to find ducks they shoot close because the weeds are so thick. 

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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

spartansfan said:


> Also I have to say, putting the shooting holes on the west side of the corn has to be, one dumbest decisions ever. Not only is it terrible for getting birds to finish and having to shoot them over the corn, but it's somewhat dangerous. Parties setting up facing each other was seen consistently. We gut rained on good once due to this. The guys hunting the east sides struggle to find ducks they shoot close because the weeds are so thick.
> 
> Sent from my SM-J727V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


I agree they need to change that. Some zones you only have the option to hunt the east or west side. I've sat in zones this year where it's impossible to hunt the west side and I've sat in zones where it's impossible to hunt the east side too.


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## Glider (Mar 31, 2018)

spartansfan said:


> Also I have to say, putting the shooting holes on the west side of the corn has to be, one dumbest decisions ever. Not only is it terrible for getting birds to finish and having to shoot them over the corn, but it's somewhat dangerous. Parties setting up facing each other was seen consistently. We gut rained on good once due to this. The guys hunting the east sides struggle to find ducks they shoot close because the weeds are so thick.
> 
> Sent from my SM-J727V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


On an East wind the "holes" on the Westside would be great! Dunno why anyone would want to set up on the Westside with a west blow.... unless you're trying to pimp someone shooting birds on the swing.


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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

Glider said:


> On an East wind the "holes" on the Westside would be great! Dunno why anyone would want to set up on the Westside with a west blow.... unless you're trying to pimp someone shooting birds on the swing.


some zones you don't have much of a choice. I've hunted zones where there was no holes or pockets for decoys on the east side, just all grass and burs that run right up to the corn edge.


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## LooksMoosey (Aug 29, 2015)

Many don’t even have a pocket on the east side. Just grass up to my shoulders and burrs. My waders are covered in those darn burrs.


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## spartansfan (Nov 8, 2011)

We were in 16 Sunday. Westerly wind, and our only option was the west side of the corn. The east side was as thick as could be with grass, not even a thought of a place to put decoys.. Cost us a few birds. It caused us to get peppered good by the guys in 18 who, rightfully so, set up on their east side because they apparently had a decoy opening

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## natureboy2534 (Dec 11, 2013)

Watch the cripples count sky rocket this year. I bet they will resort back to there old ways for next year..


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

West side shooter said:


> We were there thurs until Sunday morning.
> Hunted the 20s on thurs afternoon, fri morning and sat morning. Hunted a scramble zone sat night and zone 1 Sunday morning. We scratched out 3 ducks Sunday morning, our neighbors shot 1 and the guys in 3 downed a couple and a goose. We heard sat night was really hot in 1,2 and 3.


It was hot in all the zones!!


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

A


natureboy2534 said:


> Watch the cripples count sky rocket this year. I bet they will resort back to there old ways for next year..


And that would be?????


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

monkel said:


> Anyone go to FP yesterday? Me and a buddy went for both am and pm. we drew very early and got one of the "hot zones" to find out it wasn't very hot anywhere. Heard very little shooting all day. We took a few ducks + 1 a dead teal in our corn.. still debating if I want to breast it out or not. Hate seeing a teal go to waste but I have no idea how long it had been sitting there.
> 
> Hunted the evening and took a zone we did very very well with on Wed and again, very little shooting at all. The zone across from us even packed up early and left. I'm assuming that massive storm blew out all the ducks but me and my friend both said we couldn't recall a day we've heard that little shooting going on.


No weather to make the birds want to feed.


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

Int


spartansfan said:


> We were in 16 Sunday. Westerly wind, and our only option was the west side of the corn. The east side was as thick as could be with grass, not even a thought of a place to put decoys.. Cost us a few birds. It caused us to get peppered good by the guys in 18 who, rightfully so, set up on their east side because they apparently had a decoy opening
> 
> Sent from my SM-J727V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Interesting...I was told by someone that works at FP the perdominant wind there is a east wind. I laughed right in his face!!


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## natureboy2534 (Dec 11, 2013)

Decoy openings on east side..


San V. Sasse said:


> A
> 
> And that would be?????


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

Saturday afternoon when the winds and weather rolled in the ducks we're out in force every where.
As for no decoy openings, openings on the wrong side and any other stupid things they are doing there I urge everyone to write it down and put it in the suggestion box. May or may not happen. Whoever is running this goat rope is not very intelligent in my opinion. This place use to be GREAT back in the day and was like Shi, now it is like hunting in fragmite.


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

natureboy2534 said:


> Decoy openings on east side..


Yes indeed, decoy openings on both sides of the strips. Ain't gonna happen until the AC running it is gone!! Put it in the suggestion box or better yet ask it during the draw and watch him trip over his feet.


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## MILONEWOLF (Oct 28, 2013)

Dumb question, has anyone said to FP staff Why the fields look that poor? I am the guy who will ask those questions. Poor decisions by people in charge should always be questioned.


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

MILONEWOLF said:


> Dumb question, has anyone said to FP staff Why the fields look that poor? I am the guy who will ask those questions. Poor decisions by people in charge should always be questioned.


Catering to the ducks, not the hunter.


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## goose schatt (Sep 11, 2012)

MILONEWOLF said:


> Dumb question, has anyone said to FP staff Why the fields look that poor? I am the guy who will ask those questions. Poor decisions by people in charge should always be questioned.


I think the fields look great. Not a fan of the blinds with roofs or there placement. I wish they would of kept it like it was. Still a great place. I’ll be leaving a suggestion in the box...I’d also like to join the association to help out while these types of things are happening


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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

hunted a zone facing west with no openings on the east. zone across had openings facing east and I would assume no openings facing west. We showered each other with pellets all night long. First time I got a shower and it definitely startled me seeing as they actually hit me.


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

monkel said:


> hunted a zone facing west with no openings on the east. zone across had openings facing east and I would assume no openings facing west. We showered each other with pellets all night long. First time I got a shower and it definitely startled me seeing as they actually hit me.


Ask them why, why during the draw.


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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

Pat mentioned something about them having to flip the side the corn is on (in each zone) each year which is why the openings change. I'm assuming not all zones can have the corn flipped like the ones up against the road. So if my theory of that is correct, the decoy openings will always be on the same side and the other zones will flip flop which sides the decoy openings are on. 

I did take a walk through the corn to see if there was maybe a pocket of water we could at least work that was big enough (there wasn't) and I did see what he was talking about flipping the corn with the millet. I found some millet in the corn rows and found a couple solo corn stalks in the millet.


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

monkel said:


> Pat mentioned something about them having to flip the side the corn is on (in each zone) each year which is why the openings change. I'm assuming not all zones can have the corn flipped like the ones up against the road. So if my theory of that is correct, the decoy openings will always be on the same side and the other zones will flip flop which sides the decoy openings are on.
> 
> I did take a walk through the corn to see if there was maybe a pocket of water we could at least work that was big enough (there wasn't) and I did see what he was talking about flipping the corn with the millet. I found some millet in the corn rows and found a couple solo corn stalks in the millet.


They don't flip the **** at SHI!!! Never heard them flip it back in the day at FP and there were no issues then and had decoy openings on BOTH SIDES!!!!


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## spartansfan (Nov 8, 2011)

This reasoning sounds bush league at best by Pat. Why not just mow the opening on the east side of the corn, who cares if it is moved 15 yards for rotation. Im starting to think it was just a mistake made and they are trying to back peddle into excuses. In my 16 years of hunting all the draw units, i havent seen this done at any of the WMA except for a select few zones, not the whole damn unit.


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## Spartan88 (Nov 14, 2008)

Schafer knew how to run that place... Do the sign markers look like Helen Keller wrote them this year?


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## San V. Sasse (Aug 19, 2010)

M


spartansfan said:


> This reasoning sounds bush league at best by Pat. Why not just mow the opening on the east side of the corn, who cares if it is moved 15 yards for rotation. Im starting to think it was just a mistake made and they are trying to back peddle into excuses. In my 16 years of hunting all the draw units, i havent seen this done at any of the WMA except for a select few zones, not the whole damn unit.


Mow the dang opening on both sides and problem solved!!


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## mattrowloff (Dec 30, 2010)

San V. Sasse said:


> Yes indeed, decoy openings on both sides of the strips. Ain't gonna happen until the AC running it is gone!! Put it in the suggestion box or better yet ask it during the draw and watch him trip over his feet.


Remember that AC got his job witout the recomendation of the Fish Point Ass. just because he was buddies with Barb Avers and the guy with the recomendation piss Barb off


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## Sea Nags (Dec 26, 2001)

Spartan88 said:


> Schafer knew how to run that place... Do the sign markers look like Helen Keller wrote them this year?


He was one of a kind !! He did what he needed to do. Now some educated dude in Lansing makes ALL the calls.

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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

Mistakes might be made and it might not be as good as it used to be in prior years however we should keep in mind these are free places to hunt specifically designed for duck hunting and holding ducks. They do listen to us and read the suggestions that we offer. At the end of the day we could be stuck with other public/state land areas and/or knocking on doors.


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## spartansfan (Nov 8, 2011)

monkel said:


> Mistakes might be made and it might not be as good as it used to be in prior years however we should keep in mind these are free places to hunt specifically designed for duck hunting and holding ducks. They do listen to us and read the suggestions that we offer. At the end of the day we could be stuck with other public/state land areas and/or knocking on doors.


If you don't demand excellence, excellence will never be achieved. 

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## monkel (Nov 11, 2013)

i understand taking advantage of the suggestion box and making your voice heard. But demanding anything from a free service that costs how much to not only run but to establish and keep running every year? Don't get me wrong, I hope a lot of things change for the better but again, this is not a guided hunt nor do we pay (outside of our taxes, tags ect) to use this. Demanding anything seems to be a bit far... if you don't like it move on to other draws or find other public land.

If I was helping someone for free or providing a free service to someone and they started demanding things I'd tell em to F-off real fast and to have fun doing the rest themselves.


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## Spartan88 (Nov 14, 2008)

Fish Point is not free, at least for those of us that buy licenses and stamps. And Pat and any other state employee work for us. Maybe he has forgotten duck hunters are the reason he has a job...


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## TNL (Jan 6, 2005)

Free? You didn't pay your $12 bucks for a waterfowl endorsement? Seriously, these waterfowl areas are paid for by your tax dollars, waterfowl stamps, all the hunting merch that generates P-R dollars, etc. Nothing is ever free. Gov't employee tells me to F off and we go up the ladder. You'd be surprised at how fast things change when a State Sen in charge of appropriations makes a call to DNR commissioner or director...


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