# 2022 DUCK SEASON PICS



## Outdoor Gal

This morning the boys wanted to sleep in so my husband and I got up at 6am and planned for a little backyard wood duck hunt. We have a nice little flooding behind the house that my husband has worked hard on. He's cut a lot of dead timber the last few years, to open up the canopy and make it more accessible to the passing ducks. 

We had plenty of woodies close this morning but good grief they were hard to see. Things were fast and furious for 30 minutes and we got three. Should have had more, but as soon as they got low they disappeared. Lol. Definitely a fun, quick little hunt though.


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## Jerry Lamb

Outdoor Gal said:


> Since we didn't get picked for the youth PM draw for Shiawassee, the family hit some local state land yesterday. My hubby was nice enough to get up early and stake out the spot and told me to roll in with the kids a bit later. It felt a like cheating, not getting up in the middle of the night for opening day, but I guess it's the advantage of living 5 minutes away. Lol. It's a good thing he did get there early though, because half hour later a truck pulled in and then peeled back out when they saw his lights. The kids and I showed up at 6am and right behind us another truck showed up. After a quick chat with the guys in the truck, we figured out we were planning on hunting different sections of the marsh. Things worked well, they got some shooting in and so did we. We even ended up with a few birds to show for it. 😉 Wood ducks were plentiful, they just played like wood ducks do and we weren't quite where they wanted to be. The hubby got a bonus greenhead that snuck in at first light and the dog did a great job hunting it up in some nasty cover. That bird would have been lost without a dog. The geese showed up as well, but they typically like an inaccessible part of the marsh so it was pretty satisfying when I was able to talk a couple into decoying for us. It was a good way to kick the season off.
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Where’s the tweed, coat and tie?
OG as usual getting it done.
Mega mom.


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## Outdoor Gal

Jerry Lamb said:


> Where’s the tweed, coat and tie?
> OG as usual getting it done.
> Mega mom.


 Haha! He left for grouse camp today. It was all packed, he was "stuck" wearing camo.


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## lefty421

We found a few widgeon tonight too.


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## goose schatt

My brother and I started off with some misses….wood ducks at Mach speed, first light made us look bad.
Finally caught up with them. Dog used the wind well to find the birds in the cabbage….found a dead head on the way out….


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## Outdoor Gal

Couldn't get out this morning to hunt but got out for a quick little scout when the weather broke. I learned a while ago to always scout with a gun. I'm not above jump shooting. Lol.


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## Mike L

adam bomb said:


> t


Adam You can post a video...... You must download the video to U-Tube then provide a link to it in your post. Steve looks good, been awhile since I've seen him


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## farmergunner

After over 40 years of duck hunting got my second duck band today. What a great day


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## crawdad_79

first CANS of the year dropped from the heavens to check out the blocks


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## Jerry Lamb

farmergunner said:


> After over 40 years of duck hunting got my second duck band today. What a great day


Smile, Gunner!
Congrats.


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## crawdad_79




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## tdduckman

Slow weekend but we got a few good dog work poor shooting

















TD


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## birdshooter

pups birthday hunt


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## birdshooter

Todays shoot 1 shy of 4man on woodies


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## daddyduck

Pup finally figured out how to carry a goose. Lol


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## Divers Down




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## Fish farm

Divers Down said:


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## lefty421




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## adam bomb

Mike L said:


> Adam You can post a video...... You must download the video to U-Tube then provide a link to it in your post. Steve looks good, been awhile since I've seen him


Yeah I haven’t post to YouTube in years. I suppose I could try it. Steve’s my FIL. We do a lot of hunting together. 


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## adam bomb

Love mullets and the spoils of fall. Living the good life! 


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## andyotto




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## ih772

Here's a few shots from early goose season. Ellie and her birds.









She fought with this one for a minute.


















A happy girl with her birds.



















Standing in the dekes watching for birds.









Selfie time.









She usually gets a cheeseburger after a hunt.


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## Chessieman

My Chessie always liked the retrieving of live Geese the best. He would bring them back with the wings beating the heck out of him. The Kings in Thompson Harbor always gave him trouble, he would not leave those things alone! I probably should have feed him before hunting.


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## JFishy

You know you have a good dog when he won't stop retrieving, even after jamming a bean stalk through his foot at some point. We didn't know till the end of the hunt. Cellulitis is under control with antibiotics, swelling has gone way down, and now we wait for the gaping hole to close up! Too bad he doesn't understand why he can't hunt...image from the hunt Friday. Stubborn dog that knows and loves his job!


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## ajkulish

JFishy said:


> You know you have a good dog when he won't stop retrieving, even after jamming a bean stalk through his foot at some point. We didn't know till the end of the hunt. Cellulitis is under control with antibiotics, swelling has gone way down, and now we wait for the gaping hole to close up! Too bad he doesn't understand why he can't hunt...image from the hunt Friday. Stubborn dog that knows and loves his job!


I am literally in the same exact situation right now. Was wondering why he really slowed down sunday, the huge swollen paw gave it away. Sucks


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## JFishy

ajkulish said:


> I am literally in the same exact situation right now. Was wondering why he really slowed down sunday, the huge swollen paw gave it away. Sucks


Ugh, really hope yours heals quickly!! Such a weird, yet apparently common thing that happens. My guys leg looked like a dinosaur....his paw was huge. Picture below from Friday night. And then when the abscess popped Saturday afternoon...well it's a good thing I'm not queasy. Mud, pus...I can still see the muscle inside his paw today, but at least it's clean. It's just crazy what can happen and how they don't react much at all.


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## ajkulish

Poor guy man, I feel for him. I see he had the swelling up to his ankle too. My guy didnt show any signs of it other than not being his normal self afield, until 2.5 hours after the hunt was done. Vet said that the adrenaline from the hunt is a fantastic med for injuries like that so likely the reason he didnt make it apparent then. Poor vet experienced what you did with the oozing, and apparently my girlfriend this morning too .

Hope your buddy heals up soon! And good on ya for getting him in ASAP


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## JFishy

ajkulish said:


> Poor guy man, I feel for him. I see he had the swelling up to his ankle too. My guy didnt show any signs of it other than not being his normal self afield, until 2.5 hours after the hunt was done. Vet said that the adrenaline from the hunt is a fantastic med for injuries like that so likely the reason he didnt make it apparent then. Poor vet experienced what you did with the oozing, and apparently my girlfriend this morning too .
> 
> Hope your buddy heals up soon! And good on ya for getting him in ASAP


Same to you! And yeah, that was the 3rd day of hunting for him, so thankfully, he was an amazing patient to work with as he was exhausted. He's 8.5 so it's a little easier to wear him out. His swelling went up to his shoulder, you could barely see where joints were. He waved his paw on his dog stand once and i was trying to look it over to see what I could find, and he was so fixated on the ducks flying over us I could barely see. All I saw was a "scratch" between all his pads. Adrenaline definitely helped there because he didn't show any other signs till we got home. I called my vet, thankfully a good friend of mine, and started cold compresses and epsom salt soaks Friday night. Early Saturday we took him in. No one saw the abscess coming. Hopeful for a speedy recovery for both pups!!! <3


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## andyotto

And while you’re waiting for prime time…


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## Jerry Lamb

Great way to fish them. Smart.


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## Divers Down

andyotto said:


> And while you’re waiting for prime time…
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That’s what I’m talking about!!!!


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## Zorba

ih772 said:


> Here's a few shots from early goose season. Ellie and her birds.
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> She fought with this one for a minute.
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> A happy girl with her birds.
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> Standing in the dekes watching for birds.
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> Selfie time.
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> She usually gets a cheeseburger after a hunt.
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Is it me or does that dog want to fight you for that burger lol.


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## ih772

She finishes them off in three or four bites. Then she wants some fries and the last bite of my burger. She'll give me the puppy eyes until I give in.


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## adam bomb

Snuck out for a couple hours tonight. Slow as molasses but I got these pretty drakes for my pup. Mission accomplished. 




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## adam bomb

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## birdshooter

adam bomb said:


> Snuck out for a couple hours tonight. Slow as molasses but I got these pretty drakes for my pup. Mission
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> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman
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anymore all I ask for is at least 1 for the pup.


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## adam bomb

birdshooter said:


> anymore all I ask for is at least 1 for the pup.


Same! I love to watch her run!










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## BumpRacerX

I have a confession to make. When the hunting is slow at one of the managed areas...I sacrifice a coot. It has paid off way more times than I care to admit. 

Felt dirty yesterday. Made excuses about why. But the truth is...I sacrifice one, and then it ensures we get ducks in tough conditions. It's gotta be science. Or scientology.

I even have a coot mojo.










Sampson's Owner and I played a little bingo yesterday.

We loaded out twice. Painfully slow. But we managed to scratch out a few.


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## Outdoor Gal

Edit: Figures. I have an improved choke and 3's in the gun expecting wood ducks. Running a jerk rig and that's it. Geese are never in this spot. Today I had a pair of geese set in at 50 yards. 🤦‍♀️. Murphy's Law strikes again. Lol. Haven't seen a duck yet. 

The hunting has been SLOW but at least I can get a good picture of the dog. Didn't pull the trigger last weekend and from what I'm seeing today I'm not hopeful for this weekend.


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## adam bomb

Outdoor Gal said:


> Edit: Figures. I have an improved choke and 3's in the gun expecting wood ducks. Running a jerk rig and that's it. Geese are never in this spot. Today I had a pair of geese set in at 50 yards. . Murphy's Law strikes again. Lol. Haven't seen a duck yet.
> 
> The hunting has been SLOW but at least I can get a good picture of the dog. Didn't pull the trigger last weekend and from what I'm seeing today I'm not hopeful for this weekend.
> 
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Just roll with #2’s start to finish Shannon. Idc if you’re shooting giant Canada’s or teal they get it done!


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## Adern

Great birthday hunt for my son and a first time hunter!


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## the_skog

Buddy and I hit the bay. We were talking how it was going to be gang busters or the skids but no in between. When we started the day with 15 ringnecks in the dekes we knew how the day was going to go. Had to bust ice off the dekes everytime we retrieved our birds but a memorable hunt for sure.


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## crawdad_79




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## birdshooter




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## BumpRacerX

The pics you can't post on Facebook edition.

Fish and I had a great time yesterday making the best of the conditions at a bingo. With a small pocket and ice, chasing birds sucks. So squeeze until click.

Canadian National caught multiple shells. Folded on the ice shelf next to the pocket. Then it stood up, looked around like it was no big deal and started casually walking, the entire time spraying the ice with red.

These birds are stupid tough sometimes.


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## Outdoor Gal

Fun mixed bag hunt today with friends. My very first duck was a hen redhead. It's been years and I've never shot another diver. Until today. Knocked two new species off the list. Buffy and ruddies.


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## Outdoor Gal

Jerry Lamb said:


> OG you did it right. Zone next to you it wasn’t more than 10 minutes. Well done as usual.


 Were you really in the zone next to us? Small world?! Lol!


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## Jerry Lamb

Outdoor Gal said:


> Were you really in the zone next to us? Small world?! Lol!


No I was referring to the folks you were talking about. I was gunning harsens. Today you crushed them!
We shot 44 over 3 days.


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## Outdoor Gal

Nice! You guys got into them!

We should have had a bluebill in boat and a couple more mallards but that's how it goes. I could get used to diver hunting especially when the weather is like this. It was pretty toasty in the boat with the heater and boat blind. Lol.


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## crawdad_79




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## goose schatt

crawdad_79 said:


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sweet! Even a stud woodrow


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## wannabapro

Jerry Lamb said:


> No I was referring to the folks you were talking about. I was gunning harsens. Today you crushed them!
> We shot 44 over 3 days.
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wow that’s a crazy mixed bag - one for the memory books! No coots? Lol


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## West side shooter




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## Jerry Lamb

West side shooter said:


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You found the Greaters haven’t seen them in years. Nice!


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## Jerry Lamb

wannabapro said:


> wow that’s a crazy mixed bag - one for the memory books! No coots? Lol


Didn’t need the coots! We shot:
Canvasback
Redhead
Ringneck
Ruddy
Bufflehead
Gwt
Wigeon
Mallard
Black
Black/Mallard hybrid
We earned them it was brutal


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## ajkulish

The bulk of my vacation time is now behind me, but what a season it has been so far. Absolutely hammering them. So much fun being had.


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## West side shooter




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## xebadir

Went out this morning chasing divers and squaw in a layout hunt with a guide, and it was epic (first time duck hunting where my wife and I have seen ducks - but pretty much new to it). We were pretty much in birds constantly (probably had more than a couple of hundred work over us and saw who knows how many more, and if I wasn't so rusty shooting we probably would have had a limit in an hour or two. Even the blind squirrel finds a nut though - and we ended up shooting a limit with 2 beautiful drakes, and a wall hanger hen. Most hillarious moment was the redheads that buzzed us without a shot fired - the other half figured I must not be shooting for a reason. Planning on getting the drake below and the nice hen mounted in the pair (any suggestions on a good taxidermist?). Heading out again tomorrow.


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## Outdoor Gal

A couple more firsts today. First drake buffie and first goldeneye. This diver hunting thing is kinda fun.


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## West side shooter

It can’t be a bad day when the king comes to visit!!


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## BumpRacerX

Solid afternoon. Spent $35 in gas on a gamble that my marsh stool was still there. And it was.









Then managed to collect a nice pile with @Sampsons_owner. Some of which I harvested using my own reloaded Bismuth shells. Considering we didn't have great cover, definitely will take these!


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## Adern

After 4 passes, this wary black duck pair finished over the decoys.


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## Far Beyond Driven




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## D&D

is it just me or are a lot of people shooting mergansers this year.....

is it the new duck hunters?


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## chednhy




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## Far Beyond Driven

I doubt too many newbies made merganser sleds. Those things turned at three hundred yards when they saw them.


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## Fowl Play

Well, when the good ducks are stale or gone....I will say, people I trust have said the hoodies were not that bad. Plus, that flank makes some killer smallmouth fly patterns.


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## Outdoor Gal

Save a walleye, shoot a merg right?


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## fishdip

Save the perch and shoot the cormorants too.


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## Sea Nags

Had a great hunt this weekend !
















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## BumpRacerX

Everyone needs a good #MergMash every once in a while.


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## mi_hunter65

Was able to put the new (to me) layout to good use. 36 birds on the weekend with 3 guys. Bufflehead, Redheads, Ruddies, and a Black Wing Scoter.


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## birdshooter




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## ajkulish




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## Fowl Play

BumpRacerX said:


> Everyone needs a good #MergMash every once in a while.


when my brother shot 5 out of the layout (it was one group that was fairly tight formation) we set a new rule, 2 real ducks or 5 fish ducks you swap out. Lol


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## West side shooter

Mergs out of the layout is a good time- they decoy to a Merg floater like they have never seen one before lol


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## jscheel

Good weekend for my son and I.


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## The Doob

Whoaaa!!! That's a lot of green!

Congratulations 🎊 👏


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## eye-sore

Red Dog with a stack of birds


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## adam bomb

So this was pretty jive! Had about 12-15 Specks waffle in but slid off last second about 40 yards out. I suspect it was all the ice cover this morning. I picked one out and let the Beretta bark. It folded up stone dead and crashed into the ice. My only opportunity today as the ducks didn’t play.(seen 1) Lots of ice out there this morning. Last night was pretty fun though. Gonna soak this up. We’re running out of time.



























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## Jerry Lamb

adam bomb said:


> So this was pretty jive! Had about 12-15 Specks waffle in but slid off last second about 40 yards out. I suspect it was all the ice cover this morning. I picked one out and let the Beretta bark. It folded up stone dead and crashed into the ice. My only opportunity today as the ducks didn’t play.(seen 1) Lots of ice out there this morning. Last night was pretty fun though. Gonna soak this up. We’re running out of time.
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Nice job running the swans. What time of the season you start putting them out?


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## adam bomb

Jerry Lamb said:


> Nice job running the swans. What time of the season you start putting them out?


My first year with them. But I started using them in November when they started showing up. I figure they can’t hurt, they’re definitely around and not many spreads have them in it. I’ve not had a hunt where I thought they were a detriment. 


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## Zeboy

Quick solo hunt yesterday morning. It was nice to get some cold and wind without 2 feet of snow this time.









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## Jerry Lamb

Zeboy said:


> Quick solo hunt yesterday morning. It was nice to get some cold and wind without 2 feet of snow this time.
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> Sent from my SM-G973U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Great day for you!


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## GRUNDY

@ Adam Bomb: That pair of blacks is lit!


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## HRCHLab

My buddy took this pic. Thought it was cool.


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## birdshooter




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## Brougham

B.S.
That's a Bad Ass picture!!!


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## birdshooter

Brougham said:


> B.S.
> That's a Bad Ass picture!!!


Thanks, it was a fun hunt.


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## MIfishslayer91

Bibbed mallard


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## Jerry Lamb

Oink! What a pig.
We shot one 30 years ago. I’ll scan it one of these days and post.


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## Brougham




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## Masondrew

Diehard 


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## crawdad_79




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## Jerry Lamb

crawdad_79 said:


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Mallard Hollywood hybrid? Good work eliminating that from the gene pool.


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## Divers Down

Masondrew said:


> View attachment 870258
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> Diehard
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> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Pooch is thinking “I’m ready for breakfast and a nap” lol


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## the_skog

change of scene hunt. Struggled to finish birds but one flock did it right.


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## Zeboy

I have always felt that December was the best month for big fat mallards. Fortunately we have more days in December this season than usual.









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## goose schatt

Zeboy said:


> I have always felt that December was the best month for big fat mallards. Fortunately we have more days in December this season than usual.
> View attachment 870344
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> Sent from my SM-G973U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


amen to that🙌🏻


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## West side shooter

Another can out of the layout yesterday


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## goosehunter31

didn’t get out as much As previous years but made the most of it. Ended my 3 year drought by popping a goose and my old man got his first band ever as well! So I’d say it was a successful season. Bring on the split


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## jookdog

what game area is the tailgate parking lot pic from?


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## duckhtr213890

These 2 pictures mean more to me than all the pile pics from the season! The smile he gets on his face when birds work in tells me he’s going to be addicted just like his dad


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## crawdad_79




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## Divers Down

crawdad_79 said:


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Awesome photo!…ducks too.


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## adam bomb

I had a good feeling when I heard swans flying over the house yesterday morning when I was loading my truck. We broke a solid inch of ice all the way out and found a decent pocket that we doubled in size. My feelings that it was going to be be a great hunt only increased as mallards were landing around us while we were throwing out decoys with our headlights on and the boat sitting in the middle of the hole….we finished setting up and jammed the boat in the cattails. It wasn’t long and a pair of hoodies just about took my buddies head off. No joke they weren’t 18” over his head. A couple minutes later shooting time came and more birds started in. By 8 AM I had my 4 drakes and we had 8 in the boat. It slowed down a bit but the guys picked away at them. Unfortunately on my buddies last mallard he clipped it and it required a follow up shot and that stiff wind carried it into the cattails. Despite our best efforts we could not recover that bird. We sat out after that telling stories and enjoying the show hoping for bonus ducks that never came. There were no shortage of ducks and we saw several large flocks up in the stratosphere migrating south. What a great hunt to send off my 27th season. Thank you to everyone I shared the blind with.













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## crawdad_79




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## Brougham

Hell yeah 👍


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## Cork Dust

crawdad_79 said:


> View attachment 874146


Pass shooting on the river, or sitting over decoys? We used to hunt a section of the Kalamazoo in the late season with a dozen decoys set in a cove between two massive corn fields. It was a very productive set-up when the birds started moving back to water.


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## crawdad_79

_birds were congregated in this section of open water had to wait a long time till they finally left to feed then we set decoys. Then we waited another long time for them to come back. But worth it. They were feet down!
Band was from moosenee Ontario 
James bay birds _


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## HRCHLab

crawdad_79 said:


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That background sky is beautiful


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## West side shooter




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## Jerry Lamb

I remember the Greaters. Beautiful bird.


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## crawdad_79

was finally able to get me an old squaw


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## Brien maeder

crawdad_79 said:


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> was finally able to get me an old squaw


Nice long tail 😂


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## mi_hunter65

Started Saturday off early with a slow troll out in the fog/rain. Had a bunch of buddies that never layout gunned before come out. To say the least, they learned quick why I recommended to bring more shells than they thought they needed. There was plenty of shooting, and not a whole lot of picking up birds. Fun watching them figure out how to connect with a bird. Mainly shot bufflehead, with some bluebills mixed in and an old squaw. 
Sunday did not fair as well, but we were still able to come with a couple for a warm lunch.


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## Divers Down

mi_hunter65 said:


> Started Saturday off early with a slow troll out in the fog/rain. Had a bunch of buddies that never layout gunned before come out. To say the least, they learned quick why I recommended to bring more shells than they thought they needed. There was plenty of shooting, and not a whole lot of picking up birds. Fun watching them figure out how to connect with a bird. Mainly shot bufflehead, with some bluebills mixed in and an old squaw.
> Sunday did not fair as well, but we were still able to come with a couple for a warm lunch.
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Awesome! Glad to see you’re keeping the tradition alive.


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## Divers Down

mi_hunter65 said:


> Started Saturday off early with a slow troll out in the fog/rain. Had a bunch of buddies that never layout gunned before come out. To say the least, they learned quick why I recommended to bring more shells than they thought they needed. There was plenty of shooting, and not a whole lot of picking up birds. Fun watching them figure out how to connect with a bird. Mainly shot bufflehead, with some bluebills mixed in and an old squaw.
> Sunday did not fair as well, but we were still able to come with a couple for a warm lunch.
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1 suggestion...If you haven't already, Try running lines across next season. Giving yourself 5-10 yds between the layout and the 1s string.
You wont believe how it pulls ducks close enough to land, new or stale birds.
To switch out guys, just pull in from the layout stern or nose in from the sides and turn into the wind.


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## West side shooter




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## birdshooter

West side shooter said:


> View attachment 877133


Where was it banded ?we got 2 of those this year in black


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