# ST.Clair Flats -Teal



## Paratrooper84 (Apr 10, 2014)

Anyone seeing any teal out on the ST. Clair flats by Harsens Island. 

I thought I saw a large group but was way to far away to identify


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## scotts98rt (Feb 4, 2012)

Paratrooper84 said:


> Anyone seeing any teal out on the ST. Clair flats by Harsens Island.
> 
> I thought I saw a large group but was way to far away to identify


BUDDY lives on harsens. Said he has seen nothing but wooden and mallards.


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## scotts98rt (Feb 4, 2012)

Woodies. Damn phone.


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

If your even remotely considering hunting the area i would not recommend posing a question like this (on a public forum) with the location, especially 6 days out from Early Teal season............


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

charcoal300zxtt said:


> If your even remotely considering hunting the area i would not recommend posing a question like this (on a public forum) with the location, especially 6 days out from Early Teal season............


 That's the nature of 'scouting' anymore.......people don't put in the time, shoe leather, and glass to find their own spots......the go to an internet forum and post "Hey, where can I find (insert desired game species here).......I don't have time/money/time or money to scout" (rough translation: I'm too lazy to find my own spots)............and usually some idiot will respond with places, never considering the fact that there are probably tens of thousands of lurkers out there wondering the same thing.......and then the person who responded wonders why the place he hunts is so crowded on opening day (or whenever they get a chance to go).

Just unFREAKIN' believable!!!!!!!!!!!!

......and, of course, if you call them out as "lazy", you're a rat bastard for not helping out a "fellow hunter" by giving them (and everyone else on the internet) your spots!!!!!

Again.......................unFREAKIN' believable!


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## smelz like wet dog (Aug 12, 2006)

Trooper just asked if anybody d been seeing teal. Not where to hunt. Obviously not lurking he posted. No need to attack a fellow sportsman fellas. If everybody is worried about lurkers stealing their spots maybe this isn't the forums for you. With that said can I get the coordinates to the Harsens hot spot.


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

Paratrooper84 said:


> Anyone seeing any teal out on the *ST. Clair flats by Harsens Island. *
> 
> I thought I saw a large group but was way to far away to identify





smelz like wet dog said:


> Trooper just asked if anybody d been seeing teal. *Not where to hunt*. Obviously not lurking he posted. No need to attack a fellow sportsman fellas. If everybody is worried about lurkers stealing their spots maybe this isn't the forums for you. With that said can I get the coordinates to the Harsens hot spot.


Hmmm.....specifically asked about St. Clair flats on Harsens Island......and you think he isn't asking "where to hunt"?

Really? SERIOUSLY!!! You actually believe that? Wanna buy a bridge to Canada........I can get you a good deal.

Yeah, he isn't "lurking", but there are others who do..............if YOU'RE not worried about them, why don't you post up your "hot spot" for teal so Paratroop85 can have someplace to hunt, along with everyone else?




smelz like wet dog said:


> Trooper just asked if anybody d been seeing teal. Not where to hunt. Obviously not lurking he posted. *No need to attack a fellow sportsman fellas*. If everybody is worried about lurkers stealing their spots maybe this isn't the forums for you. With that said can I get the coordinates to the Harsens hot spot.


....and, for the record, nobody "attacked" him; we (or at least I) don't admire laziness when it comes to finding hunting spots...............if that's your cup of tea, then by all means......_post up your spots!!!_

Like I said, you call out their laziness and all the sudden you're a rat bastard!!!!


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## Paratrooper84 (Apr 10, 2014)

Listen, I'm just posing the question, I do a ton of scouting in that area as I'm out there almost every weekend. I'm not seeing anything. However, if you took the time to look at a map, you would realize that it's a very very large area. I or no other single person can cover all the ground. I'm simply asking if anyone is seeing anything in the area. I sat out last year during teal season and only saw Mosquitos and rain clouds...


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## Duckhunter66 (Nov 24, 2013)

Trooper, if you have been waterfowl hunting (forums) for any length of time the one thing most people do not like is when a specific area is mentioned...yes the whole Flat's area is large but when you say Harsens...well...


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

Water is too deep. Boats have access to where they once were not. Too much pressure for birds to linger and loaf.


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

Paratrooper84 said:


> Listen, I'm just posing the question, I do a ton of scouting in that area as I'm out there almost every weekend. I'm not seeing anything. However, if you took the time to look at a map, you would realize that it's a very very large area. I or no other single person can cover all the ground. I'm simply asking if anyone is seeing anything in the area. I sat out last year during teal season and only saw Mosquitos and rain clouds...


O.K., if you're doing a "ton" of scouting, as you say, and not finding any birds, and are out every weekend, as you say, then if you aren't finding birds, and if you sat out last year and just saw "mosquitos and rain clouds", then you need to go back and do some more research; either go back to the library and look up habits of teal and/or starting checking maps for areas which would be more suitable for teal. 
.....and yes, I know the flats is a "big area"; I've been hunting it for almost 40 years. I also know that there are certain areas on the flats that are much, much better than others and some areas that are practically sterile when it comes to ducks. To answer your question, yes......I'm sure that there are teal "in the area". There are also canvasbacks, mallards, pintails, coots, and just about every other species of waterfowl out there as well.

..........happy now?


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## wavie (Feb 2, 2004)

I'm just waiting for someone to post up their gofundme page to help out financing their waterfowl purchases.


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## Lurker (Jan 25, 2009)

pass the popcorn


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

Lurker said:


> pass the popcorn


O.K., ......here you go!


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

Paratrooper84 said:


> Anyone seeing any teal out on the ST. Clair flats by Harsens Island.
> 
> I thought I saw a large group but was way to far away to identify


Coots. Lots of coots.


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

Big Frank 25 said:


> Water is too deep. Boats have access to where they once were not. Too much pressure for birds to linger and loaf.


Yes I agree.


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## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

deadduck365 said:


> Yes I agree.


I saw one so far on Monday on my trip to the city at 6:30 AM


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## norton shores killer (Oct 24, 2009)

And this is why this forum sucks


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

norton shores killer said:


> And this is why this forum sucks


Why? ......because people don't want to put out their hunting spots on the internet for the whole wide world to see?
.....or because of the 'cyber scouters' trying to procure those spots with a minimum of effort (if you call typing on a keyboard "effort")?


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

They can get a hell of a good look at a T-Bone steak by sticking their heads up a bull's ass, but they'd rather just take the butcher's word for it..... Sorry, couldn't help myself.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Mr. 16 gauge said:


> That's the nature of 'scouting' anymore.......people don't put in the time, shoe leather, and glass to find their own spots......the go to an internet forum and post "Hey, where can I find (insert desired game species here).......I don't have time/money/time or money to scout" (rough translation: I'm too lazy to find my own spots)............and usually some idiot will respond with places, never considering the fact that there are probably tens of thousands of lurkers out there wondering the same thing.......and then the person who responded wonders why the place he hunts is so crowded on opening day (or whenever they get a chance to go).
> 
> Just unFREAKIN' believable!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...



Wow. Seems like a bit of an over reaction. 

The guy asked if anyone was seeing any teal yet in a known spot that will be full of hunters. Everyone knows the teal are coming eventually. People will be hunting around harsens regardless if anyone says there are or arent any teal today. 

Maybe the guy was sitting in a meeting at work bored with duck hunting on his mind.....thought he would strike up a conversation. I do this sort of thing from time to time. Once in awhile someone PMs me some info and I learn something new.....nothing wrong with that at all.


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## Shlwego (Sep 13, 2006)

Teal or no teal, if you think you're going to be all alone hunting them out on Harsens because nobody is talking about seeing birds out there, you're kidding yourself. The flats are one of the most well know and well used waterfowling grounds in the entire country. There will be plenty of hunters who have no idea if there are birds there, and who have not "internet scouted" but will show up to hunt there. That's simply the reality of it.

Internet scouting being what it is, I could just as easily say _"I was out there and saw a couple of hundred teal today."_ *I wasn't and I didn't*, but if I had another spot that I wanted a bit less competition at, it would be a very easy thing to do. Bottom line is, if you don't get out and scout for yourself and just believe what you hear about bird numbers on this or any other waterfowling site, quite likely you'll be disappointed - either with the bird numbers, or with the crowds of other hunters, or both.

I honestly believe that there are people who have the desire, but legitimately do NOT have the ability to scout, or to scout regularly enough to make it worthwhile. They may simply live too far from where they like to hunt - frankly many people who live in the suburbs have a fairly long drive to hunt anywhere - or their work schedules prevent them from being out at prime scouting times. This is not their fault and does NOT make them "lazy." It does, however, put them at a disadvantage when it comes to actually getting out to hunt. If you have scouted and know where the birds are working, you will have an advantage over these hunters; but here in SE Michigan, I can pretty much guarantee that if you've seen birds so have many others and you have little hope of solitude.

It's a pretty clear policy around here not to post up specific locations. Is Harsen's Island too "specific?" Hard to say as it's a pretty big place, but probably better NOT to mention it, as it wouldn't be fun if the hundreds of hunters who use it each year all showed up all at once.... Then again, it might not matter.

Me? I'm not scouting, 'cause it's too far for me to drive from the Peoples Republic of Farmington Hills, but I'm thinkin' about going to "the Bay." You know, _that_ "Bay?" It's been known to occasionally have teal in the past. Is that too specific?


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Mr. 16 gauge said:


> That's the nature of 'scouting' anymore.......people don't put in the time, shoe leather, and glass to find their own spots......the go to an internet forum and post "Hey, where can I find (insert desired game species here).......I don't have time/money/time or money to scout" (rough translation: I'm too lazy to find my own spots)............and usually some idiot will respond with places, never considering the fact that there are probably tens of thousands of lurkers out there wondering the same thing.......and then the person who responded wonders why the place he hunts is so crowded on opening day (or whenever they get a chance to go).
> 
> Just unFREAKIN' believable!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...



Wow. Seems like a bit of an over reaction. 

The guy asked if anyone was seeing any teal yet in a known spot that will be full of hunters. Everyone knows the teal are coming eventually. People will be hunting around harsens regardless if anyone says there are or arent any teal today. 

Maybe the guy was sitting in a meeting at work bored with duck hunting on his mind.....thought he would strike up a conversation. I do this sort of thing from time to time. Once in awhile someone PMs me some info and I learn something new.....nothing wrong with that at all.


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

Gee, dirty steve......I guess if you post it TWICE that must make it really stick.............

The general idea is to try and "nip in the bud" the posts that will follow soon enough on "where are all the ducks", "where can I find some mallards", blah, blah, blah, blah, blah ad nauseum......

Unfortunately, even though there is a sticky thread on here that _prohibits _such posts, people do it anyway.....and people respond with valid information. The next thing you know, whether the information is factual or not, the parking closest to said "hot spot" is full to capacity.
Is "harsens island" or "st. clair flats" general enough......probably. Do I like seeing people get something for nothing (i.e. good information on a spot) by not working for it? Absolutely not........I worked hard to find my spots, "pre internet" days, and I put a lot of time, gas, and boot leather to get 'em.......so you'll have to forgive this old coot if I think it unfair that somebody just hands away something I worked hard for.............

Do whatever you want to do.....give your spots away; give my spots away. Over reaction.........well, l'd like to see your reaction when I spot you like to hunt is suddenly crowded because someone decided the whole world needed to be let in on "the secret".......bet you'd feel a bit differently about then.



Shlwego said:


> T
> 
> I honestly believe that there are people who have the desire, but legitimately do NOT have the ability to scout, or to scout regularly enough to make it worthwhile. They may simply live too far from where they like to hunt - frankly many people who live in the suburbs have a fairly long drive to hunt anywhere - or their work schedules prevent them from being out at prime scouting times. This is not their fault and does NOT make them "lazy." It does, however, put them at a disadvantage when it comes to actually getting out to hunt. If you have scouted and know where the birds are working, you will have an advantage over these hunters; but here in SE Michigan, I can pretty much guarantee that if you've seen birds so have many others and you have little hope of solitude.


I'm sorry, but I disagree 100% with your statement........I work in the city, live in the burbs, work 60-80 hour weeks with frequent weekend call. I make the time to scout........not doing so doesn't make one "lazy", but whining about it and saying "oh, I can't scout.....I'm too busy; where are all the birds" IS laziness. Yes, you may be at a disadvantage, but it doesn't give you the right for a hand out.................

......and as I said, calling people out on it makes me a "rat bastard'.......well, so be it!!


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Mr. 16 gauge said:


> Unfortunately, even though there is a sticky thread on here that _prohibits _such posts, people do it anyway.....and people respond with valid information. The next thing you know, whether the information is factual or not, the parking closest to said "hot spot" is full to capacity.


Nothing in the sticky says you can't ask about a spot or if you are seeing any ducks somewhere. The sticky says not to give specific information like locations or gps coordinates in the forum. No reason a person can't ask for help. If someone feels inclined to give info they can always PM.

I don't think there was anything wrong with troopers question. He was just asking people had been seeing teal.


Your post to me is also an overeaction. Nobody has given any secrets out on this thread. No one has told about a Hotspot or directed anyone to any specific place. I haven't clued anyone in on any of my hunting spots.


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## waterfowl_warrior09 (Apr 29, 2014)

Man I thought the ice fishing sag bay forum was rough lol doesn't hold a candle to the vehemence of waterfowling 

Sent from my C771 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Lurker (Jan 25, 2009)

apparently it's all about your kill numbers


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

Well if you haven't been to harsens island this year. It's a lot different. Water level and some projects. Might not be bad to scout it. Your regular spot might not exist anymore. Anybody know if they are doing a draw for managed portions?


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## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

No draws on the managed area until the youth hunt. The east marsh is bone dry and lake levels are way, way up. I've seen teal in several places throughout St. Clair County, but no real numbers to speak of. With 90 degree weather next week, you'd have to pay me to teal hunt.

Is that too specific?

Asking if anyone has seen any birds is hardly asking for a handout. May as well shut down every thread this fall asking if the migration has started. I can guarantee there will be people talking about teal numbers at the HIWHA meeting this weekend who haven't been on the lake yet. Is that unfair too? Should we shutdown every club as well?

Honestly, I think there's a big difference between asking for farms to hunt (see previous thread where this topic came up) and asking if anyone has seen any teal. "the flats around Harsens Island' doesn't have to mean Muscamoot Bay (pro-tip, nothing about the moot is secret) but could mean any part of the flats accessed from Snooks launch. You're talking literally thousands of acres. Chill out. And please, show me a picture of the canvasback you've seen in the flats this summer.


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## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

Urriah said:


> No draws on the managed area until the youth hunt. The east marsh is bone dry and lake levels are way, way up. I've seen teal in several places throughout St. Clair County, but no real numbers to speak of. With 90 degree weather next week, you'd have to pay me to teal hunt.
> 
> Is that too specific?
> 
> ...


This came off worse than I expected after rereading. My apologies. I just don't think asking if any birds have migrated in is worth getting up in arms over.


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## Bigeejakes (Nov 11, 2011)

I'm someone who isn't able to scout... Many, many reasons that i cant and that is the way it is. 

I have grown up waterfowling, I know some areas that are known to hold birds and areas that look ducky and could have birds... So - I guess I'm old school and I either talk to my buddies about how their hunts are going... Or I take a shot in the dark and hope some birds show up. In all honesty... I wouldn't believe it if someone here said the flats were full of teal - more than likely its someone messing around.

By the way I saw about 100,000 teal in the HI refuge tonight.


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

Bigeejakes said:


> By the way I saw about 100,000 teal in the HI refuge tonight.


 Ha ha


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

Bigeejakes said:


> I'm someone who isn't able to scout... Many, many reasons that i cant and that is the way it is.
> 
> I have grown up waterfowling, I know some areas that are known to hold birds and areas that look ducky and could have birds... So - I guess I'm old school and I either talk to my buddies about how their hunts are going... Or I take a shot in the dark and hope some birds show up. In all honesty... I wouldn't believe it if someone here said the flats were full of teal - more than likely its someone messing around.
> 
> By the way I saw about 100,000 teal in the HI refuge tonight.


Mosquitos!


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## LoBrass (Oct 16, 2007)

Scouting can be looked at in a number of different ways. You can pull up a website. You can glass from a distance to see the type or species you are after. You can sit in the marsh and see where they want to be. You can drive around the area by boat and check many spots.

Bottom line is that the guys who scout the most and the most in-depth will put themselves where the birds are and want to be and will know ahead of time where the cover is best and where the shots will be easiest.

My son and I took 3 hours yesterday to see where they want to be and to find our VERY SPECIFIC spot (along with 3 back-ups though I'd bet not one will be taken). You can be 80 yds off the X and get little shooting.


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## Shlwego (Sep 13, 2006)

Mr. 16 gauge said:


> I'm sorry, but I disagree 100% with your statement........I work in the city, live in the burbs, work 60-80 hour weeks with frequent weekend call. I make the time to scout........not doing so doesn't make one "lazy", but whining about it and saying "oh, I can't scout.....I'm too busy; where are all the birds" IS laziness. Yes, you may be at a disadvantage, but it doesn't give you the right for a hand out.................
> 
> ......and as I said, calling people out on it makes me a "rat bastard'.......well, so be it!!


So you have the time. But your work hours - long as they are - are during hours that apparently afford you time to scout. And your non-working hours? Do you have kids that are involved in things that require your attention, or other family responsibilities that eat up your time? Do you have more than an hour drive to where you scout, and are you still able take that drive several times during the week prior to hunting? I'm just saying that your ability to "make the time to scout" exists because that time is available, and it is a priority for you. For others, their priorities preclude scouting for legitimate reasons that you may not have to deal with. Unlike you, however, I have no problem with them asking for help. I don't think asking for assistance makes them any less an avid hunter than you or me or any one else. I also have no problem with other people giving them information. *The issue I have is with that information being given on the open forum.* I have helped many people on this forum with pretty specific information, but ALWAYS through private messages. And, no, I don't give away my best spots, but if I can help someone get to a good starting point, I'll do it. I'm not going to broadcast that information to everyone who looks in on this forum, because too many eyes equals too many people. That part I agree with you on.


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## bc993 (May 6, 2008)

Mr. 16 gauge said:


> O.K., if you're doing a "ton" of scouting, as you say, and not finding any birds, and are out every weekend, as you say, then if you aren't finding birds, and if you sat out last year and just saw "mosquitos and rain clouds", then you need to go back and do some more research; either go back to the library and look up habits of teal and/or starting checking maps for areas which would be more suitable for teal.
> .....and yes, I know the flats is a "big area"; I've been hunting it for almost 40 years. I also know that there are certain areas on the flats that are much, much better than others and some areas that are practically sterile when it comes to ducks. To answer your question, yes......I'm sure that there are teal "in the area". There are also canvasbacks, mallards, pintails, coots, and just about every other species of waterfowl out there as well.
> 
> ..........happy now?


There are NO Canvasbcks in the St. Clair flats in September. They don't show until the season is over. We need a late canvasback season instead of an early teal season.


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## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

bc993 said:


> There are NO Canvasbcks in the St. Clair flats in September. They don't show until the season is over. We need a late canvasback season instead of an early teal season.


I know plenty of folks who regularly kill Cans on the lake and in Canada in early and mid November.


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## bc993 (May 6, 2008)

Urriah said:


> I know plenty of folks who regularly kill Cans on the lake and in Canada in early and mid November.


No sh!$ , I was joking only do to the fervor stated in these posts for early teal season to which I personally think is stupid. I would wager far too many woodies are killed in this early season than the dnr would lead us to believe. If we get a cold night during the 8 days I might head out but I don't care for mosquitoes no matter how much I like using my 16 gauge O/U on green wings.
I kill cans in November too depending on how early winter arrives. I also rent a place on the north channel from late October to the end of the season. I see many more Cans in December/January than I ever see in November.


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## Jerry Lamb (Aug 3, 2015)

bc993 said:


> No sh!$ , I was joking only do to the fervor stated in these posts for early teal season to which I personally think is stupid. I would wager far too many woodies are killed in this early season than the dnr would lead us to believe. If we get a cold night during the 8 days I might head out but I don't care for mosquitoes no matter how much I like using my 16 gauge O/U on green wings.
> I kill cans in November too depending on how early winter arrives. I also rent a place on the north channel from late October to the end of the season. I see many more Cans in December/January than I ever see in November.


I have shot Cans opening day weekend. every year is different.


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## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

bc993 said:


> No sh!$ , I was joking only do to the fervor stated in these posts for early teal season to which I personally think is stupid. I would wager far too many woodies are killed in this early season than the dnr would lead us to believe. If we get a cold night during the 8 days I might head out but I don't care for mosquitoes no matter how much I like using my 16 gauge O/U on green wings.
> I kill cans in November too depending on how early winter arrives. I also rent a place on the north channel from late October to the end of the season. I see many more Cans in December/January than I ever see in November.


Gotcha. The DNR has no reason to not reveal how many woodies are shot during this season. Contrary to what some may believe, they do have the best interest of the resource in mind. I can tell you that Michigan had a lower attempt at non-target species than Wisconsin or Minnesota last year, so apparently we actually know what we're shooting at for the most part.
The Cans are always here, just not during shooting hours. I'm sure you've seen the mass exodus each morning before shooting time from Anchor Bay. Those birds aren't dumb. Why get shot when you can just ride things out in the big water till dark?


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## idylmoments (Apr 28, 2002)

See Krispin Drain restoration. Started today right thru the heart of hunting territory in order to be out when the regular season starts


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Urriah said:


> Gotcha. The DNR has no reason to not reveal how many woodies are shot during this season. Contrary to what some may believe, they do have the best interest of the resource in mind. I can tell you that Michigan had a lower attempt at non-target species than Wisconsin or Minnesota last year, so apparently we actually know what we're shooting at for the most part.
> The Cans are always here, just not during shooting hours. I'm sure you've seen the mass exodus each morning before shooting time from Anchor Bay. Those birds aren't dumb. Why get shot when you can just ride things out in the big water till dark?



It seems like when I read the report they didn't track any one species. They simply tracked how many non teal flocks were shot at. The number was low like under 5 %. The usfws study showed that wisconson minn and michigan were 6.3% avg. That doesn't mean that those were the amount shot.....just attempts.


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## Boyd (Aug 19, 2006)

Paratrooper84 said:


> Anyone seeing any teal out on the ST. Clair flats by Harsens Island.
> 
> I thought I saw a large group but was way to far away to identify


What are the flats? Can we hunt there?


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

DirtySteve said:


> Nothing in the sticky says you can't ask about a spot or if you are seeing any ducks somewhere. The sticky says not to give specific information like locations or gps coordinates in the forum.


"fishing" for specific info is big no-no. post will be edited if it crosses the line.

a lot of these threads could be fixed by rephrasing the question and simply asking for pm's in regards to your question.

this really is no different than stating "i'm hammering the walleye in 16 fow in saginaw bay". although saginaw bay is a large area, the pressure that post would create is much more than you could ever imagine. forum views vs. actual participation is way, way more than people realize. And even though you may be done with the "area", many others are not and you just created a frenzy for others.

so basically, anytime there is a thread that even remotely mentions a location, people try to squash it quick to keep it from manifesting.

and yes, this post comes off a "fishing" for info. although nothing really that damaging has been said, at any moment some uninformed may drop "some" info that could change the pressure on their favorite spot...hence the reason some are very adamant to squash.


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

If anyone asks me, the birds are always thick on erie and id never want to hunt anywhere else when limits come so easy.


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