# Opening Day



## quack head (Oct 23, 2007)

Over the years I have learned to avoid opening day duck in all zones.
Unless I am on private land/water. 

Wondering how those of you that do the same start off your season.
Calendar, migration reports, hunting buddies schedule ect?

Oh, and I need your honey holes. I just put my best hunting buddy down (the dog in my avitar) so pm all honey holes out of sympathy. 

Joking aside, I did loose my dog after 15 years of hunting with him. He love all bird hunting. 

Thanks.

Todd.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

I'm the dumb azz person who is the first one on the lake. 90 percent of the time I cooked and ate my breakfast before any one is even on the water. Then the sky bangers pull up 20 feet from me and they shoot every passing duck that's going to drop into my decoys. I don't even have to put decoys out I watch the birds for a week during early goose season and they always drop into the same hole all morning. I don't get people they will freaking decoy its opening day. Every one packs up by 10 when the geese start to roll in then I punch my goose limit and have my limit of ducks.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

I will pass on opening weekend unless I am hunting private property. I would hunt in that zoo, too crowded, too dangerous, too many nuts.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

O I forgot the sky bangers roll out there in a 20k excel boat zero blind not even just a camo tarp to throw on them. They don't even get out of the boat and stand in the cat tails and they wonder why they can't get a bird to work.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

Aaronjeep2 said:


> O I forgot the sky bangers roll out there in a 20k excel boat zero blind not even just a camo tarp to throw on them. They don't even get out of the boat and stand in the cat tails and they wonder why they can't get a bird to work.


Yeah, and they run that boat right into the cattails, mashing them all down and ruining the cover for the entire season.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

DecoySlayer said:


> Yeah, and they run that boat right into the cattails, mashing them all down and ruining the cover for the entire season.


They surprisingly didint do that the tails don't get messed up on that lake from people. Just people trying to get to the back swamp hole a million wood ducks dump into and birds that where shot at dump into it. I've never been able to get into it chest height muck for about a foot ball field length through cat tails with zero water but it opens up into a little 30 foot spring fed hole. Goal of the year is to get back there opening day. Won't have to worry about any one else hunting it.since it's dang near impossible to get to.


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

Aaronjeep2 said:


> They surprisingly didint do that the tails don't get messed up on that lake from people. Just people trying to get to the back swamp hole a million wood ducks dump into and birds that where shot at dump into it. I've never been able to get into it chest height muck for about a foot ball field length through cat tails with zero water but it opens up into a little 30 foot spring fed hole. Goal of the year is to get back there opening day. Won't have to worry about any one else hunting it.since it's dang near impossible to get to.


 Airboat!


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

I hunted Saginaw bay last year opening day. Camped out all night to save our pothole. I actually enjoyed it. All of that for 3 ducks. It sucked. I didn't even hear a whole lot of shooting last year opening day. The normal barrages at first light but other than that it was fairly quiet or not as crazy as I thought it would be.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

craigrh13 said:


> I hunted Saginaw bay last year opening day. Camped out all night to save our pothole. I actually enjoyed it. All of that for 3 ducks. It sucked. I didn't even hear a whole lot of shooting last year opening day. The normal barrages at first light but other than that it was fairly quiet or not as crazy as I thought it would be.


Come down to south east and you will see crazy over some teal on opening day.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

craigrh13 said:


> I hunted Saginaw bay last year opening day. Camped out all night to save our pothole. I actually enjoyed it. All of that for 3 ducks. It sucked. I didn't even hear a whole lot of shooting last year opening day. The normal barrages at first light but other than that it was fairly quiet or not as crazy as I thought it would be.


 two man limit of geese and two man of teal just have to scout scout scout.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

Aaronjeep2 said:


> two man limit of geese and two man of teal just have to scout scout scout.


And have your friend show up forgetting his waders and jacket. Buddy did that 5 years ago now it's tradition hunts outa camo crocks and under armor thermals. Every year we do real good.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Aaronjeep2 said:


> two man limit of geese and two man of teal just have to scout scout scout.


That spot was a good spot. That whole area actually. Opening day they just didn't show up like they should have. The birds were there after opening week though. Last year was a very off year compared to the year prior.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

craigrh13 said:


> That spot was a good spot. That whole area actually. Opening day they just didn't show up like they should have. The birds were there after opening week though. Last year was a very off year compared to the year prior.


Last 5 years been pretty much same amount of birds every opening day landing in same spot. I wish I didn't have pressure like you do I'd trade my limit for 1 bird with no pressure.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Aaronjeep2 said:


> Last 5 years been pretty much same amount of birds every opening day landing in same spot. I wish I didn't have pressure like you do I'd trade my limit for 1 bird with no pressure.


Two years ago there was several thousand divers ragged up out there. Last year? I didn't see a single raft. Lots of small groups. I'm sure the fact that opening day was a week earlier than 2015 had a lot to do with it. Weather as well.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

craigrh13 said:


> Two years ago there was several thousand divers ragged up out there. Last year? I didn't see a single raft. Lots of small groups. I'm sure the fact that opening day was a week earlier than 2015 had a lot to do with it. Weather as well.


Yeah all we got down here are teal,mallards don't move in till end of nov.


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## Aaronjeep2 (Nov 18, 2016)

Aaronjeep2 said:


> Yeah all we got down here are teal,mallards don't move in till end of nov.


Divers I couldn't even tell ya when they move in will be my first year hunting them on big water. Last year end of season hunted lsc dang was there a lot of birds.


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## walter sniper (Jan 21, 2010)

Hell yeah im out opening day.
Honestly the best hunting for me is late season and down south in January.
I just love hunting


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## JBooth (Sep 21, 2009)

Openers a cast and blast weekend usually. Just go a spot with no company, cast for salmon and watch ducks fly around. Middle zone.


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## quack head (Oct 23, 2007)

No offense but I don't believe you guys read my question correctly.


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## AaronJohn (Oct 18, 2015)

I'll hunt anyway I'm free. Life is too short. 

Living/working in the thumb opens a lot of private opportunities but I don't mind the commotion of public hunts now and again.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

Not I. I will likely be off, but, there will be no place to hunt. I am NOT going to go out at 1400 the day before opening day, stay out all night, just to have 20 boats show up an hour before shooting time and crowd into an area big enough for 2. 

Last year I went out, about 4am, looked at the parking lots, and went home.


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## quack&honk (Sep 15, 2013)

Yea opening morning is crazy, but there is something about it that warms my soul. It is more of tradition for me than anything else. I go out to be with my family more than I do to go out and kill ducks. 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

quack&honk said:


> Yea opening morning is crazy, but there is something about it that warms my soul. It is more of tradition for me than anything else. I go out to be with my family more than I do to go out and kill ducks.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


I get that, and I really miss those days. I don't think I would take a young waterfowl hunter out on opening day now. Not after what I saw last year, unless it was on private property.


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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

Will be on my way to Texas for master nationals


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## Outdoor Gal (Sep 9, 2008)

Used to hunt a public land spot on the opener, it usually worked out ok. Had one guy wander into our spot one day and he was invited to hunt with us. He did for a little while, but ended up wandering off on his own. It wasn't unusual for a couple other parties to be nearby but amazingly everyone seemed to wait until shooting light. Some went through more shells than others. Lol. We usually got our limit of wood ducks and maybe a bonus bird or two. 

The last few years we've hunted private. Have permission on a spot that we typically get our wood duck limit pretty quickly and then we hang around waiting for a bonus goose or duck. I'll probably have kids along opening day and this is a great easy access spot where it's easy enough to keep them dry if they don't have all the gear like waders. 

We typically target woodies early in the season while they're around, then start focusing on big ducks. 

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk


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## Spartan88 (Nov 14, 2008)

I still hunt with my brother and a few guys I introduced to duck hunting back in high school. The older I get the less its about shooting ducks and more about the laughs we have out there. I've been blessed with good hunts and hunting with great people through the years. Probably will sit out opening day but will hit it hard the first week in the south zone.


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## michiganoutdoorsman (Dec 29, 2010)

We've got our own little private honey hole no one can hunt. Used to hunt state land and said the heck with it. We're blessed with a lot of good fields/ponds after making good relationships with the farmers and landowners.


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## BassFisher91 (Sep 11, 2005)

I'll most likely be out there hunting a little pond that doesn't get any pressure. Really I'll just be killing time until the afternoon when I can get out upland hunting.


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## Duckman1 (Oct 14, 2004)

Best shooting of the season! Wouldn't miss it! I buy 3 boxes of shells just for opener.


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## hammerdown (Sep 28, 2011)

hence why I only goose and diver hunt I'm not fighting over a damn local mallard or wooduck.


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## Pasquan (Mar 18, 2017)

Private land is the name of the game for opener then scouting dictates where I need to hunt public or not.


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

Well opening day is hit or miss for geese or ducks. You could scout until you can't scout no more and someone will bump or burn the roost. Either way I'll be out there with the pup, my fiancée, best friend, little brother. Down here has been more and more of a joke the past few years.

Zone 2 is my favorite opener. We have a spot that has always been good to us. Shoot ducks in the AM and chase salmon in the PM. Fin-N-Feather week/weekend.


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## lab1 (Aug 31, 2004)

I hunt the opener just because it is duck season and I can. I don't worry too much about the harvest numbers or getting the best spot, just getting out that first day. The hunter numbers here go down significantly after the opener.


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## gr8lakefisher (Jan 17, 2009)

Last year was the first duck opener I hunted on public land in a while. The early shooting is getting old but nothing beats sitting in the duck blind for a sunrise.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Probably in zone 2!!!!


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