# Shiawassee Flats 2022



## ikesnipecity (Jun 28, 2016)

Figured this thread needs to get kicked off for the year. Has anyone seen a managers report yet? There is one floating around for PM. But nothing out there yet for the other managed areas that I have seen.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

there may be a delay on information coming out from shiawassee management this season. i'll go more into it as i learn more. I will try to keep the important information on this thread as i learn it.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Jeremiah took a job in Indiana. Dan Bailey from FP took over as the tech at Shi. I believe they are gonna start the hiring process for the new biologist next month. So info will be a little iffy until everything gets straightened out as Dan said.

Then Vic, well. He’s a damn good dude. Shi will be hurting this year from a “DNR personnel” point of view.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

vic is out on medical leave. he was diagnosed with cancer recently. i love that man he is one the best guys we've ever had to work with so i wish him and his family the best. I just want everyone to know we will be facing some challenges in the man power dept. at the flats this fall. reports may be delayed and i want everyone to know that up front so we dont get some guys kicking and screaming about it later during season. I believe the new Tech that got hired is also going on maternity leave in october....so thats also gonna hurt in the
man power dept. If anyone has any questions about the flats I will do my best to respond to specific questions as i'm able. say a prayer for Vic and his family.

outside of this news. Vic has the flats in the best shape possible and it is amazingly looking good for season.


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## Nicks22 (Apr 27, 2010)

Are you allowed to enter woods area prior to season to get lay of land? Familiar with all areas except woods. I have a day available prior to season to make my way there. Thanks in advance for help.

steve


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Nicks22 said:


> Are you allowed to enter woods area prior to season to get lay of land? Familiar with all areas except woods. I have a day available prior to season to make my way there. Thanks in advance for help.
> 
> steve


the technical answer is probably no. but i'm not gonna tell you that you can't navigate a navigable waterway known as the shiawassee river  all navigable waterways are just that. stay in navigable waterway and you can scout.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

my other answer is.....you shoulda already done this....not waiting til couple days before season to do it. every disturbance in there now is booting birds for opener IMO.


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> my other answer is.....you shoulda already done this....not waiting til couple days before season to do it. *every disturbance in there now is booting birds for opener* IMO.


+1 on this. You guys/gals need to scout sooner in the year, stop waiting until the weekend before you sloppy jalopy's! You wouldn't walk around your favorite deer stand the day before opener, same goes for birds, let them be comfortable and not getting booted around by a bunch of boats days before season starts.


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## aphess223 (Aug 1, 2001)

Where are units 53-54 the map doesn't show them. Thanks


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## Brougham (Jan 29, 2010)

Scouting on the Bay begins Friday at noon!!!


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## Nicks22 (Apr 27, 2010)

Easy boys. My understanding is the woods does not get flooded till closer to season. If I am mistaken please let me know. If it flooded year round or earlier I will make plans next year. Good luck this season.


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## propbuster (Mar 4, 2004)

Nicks22 said:


> Easy boys. My understanding is the woods does not get flooded till closer to season. If I am mistaken please let me know. If it flooded year round or earlier I will make plans next year. Good luck this season.


Reports I have seen is he woods are very close to full pool. I think the Woods flooding starts prior to the Youth weekend.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

aphess223 said:


> Where are units 53-54 the map doesn't show them. Thanks


South of 40s. Back in the day it was called 45 and 46. Its south directly across ,40s south dike


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## aphess223 (Aug 1, 2001)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> South of 40s. Back in the day it was called 45 and 46. Its south directly across ,40s south dike


Can they be accessed from the South or East?
Thanks
aphess223


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Nicks22 said:


> Easy boys. My understanding is the woods does not get flooded till closer to season. If I am mistaken please let me know. If it flooded year round or earlier I will make plans next year. Good luck this season.


best time to get in there is around youth hunt time. flooded up to full pool or close to it. once the kids get a good wack at them its a good time to go poke around. IMO


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## Po'Boy (Oct 15, 2010)

aphess223 said:


> Can they be accessed from the South or East?
> Thanks
> aphess223


Continue south past the 40's pull-over their is a pullover into that unit just past the south dike of the 40's. You enter the zone from the west.


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## Nicks22 (Apr 27, 2010)

propbuster said:


> Reports I have seen is he woods are very close to full pool. I think the Woods flooding starts prior to the Youth weekend.


Thank you,


Shiawassee_Kid said:


> best time to get in there is around youth hunt time. flooded up to full pool or close to it. once the kids get a good wack at them its a good time to go poke around. IMO


Thank you, appreciate the help.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Are 53/54 doable in a kayak?


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

3 mile paddle


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Are 53/54 doable in a kayak?


If you know the shortcut then you can shave a lot off your paddle. The shortcut might be a bitch to paddle through though if not nearly impossible not to mention dangerous.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

eye-sore said:


> Sunday morning was shot up by sky busters in the northern half of an easy zone. Just because you hear shooting don’t mean killing


If nothings flying. Nobody’s shooting. If people are shooting. Birds are flying. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. People not letting birds work drives me absolutely nuts.


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

These yahoos shot at every bird that flew over, 99 percent were tree top high. I have no patience for that crap.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

eye-sore said:


> These yahoos shot at every bird that flew over, 99 percent were tree top high. I have no patience for that crap.


That’s beyond aggravating. Which is one of the reasons why I always liked hunting away from those fields. Yeah, they definitely kill, but it’s not really challenging and it can definitely be aggravating if you have the wrong people in your field.


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## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Bill: I bought this boat I'm using this boat. Me: this borrowed yellow kayak is tippy as all hell see you at the pullover.
> 
> There was a killer line of storms touching off over the big lake last night that somehow I managed to beat home by about three minutes.


I wish I had a video of you in said yellow kayak paddling away from the launch as your jet sled slowly turned into a submarine behind you.

Still kinda bummed you didn't drive the Miata to the draw.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

People in front of us were taking them tall but they didn't miss too often. People behind us took several 30-40 yard shots I don't know if they ever missed and there was little follow up work. At one point they had four dead birds falling at once.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

The joy to me is working birds and shooting them close. I don’t see the joy in killing them at 40 yards. I guess if you want pics and bragging rights then sure.


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

I like to hear one or two shots at a time, then ya know the birds are working AND finishing


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Now that the reserve hunts are done, maybe it will get better.... but I wouldn't count on it. Lol

We put in for the shi fed side this weekend but ended up backing out on that plan due to the wind and low river levels.... ended up going out to the bay instead Sat and Sunday, but struggled both days to find the birds.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

lefty421 said:


> Now that the reserve hunts are done, maybe it will get better.... but I wouldn't count on it. Lol
> 
> We put in for the shi fed side this weekend but ended up backing out on that plan due to the wind and low river levels.... ended up going out to the bay instead Sat and Sunday, but struggled both days to find the birds.


I’ve heard the party count has been fairly low so far.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

I got too many boats already. And I'm busy the next couple days or I'd be on my way to check this out...


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## tom_the_chemist (Aug 24, 2008)

Duckman Racing said:


> I got too many boats already. And I'm busy the next couple days or I'd be on my way to check this out...
> View attachment 862062


I need that boat.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

tom_the_chemist said:


> I need that boat.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk








Log into Facebook


Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.




www.facebook.com





Looks like it's still available.


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## tom_the_chemist (Aug 24, 2008)

Duckman Racing said:


> Log into Facebook
> 
> 
> Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
> ...


Am I crazy or is that a sport boat? Want one real bad.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

Not a sport boat. Transom is angled not rounded in one of the other pics.

Still a great buy imo but I don't know that design.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Yesterday afternoon at Shi.
Didn't see a duck for the first three hours, but then they started flying and scratched out a few mallards and a pin in the last hour.










This afternoon, the widgeon were plentiful. Finished with 3 widgeon, including one nice drake, a woody and a drake pintail.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Another mixed bag at shi today.
Ringneck
Hollywood
Widgeon
Mallard hen
Pintail drake
Mallard drake.


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## the_skog (Jan 19, 2006)

Hunting Shia tomorrow afternoon with the canoe. Putting together a plan and want to hunt new ground. I have some questions about routes to get to where I pick. 

To get to the 30s I should launch in the river off hulien rd and only has 1 dike pull that is the north end of the triangle shaped marsh zone. Is this correct? Any thing I should know for a first timer heading this route?

To get to the 40s I should launch over the bridge in the woods off hulien rd and only has 1 dike pull that is the southwest corner of the 40s. Is this correct? Any thing I should know for a first timer heading this route?

thanks for any and all help.


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

Over the bridge for both. Double Pull thru the triangle to get to 30s hang a right before triangle pullover for the 40s. Water low in river and it’s much further as the canal is straight shot


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Like eye-sore said, running the river is tricky and more hazardous. The extra pull over with a canoe isn't that bad. 

When going to the 40s just remember it is farther than you think from the 30s/triangle pullover. When you think you've gone too far you've still got a ways to go. The signs are pretty good so you won't miss it, and you'll know if you pass it because the canal really narrows down.


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## SnowJunkie (Oct 31, 2013)

eye-sore said:


> Over the bridge for both. Double Pull thru the triangle to get to 30s hang a right before triangle pullover for the 40s. Water low in river and it’s much further as the canal is straight shot


Agreed. The water in the river is low and logs are plentiful, I hit about 3 of them each time I make that trip, haha! Taking the canal is much safer.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Was a warm one this afternoon, but the birds were working great today.
We shot most of them feet down in the decoys.
Black duck
4 mallards
pintail


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)




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## Outdoor Gal (Sep 9, 2008)

I took my new ride out this afternoon and grabbed a leftover. First solo trip out and figured today would be a good day for a test run. I'm not going to get anywhere fast but the Sportspal should work great for the dog and I! 

Wasn't expecting much for birds in the heat but was pleasantly surprised. The dog found a spoonie and coot in the corn while I was setting up. Ended up with another spoonie and a two greenheads. Missed another greenhead 5 minutes before shooting light. Didn't have many ducks close but what did work, worked really nice.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Canoe and a paddle out there isn't so bad is it


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## Outdoor Gal (Sep 9, 2008)

Sure beats the hiking in we've done before! It's definitely nice to have another option. I might even get into shape with all the paddling. Lol


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## JackAm (Aug 25, 2007)

How tippy was the sportspal with the dog in it? They don't always sit still like a person might.
I have a raddison that I've been dreaming of using but, even though it's wide, I don't relish the thought of floating my gun case.


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## the_skog (Jan 19, 2006)

Saw some new ground tonight, exposed a buddy to Shia, had motor problems. Overall good time.


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## Outdoor Gal (Sep 9, 2008)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> Canoe and a paddle out there isn't so bad is it
> 
> And if I can handle a pullover by myself, just about anyone can do it. I was beat by the end though. Lol.





JackAm said:


> How tippy was the sportspal with the dog in it? They don't always sit still like a person might.
> I have a raddison that I've been dreaming of using but, even though it's wide, I don't relish the thought of floating my gun case.


Worked great actually. I had to get after him a little to sit back down. A couple times he had all 4 four feet on the front gunwale. Lol Canoe did fine though and I never felt close to tipping.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

So when is it going to freeze up? Guy with two weeks off asking...


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## eye-sore (Jan 7, 2012)

Gonna be a while yet.


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

Made some ice at Harsens this A.M.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

With lows in the teens, little sun, and highs barely seeing 30?


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## SnowJunkie (Oct 31, 2013)

eye-sore said:


> Gonna be a while yet.


I hope you're right, but there was ice in the zone I hunted this afternoon. With lows in the teens coming up I'd imagine most of it will be locked up sooner than later.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Ice up will be different this year. I couldn’t believe just how low the river was. So many great late season or even right now river areas are bone dry. Crazyness. That’s gonna put a ton of pressure on the woods and a couple other known good late season areas.


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## MattBates (Sep 16, 2018)

Good hunt on opening morning of gun season.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Spoonie for the win.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Not a bad afternoon.
5 mallards and 3 geese.


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## Outdoor Gal (Sep 9, 2008)

We didn't do half bad either.  Five greenheads, a goose, and a bonus.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)




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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Forgot how much fun good neighbors are. Quarter to two have a pair of pinners locked up. They flare hard. Look up and here comes a boat, motor trimmed up, walking pace, all the way down the strip. No need to go around the field in the canal. Then had a goose working nicely only to have them take an easily eighty yard shot on it. Thanks. I just passed one at forty five so the guys behind me could land it jump it and miss it. After that the 3.5" ones came out and I pass shot a mallard and goose whereas everything before that was thirty or less. 

So it should not surprise me that these guys had no nav lights or trailer lights. Kind of amazed they slowed down for me.


One guy did offer to help me unload the kayak and the guys behind me let the birds work. Guys north of them though...


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## Rgrinny (Nov 25, 2019)

Outdoor Gal said:


> I think we chatted in the parking lot! It was definitely a slow one. Glad someone at least had some chances!
> 
> 
> Bravo was on the injured reserve list for a couple weeks after a busted toenail. Was hoping to get him a retrieve or two to end the season, but tonight wasn't the night. Drawn 42 out of 46. Lol. Still a fun time out with Ash/LooksMoosey!
> ...


Yes, nice to meet you! If nothing else it was a beautiful night to watch a sunset! 🤣 Great pic of Bravo, wish he could have seen some action!


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Not sure how many more trips we are going to make this year. maybe two more at most...
The sits are getting harder and harder with it getting colder and less birds seem to be working. We maximized on our chances and only killed 2 hens last time out.


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## sfpenn (Nov 27, 2004)

Outdoor Gal said:


> I think we chatted in the parking lot! It was definitely a slow one. Glad someone at least had some chances!
> 
> 
> Bravo was on the injured reserve list for a couple weeks after a busted toenail. Was hoping to get him a retrieve or two to end the season, but tonight wasn't the night. Drawn 42 out of 46. Lol. Still a fun time out with Ash/LooksMoosey!
> ...


Great picture. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## Bmac (Jul 7, 2002)

Is there ice at Shiawassee? I am heading up that way for the weekend. Around me, a couple hours south, most water is open but some spots are ice. Thanks!


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Bmac said:


> Is there ice at Shiawassee? I am heading up that way for the weekend. Around me, a couple hours south, most water is open but some spots are ice. Thanks!


currently its pretty open. can't vouch for it after friday tho. storm incoming


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