# interesting numbers



## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

was looking over our end of the year numbers and srsga lost 14 days to freeze out yet still beat last years harvest totals. much lower hunter trips (due to freeze). Looks like we were on par to hit some big numbers if we didn't get such a weird unusually cold fall.

note to SW guys. this is why its hard for the DNR to push for a later season. I'm happy with the current dates. just got dealt a bad year from a duck hunting perspective locally.

oh and the 60's dominated the kill (not surprising)...and I hear that some sharecropping movement is happening to get 1-5 tiled and planted for season (not shared). should be interesting moving forward....the DNR team has been making good strides with all the managed areas.


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

I'm sure it's as simple as you put it that the 60's where the best, but being a newbie is that just because its hunted more than other zones? Is there any kind of percentage of birds killed in the time that the zones where hunted. Basically I'm saying if no one hunted a certain zone no birds would be reported. We're the birds there and not hunted much, because the hype is on certain fields? Just curious.


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

Are they going to anything with federal? I think that might have had to do with the numbers this years as well. Do you agree?


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

sswhitelightning said:


> I'm sure it's as simple as you put it that the 60's where the best, but being a newbie is that just because its hunted more than other zones? Is there any kind of percentage of birds killed in the time that the zones where hunted. Basically I'm saying if no one hunted a certain zone no birds would be reported. We're the birds there and not hunted much, because the hype is on certain fields? Just curious.


60's was the only field block that got planted correctly this past season. We tiled it 2 years ago and Jon was able to get it planted when none of the others we're ready. Also jon (one of our sharecrop farmers) is on point. Dude is by far one of the best flood plain farmers on the planet...he's into duck hunting and he'll go the extra mile to get a crop out on time at its full potential.

North prior (50's) traditionally smoked the 60's...but since we got it tiled and yields are much better...swinging the other way now.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

deadduck365 said:


> Are they going to anything with federal? I think that might have had to do with the numbers this years as well. Do you agree?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


be more specific? when you say federal do you mean FEDERAL REFUGE or old federal marsh?

the federal has been improving each year with amount of water held during fall migration. estimates of 20-30,000 birds we're on the area right before freezeout. Birds we're trading back and forth between fed and state refuges so its hard to nail down true estimates.


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> was looking over our end of the year numbers and srsga lost 14 days to freeze out yet still beat last years harvest totals. much lower hunter trips (due to freeze). Looks like we were on par to hit some big numbers if we didn't get such a weird unusually cold fall.
> 
> note to SW guys. this is why its hard for the DNR to push for a later season. I'm happy with the current dates. just got dealt a bad year from a duck hunting perspective locally.
> 
> oh and the* 60's dominated the kill* (not surprising)...and I hear that some sharecropping movement is happening to get 1-5 tiled and planted for season (not shared). should be interesting moving forward....the DNR team has been making good strides with all the managed areas.


Only got drawn once this season decent enough to get in there, guess it was (Water Hazard)'s good draw luck. We killed some but when we were cleaning up we found about 20 dead ducks floating out in the middle, not sure if people were shooting them and not retrieving or what? Did the 30's out kill the 40's?


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

charcoal300zxtt said:


> Did the 30's out kill the 40's?


not even close. like 500 birds in 30's. 1200 in 40's.


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## Nuff Daddy (Dec 5, 2012)

Do you know what the average birds harvested per hunter trip was?


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> not even close. like 500 birds in 30's. 1200 in 40's.


wow that's interesting, thanks for sharing the numbers.


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

Nuff Daddy said:


> Do you know what the average birds harvested per hunter trip was?


Local hunters= Limits!
Non local's= Definitely not Limits!

:lol::lol::lol:


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

I believe that. 66 was the hot field this year it seemed. I was lucky enough to get in there one afternoon and 2 of us shot our 12 ducks. There was A LOT of dead ducks in the corn and especially the buckwheat. We lost 3 birds that day that dropped dead in the buckwheat and it was riddled with dead birds floating in there. Heard a lot of guys complain about the buckwheat at the launch.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Nuff Daddy said:


> Do you know what the average birds harvested per hunter trip was?


1.4 per hunter trip.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

craigrh13 said:


> I believe that. 66 was the hot field this year it seemed. I was lucky enough to get in there one afternoon and 2 of us shot our 12 ducks. There was A LOT of dead ducks in the corn and especially the buckwheat. We lost 3 birds that day that dropped dead in the buckwheat and it was riddled with dead birds floating in there. Heard a lot of guys complain about the buckwheat at the launch.


i also think the buckwheat had a lot to do with dead/lost cripples. its always hard finding them. I lost a couple with the dog on them and i swear they folded dead...so dead i didn't even move when it hit. dog fanned out in circles for a hundred yards...nothing. that happened couple times.

I see a lot of guys hunting without a dog. I have no idea how these hunters harvest birds. 90% of the birds usually fold at 30yrds just outside the spread and in the buckwheat and they never find them. Wanna be a better hunter and get limits...get a dog. I had 3 cripples this season on the flats.


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## Puddler-Hunter (Aug 25, 2010)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> I see a lot of guys hunting without a dog. I have no idea how these hunters harvest birds. 90% of the birds usually fold at 30yrds just outside the spread and in the buckwheat and they never find them. Wanna be a better hunter and get limits...get a dog. I had 3 cripples this season on the flats.


Don't take this the wrong way I just want others to know that not all hunters w/o a dog fit this description.

I currently hunt w/o a dog always have since I've been hunting and I harvest majority of the birds I shoot at. I do want to get a dog eventually but not until we move into a slightly bigger home and a more dog friendly yard. We almost bit the bullet this year but we eventually decided to wait. Yes I have lost a few over the years but my harvest rate is probably better than 95%. 

I think it's made me a more patient hunter waiting for the best shot to make a clean kill, or clean enough to finish them off after they hit the water. I have learned what shot's are too risky to take. I hunted SRSGA a couple of times this past year and I know what your'e talking about with the buckwheat. I was lucky enough to get into the 60's this past season and managed my mallard limit and a bonus goose (no bonus ducks around), all were shot directly over the decoys and landed in the decoys, nothing sailed away and every bird recovered. Every bird I shot at came home with me. I know there's a lot of hunters that aren't this way but I'm not that hunter that's banging away at birds well outside my spread.

I'm not about how many birds I shoot every season either I know many on this board shoot plenty more than I do, I'm just glad I wake up every morning and can go out there and enjoy what I love doing. I would rather come home with no birds and taken no shots than have left cripples behind. I lost one bird total this season :rant:.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Has the report been posted online yet?

Always enjoy looking at the season numbers for the managed areas.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

Interesting....

That is exactly opposite of what I experienced.

50s/60's were slow hunts for me, and the best hunts were in the 30's.

The last few days before the freeze-up were unbelievable in the 30's. 

The season may have been cut short, but it sure went out with a bang, or rather a BANG, BANG, BANG!!!


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## KrossJr (Jan 20, 2009)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> i also think the buckwheat had a lot to do with dead/lost cripples. its always hard finding them. I lost a couple with the dog on them and i swear they folded dead...so dead i didn't even move when it hit. dog fanned out in circles for a hundred yards...nothing. that happened couple times.
> 
> *I see a lot of guys hunting without a dog. I have no idea how these hunters harvest birds*. 90% of the birds usually fold at 30yrds just outside the spread and in the buckwheat and they never find them. Wanna be a better hunter and get limits...get a dog. I had 3 cripples this season on the flats.




Simple really... No need to stretch the barrel.. Don't pull the trigger till the feet drop. If your shooting outside the dekes at a managed area your obviously not doing something right..


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## Puddler-Hunter (Aug 25, 2010)

On a side note I do like SRSGA and I'll be back next season .


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

KrossJr said:


> Simple really... No need to stretch the barrel.. Don't pull the trigger till the feet drop. If your shooting outside the dekes at a managed area your obviously not doing something right..


thats not the norm tho. we all know it. every hunt i was on i had guys to my side that would shoot a bird, it would drop into the buckwheat and then 3 guys would walk outa the corn and 1 guy would walk out to retrieve it. A few water slaps if they were lucky to see it or dropped into the decoys.

theres some good hunters who choose close shots (like puddle hunter pointed out) and it makes retrieving very easy...just thats not the normal.

On a good note, i didn't have too many bad hunters around me this year and my hunts were all enjoyable. We shot no less than 5 birds each trip and limited couple times. (I didnt hunt a ton on flats this year).

moral of the story, get a dog. it makes your hunts more enjoyable and more successful and less cripples.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Duckman Racing said:


> Has the report been posted online yet?
> 
> Always enjoy looking at the season numbers for the managed areas.


pm me your email address and i'll send report. I don't think its posted yet.


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> be more specific? when you say federal do you mean FEDERAL REFUGE or old federal marsh?
> 
> the federal has been improving each year with amount of water held during fall migration. estimates of 20-30,000 birds we're on the area right before freezeout. Birds we're trading back and forth between fed and state refuges so its hard to nail down true estimates.


Both. Crops were a premium to get birds onto the area(example is the 60s). Water was good to keep them around longer. Total improvement of the area is beneficial to all that hunt there. Less pressure and more places to hide makes better hunting. Federal side isn't mentioned much. 


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

The take away I glean from this unofficial data is the fact that the DNR and the managed areas appear to be listening more to the hunters and trying to do a better job at balancing management with hunters want lists. And to me this is good progress over years past. 

One thing we can all agree on, this year was perhaps the best of the last decade or so in terms of birds and harvests. And also, an unusualy cold late fall that I sincerely hope does not factor into any decisions on season dates for the south zone. It was an oddity. And one might even think that this years number of ducks harversted could be tied to this colder season. Maybe the migration started early as I think waterfowl have that sense of when to start moving just prior to a blast of weather.


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## Bigeejakes (Nov 11, 2011)

I was lucky enough to get to the flats quite a bit this year. And it was a good year. This was the first year in recent history where we were never skunked... and that's saying something since we hunt whatever draw we get... first (happened a couple times this year) or last (also had this happen), ducky day or not - migration or lull. To me, the hunts where we were picked last in the draw are always some of the more memorable hunts as we try places we wouldn't normally go.

I love having the Dogs out with us, but we also hunt days without them. Biggest thing to retrieving a bird is becoming a good dog yourself! Mark where the bird went down, get after it quickly - and most of them don't get away. I chased down a couple cripples this year that even some dogs I know wouldn't have come back with! :lol:


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Bellyup said:


> ...One thing we can all agree on, this year was perhaps the best of the last decade or so in terms of birds and harvests...


Sorry, but I don't agree at all. My season (in Michigan anyway) was mediocre to average at best. Same goes for many hunters I know. Not complaining mind you, just not going to agree it was _*"the best of the last decade or so in terms of birds and harvests"*_


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Dog isn't an option for me and I don't shoot anything that's not over the decoys. Finding them in the corn can be just as tricky if they are able to swim.


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## Tom_Miller (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm sure it would help to hunt with a dog but I have never had the option. I probably pass on some shots that I might try if I had a dog but I still manage to get my share. By taking sensible shots I rarely lose a duck. As for this being an excellent year for harvesting ducks....it seemed pretty average to me. Not complaining at all, I enjoyed every hunt.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

just ducky said:


> Sorry, but I don't agree at all. My season (in Michigan anyway) was mediocre to average at best. Same goes for many hunters I know. Not complaining mind you, just not going to agree it was _*"the best of the last decade or so in terms of birds and harvests"*_


of course his season was best ever. lol. field hunting in sw shoulda been unreal. birds had 2 choices....hang out in the middle of saginaw bay or move to SW open water.


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## Nuff Daddy (Dec 5, 2012)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> 1.4 per hunter trip.


That seems pretty decent considering the inexperienced guys that hunt the WMAs. Never made it out there this year, but wish I woulda.


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## SBE II (Jan 13, 2009)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> was looking over our end of the year numbers and srsga lost 14 days to freeze out yet still beat last years harvest totals. much lower hunter trips (due to freeze). Looks like we were on par to hit some big numbers if we didn't get such a weird unusually cold fall.
> 
> note to SW guys. this is why its hard for the DNR to push for a later season. I'm happy with the current dates. just got dealt a bad year from a duck hunting perspective locally.
> 
> oh and the 60's dominated the kill (not surprising)...and I hear that some sharecropping movement is happening to get 1-5 tiled and planted for season (not shared). should be interesting moving forward....the DNR team has been making good strides with all the managed areas.


Here we go....SCOUT like normal hunters.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> of course his season was best ever. lol. field hunting in sw shoulda been unreal. birds had 2 choices....hang out in the middle of saginaw bay or move to SW open water.


Yeah I know. Saw many of the stellar reports from SW Michigan this year, and good for them...the pendulum swung their way this year. But I can already hear the reports from the CWAC roundtable in March, which represents all corners of the state...average at best when considering the big picture.  So to say "we can all agree..." NOT.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

yeah having seen a LOT of seasons. I think this one was just good. it wasn't bad by no means and it wasn't awesome either. I still use 06' as a bench for judging awesome seasons...and we were nowhere close to that...but still good in respects to big picture.

I have friends in all corners of the state and usually see their seasonal progress daily on facebook. Some of them had banner seasons.

That being said, my nodak season was best ever (going off numbers) but still think 06' was more memorable. We had some crazy weather in 06' that pushed birds south...then a warm up and the birds stayed around and got pummeled for weeks on end.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

just ducky said:


> Sorry, but I don't agree at all. My season (in Michigan anyway) was mediocre to average at best. Same goes for many hunters I know. Not complaining mind you, just not going to agree it was _*"the best of the last decade or so in terms of birds and harvests"*_


Hmm, intersting to hear. Everyone I have talked to has had a better than average year in terms of ducks harvested. I guess I consider anything above the average an awesome season. If it was like this each year I doubt you would hear much from the SW folks on season dates, etc.


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## goosemanrdk (Jan 14, 2003)

Ah, you are all full of it. Going by numbers, this years was one of the worst for my group in a long time. It was full of wind when we didn't want wind, cut crops when we wanted them standing, standing crops when we wanted them cut, cold when we wanted warmth, warmth when we want cold, ducks in places we didn't want them and no ducks in places that we did want/expected them. But............................................ overall this was yet another OUTSTANDING season. Had lots of fun, got to do a few things(harvest methods) I hadn't done in a few years, slammed birds on days that I didn't expect too, kicked myself for making a wrong choice on a few days as usual, harvested some birds and enjoyed the company of family, friends and the dogs everyday that I went out. Every year is and OUTSTANDING year for me, each one just has different things that make it stand out as it's own year.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

goosemanrdk said:


> Ah, you are all full of it. Going by numbers, this years was one of the worst for my group in a long time. It was full of wind when we didn't want wind, cut crops when we wanted them standing, standing crops when we wanted them cut, cold when we wanted warmth, warmth when we want cold, ducks in places we didn't want them and no ducks in places that we did want/expected them. But............................................ overall this was yet another OUTSTANDING season. Had lots of fun, got to do a few things(harvest methods) I hadn't done in a few years, slammed birds on days that I didn't expect too, kicked myself for making a wrong choice on a few days as usual, harvested some birds and enjoyed the company of family, friends and the dogs everyday that I went out. Every year is and OUTSTANDING year for me, each one just has different things that make it stand out as it's own year.


Robert, 

Well, maybe the ducks actually did follow JD's yellow line right into my honey holes ! It sure makes it a much better season when more ducks are harvested. Maybe I didn't get my homework wrong this year and it was just exceptional around the areas I hunt. Could be I guess. I love the dog work, but I have to put ducks down to see the show


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## goosemanrdk (Jan 14, 2003)

Bellyup said:


> Robert,
> 
> Well, maybe the ducks actually did follow JD's yellow line right into my honey holes ! It sure makes it a much better season when more ducks are harvested. Maybe I didn't get my homework wrong this year and it was just exceptional around the areas I hunt. Could be I guess. I love the dog work, but I have to put ducks down to see the show


Ya, at least in my opinion, it was an odd year for us. Spots for us that are gimme's were almost void and spots that are tuff were good. I honestly did not put a lot of effort into hunting Michigan this year. I spent the first week of Oct in Canada where 3 of us shot close to 200 birds. So, didn't put a lot of effort into scouting around here and stuck to hunting the "traditional" spots we hunt and as I said above they were weird for us this year. Late in the year when the Mallards did start to get good around a few of our areas was also when Lake Michigan calmed down to allow us to get out and chase longtails. Having spent close to 150 hours of blood and sweat rebuilding a new boat for that in the summer, that took precedence over mallards on the days I had available to hunt if the weather was cooperative.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Bellyup said:


> Hmm, intersting to hear. *Everyone I have talked to .*...


my question for you is have you talked to people from all over the state, because I suspect you haven't. Again, not complaining...I had fun once again. But I just wouldn't say it was the best in many years from my perspective.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

goosemanrdk said:


> Ah, you are all full of it. Going by numbers, this years was one of the worst for my group in a long time. It was full of wind when we didn't want wind, cut crops when we wanted them standing, standing crops when we wanted them cut, cold when we wanted warmth, warmth when we want cold, ducks in places we didn't want them and no ducks in places that we did want/expected them. But............................................ overall this was yet another OUTSTANDING season. Had lots of fun, got to do a few things(harvest methods) I hadn't done in a few years, slammed birds on days that I didn't expect too, kicked myself for making a wrong choice on a few days as usual, harvested some birds and enjoyed the company of family, friends and the dogs everyday that I went out. Every year is and OUTSTANDING year for me, each one just has different things that make it stand out as it's own year.


Robert - again, I'm not complaining. I had good days and not so good days...sounds like you did too. I had lots of fun this year. But when Belly said he thought we all would agree it was the best in years, I just don't think from a statewide perspective that will prove out.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Bellyup said:


> Robert,
> 
> Well, maybe the ducks actually did follow JD's yellow line right into my honey holes ! It sure makes it a much better season when more ducks are harvested. Maybe I didn't get my homework wrong this year and it was just exceptional around the areas I hunt. Could be I guess. I love the dog work, but I have to put ducks down to see the show


Belly - it ain't my yellow line. I can't recall who came up with the concept on this board...I just repeat/repost it.


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## charcoal300zxtt (Sep 8, 2011)

I harvested slightly less birds but had my best season yet. So I guess I agree with both sides of the best/not best season to date debate. :lol:


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## goosemanrdk (Jan 14, 2003)

just ducky said:


> Robert - again, I'm not complaining. .


Never said you were and my post was not directed at any one or anything. Just giving my perspective of my season. The opening comment was all in jest. I learned a long time ago that just cause I am pounding the birds doesn't mean the guys down the road are and visa versa.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

goosemanrdk said:


> Never said you were and my post was not directed at any one or anything. Just giving my perspective of my season. The opening comment was all in jest. I learned a long time ago that just cause I am pounding the birds doesn't mean the guys down the road are and visa versa.


I have shot limits 200 yards from the next party and they never fire a shot, so a lot of truth to that. Maybe this year was just my lucky year. 

The last 3 weeks of the season really was awesome mallard hunting for me, on the water. never did get a field this year. 

And JD, In reading through some season posts, I noticed the majority of the posters indicated they had some of the best seasons to date. I guess I should be more specific for you, no i didn't talk to every hunter in the state.... not in the SW portion. Just the folks I ran into while hunting, or out and about and we got into talking about hunting. Oh, and I am glad you are not complaining.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Bellyup said:


> I have shot limits 200 yards from the next party and they never fire a shot, so a lot of truth to that. Maybe this year was just my lucky year.
> 
> The last 3 weeks of the season really was awesome mallard hunting for me, on the water. never did get a field this year.
> 
> And JD, In reading through some season posts, I noticed the majority of the posters indicated they had some of the best seasons to date. I guess I should be more specific for you, no i didn't talk to every hunter in the state.... not in the SW portion. Just the folks I ran into while hunting, or out and about and we got into talking about hunting. Oh, and I am glad you are not complaining.


I did hear lots of good reports too, but IMO no more than a typical year. We'll see...It will all come out in the wash at CWAC in March, where all the reps report out from their neck of the woods, and the DNR gives their perspective for the state, and the federal observations as well.


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## goosemanrdk (Jan 14, 2003)

Bellyup said:


> Maybe this year was just my lucky year.


So, you spent the year doing what my group calls being on the good side of being "Those Guys."

Sometimes your "those guys." and sometimes you wish you were "those guys."

Those guys = the ones over yonder shooting all the birds or catching all the fish.:lol:


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## deadduck365 (Nov 5, 2010)

goosemanrdk said:


> So, you spent the year doing what my group calls being on the good side of being "Those Guys."
> 
> Sometimes your "those guys." and sometimes you wish you were "those guys."
> 
> Those guys = the ones over yonder shooting all the birds or catching all the fish.:lol:


I like that. Some days we were "those guys" and other we were next to "those guys" and others there were none of "those guys" at all. My numbers were average. This year was high pressure in my non managed areas. My managed area total was on the low side based on the drawing numbers we had. Lol. We had a good draw the whole year. 


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

lotsa good points. so do we judge our season on our good days or our bad days? 

I never had any truly bad days...those days where you know your not gonna kill anything but you sit there anyways...but i never had any where you knew you were gonna rock the house (locally). had quite a few of those in nodak tho.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> lotsa good points. so do we judge our season on our good days or our bad days?
> 
> I never had any truly bad days...those days where you know your not gonna kill anything but you sit there anyways...but i never had any where you knew you were gonna rock the house (locally). had quite a few of those in nodak tho.


Ditto for me, EXCEPT I did have two or three here in Michigan where I just knew I was screwed. Two straight times at SRSGA I was one unit off the "X"...second day I picked the spot that was hot the day before, and...yep...birds did the big switcheroo and went where I was the day before. Sat there watching the birds dump into "those guys" :evilsmile Then one time on the bay the birds were diving in just over the phrag from me for 2 hours, so I walked the 3/4 mile over there, kicked 200 mallards out, but they never came back. So I had a few frustrating trips here. But as I said, overall...I'd rate this season average for me. My closest hunting friends have very similar reports, which is why I'm guessing the overall reports will be average.


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## lefty421 (Dec 7, 2012)

charcoal300zxtt said:


> Did the 30's out kill the 40's?





Shiawassee_Kid said:


> not even close. like 500 birds in 30's. 1200 in 40's.



Well, that's certainly one way to spin it. :lol:


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## vezben (Aug 13, 2011)

SBE II said:


> Here we go....SCOUT like normal hunters.


Ha! I was thinking the exact same thing. The subsidized waterfowl taps got turned off a bit early. Too bad. Get out and do what 99.5% of the rest of us do every day of the season . . . which I suspect most did, so the all important "hunter days" probably really didn't take much of a hit even with the early bingo freeze-ups. Not bashing the bingo's, just don't want CWAC overweighting their significance to "hunter days" 'cause I can tell you that fellas can and do hunt just as much when they don't have access to them as the VAST majority of us don't.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

vezben said:


> ...Not bashing the bingo's, just don't want CWAC overweighting their significance to "hunter days"...
> 
> 
> > Obviously the DNR takes into account what goes on at the various bingo's because they have a captive audience...they know who you are, how many times you hunted there, how many birds you killed, etc. So yeah, they do rely on those numbers alot, because they can.
> ...


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

vezben said:


> Ha! I was thinking the exact same thing. The subsidized waterfowl taps got turned off a bit early. Too bad. Get out and do what 99.5% of the rest of us do every day of the season . . . which I suspect most did, so the all important "hunter days" probably really didn't take much of a hit even with the early bingo freeze-ups. Not bashing the bingo's, just don't want CWAC overweighting their significance to "hunter days" 'cause I can tell you that fellas can and do hunt just as much when they don't have access to them as the VAST majority of us don't.


at first i didn't want to address this post because it really wasn't what i was goin for...but don't use "subsidized waterfowl taps" and "too bad" and then turn around and say "not bashing the bingos". lol.

and really if you think about it...the bay (non-managed areas) lost just as much time so your little scouting advice really doesn't mean nothing....bay hunters could shift to dry fields (a lot did) but the fact still remains......wait for it....here it comes....

PARTICIPATION AS A WHOLE TOOK A MAJOR DIVE THE LAST 14 DAYS. A MAJORITY COULD NOT OR DID NOT WANT TO HUNT. I know some of you guys have trouble wrapping your head around it.

*disclaimer* I liked the dates. But i'm not ignorant enough to the think the world revolves around "my ideal dates".


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## vezben (Aug 13, 2011)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> at first i didn't want to address this post because it really wasn't what i was goin for...but don't use "subsidized waterfowl taps" and "too bad" and then turn around and say "not bashing the bingos". lol.
> 
> and really if you think about it...the bay (non-managed areas) lost just as much time so your little scouting advice really doesn't mean nothing....bay hunters could shift to dry fields (a lot did) but the fact still remains......wait for it....here it comes....
> 
> ...


I wasn't bashing the bingo's, just the notion that you can't waterfowl hunt without 'em and once they're frozen over the Zone 3 hordes cease waterfowling. And my scouting advice means plenty because there's still plenty of open water and, yes, dry fields to be hunted even when the shallow impoundments like the bingo floodings lock up. I suspect most crews continued to put forth the extra effort but some of those hopelessly dependent on the bingo's perhaps didn't as you suggest. I am sympathetic with early Bay lock-up as that is the largest waterfowling resource in the state and appreciate that dates need to be set to assure maximum utilization. That I can see driving participation. The few hundred regulars at the bingo's who hunt those and only those . . . not so much. Just putting the POV out there that just because fellas weren't showin' up to grab a number doesn't mean they weren't still getting up at o'dark thirty to go try to kill one more duck . . . or goose as the case may be.
Does the DNR maintain Zone wide participation data? I know the overall waterfowling trend is way down but it'd be interesting to see how participation peters out each season on a weekly basis or just to see the shape of the participation curve for several seasons. I suspect they don't have this data since I don't really see a mechanism for collecting it other than at the bingo's.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

vezben said:


> ...The few hundred regulars at the bingo's who hunt those and only those . . . not so much....


You apparently believe the majority of "bingo" hunters ONLY hunt the "bingo's". As someone who's been involved from the ground up with several of these areas, and know lots of regulars at these areas, I can tell you that very, very few who hunt these areas ONLY hunt there. Most mix their hunting up pretty well with other public and private lands.


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## vezben (Aug 13, 2011)

just ducky said:


> You apparently believe the majority of "bingo" hunters ONLY hunt the "bingo's". As someone who's been involved from the ground up with several of these areas, and know lots of regulars at these areas, I can tell you that very, very few who hunt these areas ONLY hunt there. Most mix their hunting up pretty well with other public and private lands.


Not quite sure but I think we're on the same page here. My point is that the vast majority would've moved on to other available venues once the bingo's locked up and thus, the loss of 14 managed unit hunt days would not have been such a big hit to overall hunter participation. My "few hundred" comment was in reference to the small minority who might have hung it up after their local managed area iced up. I suspect that most of us who are still chasing waterfowl that late in the season aren't the type to call it quits 'til the state and the Feds tell us we have to.


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## Nuff Daddy (Dec 5, 2012)

I was hunting the Saginaw bay until dec 6 in a 14' Jon boat with a outboard. The bay was unhuntable for me for 4 days this season. And the last 14 days were the best hunting I've ever had on the bay.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Nuff Daddy said:


> I was hunting the Saginaw bay until dec 6 in a 14' Jon boat with a outboard. The bay was unhuntable for me for 4 days this season. And the last 14 days were the best hunting I've ever had on the bay.


and i'm guessing the pressure (other hunters) was very weak. lol.

good for you, honestly, good to see some guys tearing it up and not lose so much season. no one is gonna argue that there wasn't birds to kill. DNR was using the freeze up to help count birds as they were out there on big water still in late december...at least til we got snow covered.


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## Nuff Daddy (Dec 5, 2012)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> and i'm guessing the pressure (other hunters) was very weak. lol.
> 
> good for you, honestly, good to see some guys tearing it up and not lose so much season. no one is gonna argue that there wasn't birds to kill. DNR was using the freeze up to help count birds as they were out there on big water still in late december...at least til we got snow covered.


The opposite. There was only one open launch on the bay I know of. And there were guys diver hunting every 1/4 mile. I was one of the only guys shoreline mallard hunting though.


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## SBE II (Jan 13, 2009)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> at first i didn't want to address this post because it really wasn't what i was goin for...but don't use "subsidized waterfowl taps" and "too bad" and then turn around and say "not bashing the bingos". lol.
> 
> and really if you think about it...the bay (non-managed areas) lost just as much time so your little scouting advice really doesn't mean nothing....bay hunters could shift to dry fields (a lot did) but the fact still remains......wait for it....here it comes....
> 
> ...



Could not because their precious 4" of water at their GMU was locked up? Seen some guys having lights out days...Participation is geared toward the beginning of the year, hardcore waterfowlers participate regardless...So yea it got cold and they didn't see birds where they normally go, season is over...but really it's not


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

SBE II said:


> Could not because their precious 4" of water at their GMU was locked up? Seen some guys having lights out days...Participation is geared toward the beginning of the year, hardcore waterfowlers participate regardless...So yea it got cold and they didn't see birds where they normally go, season is over...but really it's not


so your point is? i mean really what are you trying to say besides trying to disagree with me on something. are you trying to say theres hunting somewhere else after managed areas freeze up? really, who woulda thought. I guess i missed the part where i said anything counter to that.

sbe, honestly brother, you seriously read right past a lot of things just so you can argue. you totally missed the mark and yet your clueless to what that mark was.


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## PuddleJumper (Sep 23, 2009)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> lotsa good points. so do we judge our season on our good days or our bad days?
> 
> I never had any truly bad days...those days where you know your not gonna kill anything but you sit there anyways...but i never had any where you knew you were gonna rock the house (locally). had quite a few of those in nodak tho.



Go through the draw, get picked in the bottom, take 63, smile, rush out, (hap hazardly) set up, watch all the birds steadily dump into 65 all morning and no one is shooting them, scratch head, eat a turkey sandwich, pack it up with 2 birds, and on the way to go get the boat walk past the 61 marker.... and realize the birds were dumping into 63 all morning...

That's kinda a bad day. Not that I know anyone that did that, because hunting out of your zone is a no-no. But IF it DID happen, the rest of that day would kinda suck...

On the other hand, eating a turkey sandwich, and getting 2 birds out of 61, normally, would have been a good day. 

It's all perspective, I guess...


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## Tom_Miller (Apr 23, 2010)

PuddleJumper said:


> Go through the draw, get picked in the bottom, take 63, smile, rush out, (hap hazardly) set up, watch all the birds steadily dump into 65 all morning and no one is shooting them, scratch head, eat a turkey sandwich, pack it up with 2 birds, and on the way to go get the boat walk past the 61 marker.... and realize the birds were dumping into 63 all morning...
> 
> That's kinda a bad day. Not that I know anyone that did that, because hunting out of your zone is a no-no. But IF it DID happen, the rest of that day would kinda suck...
> 
> ...


LOL, The story alone is enough to make it a memorable hunt. Has to make you smile.


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