2017 Waterfowl Reports

2017 is here! Post your reports, conditions etc, here. Let us know what's going on!

Glad I'm middle aged lol. Freeguide I remember stacking up blue bills and mallards on some beach spots of lake michigan with a foot of snow. We dont see the blue bills like that anymore but the mallards yes. A few of my buddies that live an hour to an hour and half from said the birds are stacked up in there area and even in there far north spots of the southern zone.

What about use middle aged guys?!

ondeck

I used to decoy divers with milk jugs and blocks of wood painted white. lol

  There are a few divers & mallards left. But Its 80% over.

been through it for many many years. and no its nothing like it used to be.

You younger guys will learn

i hope

Mr. Seaguar yes on the pellet hitting band. 

Grizwald- is that a pellet strike on the band? And late season birds are so pretty, a great day you had.

Great morning for this guy. Started out very foggy and bustin ice. Didn't get to the spot I wanted. Still managed to wack a few! Wiffed on a couple for a limit. The goose dumped right in. Went to retrieve and lookie here it was banded! Seen a few goldeneyes and blue bills. Good luck all on last 9 days of northern zone.

Im spot on with freeguide. Migration for the most part is done , has been done for weeks. Peak puddler numbers were passing thru during the split as they do most years. Im referencing bird numbers along the mississippi corridor. I understand various areas around the state hold birds longer than others and scouting pays off if the time/resources are available. 

The season is structured to accommodate both early /late season hunters. Id take a week earlier opener and adjust the split timeframe as freeguide mentioned.  But those are my preferences and understand others have there own perspective.  As my aging wisdom grows, the joy of busting ice and putting a real hurt on the  equipment gets less and less : )

There should be no split.  If there is it should be week before thanksgiving every year !!!! You guys that want to hunt super late are not the majority . Any split should be in november during the lull 

there are very few birds now compaired to 2 weeks ago.  Some mallards in isolated places . And a few divers and swans  pretty normal

The funniest thing I have read on this thread in a bit... "Grizzwald, I think you need to do a little scouting..."  

For the record, I don't know Mr. Grizwald, but having watched this site for several years, one thing I can say with confidence is that he puts in the time necessary to know what is going on.