migration 23

[Kurtr]

Covered up in pintails had to pick and choose mallards out of the big wads. A few specks showing up but didn’t want to play.

 

[riverview]

covered up in pintails wouldn't bother me at all.

 

[pointer]

If I were to have a duck mounted it would be a pinner

 

[Kurtr]

If I were to have a duck mounted it would be a pinner

I’m hopping they stick around because a full bull pinny is top of my list. There were a few that were close today.

 

[snowkiller]

A few snows are showing up.

 

[Wall-eyes]

Just local birds central ND and alot of young birds.

 

[riverview]

seeing some new birds on the border south of Estavan

 

[snowkiller]

Snow and cold next week, it should get good.

 

[rodcontrol]

What are everyone's thoughts on a 1 pintail limit? The last few years i've seen thousands of them. I read an article that most pintails end up in Russia that don't successfully nest leaving them out of our counts.

 

[Kurtr]

What are everyone's thoughts on a 1 pintail limit? The last few years i've seen thousands of them. I read an article that most pintails end up in Russia that don't successfully nest leaving them out of our counts.

Regionally I feel they are up but it’s based on national population. I would say Canada blasting 8 ducks of any kind is a bigger problem. The pintails ending up in Russia are part of the pacific flyway so doesn’t really affect the central flyway.

 

[rodcontrol]

Regionally I feel they are up but it’s based on national population. I would say Canada blasting 8 ducks of any kind is a bigger problem. The pintails ending up in Russia are part of the pacific flyway so doesn’t really affect the central flyway.

Honestly if they are dropping 8...give us 4 and we can call it good!

 

[Kurtr]

Honestly if they are dropping 8...give us 4 and we can call it good!

The way they justify it is the amount of hunters is way less than we have in the United States. So in theory they should affect the population the same as us but I don’t know if I buy it. They would have shut pintails down this year if we wouldn’t have got the wet spring. We were really close to either getting days taken or limits reduced overall this year.

 

[FightingSioux]

What are everyone's thoughts on a 1 pintail limit? The last few years i've seen thousands of them. I read an article that most pintails end up in Russia that don't successfully nest leaving them out of our counts.

Their populations keep dropping, a big part of the population is in ND. There have been many theories on why the populations keep dropping but one of the last articles I read said that the no till fields are what pintails love to nest in, but those fields are disturbed in the planting season. They like those fields over CRP and other fields that do not have that planting traffic in the spring. They are not adapting with more and more no till fields in the prairie pothole region. Some say their populations could get worse and some say a lower population may be the new norm.

There was another theory that they were not getting enough calcium during a migration from a clam that they normally eat that is being displaced by another invasive shellfish. Their eggs were not as tough as they once were.

I don’t mind not getting to shoot pintails except for the fact that they are hard to identify early in the season

 

[Kurtr]

Their populations keep dropping, a big part of the population is in ND. There have been many theories on why the populations keep dropping but one of the last articles I read said that the no till fields are what pintails love to nest in, but those fields are disturbed in the planting season. They like those fields over CRP and other fields that do not have that planting traffic in the spring. They are not adapting with more and more no till fields in the prairie pothole region. Some say their populations could get worse and some say a lower population may be the new norm.

There was another theory that they were not getting enough calcium during a migration from a clam that they normally eat that is being displaced by another invasive shellfish. Their eggs were not as tough as they once were.

I don’t mind not getting to shoot pintails except for the fact that they are hard to identify early in the season

I know delta is paying farmers to plant winter wheat and leave it till after the hatch as pintails love that for nesting.

 

[FightingSioux]

I know delta is paying farmers to plant winter wheat and leave it till after the hatch as pintails love that for nesting.

That helps a lot but the dummy pintails still like to nest in that winter fallow no matter what the surrounding cover is. They have so many better areas to choose to nest in but decide to nest in the stubble instead. Hard to get these birds to adapt after centuries of instinct to overcome

 

[rodcontrol]

Pintails also give up after 1 unsuccessful nest

 

[Wall-eyes]

I put in acres of mix for birds deer etc... I get seed from Chesak seed in Bismarck plants like 5 acres for $50 bucks if I am right. Put it in by daughters BF who does test plots around three states for Cargil. Plant some other crops I get from cousin who owns Sterling and Hazelton CO-OP nice to have friends in high places. My land was 35 year ordeal just wanted bigger piece for more fun.

 

[jdinny]

Cranes non stop all day. NE of Bismarck, heading south

 

[Kurtr]

Out walking the dog this morning before I had to go to work and could hear non stop specks. Paving on weekends in October should be illegal.

 

[lunkerslayer]

Seen many geeses on this beautiful sunny windless frosty fall day in the white earth river valley. Suckers are super high though
Been paving non stop since the 4 of October and it sucks working everyday thank goodness we get off early on Sunday so I can wash clothes.