Spring Snows

[NodakBuckeye]

We should start a reality show and call it "The Real Waterfowlers of North Dakota" it would feature all the bitching and clawing of "Housewives" but without the desirable boobs n asses; so maybe not. I enjoy reading all the posts, waterfowlers are about as competitive as commercial fisherman. Haha

 

[Traxion]

There has been lots of snow goose spreads for sale the last few years. People are figuring out spring hunting is hard work with little guarantee of success. Hatches, weather, mud, etc. all take their toll. If you've been in the market for decoys you have probably made out well!

I sold mine last year. I live too far away and didn't make it a priority. Fishing is where my spring time goes. Not to say I don't miss it here and there!

 

[KDM]

Lost the desire to "play in the mud" when I got these on a spring hunt. Now I might jump a flock if the situation in right, but mostly I just carry my shotgun when I fish late ice and hope a flock goes overhead and in range.

 

[Sakangler]

Nice mounts

 

[KDM]

Thanks Sak! The eagle head blue was my primary target, but the Ross's goose was a very nice unexpected bonus!!!

 

[snowkiller]

Small bunches of snows starting to push into SD.Get ready its going to be a fast one.

 

[FightingSioux]

There is a lot of March left. If it stays cold in Canada will we see some hold over compte to past years? You would think an early thaw would help us in ND?

 

[dean nelson]

There is a lot of March left. If it stays cold in Canada will we see some hold over compte to past years? You would think an early thaw would help us in ND?

It's definitely has the chance to. It will put us in the roll that SD usually is in. This gives us a real chance of having a storm come in and resetting the migration so that we get multiple chances at them like South Dakota often does.

 

[Vollmer]

By KIM FUNDINGSLAND

Wild geese have been taking advantage of one of the mildest winters ever experienced in North Dakota. According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's annual midwinter waterfowl survey, a record 222,890 Canada geese were counted in the state in early January and, from recent observations, similar or greater numbers remained in the state this past week.

 

[snowkiller]

Anyboby seeing any in ND?LOTS in central SD

 

[wby257]

I would look for huntable number for at least 2 or 3 wks in N.D. I know a old farm that would write the sday he seen the first snow geese in his field and the average was April 8th. You may shoot a goose or two the first part of march but not very often.

I have been hunting snows for 45 years and regardless what some people say. I have had some real good hunts when they had bad hatches. I guided up in Canada for many years and it was great. But with the longer seasons the snows get shot at from Sept till May the next year. All the birds become smart so its not the hatch its the pressure. By the time the juvenile get here in the spring there pretty smart to.

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I talked to a guy in Huron S.D. and he said theres a few not LOTS.

No open water no birds.

We still have 5 days in Feb. Its still winter in North and South Dakota.

 

[jdinny]

you have to take what some people say with a grain of salt. what some people consider "LOTS" may be "front edge" or "a few thousand" to others. that's the problem with internet chit chat.

though it certainly is lining up to be an early spring with an earlier migration than typical. mother nature has a way of "self correcting" when its all said and done.

pretty soon were gonna hear the "their all slipping west" battle cry, "going up the river" when its a completely different flight with different wintering grounds (know as the WCF= west central flyway) and I can assure you they will not all "slip west" though the migration lines are becoming more jumbled each year.

dean actually has some very good knowledge when it comes to both these particular flights.

spring will be here soon enough I am planning to scratch one last wknd of ice fishing out ( walking on) before putting the hardwater gear away.

 

[dean nelson]

I'll be pretty damn surprised if we don't have some birds crossing into nd somewhere by sat morning. As for the farmers first day I just went back and it looks like around March 15th is the average start to things. But some years are definitely earlier such as last year where guys in Canada were seeing huge flights by the 20th of march. The western flyway I honestly can't really define anymore. It used to be strictly the New Mexico / Texas Panhandle Birds but it's gotten so jumbled up with the 281 flyway as those birds pushed west do to weather that's it's blurred into one wide path. It's really not a shock that they're starting to shift west the fall flight did it some time ago so it's only natural that the spring might begin to do the same. One group I've yet to see make the switch though are the juvie flights for whatever reason. I'm planning on fishing beaver Bay on Saturday and I have a feeling there's a good chance I'll be seeing a few flocks of snows coming over at some point.

Hell could always try to set up like some South Dakota guys did the first year of the spring season with a couple of guys went ice fishing but they set up their decoy spread around them. When they would see a migrating flock coming that would get off their buckets and lay down in their whites and they ended up shooting the hell out on that day. The ice looked way too scary to me but it's definitely an effective technique at times.

 

[jdinny]

dam I wish I had the balls to do that, went for a swim 3 springs ago as the dog broke through on a retrieve with his front paws on the ice....I broke though as well and was lucky it was only up to my nipples and it was 70 degrees out. needless to say I don't fuck around with honeycombed ice and retrieving birds anymore.

 

[Trip McNeely]

I wouldn't doubt we see a few flocks poking around by Saturday either, looking for open water. anything that come into nd this weekend will likely go back south at night. keep in mind there is a big temperature gradient from west to east this year. I think Aberdeen was only 33 yesterday while Bismarck was in the mid 40's. some birds may explore up the river but most go as the jimmy goes. sounding like a drop in temps and a possible snow system will move in next week with single digit lows in the eastern part of the state next week so what comes in Saturday wont stick around long

 

[dean nelson]

Yeah I'm guessing if it happens it will be the west side birds that do it first since they have a far more open road. The only problem with that is the true west birds have far more juvies and about half the flock is ross. Put those two together and it tends to make for a slower migration albeit one that's easier to decoy. It's going to be pretty interesting to see what happens over the next couple days its definitely going to show just how willing the eastern birds are to shifting west.

 

[Trip McNeely]

the wc birds all keep together though so there is no separation between juvys and adults. I've never seen a straight juvy flock west of hwy 14. I've played the 65 degree south wind day with these wcf birds and I'll bow out it after years of bashing my head against the wall. if they ride the south wind into ND they go as far north as they can. makes for a long day bird watching. then they will turn around before dark and head back to where they came from. they'll go 200 miles in 3 days only to have a blizzard push them back and reset. seems the east birds have a slower more predictable migration speed. and as the migration progresses the separation in the east birds makes for some nice flocks to play with

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squaw reported a jump to 500k yesterday so I'm letting my boner stay in my pants for a little while longer.

 

[Kurtr]

I have shot more snow geese since moving to mobridge than i ever have growing up in watertown and i put alot more time and effort in around watertown. I have seen exactly 0 hunters around mobridge to

 

[Trip McNeely]

that's because they tend to stage up somewhere southeast of you kurt. if you can find where they stage up for a period of time and catch a few heavy north winds it can be good. but in most years they push threw our area in a matter of two days.

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also there migration route is a lot thinner and more condensed in SD. by the time they get north of 94 they are spread more laterally than in SD. somewhere between Gettysburg and roscoe would be tittysprinkles 9 out of 10 years

 

[Kurtr]

Ya i have a few places with north or west wind and it is on. Over in that area between g burg and roscoe a guy could melt the bbl on your shot gun. When my wife was driving back and forth to aberdeen for college i would get live reports and hit it on the head a few times and it was life changing awesome.