Great weather for ducks!

[Joe T]

This weekend should be great weather for duck hunting.  Setting up Sunday morning on a flowing river that won’t freeze over so hopefully it will pull in some targets. Will be interested in hearing how you guys do today…good luck!

[GRIFF-POINT]

We were going to hunt this morning as the conditions were prime and blue bills and red heads were piling in last night. Unfortunately the snow came heavier then we hoped for and the entire bay was a slush mess.  Would have had a great shoot! Last weekend everything froze or was slush unless you were on the big lake.

[Robhuntandfish]

People were posting on Oneida lake diehards big flocks of bluebills this week and and how they've never seen so many. We just aren't setup for the big lake and today is too damn cold for me anyway.  But have seen a ton of ducks on Oneida. Our spot is 2 miles inside the southeast zone and Oneida is on the Northeast.   Would be nice to be setup for the lake but not a step I'm willing to take at this time.  Access from shore is difficult it would all have to be boat setup somewhere.   I do have my eye on a spot to wade to but would have to check out the legality of it first.  

[CharlieNY]

My son got out yesterday morning with his buddies on a COLD and windy 12 degree morning. They got into some ducks and earned for their effort. You have got to be a dedicated duck hunter to walk out the door on mornings like that!

[Keith Nehrke]

The colder, the better. I still remember an epic winter in the late 80's where the temperatures were between 0-5 degrees every morning, seemed like forever. We hunted the old powerhouse at Keuka and had flights of canvasback and redhead like I've never seen, before or since. An old timer told me to cherish it, because it might be the best duck hunting of my life. He wasn't wrong.

[Larry]

On 12/21/2024 at 10:32 AM, Robhuntandfish said:

People were posting on Oneida lake diehards big flocks of bluebills this week and and how they've never seen so many. We just aren't setup for the big lake and today is too damn cold for me anyway.  But have seen a ton of ducks on Oneida. Our spot is 2 miles inside the southeast zone and Oneida is on the Northeast.   Would be nice to be setup for the lake but not a step I'm willing to take at this time.  Access from shore is difficult it would all have to be boat setup somewhere.   I do have my eye on a spot to wade to but would have to check out the legality of it first.  

Down side on bluebills is you can only shoot two. We used two on lake Ontario be able to shoot 7 you had A 5 bird limit and then 2 bonus bluebills on some waters. Also back when I started duck hunting sea duck limit was was sperate from the regular duck limit even on lake Ontario. We would go out shoot a limit of ducks them go out and shoot sea ducks 

[Robhuntandfish]

7 minutes ago, Larry said:

Down side on bluebills is you can only shoot two. We used two on lake Ontario be able to shoot 7 you had A 5 bird limit and then 2 bonus bluebills on some waters. Also back when I started duck hunting sea duck limit was was sperate from the regular duck limit even on lake Ontario. We would go out shoot a limit of ducks them go out and shoot sea ducks 

the same with black ducks.  Ive seen huge groups of those on our ponds at times.  But the way i shoot 2 is a banner day.  lol 

[CharlieNY]

My son and his buddies got out this morning for some cold weather ducks and scored again. I am unable to hunt for awhile while I tend to a medical issue but I will be out for the Spring snow goose season in a couple of months and will hopefully be posting some successful hunts.

[mowin]

3 hours ago, CharlieNY said:

My son and his buddies got out this morning for some cold weather ducks and scored again. I am unable to hunt for awhile while I tend to a medical issue but I will be out for the Spring snow goose season in a couple of months and will hopefully be posting some successful hunts.

Wow, you nailed em. 

[Robhuntandfish]

3 hours ago, CharlieNY said:

My son and his buddies got out this morning for some cold weather ducks and scored again. I am unable to hunt for awhile while I tend to a medical issue but I will be out for the Spring snow goose season in a couple of months and will hopefully be posting some successful hunts.

 

Hardcore out in this cold.  That's thumping them.  I'm a fair weather fish and hunt kinda guy eben though I've really gotten bit by duck hunting.   Hope your doing ok and heal up

[Larry]

15 hours ago, CharlieNY said:

My son and his buddies got out this morning for some cold weather ducks and scored again. I am unable to hunt for awhile while I tend to a medical issue but I will be out for the Spring snow goose season in a couple of months and will hopefully be posting some successful hunts.

Nice they can get out on big water. Notice they are mostly Mallard's are they passing on divers. Looks like they may be hunting lake Ontario. The hunting I do now I was done on November 3rd. The places I hunt were full of ducks after the season was closed and then frozen solid when it reopen. Guys I talked to who were hunt lake Ontario after Christmas west of Rochester said the lake was full of divers in November.

Edited January 10 by Larry

[CharlieNY]

41 minutes ago, Larry said:

Nice they can get out on big water. Notice they are mostly Mallard's are they passing on divers. Looks like they may be hunting lake Ontario. The hunting I do now I was done on November 3rd. The places I hunt were full of ducks after the season was closed and then frozen solid when it reopen. Guys I talked to who were hunt lake Ontario after Christmas west of Rochester said the lake was full of divers in November.

They are hunting the Finger Lakes and are setting up close to shore so they are not drawing in the divers. We have a marsh on our property that was full of ducks also when season was closed but is now frozen over. This long cold spell has limited duck hunting to the big lakes or big rivers.