Preseason '25-'26

[Rick]

Not detached from the regular duck season.

Made me look. Geese have been starting a week ahead of ducks for some years now and still do.

[Ericdc]

Right. I meant it leads into duck season unlike the early speck split in Arkansas that's almost a month before duck season.

In east zone they used to start 2 weeks before up here but now they put specks, youth and veterans hunt all on same weekend. I have always thought the youth should have a stand alone 2 days to hunt.
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[Darren]

Tomorrow night's Beaver Supermoon is just what we need

The Beaver Moon is November's full moon, named because beavers would prepare their winter lodges and dams during this time. The 2025 Beaver Moon is a supermoon, meaning it will be the closest and brightest full moon of the year. It peaks on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Reportedly looks just like this:

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Regardless of what critter it's tied to, here's hoping it spurs migration.

Coupled with temps like this and potential for S Dakota and MO snow, would hope that helps our cause:

Monday morning

Screenshot 2025-11-04 072303.jpg

[Ducaholic]

We may top a million birds...

Hope the weather continues on its current trend

[Darren]

We may top a million birds...

Hope the weather continues on its current trend

510,000 ducks statewide in the Nov 2024 survey, lowest on record, so lets see where it shakes out when this November's report drops late next week. 584,000 in Nov 2023.

The Beaver Moon will deliver, book it

[Ericdc]

Pretty good front for early November.


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[DComeaux]

I refuse to take part in these migration shenanigans' concerning weather. Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me. It's an emotional roller-coaster that I've exited.

[Ericdc]

I refuse to take part in these migration shenanigans' concerning weather. Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me. It's an emotional roller-coaster that I've exited.

David wants it sunny and 60 degrees every day with a gentle southeast wind.


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[Darren]

You know that's right.

DC: "I want ducks"
Also DC "I dont want it to get cold"


Front is pretty stout for the calendar date for sure, and it will moderate thereafter just like this week will be warming up. Apparently in a La Nina winter, that's a common pattern of up and down. Just glad we are not looking at 90s like last year, and knock wood, no tropical activity in the Gulf. Looking way out to next Saturday's opener, looking mild with some hopefully decent south winds. I'd rather it not be particularly cold as my young son is planning to join us.


Any thought of losing confidence in what a front brings in recent years was squashed just this past season when my lease partner hunted a big front day/big north winds on Dec 6th or so, had a big solo hunt with quick 6 grays at our West Blind, but within sight of my favorite blind on the lease. His words: "I had a great hunt, but over at your blind, oh my goodness, someone would have had insane hunt there this morning."

That's all I needed.


The pro's continue to buy in and Im seeing forecast temps continue to trickle down.

Screenshot 2025-11-04 112548.jpg

Yes it shows mild temps in Canada and Dakota's at that juncture in time, but I'm more focused on the stout winds and cold moving down what's currently in MO and Ark.

[Ducaholic]

It's going to be plenty cold in Saskatoon and Minot. That map does not do the forecasted lows and highs justice.

[Ducaholic]

We may top a million birds...

Hope the weather continues on its current trend

510,000 ducks statewide in the Nov 2024 survey, lowest on record, so lets see where it shakes out when this November's report drops late next week. 584,000 in Nov 2023.

The Beaver Moon will deliver, book it

I'm a believer

[DComeaux]

Until I hear high duck flight chatter or goose noise at night headed south I have my doubts of a fruitful migration regardless of weather.

[Darren]

At least we wont be able to say we didn't get enough cold weather to give us a fighting chance in early season:

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Monday morning wind chills:

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This is a top to bottom (of MS flyway) event at ideal timing. Though its a little bit of a bummer the weather will moderate and become pretty stable/stale into opening weekend and likely into first week of season. Just not seeing much to get excited about (so far) after this big blow. Early outlook doesn't promise much wind for opener wknd......splasher gadgetry on a preemptive charge!

[Ericdc]

That'll move some birds for sure, wimpy ducks as Dr. Mike calls them.


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[Darren]

That'll move some birds for sure, wimpy ducks as Dr. Mike calls them.
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Did see that Top Gun in Mer Rouge had some snows on the ground w/ the specks.

[Ericdc]

They always do. They go there first every year, early water.

I'm going to try to get my farmer to put boards in October 1st next year and start pumping later in October.


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[Darren]

They always do. They go there first every year, early water.

I'm going to try to get my farmer to put boards in October 1st next year and start pumping later in October.
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Nice! Currently no word on status of the Bunkie field but they were pumping with a vengeance a few weeks back when we went. Rarely see ducks on it or surrounding area the day before East Zone opener, but somehow they show the next morning. I think they hole up on managed ground just to the south there....kind of a Missouri-esque type operation.

[Ducaholic]

Not many ducks in the heartland as of earlier this week. https://mdc12.mdc.mo.gov/Applications/P ... report=400

[Ericdc]

Coworker had been in north central North Dakota all week and I don't think they killed 20 ducks. Said they just aren't there right now.

Cousins are having a good week in Kansas though.


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[Duck Engr]

Not many ducks in the heartland as of earlier this week. https://mdc12.mdc.mo.gov/Applications/P ... report=400

I looked at those numbers yesterday as well and was surprised by how low they were. My usual Missouri barometer, squaw creek, isn’t doing counts until the politicians stop squabbling, so no way to get a feel for how it looks historically there. Bell rose flight was weathered out this week around St. Louis.

[Duck Engr]

Coworker had been in north central North Dakota all week and I don't think they killed 20 ducks. Said they just aren't there right now.

Cousins are having a good week in Kansas though.


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Coworker of mine is leaving tonight headed up. Said friends of his have struggled up there this week as well. Read the corn was late coming off due to rain so I wonder if that caused some to overfly the Dakotas.

[Ducaholic]

Coworker had been in north central North Dakota all week and I don't think they killed 20 ducks. Said they just aren't there right now.

Cousins are having a good week in Kansas though.


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I'm in a group going to Kansas on Thursday. Hunting F S S.

[Darren]

Coworker had been in north central North Dakota all week and I don't think they killed 20 ducks. Said they just aren't there right now.

Cousins are having a good week in Kansas though.

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Coworker of mine is leaving tonight headed up. Said friends of his have struggled up there this week as well. Read the corn was late coming off due to rain so I wonder if that caused some to overfly the Dakotas.

Could be that the birds have just left there, and not so much that they aren't there yet. Points southward have lots of birds so hard to call S Dakota's struggles a sign of whats to come or not.

[Duck Engr]

Coworker had been in north central North Dakota all week and I don't think they killed 20 ducks. Said they just aren't there right now.

Cousins are having a good week in Kansas though.

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Coworker of mine is leaving tonight headed up. Said friends of his have struggled up there this week as well. Read the corn was late coming off due to rain so I wonder if that caused some to overfly the Dakotas.

Could be that the birds have just left there, and not so much that they aren't there yet. Points southward have lots of birds so hard to call S Dakota's struggles a sign of whats to come or not.

Certainly plausible and hopefully the case!

[Darren]

Will and I got our blind brushing/prep work done yesterday morning on the lease under hot, calm weather, usual gnats out in force. Saw some mergs out and about much of the visit. Was watching a group of high grays when one appeared to nearly break its neck and wings falling straight down into a pot hole of ours, so we figured some other birds were in there. Checked there on way out and sure enough a few grays and a bunch of pretty blue wings were in there, SAV thick. Water still on the high side, looking forward to tomorrow's front.

Full boat of bushes

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Line of BlindGrass on front rail at my favorite blind

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Not perfect but its a solid start, we'll bring in some more bushes and bundles of marsh grass on opener. Johnny also made us some bundles of BlindGrass affixed to boards that can go between people in the blind, they span rail to rail.

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south wind blind on our Heart Pond is blessed with a nice roseau patch to just be customized, same at Redhead Blind where we were watching the grays I mentioned. Makes it nice to hide in the shadows/shade.

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Confident that my son and I could have gotten on some blue wings this morning in the hole we saw them in yesterday but given likelihood of gnats and a school event last night, opted not to try them. A buddy took his son to his marsh lease on north side of Lake Borgne and had a good hunt with green wings blue wings and a gray.

As great as tomorrow to Tuesday's weather is looking on this front, next weekend's forecast continues to NOT excite with high pressure on us or nearby enough to keep winds down and temps mild....which could mean fog or gnats, or both. And worse, week after looking warm and stale, for now at least.

[Rick]

The "hunters" not out doing their own preseason prep are missing out on one of the best parts. Have your mongolier ever taken where you've used them?

[Darren]

The "hunters" not out doing their own preseason prep are missing out on one of the best parts. Have your mongolier ever taken where you've used them?

Presume your referring to those bushes; I've never had them take but our West Blind has one growing in it that likely predates our having that hole/blind so appears they can take.

[Darren]

My cousin displaced to Dallas got a nice solo limit this morning on nearby public land, 4 GW teal, 1 woodie, 1 gray, in an hour or so......count me in as a tad jealous of being in the blind in cold weather this AM.

With the front now having reached down here, youth hunt report I got from interior Delacroix was an uptick in birds yielding a nice youth hunt of teal, grays, a dosgris and a pintail. Report was of "nice flights of grays and pintails from the north all morning."

Weather forecasts for next weekend have turned for the more interesting overnight, hoping that outlook holds and it delivers. Potential even for a frontal passage on Sunday.

[Duck Engr]

Brings a smile to my face to see everyone in motion and anticipation building!

[Darren]

Cool stats for this cold snap:

Median_FallFreeze.png

Monday_Chill.png

Tuesday_Chill.png

Weather forecast back to looking pretty bleak for the weekend, high pressure mostly in play......means no wind.