Opener

Tbear

UPH Master
To soon to start this thread? Just firmed up my plans for the weekend! 5 of us are going to get together and hunt. 3 MN boys and 2 from MO. 3-4 of us are also going to hunt the Monday following. I have always wanted to see what it will be like after the 1st weekend. Any one else hunted the Monday after opener?
 
Nope, not to early. My plans are to hunt grouse and ducks opener weekend. I hate those folks that hunt opener and nothing else, with their fat, wheezing dogs, and reckless shooting and lack of gun safety. Same reason I don't hunt deer opener. They can spend their weekend wasting ammo. I'll come in the following week and actually hunt the birds.

I've hunted the following Wednesday... Birds are less jumpy and still stupid enough to sit there under point.
 
I'll be in Tofte MN on my 20th wedding anniversary with my wonderful wife that allows me to have four hunting dogs in the house. Heading to SD the following weekend for their opener then returning 3 weeks later. Been quite a while since I missed MN opener. I was actually checking here hoping that someone was reporting the roadside counts!

Take care and good luck!
 
After the first weekend, the best day to hunt is Friday. Seems like the birds have settled down after the weekends and a few more days.
 
I think this is going to be the best bird counts in 3+ years. Seeing plenty of birds were I am and everyone I talked to in sw Mn and Sd is saying the same.:cheers:
 
The big question will be habitat loss as in CRP. Going forward i believe we are losing way more than we gain each year. As the old saying goes, where there is good habitat there will still be pockets of good bird numbers.
 
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I'll be in Tofte MN on my 20th wedding anniversary with my wonderful wife that allows me to have four hunting dogs in the house. Heading to SD the following weekend for their opener then returning 3 weeks later. Been quite a while since I missed MN opener. I was actually checking here hoping that someone was reporting the roadside counts!

Take care and good luck!

Congrats, that's my anniversary as well. Will either be in MT hunting that weekend or chasing roosters in SW MN. My wife will be joining me as she's as big into upland as I am.
 
Nope, not to early. My plans are to hunt grouse and ducks opener weekend. I hate those folks that hunt opener and nothing else, with their fat, wheezing dogs, and reckless shooting and lack of gun safety. Same reason I don't hunt deer opener. They can spend their weekend wasting ammo. I'll come in the following week and actually hunt the birds.

I've hunted the following Wednesday... Birds are less jumpy and still stupid enough to sit there under point.

LOL! So true, but I won't let them stop me. I love walking in after them and finding birds they and their dogs walked past. I call it my once a year self esteem boost (it's even better when they're still parked at the area :cool:).
 
Hunted in SD last year the weekend after opening; 83 degrees the first day - warmest day that I have ever hunted!
 
Agreed, that was hotter than... you know. We are switching our "big trip" of the year to North Dakota instead of SD. The area we are in is getting too expensive for our tastes.

I am looking forward to making a long weekend hunting SW MN this year. I know nothing about good spots, but will enjoy exploring the new areas.

Should be good numbers this year to keep us going strong to January! :cheers:
 
I am extremely excited for this year! Last year was my second year living in Minnesota after previously living in SD. I surprisingly got a decent amount of birds on public land last year really not too far from the metro, but it did involve a lot of hard work and walking. But.. this year (2 weeks before pheasant opener) my wife and I are moving to a new house about 60 miles outside of the metro, so I am extremely excited to be able to hunt week nights without having to drive out of the city a ways, or hunt weekends and not give up an entire day to it! Beyond pumped for this season!
 
Wait for you guys to report back on all the HOT spots..
JK probably same places SW I've been for the last 10+ yrs. Both me and the Dog have been drooling.
 
I don't bother with opening weekend unless I go out Sunday afternoon.

I typically focus on ruffed grouse through late October and then switch over to MN roosters. I rarely come home without my birds when hunting solo. If I am hunting with kids or others ... I focus on getting them shots and not so much about me.

The harvest "releases" more birds as it progresses.

My toughest time seems to occur in December, but only if there is snow on the ground that completely melts and goes away.
 
Hunted the dove opener yesterday. Had a good decoy spread and we did ok, harvesting some of the few doves we saw fly. I think the heat and humidity didn't make the doves want to fly but it was nice to be upland hunting of some kind. Saw far more flying while I was August goose hunting.

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Numbers will be out on Tuesday. I'm sure they will be similar or above SD and Iowa. I usually hunt on opener, but don't really enjoy it with the crazy stuff that always seems to happen.

Sounds like the corn will probably be harvested too.
 
will be in SW MN this opener VS our old WC MN haunts last few years opener has been pretty bad dead bird wise so everybody seems game for the change in our group...

i agree opener isnt really for killing alot of birds better to be up grouse hunting on pheasant opener then hunt mid week for pheasants if not around oct 31 then lots of crops off birdd are nit cluster flushing yet thats prime!!!
 
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