1 shot 2 birds on Sunday. Ended up finding someone else’s cripple. Only 2 birds I saw but a buddy went out this morning and saw more so seems like numbers in SE MN are about same as last year. Guided a youth Hunt on Saturday so dog saw plenty of action. He’s 8 and is starting to show his age. His brother passed about a month ago so its time to start looking for a new pup to add to the rotation next year.
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That’s making me really consider a go-pro just to see how I’m missing my shots.
I’ve also dealt the swollen F150 lugs. Broke 3 “breaker” bars and even an air wrench couldn’t get a few off. Ended up having to drill out the studs. Anyway as others have said, in most situations an impact wrench is what you’ll need.
You piqued my curiosity Gim. Looks like there are either sex areas listed on pg 18 and thats roughly the area my buddy hunts so that’s where I was confused. It’s not statewide. If they also release birds in those areas (unconfirmed) its probably more of a symptom of low population vs a cause.
I have the non-custom soundgear plugs. If I could do it again I’d get tbe custom fit ones. Didn’t realize I could use HSA on it so might go that route this year actually. The problem with the customs is you need to remove the batteries (at least the 4 yr old version I have) to turn them off which is more annoying than you think. Imagine frozen hands from a -10° hunt trying to dink with those things. The customs have an on/off switch. I don’t have any problem telling what direction sound is coming from on mine, but I only use them upland hunting so I’m not pin pointing a deer footstep or something so I can’t confirm or deny accuracy.
I’m no biologist, but I really don’t understand why there aren’t more birds around here.
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Don’t they allow the harvesting of hens too? Not sure if thats statewide or not. That might play into it. My understanding is the population is low so the WDNR releases birds and allows you to take either sex. Without it, there wouldn’t be a season. I’m open to being educated on that.
Have you guys ever considered shaving the chest, back of the legs and any other area susceptible to these burrs? I once had a springer and we did that at the beginning of the season and never really had an issue with stickers.
As Gitchi alluded to, wouldn’t recommend a shave. That fur is there to protect them. I agree trimming things down is fine. With my setter his belly hair is so fine and sparse i actually leave that longer than anything else. The rest gets a good trimming.
Also bagged a rudy on opener in southern Mn. Got to my spot 1.5 hours early and guys still showed up after 9 and parked right next to me so what was the point… Lot of hunters out. Harvested a 2nd on Sunday with a buddy. Plenty of corn still up.
Guess a lot of us have had it happen. My dog fell through the ice on a very cold day and I also had to do that belly crawl. I whipped my clothes off as quick as I could because it was a 45 min walk back to the truck and if I was in wet clothes I wouldn’t have made it. I broke through just a bit but was able to get him out. Had to keep screaming at the other dog to stay back the whole time.
For opener I’ll be parking at public early in SW MN and making breakfast and coffee. Then I’ll pheasant hunt every weekend other than slug season (might still sneak in some bird hunts though).
I like the Google weather app on Android (some call it Frog Weather) as it gives hourly wind forecasts. MyRadar gives good current wind visuals but there are ads.
That bank probably swindled as much money from its clients as the welfare folks did from the government
^ Can confirm.
Haven’t been to Leech this time of year, but I’ll be on Woman just south of there. I’ve stayed at Big Rock and enjoyed the resort. We were able to fish between there and Pelican Island and find walleye. I think you’ll be on the cusp of a the hot fall bite. Use your electronics to locate fish off typical midlake structure and flats and pitch jigs tipped with minnows or shiners. At low light try shallow.
Thanks I’ll give those places a call when I can find some free time during business hours. Found one 10 day old listing on Craigslist but he told me it’s sold. Also realizing my $500 price point may be low. Didn’t realize used ones are going for double that.
Agree with tbe above and definitely make sure you look at them before any trip. Had a little rain water get into my storage compartment and set off one of my auto deploys, had to make a last min stop for a recharge kit.
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Appreciate the replies. Heading to Woman lake via highway 10 and 371 so Garrison is out. Didn’t see anything smaller than 6 on Reeds website but will call to make sure. Will take 6 shot if need be but maybe I can find some 7.5 at the Longville One Stop or Godfreys in Backus.
Edit: Made a call to Reeds and they have some 7.5 in stock in Walker
One last trip up to Woman lake over Columbus/Indiginous day for some fishing and grouse hunting. Then its pretty much non-stop Pheasant hunting every weekend after that and time to put the boat away. We always do well this time of year, makes me feel like a half-decent fisherman haha.
Speedway off Louisiana/394 by Menards was $3.89 today for anyone in that area. Also $.05 off with a speedy rewards card which is free.
My tests this weekend were inconclusive. Didn’t have much luck, but also didn’t get a whole lot if time on the water. A few here and there but full crawler or a chunk didn’t seem to matter.
Hoping my folks have some picked sweet corn next weekend and will probably attempt some early goose. Been a few years due to young children but might work out this year. Will be fishing this weekend so that’s a no go.
Heading up for the long weekend. From what I can see in the forum history, seems half a crawler on an either a bottom bouncers or jig should catch fish this time of year. Curious if anyone uses a full crawler on a bouncer/crawler harness? Or are you just burning through bait faster at that point?
I’ve got accident insurance on my dogs after this same Boxer broke his leg. Unfortunately it doesn’t cover illnesses like this. I looked into the coverages that do but unfortunately they specifically exclude existing conditions such as cushings or addisons. Still worth a look to see if your wife’s work coverage will cover the preexisting on an animal.
I’ve got a Boxer with the exact opposite, Cushings disease. Drinks and eats like he’s on a dessert island and pisses every 5 min (I’m not exaggerating). It’s an extra car payment a month for meds and he’s only 7 but if we can keep treating it he should live a fairly normal lifespan. I know it’s not the exact same condition but they have a lot of meds that can treat cortisol imbalances like that. How old is your dog?
I run a kodiak 10×14 flex bow all year. Great tent. I camp in campgrounds that have electricity at the site and use an electric oil heater in the cold months and a standing AC in the hot months and love it.
Would love to see your setup of the a/c. I’ve seen a few diy solutions online, but no consensus on the best way to set it up.
Yeah I meant for his September through November camping,
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Ah… that makes sense.
Are your ice hubs insulated that you use in the summer? I’ve got an Eskimo Outbreak but thought it would be sweltering in the summer.
I think another part of the issue with having a tournament is the availability of parking. If an access only has a limited number of spots, the tournament should not be able to occupy all or most of them. For example, if the access only has 25 spots, you shouldn’t be allowed to hold a 25 boat tournament. IMO the parking capacity should not exceed 50% of the spots available at any given site. Some bigger lakes obviously have multiple accesses with a lot more parking, so that’s generally why tournaments are held there more often.
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I wonder if they’ve ever considered valet parking? Too many boats for the access space, have part of the entry fee go to paying for valets and offsite parking. I can understand people not wanting anyone touching their truck, but seems like a viable solution to access parking issues. Frankly I don’t care about extra boats on water. I either fish Chamberlain or Minnetonka most times and it’s always bumper boats.
I unhook the safety chain and then give the strap some slack, that way it can float off and the nose has some room to play. May not work for you still from the sounds of your trolling motor situation but that’s how I do it with a 18 footer. If no dock I just climb in the box and onto the trailer and hop in. People probably think I’m doing parkor everytime i launch.
Glad to see this as we know a lot of reports come to nothing but that’s due process for you, blessing and a curse. I bet he knows other people that do the same thing and let’s them know what happened. I bet your one good deed is multiplied.
Really appreciate that. Once I solidify a date I’ll reach out if we think we’ll need that service. You adding river expedition guide to that long list of side hustles? 
