Duck report from the North

Hey fellas--

So here we are...three weeks away from the opener. With this being my first post, as well as my first season at Three Rivers, I'll try to start out with a blast.

The reports I'm about to offer are reliable and accurate, but are from fellow hunters that know the area they're writing about. They are no biologists, and their opinions are their own. I trust these reports and hope they'll offer an optimistic report for the season that shall soon begin:

From a reputable contact in Manitoba:
"October 24th brought an abrupt change in the 3 1/2 weeks of very warm and sunny fall weather in Southern Manitoba. In and around the city of Winnipeg, Canada geese continue to stage in the hundreds of thousands and the misty cooler weather today will not push them South. We have had frost only 2-3 nights all fall to date. Canadas exist in large numbers from Winnipeg all along the 60 miles to the U.S. border. A large number of the concentrated mallards and pintails observed throughout last week in the Pembina valley area have moved South although very huntable numbers still exist in the area. The four main staging lakes in South-West Manitoba: Rock, Pelican ,Swan and Grassy and also Whitewater Lake furthest West still hold very high duck numbers. The snows have been moving steadily South at high altitudes for 10 days. Prairie pintails have really soared in numbers this fall over what we have observed in past years-as have green wings. Mallards appear to returned to the very high numbers of the 1960's..the wet spring of 2010 bolstered several species' hatches. Sandhill cranes are still present in smaller numbers at this time. Usually they are long gone by the first week of October. THERE ARE SOME VERY SERIOUS DUCK NUMBERS COMING YOUR WAY IF IT EVER COOLS OFF UP HERE."

From a good friend in North Dakota (lifelong resident of ND that KNOWS what he's talking about):
"Heavy winds, heavy snows, birds heading South. If you boys in the South have water, get ready; they're coming. What a nice hatch on the prairies in the Spring."

Here's to a great season! See you boys in a few days!

-Matt Dubnik