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Post by bsutravis on Dec 17, 2006 6:30:21 GMT -5
After I get out of work, the neighbor and I are heading up to Mississinewa. Anyone heard any reports from up that way??? Hopefully we'll find some birds flying....something other than greenheads. (not that I'm complaining about greenheads)
Should be a good day.....if you like hunting in short sleeves!
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Post by 911 on Dec 17, 2006 10:36:33 GMT -5
Good luck Travis perfect morning out there. We saw lots of duck and surprisingly no geese this morning.
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Post by bsutravis on Dec 17, 2006 18:56:31 GMT -5
Mississinewa STUNK!!! We saw about 20 ducks while motoring down the lake, and we thought we were gonna have a great day. WRONG. After putting out all the dekes, setting up the boat and sitting there for 2 hours without seeing ANYTHING we decided to pull up and drive around the lake scouting. We found about 100 geese sitting on a pond inside Miami Rec. Area (off limits to hunting) along with 2 mallards. We checked one of the waterfowl resting areas and heard ZERO geese and ducks. There just aren't any birds up there right now, not sure what's going on there.
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Post by oneshotbandit on Dec 18, 2006 8:24:53 GMT -5
I don't know where 911 was, but Saturday morning @ shooting time I sure didn't see many ducks and I stayed until 9:15 AM. I was just scouting, went down to the Miami boat ramp & there sure wasn't anything out there. There was one hunter laying out and the only shot(s) he got was at 2 ducks & they were a tad high! I did see the geese at the fishing pond and seen a dozen or so Mallards. I haven't seen the ducks I have in the past years.
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Post by bsutravis on Dec 18, 2006 10:38:46 GMT -5
One shot...... the fishing pond by the camping area at Miami is where we saw the geese....probably 100 of them or so. Like I said, we also walked up to the resting area on the North side of the lake and listened and heard ZERO ducks. Just nothing down there right now. I wish they'd build some dams that would hold some of the water back up in the bigger coves so that some vegetation would grow. That lake is like a nuclear wasteland when the water drops. There's nothing for the ducks to feed on....so they just don't stick around very long.
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 18, 2006 17:12:32 GMT -5
I saw 17 ducks not far from there today while deer hunting. I know a place that i see ducks flying all the time and it reservoir property. Ive never seen anyone hunting it so maybe thats why they are there. h.h.
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Post by 911 on Dec 18, 2006 17:44:36 GMT -5
Travis knows where i was and there are alot of ducks there they just dont like to be killed for some reason  |
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Post by oneshotbandit on Dec 19, 2006 6:11:15 GMT -5
HH, there are 3 (three) Waterfowl Resting Areas on the Property, ya might of seen them using them. Then there is the pond(s) over by Red Bridge that they use for Walleye releases. We may try the "Miss" Friday
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Post by chicobrownbear on Dec 19, 2006 8:21:02 GMT -5
Thats the problem we had at Mississinewa and Salamonie Reservoirs. They draw the lakes down in the fall before duck season and they become worthless for duck hunting. We had to drag picnic tables down to the edge of the water at Salamonie to build a blind around and managed two mallards one day a few years back, but it is a lot of work for nothing really.
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 19, 2006 8:59:44 GMT -5
HH, there are 3 (three) Waterfowl Resting Areas on the Property, ya might of seen them using them. Then there is the pond(s) over by Red Bridge that they use for Walleye releases. We may try the "Miss" Friday This was on the Salamonie. The place I'm talking about is huntable but no one ever hunts there. I see a lot of ducks while bow hunting close to this spot, mainly in the evening. Yesterday while walking close to it i heard a lot of quacking and soon saw 17 mallards fly over head. The only way you can access it is by boat or you could carry-in buts its a long way from a road. h.h. |
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Post by bsutravis on Dec 19, 2006 13:51:23 GMT -5
When my buddy was wildlife mgr up at Salamonie he had a plan to put a concrete dam across the back portion of the lake, during summer pool it would be several feet under water, however when they draw the lake down in the fall it would become exposed, leaving plenty of water back in the coves and tailwater areas.....thus letting some vegetation take hold and create a better environment for the ducks, and fisheries as well. Not sure if the plan ever went anywhere since soon after he left for better pay up in Michigan. Those lakes are nasty in the winter, like I said they look like a nuclear wasteland! I know their soul purpose is for flood control, but if they would take a few steps to hold back some water in the coves it would definately help the areas wild life.
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Post by supr87gt on Dec 19, 2006 15:14:59 GMT -5
Travis knows where i was and there are alot of ducks there they just dont like to be killed for some reason How about a few of us come with you and see if it's really them that dont like to be killed or if its you that really dont like to kill them. ;D |
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Post by snakeeye on Dec 19, 2006 18:36:02 GMT -5
The Corps ain't DU. : )
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 19, 2006 20:10:55 GMT -5
When my buddy was wildlife mgr up at Salamonie he had a plan to put a concrete dam across the back portion of the lake, during summer pool it would be several feet under water, however when they draw the lake down in the fall it would become exposed, leaving plenty of water back in the coves and tailwater areas.....thus letting some vegetation take hold and create a better environment for the ducks, and fisheries as well. Not sure if the plan ever went anywhere since soon after he left for better pay up in Michigan. Those lakes are nasty in the winter, like I said they look like a nuclear wasteland! I know their soul purpose is for flood control, but if they would take a few steps to hold back some water in the coves it would definately help the areas wild life. Travis, No such dam exists on the Salamonie. There are a couple of coves that hold geese and some ducks. Right now the water is up about half way and muddy as usual. Two years ago it filled up late in the year and flooded some of the low ground corn fields. The water was up to just about level with the ears and there were hundreds of ducks using this one particular field, until the water went back down. h.h. |
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Post by oneshotbandit on Dec 20, 2006 6:16:42 GMT -5
HH, et al: The guys @ the Salamonie were trying to get a small grant from DU to build a marsh a few years ago. I did talked to the personel there and was told there is a small marsh w/a couple of blinds that is open to the public on a first come, first serve. But don't ask where has I can't tell ya where, I just know how to get there.
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 20, 2006 11:06:04 GMT -5
I know exactly where it is. DU has a big sign at the gate. There is a blind made out of metal thats been on its side for over 6 years now and i always wondered why no one set it up and use it.
Two years ago i helped the local CO arrest a guy and his wife for shooting ducks out of season on this pond. I deer hunt right behind it and saw them with their lab shoot ducks right a dark. Not being a waterfowl hunter i didn't know for sure if duck season was in the the south but later found out it wasn't. The people who house is to the north saw them too and called the CO. These two poachers did this three days in a row, right at dark. When they would shoot the ducks would bail out flying over top of my tree stand. The second day i found life steel shells and empty shell box laying in the parking lot. the shell box had blood on it. I picked them up because i always pick up trash in the lots and put it in my truck. The local CO had put a calling card on my windshield to call him so i did. He asked me about the shooting so i told him what i saw and later gave him the box and shells. He later told me he arrested both of them and they confessed.
If any of you duck hunters want info on the Salamonie PM me. Ive hunted the Salamonie for over 30 years and know just about every inch of it. h.h.
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Post by oneshotbandit on Dec 21, 2006 8:32:43 GMT -5
Well I was wrong about the location of the IDNR/DU Marsh. It wasn't where I thought it was, but I did find it! Now if the Mississnewa people would do the same, except larger- woooo, wouldn't that be nice?
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Post by hotshot on Dec 21, 2006 15:04:25 GMT -5
Yes it would. I have a feeling, that if the resivoirs between Ft. Wayne and Anderson would do a little waterfowl habitat... we'd gets lots of ducks in hoosierland. With Goose pond in place, I think many more birds will be pulled this way. If the IDNR would manage things to get a progression through the state, we'd have some good hunting. A friend and I did a driving scout last year. The only place we saw ducks was around the Army corps dam. No hunting allowed.
maybe we'll try it again this year.
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 21, 2006 15:56:14 GMT -5
15 years ago or so all three of the upper Wabash river reservoirs built a lot of duck ponds all over the properties. all of them have islands for nesting. most are walk in ponds. h.h.
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Post by snakeeye on Dec 21, 2006 18:58:31 GMT -5
HH and OSB, That's good to hear, thanks for the info, but don't expect The Corps to alter their reservoir operation manual to accomodate waterfowlers. Off the actual reservoir is easy, but on the actual reservoir would require federal approval as I understand it.
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