Lake of the Woods
 

12 ga CH Bernard with 1 1/4 oz loads non tox

Looks like a cold day, Bruce. Just above freezing?

High 40’s, but on the water at dawn in the wind it’s all cold even if a person is bundled up like Ralphie .

It's better than the -25F we have at the airport here in Fairbanks!

Correct that to -35 at the airport today

Buffleheads seem to take an awful lot of punishment these days. When I had my duck camp in Ontario we wouldn't even shoot them, nor ruddy ducks neither.

Thousands were flying around us and were the only ducks we saw. We were the only hunters around. I saw no indication of excess hunting pressure.

Try Lake Erie, those boys pound them from dawn till dusk.

I am all for conservation and limits. We were hunting the northwest Angle, the part of Minnesota that juts northward into southwest Ontario. I have never been on Lake Erie or spent any time in Ohio. However if these ducks are threatened there, I hope the US Fish and Game will take action to protect those populations. Buffleheads are plentiful on Lake of the Woods and face little pressure. As far as we could see or hear , we were alone.