Run-N-Gun Outfitters
Rochester, MN
(507) 272-1494 --- (507) 358-7755
www.run-n-gunoutfitters.com

See our blog at http://run-n-gunoutfitters.blogspot.com

November 11, 2009

Another week has gone by and we have finally had an extended period of dry weather. The crops are drying and the farmers have started to get more picking done, although not as quick as we would hope. We are very excited that during the past week, two of our prime fields did get picked and they are finally open for business.

 
There hasn’t been any noticeable increase in the number of geese in the Rochester area this week, but there are still more than enough geese to shoot. Right now, we are experiencing some warm days, so the hunting is a little more difficult because we are hunting the same birds day after day. With that said, we are still having great success and having some quality shoots. Over the past week, we have had several days with the number of geese killed was in the teens. If the weather cools down some, we should really start to see some good action.
 
On a side note, Run-N-Gun Outfitters would like to offer to all the military veterans a heartfelt THANK YOU for your service. You are truly admired and appreciated. Adding to that, we would also like to wish all the former and current US Marines out there a very Happy 234th Birthday.
 
Check back next week for another update. Until next time...
 
Shoot straight and stay safe.

November 4, 2009
 
If you've been reading our updates every week, then you know how we’ve been complaining about all the rain/snow we’ve been getting. Well, the National Weather Service records show this was the second wettest October on record with 7.49 inches of precipitation total and the added distinction of the second snowiest October with 7.9 inches of snow. So far in November, it has been dry....let’s hope it continues.
 
Also, we have started to see some migrators move through the area. Along with the scouting we’ve been doing, it’s easy to see there are more birds in the Rochester area. Although, with warmer temps during the day, the birds like to stay in the refuge.
 
As far as the hunting, a few of the boys hunted last Wednesday and shot a couple birds. We didn’t see a lot of movement, but the fog was pretty thick, so it’s anybodys guess to what was going on. It was raining all day Thursday, so nobody went out hunting and Friday was spent as a day of scouting. We saw movement mainly on the north and south sides of Rochester. We decided to hunt the south side on Saturday and ended the morning hunt with a dozen downed birds. The birds really worked the decoys well. On Sunday morning, we managed to coax some more birds into the decoys. We didn’t see as much movement, but the birds we did see got hammered.  We are still consistently shooting birds, but we really expect the action to start getting more intense within the next couple of weeks.
 
Check back next week for another update. Until next time...
 
Shoot straight and stay safe.

October 28, 2009

Well, the weather hasn't been too kind to the farmers (and us) as we had more rain late in the week and even received 4 inches of wet snow on Friday. With all the precipitation lately, we haven't been doing a lot of hunting. The wet conditions really limit us because so few fields are picked right now. The weather finally did take a turn for the better on Sunday. We have been having some warm days with a little wind to help dry out the fields. Hopefully the farmers will be able to get back to picking their crops.

Saturday morning, we hunted a field on the south side of Rochester. We thought with the snow cover, the action would be pretty good. We didn't see near as many birds as we had been seeing in previous days. We ended up shooting 6 birds that morning. Later on Saturday, the temps reached the mid 50's and all the snow melted.

We took some clients out on Monday morning. The weather was nice and it was an enjoyable hunt. The clients shot a few birds and everyone was happy. We had a couple of guys hunting on Tuesday, but they didn't see hardly any movement of the birds. They ended up shooting a couple of honkers.

October 21, 2009

The goose hunting in the Rochester area is still slow, but consistent. We have seen more and more birds move in to the area, but not the full migration with the large numbers of birds. Over the past week, we had different small groups shoot 4 birds, 8 birds, and 10 birds. We have also had hunt club members take a couple of birds. So, there is some shooting happening, but we have to work for it. A lot of the birds in the area are already well educated because of the pressure they've received as a result of the limited places to hunt. The few fields that have been picked has allowed the birds to congregate in those places and ignore everywhere else.

In our last update, we were hoping for some cooperation from the weather so more fields would get picked. It can be reported that the weather DOES NOT want to cooperate with us. To quote the USDA/University of Minnesota Extension Service Crop Report: "soybeans were 34 percent harvested, compared with 81 percent at this time last year and an 83-percent average. Only 3 percent of the corn crop has been harvested, compared with 17 percent at this time last year and a five-year average of 31 percent." Right now, we need some warm, sunny, and dry weather to allow these farmers to get their crops picked. The forecast for the next few days doesn't look good either....more rain with light snow possible. Saturday and beyond looks like we may get the weather we are hoping for. Keep your fingers crossed.

October 14, 2009

The first 10 days of the regular canada goose season hasn't been too bad for the Rochester area. We have seen some new birds move into the area, but not the large influx of birds that comes with the fall migration. The recent colder temps and snow should push more birds into the Rochester area soon.

The hunting is a little spotty right now, but we are still consistently shooting birds. As new birds move into the area, the hunting will only get better with every passing day. With the cooperation of the weather, the farmers will get their crops picked, which will allow us to open up more of our pitted fields and expand our hunting opportunities.