So, how goes the season for the waterfowlers here?

02 December 2007, 03:20

Kamo Gari

Just getting a freeze. It's been fair to good, but as always, when the fresh water areas begin to freeze, it's game on in the salt. Seaducks have been strong, the puddlers getting better and the divers are in. God I love this time of year. Just wondering how are other folks doing.

KG

______________________

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ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS

Into my heart on air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

A. E. Housman

Lord, give me patience 'cuz if you give me strength I'll need bail money!!
'TrapperP'

05 December 2007, 20:20

Dulcinea

Although the season has been open for about a month the real season is just begining. So far there have been more ducks than usual, so I have my fingers crossed. Couple of mallards and blacks so far. What I want is a big freeze then some moderating temps for a few days.
After working Saturday I am off for the rest of December, bring em on!!!

Dulcinea

What counts is what you learn after you know it all!!!

06 December 2007, 03:41

Kamo Gari

Thanks to those who responded, and good luck to all! The cold snap that we've been having is a blessing, but if it continues for much longer, it could turn into a curse. It has to be pretty cold for extended periods for the salt marsh to freeze up, but if it does the pickings can get slim indeed. Usually if we get a lock-up it happens in January, but this year we may be looking at big ice.

So far this season, been getting into mallards, blacks, GW teal (mostly gone now) woodies (all gone now), widgeon (few), gaddies (few), buffies, goldeneye, mergies (all 3 flavors but we don't really go after them for obvious reasons), eider (common), scoter (3 flavors), oldsquaw, and canadas. A couple of scaup (greater) and a lone ringneck were taken by friends.

Anyway, cheers to all the waterfowlers here.

KG

______________________

Hunting: I'd kill to participate.

09 December 2007, 03:57

Palmer

Cap'n Kirk's and my morning went about like cable68s.

We started off with knocking down a couple of Green wings then had 5 drake (no hens) mallards that we didn't get a shot at. The mallards slid right behind our blind and lit about 50 yards off. How do they know?

5 Gadwalls teased us then three of them broke off and made the big mistake. One escaped but he was a little shakey.

Another half dozen Gadwalls were wanting in but the wind was such that to come in they were looking right into the blind. They passed over the blind three times then on the 4th pass I said lets shoot. That wasn't a good idea evidently as they all flew away.

Fog rolled in on the river so we picked up and moved to the big lake. One Bufflehead sacrificed himself to the great pleasure of my Chessie who enjoyed the long swim.

Then three Goldeneyes flew by unscathed as we dropped coffee cups and grabbed for shotguns. I must be getting slow.

A big flock of Canadians ignored my calls and sailed down about 1/4 mile down the lake.

There is snow and ice about 120 miles North of us but the ducks are staying in it. Sooner or later they have to come our way.

10 December 2007, 09:18

Kamo Gari

quote:
Originally posted by Palmer:
One escaped but he was a little shakey.

I like it, and glad you got into some. An old Irishman I've hunted with, after missing would say things like 'a bloody shocking miss, that!', and if he winged one, would say, "I staggered him proper, but still the bastard made off!" God bless the watermen!

KG

______________________

Hunting: I'd kill to participate.

23 December 2007, 21:16

Palmer

The birds are still hung up just North and those fellas south of Kansas City have to be spankin them good.

Here is my view from the blind this morning. Full moon, no wind, bluebird sky....almost makes you want to sleep in.

Barely scratched out enough for lunch.

As it always happens - 8 or 9 mallards locked up just as the thought of biscuits and gravy was too strong to resist and the gun was back in the case.

Hope everyone else is into some .. except those SOB's just North of me. Its time for them to give somebody else a chance.

What counts is what you learn after you know it all!!!

15 January 2008, 05:17

uplndjake

not too bad around here. lots of mergansers, buffleheads and old squaw. occasional blacks and mallards but they're real wary. goldeneye and widgeon if you hit right spots.good scoter and eiders out montauk way earlier in season. plenty of geese and brandt every time so far this year. haven't chased bluebill but they're out there.
Beautiful weather in salem cnty nj this past saturday, got in some quail and chukars and saw some of the finest dog work i've ever seen. the more time i spend with dogs the less time i have for people.

chance favors the prepared mind

19 January 2008, 21:02

Palmer

Its the last weekend - cold and clear - and we are still looking at nearly all Gadwalls.

Fortunately I had a pocket full of calls. Ice locked up four and the fifth one was on the edge when I pulled out.

I tried lake Taneycomo this morning. Everything shallow is frozen and they want to sail out to the open water.

Once there is a dozen or so out there newcomers just keep falling in with them. Its too cold for the fishermen I guess. Usually there are enough of them running around to keep the ducks from massing up out from shore.

23 January 2008, 18:35

johnnyreb

My bud who lives in Saint Marys County MD was wearing out the wood ducks in the early season, and the black ducks after the season split, but has only one goose so far. I joined him last weekend, which was the only time I could make it down. And in two mornings and two afternoons, I bagged two black ducks and one goose, and he got two black ducks. Since he had so many ducks already in the freezer, he gave me his two black ducks, which was mighty nice. If I knew how to post pictures here, I would do so...

23 January 2008, 20:44

Duckear

Pretty bad where I hunt in the Mississippi delta.

Only 1 or 2 gadwalls per trip.

but I did have a great hunt last Tuesday.

Gadwalls actually working and landing in the middle of the decoys. Two guns, two limits by 0710.

First year I only killed gadwalls. Not a single mallard.

A lot of folks down here think the flyway is changing. Ducks seem to be coming in later and later every year.

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"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson

Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......

"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."

29 January 2008, 09:07

cable68

Hunted more waterfowl this year than many years before.

Had my best day of the season yesterday, on the duck closer. 4.5 greenheads. The .5 is one that my hunting partner and I both hit virtually simultaneously. 9 mallards between the 2 of us.

Almost didn't go. 0455 pager goes off, alarm is set for 0500; ER has an appendix for me. I call the house supervisor to schedule it; if there are no cases, I'm doing the appendix, if there are cases I'm killin ducks. There's already a C-section and a hip pinning.

21 February 2008, 06:20

Andrew M.

We had an outstanding year in South Texas. Not the best in recent memory but close. I saw shot (well I shot some of them too...)over 500 ducks on about 35 hunts. More limit shoots than not and no skunks. Many more drakes than hens with less than 10 ringers or shovelers shot in that total. We were able to pick them most days!