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Post by Bill on Sept 29, 2005 22:03:01 GMT -5
Anyone going to make the fall opener for ducks. I wish I had a place set up to hunt ducks right now as I do love hunting Teal but so far no luck.  |
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Sept 29, 2005 23:03:47 GMT -5
Teal season's been over for 2 weeks. I don't know if they're in the midwest like nebraska yet or not.
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donnie
Grand Member
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Post by donnie on Sept 30, 2005 11:43:10 GMT -5
Openner of ducks here is tomorrow. I was planning to go but it looks like the inlaws are comming up again this weekend. Plus I just got off the phone with my buddy and he's sick as hell so he definately is not going! There once was a time that I wouldn't miss hardly a day of waterfowl hunting in a season in fact in the 1996 season I hunted 60 days straight, the full length of the season. Heck I may go anyway the dogs would sure love to get out! they've kinda been forgotten since Aidan got here, poor dogs.
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donnie
Grand Member
Posts: 584
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Post by donnie on Oct 6, 2005 11:17:26 GMT -5
Well,
We got out yesterday morning. Hunted the Yashara river. The conditions were far from perfect as it was 72 degrees @ 6 Am. Ducks flew sporadicly in the early morning not responding well to decoys or my best efforts to sound like a sexy lonely hen mallard.
As the sky grew lighter I could make out flocks of Canada geese leaving the river for a newly cut corn field a mile to the west of our blind. Even though it was warm there is some ergency in the honking of a flock of geese that makes fall seem present and winter seem near.
A full dress Woodduck drake and his hen buzzed overhead, banking right when I began my calling they swung a wide arc and came back upriver intent on the dekes bobbing in front of the blind. When they put thier flaps down they were 25 yards out front and beginning to descend into the hole in the spread that I left for thier landing. Standing I floated the drake
with the bead of my shotgun and slapped the trigger.......Three shots no duck supper..........
"and don't come back" I shouted at the now rapidly departing pair. I sat in the blind and held conferrance with my retriever Kate for the next few hours of duckless river watching. Then from up river I could make out the sound of geese honking, I replaced the #2s in the gun with BBs while giving them a greeting call then settled into a long series of the most pleading goose sounds I could muster. It was working! they poured on the steam and I could now see them coming down the river barely tree top high just a pair of them looking hard for company.
I hunkered down lower in the blind and broke into a series of double clucks followed by moans as they lowered flaps and dropped those big black paddles to come in to the half dozen goose floaters I had out. I stood, picked up the back bird and pulled the trigger as the bead passed his bill, I saw him slam into the river in my peripheral vision as the bead continued to gain on the lead bird who now was working those great wings in an effort to get out of the kill zone.............................................................................................
I stood there for a moment watching the feathers float on the river surface before sending Kate
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Post by calsibley on Oct 10, 2005 21:24:12 GMT -5
Well, for you guys living on a line south of me, get ready they're coming and lots of them. Every day for the past two weeks I've ben seeing them fly over in large number. Pick up a couple extra boxes of shells and give them merry olde hell. Best wishes.
Cal - Montreal
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Post by Bill on Nov 13, 2005 9:21:57 GMT -5
Well I finally got out yesterday for my first hunt of the season. Wade the guy I was hunting with thought we should hunt in a back bay of a sandhills lake we went to but there was about a 1/4 mile of cattails to go thru to get to where he wanted to be. LOL before he got to the spot he wanted I seen him waiving me back and not to come out there. Seems there was about 10" of water and about 24's of muck and you just couldn't get around in it. I sugested we head around the lake till we found a spot we could get the decoys out without too much trouble. Wade found another spot and this time we headed out together to check it out. Let me tell you, these legs just arn't up to keeping up with a kid 26 years my junior. We hit the same muck and I got stuck.  We both thought I was going to have to call into town and have a tow truck come out and pull me out. Took me about 10 minutes to free myself and make it back to harder ground. I have bad knees and wrenching around in that crap got them to hurting so bad I had problems with them hurting the rest of the day. Kind of distracting when your hunting.  I picked the next spot.  It was on a point of land sticking out into the lake. I had a 30 mph wind out of the north hitting us in the back and this point stuck out and was a couple feet above the lake giving it some protection for the birds. Plus there was just a old muskrat mound that was hard enough that I didn't sink into it.  With it being the opener for Nebraska Deer the traffic around the lake was constant. There is an access road completly around the lake and there were vehicles on it constantly. What this did was keep the ducks moving constantly also.  I have been giving advise to hunters on shotshells for years and being halfway inteligent I follow my own advise (for the most part) ;D I had for years advised hunters to use a IC choke and heavy shot of about 6 shot for ducks over decoys. About half of them think I'm NUTS ;D Man that works for anything 40 yds and under. Having only brought one box along and when opening it found it only had 6 rounds in it I loaded the gun with it and lay down against the muscrat mound and began the wait. It wasn't but about 10 minutes and Wade whispered "your left" I looked up and here was a duck sitting its wings and feet out for a sitdown. Well the only sitdown that duck is getting is a sitdown meal and its going to be MY sitdown meal. That #6 heavy shot folded that duck up like there was no tomarrow and 25 yards made the pattern perfect. Plus the best part. Heavy shot cuts feathers rather than drive them into the meat so I have another plus. Of the birds I shot with the heavy shot not one had a feather in the meat that had to be dug out. Can't say that for steel shot. For the next couple hrs the shooting was good after that first duck, which by then I had my limit of ducks for the day. The last two I had to switch to steel shot and #2 shot. Federal 3" #2's. First problem I had was my Rem 1100 mag didn't like to eject them every time. Second problem I had was even at 1550 when I hit a duck and blew it sideways it didn't kill the duck. One I had to hit three times to finally get it to wave the white flag. Wade who was using a Rem SP10 10 Gauge with 3.5" Mags with steel #2's had the same problem all day. The steel just didn't penatrate like the H-S did. I haven't had that good of shooting in a long time though and am thinking another trip to the lake is in order. Now I'm just wondering if snowshoes would work for the muck. Maybe if I can hit it just after the edges of the lake freeze up it won't be so hard walking. Knee's still hurt.  |
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Post by Bubba on Nov 13, 2005 13:37:19 GMT -5
I recon I'll have to give up ducking for a while... not being able to walk around in the salt-marsh is a real (female dog).... I'd love to get out and shoot a few green-heads or a blackie or two but without someone to drag my big butt out there, I can't do it any more...
There was a time I lived and breathed for duck season... I wouldn't miss an opening day for love nor money... goose season either... but that's life I guess... I'm glad to hear others still enjoy opening day... it's probably the best day of the year... (out side of opening day of rabbit season)
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Nov 13, 2005 14:41:00 GMT -5
Bubba, are there any management areas in you're state? I know in Missouri we have some very nice handicap accessable blinds.
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Post by Bubba on Nov 13, 2005 18:02:46 GMT -5
Yeah Red.. we have them and they're really great... they have wheelchair ramps and all .. my problem is getting someone to give up THEIR hunting time in order to take me... I can't set decoys myself any more cause I can't walk in the muddy bottomed marshes... Most of the guys I know and that duck hunt have leased land that have a whole lot more ducks and geese then are in our management areas... so I really hate to aske them guys to give up their hunting to go somewhere they may not even get one..
I offered to buy Mrs. Bubba a pair of waders and even buy her a 12ga shotgun in 3 1/2" but I can't talk her into walking around in freezing cold water to pick up ducks and set the decoys... I can talk her into most things but this one is a definate no-no... :-) ..
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Post by Bill on Nov 13, 2005 21:44:00 GMT -5
Don't feel bad Bubba. I can't talk my wife into that either. I'm trying to design a portable duckblind right now that I can pull to where I want to hunt at and can be take to differant lakes if thats the case but if I take her I'm going to have to figure out how to put a motor on it so it can be self propelled as I don't think I can put it up by myself and drag it to the area alone. Maybe an electric motor or something lol. then a decoy launcer and retriver but then I dont' have a dog so would need a boat and awwwwwww hell I might as well stay home.
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Nov 13, 2005 22:18:59 GMT -5
If you drive and buy me lunch, I'll be your decoy ***** for 12 hours...
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Post by Bill on Nov 14, 2005 8:17:05 GMT -5
I think I will just lay in the mud again and shoot my limit of ducks. Didn't need anything but 5 decoys to do that and I didn't even have to buy them lunch.  |
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It was on a point of land sticking out into the lake. I had a 30 mph wind out of the north hitting us in the back and this point stuck out and was a couple feet above the lake giving it some protection for the birds. Plus there was just a old muskrat mound that was hard enough that I didn't sink into it. 
