10/29/15

[DeadEye_Dan]

Overcast, 40° - misting/rain
WNW winds at 20mph

Was looking like a a night hunt may work today, with shooting hours ending at 6:36 tonight and a forecast for clouds and mixed rain/snow - I had high hopes that the birds would give us some chances this afternoon.
By early afternoon we had a solid plan in place and when my blind mates showed up at the house at 3:20, snow was coming down sideways and in quantities that were starting to stick to the grass.
We grabbed a couple decoy rigs out of the decoy barn and made our way to the chosen spot by 3:45.
I'd scouted the area out earlier in he late morning and good numbers of birds were working cut corn and bean fields nearby.
The snow had stopped, but we still had good winds and some hope of snow or rain. About 4:20 we watched a group of 4-500 mallards get up out of the corn 1/2 a mile to the north, teasingly head our direction and then settle back into the corn...my hopes were still high that we'd start getting singles and pairs, soon.
A few minutes later we noticed an individual headed our way. A quick chance seeing no slung gun on his shoulder or carrying any decoys, guessing it was the local warden coming to check on us.
He walked over and checked our licenses and guns and we visited about other groups hunting in the area...it was then my partners decided to introduce themselves - one is the new Warden in the county to the north and the other is a State Trooper at the local post - lol. Needless to say, we were operating on the right side of the law anyway!
Bird activity picked up and the guys popped a pair of drakes that decoyed just perfectly, followed by a single hen 5 minutes later.
A group of 5-6 mallards worked next, gave us one solid look just out of range and a single hen peeled off and dropped right into the decoys - we let her land, hoping she'd convince the rest to join her...but no dice. I left it to the boys to decide what to do with her and they elected to let her swim.
Unfortunately, the wind blew our cloud cover and weather off and at sunset we still hadn't seen the big groups of birds back to water.
And as is always want to happen, 5 minutes after LST, while standing in the middle of the decoys, we were covered up with birds, and we watched what was easily 400 mallards and several hundred geese settle into the ponds around us.
While I'm always happy to shoot more ducks than less ducks, watching birds work the decoys and seeing fall numbers building toward their eventual peak in the next week or so is lots of fun too.

Leaving for Sea Duck waters in the morning, hoping to get in a couple good days of gunning there.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1446164244.636088.jpg

[Rick]

Enjoy.

[DComeaux]

That is an awesome afternoon! There's nothing like the feeling of standing in the decoys after evening LST and being covered up with birds. Reading that brought back good memories for me.

[DeadEye_Dan]

It really is hard not to love it.

I must be getting old, because I had just as much enjoyment never shooting my gun yesterday as I've ever had hunting.