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johnc wrote:---but every other blind in a 10 mile radius to us does this...

Every one and his three cousins buffaloes prior to the season to open stubbles for decoy visibility, but I've never seen an area where more than a very few buffalo just to muddy their water later on. And they've virtually all been farmers working the ponds they, themselves, hunt "to stir up the stink" that they believe is what attracts birds to roiled water.

aunt betty wrote:I hunt alone a lot and got busted by ducks muddying the water so many times that I started using a sling.
It was a long time ago when nobody put slings on shotguns. Got made fun of.

If I kept really good records I could probably prove that about 10% of the ducks I kill are while actually standing in the decoys. Maybe more. I'd say about 25% are killed while I'm not in the blind. Never ever ever leave your gun behind. Birds will arrive three two one NOW.


To illustrate: "Have you ever shot a scotch double with your waders all the way down?".

I'm a sling man, and have been for some time. Early years not so much. It frees the hands to carry the loaded strap and blind bag... On a four wheeler or driving the go devil, it's on my back. Keeps it out of the muck.

I'd rather rough plowed stubbles than buffaloed land for geese, too, by a couple country miles. (And count on the call for our ducks.) But it's not hard for me to think of places like Garrett Broussard's west of Thornwell (was Walter Dugas') that was a rain-day only duck producer until Garrett bought it and started buffaloing periodically during the season. Pretty sure the Berkins will still muddy a tractor later on, too.

AH icy hunts. Up here you sort of look forward to it but also dread it. At first you can break ice and make a hole but then wham one night it's only 7 degrees and it's all locked up ducks gone. over bye bye. Head south or hang up the shotgun and decoys. What would you do?

Very clear early season water


Between Christmas and New Years

Our field did not get plowed after beak harvest. Lotta surface area though for wave action.


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Can't help but envy cuts as big as the second photo's. (And not for the turbidity, which can't hurt, either.)

aunt betty wrote:AH icy hunts. Up here you sort of look forward to it but also dread it. At first you can break ice and make a hole but then wham one night it's only 7 degrees and it's all locked up ducks gone. over bye bye. Head south or hang up the shotgun and decoys. What would you do?

Depends where you hunt. It's bam, time to hunt around the cooling lakes. My most reliable hunting is after you cannot break ice. Second is the run up to icing up. Breaking ice is usually terrible for us. Moves ducks out, but not to the cooling lakes. I need a river spot for this period. They can slaughter them. The last reliable period is before the wood ducks move. But by far the best is after everything is locked up hard especially with snow to the north and a little for us to make the decoys stand out.

With a limited window to work with Saturday morning, Johnny and I opted to check out the newly renovated gun club near me, now under new ownership. Some may have heard of Hunters Run Gun Club, now Bridgeview Gun Club. Much improved, to say the least, and I'll look forward to an annual event I shoot there in October. New owner added another station on the pond, upgraded the stations themselves and the target controls, renovated the clubhouse and overall just cleaned up the place and its grounds.





Clays can surely be humbling but nice offseason activity to keep sharp.

This morning got Harry on some backyard retrieves before it gets too hot OR monsoons. 'Bout the extent of my ducky activities for the foreseeable

Noticed these two teal options on the shelf at Academy. The one on the left I've dabbled in and it works, $6.99 a box. Note the fairly low velocity of it though. The AA load is the first I've seen of it, #8 shot awfully light but at over 1400 FPS, pretty dense cloud of pellets coming at ya! $7.99/box

Darren wrote:Noticed these two teal options on the shelf at Academy. The one on the left I've dabbled in and it works, $6.99 a box. Note the fairly low velocity of it though. The AA load is the first I've seen of it, #8 shot awfully light but at over 1400 FPS, pretty dense cloud of pellets coming at ya! $7.99/box

IMG_7307.JPG

Those steel 8’s make my teeth hurt just looking.

My buddy in the marsh shoots a lot of steel 6’s, and loves them.

The lethality of steel 8’s can’t push much past 30 yards I wouldn’t think.


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Ericdc wrote:

Darren wrote:Noticed these two teal options on the shelf at Academy. The one on the left I've dabbled in and it works, $6.99 a box. Note the fairly low velocity of it though. The AA load is the first I've seen of it, #8 shot awfully light but at over 1400 FPS, pretty dense cloud of pellets coming at ya! $7.99/box

IMG_7307.JPG

Those steel 8’s make my teeth hurt just looking.

My buddy in the marsh shoots a lot of steel 6’s, and loves them.

The lethality of steel 8’s can’t push much past 30 yards I wouldn’t think.

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I wonder, though, if the higher V accounts for the smaller pellet compared to the #6, and thus ends up performing near equally. Yea those tiny pellets would hurt, but awwwfully dense pattern, and really doesnt take much to knock a Sept blue wing down without its fat and feather.

Note that they are advertising them for busting clays not even doves.

SpinnerMan wrote:Note that they are advertising them for busting clays not even doves.

Thats just part of the "AA" line of shells which are geared toward clay shooting; doesn't mean they wouldn't make a jam up dove load....out to a certain range. Its still steel at end of the day

Duck Engr wrote:

Ericdc wrote:

Darren wrote:Noticed these two teal options on the shelf at Academy. The one on the left I've dabbled in and it works, $6.99 a box. Note the fairly low velocity of it though. The AA load is the first I've seen of it, #8 shot awfully light but at over 1400 FPS, pretty dense cloud of pellets coming at ya! $7.99/box

IMG_7307.JPG

Those steel 8’s make my teeth hurt just looking.


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My thoughts too

Chew softly and swallow.

The double-A loads are for reloading. I'd buy a case, shoot them up, then reload with lead for pheasants and rabbits.
Could whip out a half a box in about ten minutes then take off for the field. If I kept em warm they'd shoot well in extreme cold weather. Loaded them hot with max-load of blue-dot and I think 1 3/8th ounce of lead six shot. Had to squeeze em in. It's been a long time. Clobbered a ton of pheasants and still have the lee load-all in the garage.
I guess it's possible to bring down ducks with #8 steel. I've shot geese and killed them with 7's.

Darren wrote:

SpinnerMan wrote:Note that they are advertising them for busting clays not even doves.

Thats just part of the "AA" line of shells which are geared toward clay shooting; doesn't mean they wouldn't make a jam up dove load....out to a certain range. Its still steel at end of the day

You said notice the two teal options. Sure they are options, but from the picture the intent is not two teal options, but a teal and a clay pigeon option. Doves I agree. I have carried along some steel 7 1/2s for doves when duck hunting, but the doves never fly when I bring them

The guide on our sea duck hunt actually uses the 7 1/2s for killing cripples. Besides the high density pattern, it doesn't do a lot of damage to their head and screw up some guys mount.

I already have one crown in my mouth from chomping down on a steel pellet, and vividly remember the "crack" as I bit down.........friggin hate that shet Unless I make a head shot water swat, I filet every duck and run a head flattened toothpick thru each hole, twisting to open up as it goes thru. Hate to admit it, but when steel first became a requirement, I carried about 15 lead shells (2 3/4' Express 7 1/2 shot), along with my steel. At the time, I shot an old SKB pump, and could keep track of them better as they were ejected, and made sure to sink asap. What I found was the speed dif between the shells would screw me up on the lead if i wasn't paying close attention, as it was noticeably slower than the steel. Finally gave in when I put a terror tube in a newer gun, and switched to #4 steel to kill cripples. I'm still pissed that we had to make the switch to steel though

If they could make money off it they'd sell us D.U. shotgun shells.














(depleted uranium)

aunt betty wrote:If they could make money off it they'd sell us D.U. shotgun shells.

(depleted uranium)

Oh I was thinking the DU crew would want DU logo'd pellets in those shells.

For close in shooting, I think these small shots would be lights out early teal loads but maybe at more risk of tooth injury. I don't care if I'm shooting #10 shot or T-shot, I'm chewing ducks gingerly, and not chomping down.

Going to a Carlson 'skeet' choke for this teal season, just find the birds to be CLOSE more often than not as they're so decoy friendly. Debating on a case of 3" #3's and just using the leftovers in the marsh for regular season, or saving some money and going with my usual 2 3/4" #4s I can usually find for $8-$9/box. The 2 3/4 #6 steel dove load is still on the table as well, as I had no issue with them trialing in the last two seasons.

Back when 6 and 7 steel became available, I found both regular grenades for oncoming or profiled teal. I also found both left too much shot in the bird for a family that pot-roasts virtually all teal. 5s have become my field favorite for all ducks, but that's as low as I'll go.

aunt betty wrote:If they could make money off it they'd sell us D.U. shotgun shells.


(depleted uranium)

It would make a wicked duck load. It's used to penetrate armor, so those ducks that seem to be sporting armor wouldn't stand a chance. It is pyrophoric, so careful what you shoot it might catch fire. I saw videos from the inside of armored vehicles shot with DU rounds. It is some bad ass shit. The friction heats it up and when it gets inside it explodes. It would add a whole new meaning to sayingI smoked that one

There has to be at least one ballistics guy here. How many #7's does it take to kill a mallard? How many #2's?
BB? I knew a guy who shot nothing but BB. He was one of the extreme range types that we kind of try to avoid.

https://gf.nd.gov/hunting/nontoxic-shot-lethality


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