This season was very different for me. The terrible duck hunting at my duck club combined with a buddy wanting to do some deer hunting at a new area convinced me it was time to change my priorities. Basically, duck hunting became a secondary activity and deer hunting became my focus.
Early goose was insanely good hunting. Early goose is feast for famine and this year was the biggest feast by far.
Deer season was very disappointing in my normal hunting area. I got a coyote early, but hardly saw a thing. However, I spent a lot of time hunting new areas. I really like the areas I hunted, but they are not your traditional deer hunting terrain. Lots of brush and low trees with few places to hang a stand. However, I think this season was very productive in that I think I have a good idea of where and how to hunt. Missed a nice 8 point towards the end of the season. I just can't kill a deer with antlers in Illinois. I've run out of good excuses a long time ago.
We had our annual diver trip and hunted Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. It was a great trip. If not for that trip, I would have shot just 1 duck. The local duck hunting was nearly a bust, but I only hunted ducks 5 times locally. Normally I hunt around 20 times. In contrast, I went out for deer about 25 times.
Late season, my favorite part of the waterfowl season was a complete bust. I hunted late season only 1 day and didn't get anything. Warm weather and a lack of snow just didn't bring down the ducks before the season closed or geese in any numbers other than one week while I was out of town. I've heard from reliable sources that they are considering creating a special duck/goose zone in my late season area that will push duck season well into January and goose season into February. That will be awesome if they really do make it happen.
Species -- Myself -- group total
Canada Goose -- 23 (2 local bands) -- 28 (3 local bands)
Bufflehead -- 2 -- 4
Goldeneye -- 2 -- 6
Hooded Merganser -- 1 -- 1
Mallard -- 2 -- 5
Old Squaw -- 2 -- 5
Red-breasted Merganser -- 0 -- 1 -- first I've seen taken
Redhead -- 0 -- 2
Ring-necked -- 0 -- 1 -- first I've seen taken
White-winged Scoter -- 4 -- 12 -- First hen and drake
Total ducks -- 13 -- 37 -- Above average for the season, but solely because 35 of 37 ducks were shot in 3 days on the diver trip.
Additionally took my first fox squirrel and first coyote.
The two season highlights were the early goose season and the diver trip.
In the 15 day September goose season, I shot more Canadas than my best full season by a significant margin. My wife came along one day and got her first goose and second and third and fourth. All from the same flock. She got two when they original came in and then 2 more when I called the 3 younguns back. We got the entire flock of 9 geese and three were banded locally at the same time. That was my first 2 band day and with my wife's first band made for the first time the group got 3 bands in a day.
Also got my first confirmed triple. Quite a few times 3 birds I've shot at fell, but always when others were shooting as well. I have a bad habit of making my first and third shot count and blowing the one in the middle when I'm trying for 3 birds. Finally, broke that habit. Then I did one better than that and got my first quadruple including my first confirmed scotch double on waterfowl.
Overall it was a very good season, it was just all compressed into the front end of the season. I only hunted once in January and 5 times in December, all in the first week of December.