2022 thru 2023 Hunting Season

[PorkChop]

Date: 2 October 2022

Time: Morning

Location: ND

Cloud Cover: Dense Fog

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE Honestly can’t remember the speed as it was two days ago but I don’t think it was too windy

Temperature: I think it was about 44° but can’t remember

Moon phase: I think about a quarter of a moon

Special Notes: The place we had been killing cranes some yahoos hunted ducks on it and screwed it up. Cranes are gone. The field we hunted is about 2 miles long and there was birds both on the north end and the south end. South end had better cover but they had been in the north end longer. Decided to hunt the north end since birds have been in there more. The birds did not come from where I thought they were going to come. They switched roosts which was a good. With the fog they were sneaking in on us. Some were making noise but others were flying silent. I shot my three pretty quickly and Vinny Quack was struggling. Not sure what’s going on with her this year but she is not shooting as good as she normally does.

Waterfowl Activity: Hard to tell with the fog But we did see a couple flocks of ducks

Waterfowl Responsiveness: I do not do much calling when it comes to cranes. I think I sound like one but they don’t agree.

Hunters: Vinny Quack and me

Guns: SX4s

Malfunctions: None that I can think of

Dog(s): reaper who was breaking again. Seems if I use his dog blind he is fine. If I don’t use it he breaks. Never used a collar on him but I think it’s time to start doing some conditioning and having it available if necessary. I hate e collers but for his safety I think it will be necessary.

Special Equipment: none

Curses: No idea what those are

Kudos: To the cranes that landed outside the decoys and walked in. Those are the first cranes in the video.

Birds By Species: sandhill crane‘s

Photo Ops:

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[Pennydog1]

congrats! to a couple of crane wacking hunters glad your still on them.

[5 stand]

Porkchop
I hunt pheasants with my labs and they go on gunfire when hunting pheasants... Then we come home and start hunting ducks...Breaking has been an issue with young dogs, until I started using the blind, it's a good tool for a meat Hunter... Pro dog trainers say help your dog, the easiest way I have (as a non-pro) to help my dog is use the blind (if possible driving into the field or carrying it in a boat) ..I always have my dog, wear a collar (some say it's like putting their ears on and I agree)... But I use the collar for other things, not breaking...
Here's to hoping that Vinny Quacks shooting turns around soon...

[Rick]

Rather than investing in a collar you don't plan on using for other things and might inadvertently send the wrong message with, I'd try a good screw-in dog stake (not the wimpy wiener dog version) and short lead. Or just hold the lead yourself while someone else shoots a few. And then don't release Reaper to retrieve until he settles down and acts as he should. IE: don't let him think he can act up and still get the retrieve, least he think that's acceptable.

'Course, the longer he's been getting away with breaking when not in his blind, the harder the habit will likely be to break. But my guys and I have gone through something similar each September teal season for years. It's generally easy to prevent breaking from our morning blind's dog stand, which, like your dog blind, presents something of a barrier in Pup's mind. Then we move to a rice levee in the afternoon with a big party of poor shots blazing away and scattering cripples hither and yon, and the dog's going to start breaking. And if I let him get away with it even once, it can take a while to get the message across that I won't again.

Again, I think it's critically important not to release the dog for each retrieve until you've got him settled down and no longer trying to get loose to go, thus making the retrieve his reward for good behavior. Well, unless you're willing to keep him tethered and put up with that counterproductive struggling crap - or breaking - the rest of his working life.

[5 stand]

I'd forgot about the screw-in dog state, I used one of those for Trigger also... Good advice..

[PorkChop]

Thank you for the words of wisdom guys! I do have a screw in stake. Problem around here is the soil is very dry and hard so it’s a big task to get it in the ground and then a lot of times the soil just crumbles so it’s pretty easy to get loose. Otherwise there’s lots of big rocks.

Reaper is a smart boy. When you have him on his leash he does everything he is supposed to do. Take healing for instance. As soon as he’s off the leash it’s like he forgets what that word means. I have done the long rope thing and yanked him back. I think he still knows when something is or isn’t attached to his collar.

I already own a collar. I definitely will not abuse it as I hate hitting that button. I’ve seen some guys zap their dogs while they are loosing their minds. It makes me sick!

I think reaper is going through that game phase with me. If I send him after a duck and don’t say anything to him he will bring it back. Once I start telling him to come or even if he notices that I’m watching him he will drop the bird and stare at me wagging his tail or he will start sliding off into a different direction.

I do think that there’s something with the feathers that bother his mouth as he will keep on dropping the birds like he does not like the way they feel. But then when he gets back to you he will lay down with the bird in his mouth like it’s his own property and won’t let it go until told to drop.

let me also add that I am definitely not an expert trainer. Not even a mediocre trainer and I fully acknowledge and accept that everything that he is doing and not doing is because of my training. I definitely do not blame him.

[Deltaman]

Excellent Crane hunt PC

[MARSH BEAR]

PC - I never hunted cranes, and at my age I am pretty sure I never will. I assume you must use steel shot, what shot size do you use for those large birds

[PorkChop]

Thank you guys! We use steel shot BBs. If I can find black cloud that’s what I use otherwise I just use the federal blue box. It has the same amount of shot and velocity. Just doesn’t have those special pellets in it. That being said I’m pretty positive you can use lead shot. Cranes are migratory birds but they are not waterfowl so just like crows and doves I believe you can use lead. We use steel because you never know when ducks or geese are going to come dumping in. I also use steel shot for Upland Birds just in case we decide to go hunt a waterfowl production area where nontoxic shot is required.

Seems like there are a lot of crane hunting opportunities in the south especially in Oklahoma and Texas. I would say if you get the opportunity give it a whirl.

[SpinnerMan]

You can use lead shot, but then you cannot shoot at any ducks or geese that may happen by even if just one person in your group has lead.

[PorkChop]

Like I said that’s why we use steel

[PorkChop]

Took a gamble this morning as the cranes were using a different field. Ended up with one. Vinny wiffed and then we both with on the second flock. And that was that.

I went out tonight. Still lots of pintails. Shot the only two Drake mallards that came into the decoys. Wind was out of the Northeast and it was bright and sunny so I set the decoys and I faced into the wind. Worked out better than I thought. There were more mallards but once the geese started flying they followed them to the other end of the field. I knew the geese were landing on the other side. I decide to pull the plug so I didn’t scare them out if I did have the chance to shoot. We may do that Saturday morning. Supposed to get down to the upper teens tonight.

[PorkChop]

C704002B-975B-42AC-9B92-823D46D8F94B.jpeg

[Pennydog1]

cool dog picture ,he looks mad being in the cover

[PorkChop]

Hahaha he was pissy

[Darren]

Supposed to get down to the upper teens tonight.

I do like to hear that


Bundle up!

[PorkChop]

Thought for sure today I’d be posting a picture of 16 dead honkers and 12 ducks. Never in my life have I ever seen Canada geese fly by me like I wasn’t there. It was like I was using invisible decoys. And of course the ducks followed them. Vinny Quack did manage one Honker and I did get one greenhead. I also whiffed on a single snow goose. 15 yard shot and nothing. The first couple flocks of geese landed in our field about 300 yards up wind so I knew I had to get them out of there and a single bird broke off to the decoys and she smoked it. That made the hunt. My only regret is I did not have my phone. I left it in the blind as I would’ve got it on video.

[Ricky Spanish]

You'll get them next time, remember phone, but forgot to charge it.

[Duck Engr]

That’s what keeps us coming back. The frustration of “what the hell was I doing wrong?!”

[Ducaholic]

PC when you going set up on the mallard wad you discovered? I'm anticipating the action

[Deltaman]

Glad to hear that the cold weather is pushing our way, so ready for the change! Those hunts that don't turn out as planned are the ones that keep us in the game, and Thanks for sharing your season with us PC

[PorkChop]

PC when you going set up on the mallard wad you discovered? I'm anticipating the action

Hoping this week. I just don’t wanna do it solo. Was scouring it tonight and a bunch of the birds have gone nocturnal. That big shiny thing in the sky at night is not helpful right now.

[Ducaholic]

PC when you going set up on the mallard wad you discovered? I'm anticipating the action

Hoping this week. I just don’t wanna do it solo. Was scouring it tonight and a bunch of the birds have gone nocturnal. That big shiny thing in the sky at night is not helpful right now.

They are survivors and thankfully so! Good luck when you do

[PorkChop]

PC when you going set up on the mallard wad you discovered? I'm anticipating the action

Hoping this week. I just don’t wanna do it solo. Was scouring it tonight and a bunch of the birds have gone nocturnal. That big shiny thing in the sky at night is not helpful right now.

They are survivors and thankfully so! Good luck when you do

I checked on them yesterday and there was only about 50 mallards in there. There are some other potholes about 2 miles to the north that they go to. It has cows in it so I did not walk in there to see if they were up there. We had 25 to 30 mph winds yesterday with gusts up to 50. the other spot breaks the wind better so I’m guessing like I said that’s where they went. At least that’s what I’m hoping ha ha

[Ducaholic]

You showed more patience than I could muster. I hope you get a shot at em

[PorkChop]

You showed more patience than I could muster. I hope you get a shot at em

My patience can sometimes be a weakness as sometimes I wait too long. This pattern of wind I believe is supposed to end Friday or Saturday. I’m betting they will still be there. If not I’m sure I will cry about it ha ha

[PorkChop]

Date: 12 Oct 22

Time: morning

Location: ND

Cloud Cover: Mostly Cloudy Rained a little bit on the drive there

Wind Direction and Velocity: Coming from the north west at 18 to 20 mph

Temperature: 47°

Moon phase: Mostly full but decreasing

Special Notes: got to the field and to the spot where we wanted to be. Opened up the trailer and started pulling things out. I did not even realize that our layout blinds were in the other trailer. Vinny realized it though so we put everything back in the trailer and went to a bigger rock pile that had more cover around it. Didn’t really want to set up there but it worked. The cranes were not using this field but I knew they were flying over it so like a lot of times with cranes it is a glorified pass shoot. They fly over the decoys but they have no intentions of landing. I’m fine with this as it puts meat in my belly!

Waterfowl Activity: Could hear a bunch of new swans on the roost and had some surprise Specklebelly visitors. Four flocks flew over and one group of four blew a U-turn and dumped right into the crane Decoys.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: The one group of Specklebelly’s responded to the crane Decoys. I did zero calling. Enough cranes responded to the decoys doing the low pass fly by.

Hunters: Vinny Quack and me

Guns: SX4s

Malfunctions: my brain for not double checking that we had everything we needed. Also that group of four Specklebelly‘s dumped right in and I called the shot. They were 25 yards at the most. My first shot I dumped the lead bird and then we missed the other three. I think we got over excited but I was hoping that Vinny Quack would’ve shot her first Specklebelly.

Dog(s): Reaper

Special Equipment: none

Curses: Boogey Boogey oogey oogey Boogey Boogey

Kudos: to Vinny Quack who shot her first triple on cranes and that might’ve been her first triple ever. She is still glowing about that! Also to reaper who retrieved his first Specklebelly and finally picked up cranes and also finally took down a lively crane from behind.

Birds By Species: 5 Sandhill Cranes and 1 Speck

Photo Ops:

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[5 stand]

Awesome sauce... Making the best of a bad situation, good job...
Vinny Quack,,, TRIPLES the shooting woes are over... I'll say it again awesome sauce...

[Rick]

Sweet read to start the day. Thanks.

[MARSH BEAR]

Great hunt, those cranes are large birds. The days are dragging - youth hunt days are still 3 weeks away