Flight Ducks

[PorkChop]

How many of you use that term? It’s never made sense to me. Just say migrators or new ducks. Seems pretty Wilburish to me. Still remember the first time I heard it and it has always annoyed me!

[don novicki]

Never have. Doesn't make sense to me either...................

[Rick]

How many of you use that term? It’s never made sense to me. Just say migrators or new ducks. Seems pretty Wilburish to me.

Only Wilbur I ever knew was second from the right in this pic:

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We all called him "B," and he made a heck of a lot of calls, pushpoles and pirogues during his time. i've no memory of what B called new ducks, but he could have called them "fiddullees," and it would have been fine with most of our area's hunters. Might of started a trend. On the day I took that photo, B said, "That dog's a champion, Ricky." Meant more to me than all of the dog's ribbons and other accolades in a pile.

Never paid attention to it, but suspect I've used "new" and "flight" birds interchangeably and maybe even, though surely less often, "migrators," too. Know I've also regularly called the really tall ones "twinklers," which might annoy or amuse others.

But thinking of B and his generation and memory lane being a winding path, some might also be amused by a quirk I've seen carried on by the old boy on the right, TJ Fontnot:

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TJ and those of similar bent would feel the morning's first duck's breast for condition. And while certainly not a bad thing if it was fat, they'd smile widest if the breast bone really stuck out, "Like a razor," they'd say, while making a shaving motion down that happy face. Might seem odd to rejoice over skinny ducks, but it meant flight, er..."new" birds were down.

And since we're down that path, I'll note that the photo above was taken on TJ's last hunt on this earthly plane, and he carried two other old Cajun hunting traditions to the very end. Though an umpteen millionaire, TJ was incredibly tight and struggling with the action of his "Monkey Ward," or some-such, old pump gun until I swapped him my little 20ga semi-auto for it. Didn't take but whip-stitch to figure out that he'd been trying to shoot 3" shells through a 2 3/4" gun - and just a tad longer to realize they were lead. Tickled me more than it might should have.

Then, at the end of about as sweet of a last hunt as a fellow might wish, when our limits were filled and teal still buzzing the strip of water we'd sat on crates in the edge of, I went out to shut off the spinner and was startled by a shot. Old TJ just couldn't stand the teals' "taunting" and had to take a crack at another - only, then standing on ancient legs, to knock himself in the water with my little gun's recoil. "God gotcha, TJ. God gotcha."

[Ricky Spanish]

I've shot them.
One day I went out into a storm. It got worse and worse.
My phone service sucked so I was in the dark.
Texted Bryan Malone in Ottawa.
Help! I'm in the storm when's it gunna end?
He said , "hang in there the.storm is funneling the ducks to you".
So I waited it out.
The storm broke and it rained ducks on me.
Turned into a beautiful sunny day.

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[SpinnerMan]

How many of you use that term? It’s never made sense to me. Just say migrators or new ducks. Seems pretty Wilburish to me. Still remember the first time I heard it and it has always annoyed me!

Flight ducks or a flight day. They seem to be pretty rare to see in my area any more.

It's the ones you actually see migrating.

New birds have migrated, past tense. They are no longer flight birds

Flight birds can be very frustrating because they often have a destination and that destination is points further south. I remember many a flight day where I've seen more birds in that one day than I do the entire season. Not a lot of those days were highly productive, but usually have some action. Just nothing compared with the numbers of birds seen passing overhead heading south.

But the new birds, you are golden.

And if you are there when the flight birds decide to become new birds. Then it can be magical. Unfortunately, I've never hit it spot on and had piles of birds coming down from up high.

Migrators, I more think in terms of resident birds and migrators, particular in regards to geese. After the residents have grown stale, we are waiting on the migrators.

[PorkChop]

Sorry but the term flight ducks will never jive for me whether they’re high heading south or north depending on the time of year and whether I am able to break some off or they continue on those birds will always be called migrators. Because that’s what they’re doing is migrating. Any duck that is off the ground with wings flapping is in flight and could be called a flight duck.

[SpinnerMan]

All birds in flight are not flight ducks

[PorkChop]

All birds in flight are not flight ducks

We will have to agree to disagree. And flight ducks just doesn’t make sense. As they would say in the south when I was stationed down there it’s like two boys in bed.

[SpinnerMan]

If you take your airplane out for a look around, you go flying. But nobody will ask what flight you are on.

If you are going on a commercial predetermined route, you are on a flight.

Ducks on a route. Flight ducks. Ducks going to lunch or just a look around. Flying ducks.

Even though we all speak English doesn't mean we are all speaking the same language.

[PorkChop]

If you take your airplane out for a look around, you go flying. But nobody will ask what flight you are on.

If you are going on a commercial predetermined route, you are on a flight.

Ducks on a route. Flight ducks. Ducks going to lunch or just a look around. Flying ducks.

Even though we all speak English doesn't mean we are all speaking the same language.

All flights whether commercial, military, the guy crop dusting fields, sightseeing. aircraft delivery, typically have a predetermined route and destination even if it is back to the same airfield.

Proper terminology for me will always be migrators. Like I said only Wilbers say flight ducks. And when I heard it the first time it was from the king of the Wilbers And that was in interior Alaska.

Like I said we will just have to agree to disagree. If you ever hear me call ducks flight ducks bring me to the doctor because there’s definitely something wrong with me.

[SpinnerMan]

See I don't know what a Wilbur is besides a fictional pig.

I don't care if you call them flight ducks or migrating ducks. Just don't call them a pack of ducks like my one regular hunting partner. My brain screams "flock, flock!" every time he says there's a "pack."

[Pennydog1]

Those catch words can drive me crazy my one friend calls everything a ball or a knot i hate it when he does it i start making up words for birds like a pair of loners.

[Ricky Spanish]

Have hunted alone so much that all this stuff has no meaning to me.
Are you guys arguing about where that ducks is going that didn't miss a beat when it flew by and shat on your decoy spread?

It's heading to the refuge.
Big party.

I hunt in this corner of the wma that has refuge on two sides. They're all heading to the refuge...every morning

[SpinnerMan]

Are you guys arguing

I hope none of it was taken as arguing.

Just the eternal debate of whether it is pop or soda. Soda is the correct answer. Pop is wrong. And Sodapop. NFW!

However, I lived in Atlanta, home of Coca Cola, long enough that I do understand that when someone asks for a Coke, you need to ask them what flavor they want which might even be a Pepsi.

[Ducaholic]

All birds in flight are not flight ducks

That is very true. Flight ducks are those grey specks not geese you see against the sky line before they come barreling down towards your spread from 5,000 feet. If enough of them do it then it's a flight day.

[PorkChop]

All birds in flight are not flight ducks

That is very true. Migrating ducks are those grey specks not geese you see against the sky line before they come barreling down towards your spread from 5,000 feet. If enough of them do it then it's a migration day.

Fixed it for you

[PorkChop]

Are you guys arguing

I hope none of it was taken as arguing.

I am not taking it as arguing I’m taking it as a little off-season fun

[Ducaholic]

All birds in flight are not flight ducks

That is very true. Migrating ducks are those grey specks not geese you see against the sky line before they come barreling down towards your spread from 5,000 feet. If enough of them do it then it's a migration day.

Fixed it for you

Duly Noted but I will continue as I have for my first 45 years as a waterfowl zealot. When it's good it's good and it will always be Flight Ducks/Flight Day.

[PorkChop]