Season log

[MARSH BEAR]

That's how Abby poses for a picture.

[5 stand]

That's how Abby poses for a picture.

[5 stand]

Trigger and I hunted this morning...
The wind was howling and it made for a rough boat ride...
Just after legal we had a pair of mallards that came in and I shot the green... While trigger was fetching him there was another pair that flew over low and I couldn't identify and let them go...
A few minutes later had another pair cruise through and I couldn't identify them and let them go thinking I would get a better opportunity, wrong...
Had some geese fly by a little high and had #3's for the first two barrels, dropped one with the first shot so I didn't shoot at a second one quartering away with #3's...
That all happened in the first 15 minutes, give or take.... Looked at empty skies for the remainder of the morning and packed it up at 10:30...
The water was rough so we didn't get to scout much and didn't find any...

One green... One goose...

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Trigger never goes to sleep in that blind, I guess empty skies will do that to you....

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[Duck Engr]

Tell trigger not to worry. Empty skies do that to me too.

[5 stand]

...

[5 stand]

Moe and I had our canned hunt today (his first) at a place called quail mountain in the metropolis of Chester, Arkansas... The easiest way that I know of too describe Chester is about 5 or 6 years ago there was a tornado blew through there and it did $15,000 worth of improvements.
It's truly in the mountains I think Moe thought we were going deer hunting
A friend of mine that I shoot clays with on Wednesday evenings met us up there... He has two German shorthairs so Moe got to hunt with two other dogs also his first...
Moe had a good time so it was a success...

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[Pennydog1]

awsome moe ?

[Duck Engr]

Moe needs to work in a salted mine now and then. Reward for all of the long trips when the wild birds aren’t cooperating.

[5 stand]

I really thought he was going to break on this one... The bird is right below that red line in plain sight of him... He did a good job though I was proud of him...

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[Rick]

I really thought he was going to break on this one... The bird is right below that red line in plain sight of him... He did a good job though I was proud of him...

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That's the test.

[DComeaux]

Awesome! Loved and miss this.

[Ricky Spanish]

Awesome! Loved and miss this.

Two years ago I tried hunting upland and took my Beretta. It didn't take long before I noticed how freaky heavy a semi is on an upland hunt.
That was it I haven't tried it again plus the farmers have gotten so good at bug killing that there just aren't any pheasants to hunt anymore.
They eat bugs I guess as babies.

[5 stand]

I appreciate all the comments guys, thank you...


The first year Moe and I hunted quail in Western Oklahoma we would find one or two covey's a day, which was enough for us.... I know that's nothing like the days of old, but like I said enough for us...
There was a bad ice storm in February of that first year and I think it killed a lot of quail ??
We have really struggled since, we're optimistic we'll get them next year...
We're going to go farther north on our prairie grouse trip next September and see if we can find some of those Huns...

[Ricky Spanish]

I appreciate all the comments guys, thank you...


The first year Moe and I hunted quail in Western Oklahoma we would find one or two covey's a day, which was enough for us.... I know that's nothing like the days of old, but like I said enough for us...
There was a bad ice storm in February of that first year and I think it killed a lot of quail ??
We have really struggled since, we're optimistic we'll get them next year...
We're going to go farther north on our prairie grouse trip next September and see if we can find some of those Huns...

Don't have many quail stories but this one is good. I'll try and describe it all.
In 1975 my dad was kind of forced by a judge to take me hunting. The back story. I was stealing his car and taking joy rides and got caught at age 14. Whoa.
He took us to southern Illinois near Cobden.
Lots of apple orchards there. We hung out at Fuzzy's Tavern waiting for the guide to sober up. I was the pool champion a day or two. I skipped school to play pool and that sort of got exposed.
After duck hunts he'd take me to this retired army colonels farm. Had a big low spot with Hilly forest kind of terrain. We hunted quail.there and it was lucky if we jumped two coveys. We'd hunt down singles a while then move.
My old man loved quail hunting. He kept buying Brittany spaniels and had very expensive top of the line champion bred dogs. He had lots of loot. I got to hunt with really good dogs as a kid.

[5 stand]

Trigger and I hunted this morning...
Two Green and four Gray...

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[5 stand]

I appreciate all the comments guys, thank you...


The first year Moe and I hunted quail in Western Oklahoma we would find one or two covey's a day, which was enough for us.... I know that's nothing like the days of old, but like I said enough for us...
There was a bad ice storm in February of that first year and I think it killed a lot of quail ??
We have really struggled since, we're optimistic we'll get them next year...
We're going to go farther north on our prairie grouse trip next September and see if we can find some of those Huns...

Don't have many quail stories but this one is good. I'll try and describe it all.
In 1975 my dad was kind of forced by a judge to take me hunting. The back story. I was stealing his car and taking joy rides and got caught at age 14. Whoa.
He took us to southern Illinois near Cobden.
Lots of apple orchards there. We hung out at Fuzzy's Tavern waiting for the guide to sober up. I was the pool champion a day or two. I skipped school to play pool and that sort of got exposed.
After duck hunts he'd take me to this retired army colonels farm. Had a big low spot with Hilly forest kind of terrain. We hunted quail.there and it was lucky if we jumped two coveys. We'd hunt down singles a while then move.
My old man loved quail hunting. He kept buying Brittany spaniels and had very expensive top of the line champion bred dogs. He had lots of loot. I got to hunt with really good dogs as a kid.

Ricky Betty just a thought but shooting at those quail when you were younger could have turned you into the shooter that you are today... Meaning you don't have time to aim on a covey of quail, you just have to shoot...

[Rick]

Ricky Betty just a thought but shooting at those quail when you were younger could have turned you into the shooter that you are today... Meaning you don't have time to aim on a covey of quail, you just have to shoot...

As with green-wings, the trick is focusing on one. Eight years of living my life around hunting them had me thinking ruffed grouse being so quick to put something between us made them the most difficult upland birds to hit. But after years down here with quail that were often in the "thick and thorny," my reunion with grouse found me surprised by how big and slow they seemed.

[Ricky Spanish]

I appreciate all the comments guys, thank you...


The first year Moe and I hunted quail in Western Oklahoma we would find one or two covey's a day, which was enough for us.... I know that's nothing like the days of old, but like I said enough for us...
There was a bad ice storm in February of that first year and I think it killed a lot of quail ??
We have really struggled since, we're optimistic we'll get them next year...
We're going to go farther north on our prairie grouse trip next September and see if we can find some of those Huns...

Don't have many quail stories but this one is good. I'll try and describe it all.
In 1975 my dad was kind of forced by a judge to take me hunting. The back story. I was stealing his car and taking joy rides and got caught at age 14. Whoa.
He took us to southern Illinois near Cobden.
Lots of apple orchards there. We hung out at Fuzzy's Tavern waiting for the guide to sober up. I was the pool champion a day or two. I skipped school to play pool and that sort of got exposed.
After duck hunts he'd take me to this retired army colonels farm. Had a big low spot with Hilly forest kind of terrain. We hunted quail.there and it was lucky if we jumped two coveys. We'd hunt down singles a while then move.
My old man loved quail hunting. He kept buying Brittany spaniels and had very expensive top of the line champion bred dogs. He had lots of loot. I got to hunt with really good dogs as a kid.

Ricky Betty just a thought but shooting at those quail when you were younger could have turned you into the shooter that you are today... Meaning you don't have time to aim on a covey of quail, you just have to shoot...

Aw shucks I never thought I'd get that sort of compliment.
I can shoot but I do miss and my confidence is low.
So I let them land and swat.
Every once in a while I'll shoot at flying wood ducks and I'm always amazed when I kill one.
Snap-shooting at a quail is tough.
I think you're right I've never thought about it but "point and shoot" is how you do it.
Aiming is for missing.

If I miss I get a perfect sight picture memory because yup...I aimed. If I kill the bird I can't recall the sights at all.
I went thru that and I tried to remember but it's just not there. I'm always a little surprised when I kill one which is pretty much every time I shoot.

Other hunters let me shoot at times.
They say stuff like, "you waited so long we thought you weren't going to shoot ". I tend to wait until feet are down and damn near touching water.


One guy I hunt with just does the calling and let's me shoot em. I miss that guy. I need a partner bad.
Someone with a duck call. You can make awful racket and they still come to it. Timber hunting is way way different than big water.

I started in timber but never quite got how it works until I went to Bayou Meto. They play rough there.
Started at Oakwood Bottoms.
I've met people from all over the place that have hunted there. In the 70s it was a big deal just like Arkansas.
Now? Not so much.

[Ricky Spanish]

THE SCATTERS
is on my bucket list.
Very cool place. It's south of oakwood bottoms.
When you drive to the scatters you turn off route 3 I think.
The river road.
You head east. "I found my life I'm going down for the last time" Not that head east. Head Eaat is yet another rock band from Champaign illinoiz
You see a wall coming up.
You get closer and it's a cliff.
You get to the wall and the road hugs it. One side is rock the other side water.
That's the scatters.
Weird place I bet duck calls echo off the rock cliff.
I sort of doubt it's worth a damn but at one time that place was duck city.

[5 stand]

Trigger and I hunted again this morning...
Three Green, Three Gray, on a cloudy day...

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[Ricky Spanish]

Trigger and I hunted again this morning...
Three Green, Three Gray, on a cloudy day...

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Nice.
I think I could cut n paste the pics and fool my artard buddies into thinking I'm there today.
Nobody does shit like that tho.
Our dogs could pass as twins until they start fightin

[Duck Engr]

Great morning!!

[Rick]

Great morning!!

Fo' sure.

[DComeaux]

Great morning!!

Fo' sure.

What they said.

[Deltaman]

Sweet weekend hunts 5-Stand, Congrats

[5 stand]

I appreciate the comments guys as always, thank you very much...

[Duck Engr]

5stand, you may have said this before, but where you hunt, do you typically see a lot of ducks and are able to break a few, or do you typically see a few and kill most of what you see?

[5 stand]

5stand, you may have said this before, but where you hunt, do you typically see a lot of ducks and are able to break a few, or do you typically see a few and kill most of what you see?

I typically see a few and kill most of what I see...
I don't hunt the same place 2 days in a row, I carry River cane in the boat and make a makeshift blind every morning...
I hunt and then scout for the next day, sometimes that makes for a long day if the Ducks don't cooperate...

[Rick]

Sure seems to be working.

[Darren]

5stand, you may have said this before, but where you hunt, do you typically see a lot of ducks and are able to break a few, or do you typically see a few and kill most of what you see?

I typically see a few and kill most of what I see...
I don't hunt the same place 2 days in a row, I carry River cane in the boat and make a makeshift blind every morning...
I hunt and then scout for the next day, sometimes that makes for a long day if the Ducks don't cooperate...

Big component in success right there...each hunt is a scouting trip, adjust accordingly the next day. Think next year if we are doing more on the public land area again, will be same for us.

Nice hunts, thanks for sharing with us.