Early Season 2024-2025

[Duck Engr]

Date:

Time:

Location:

Cloud Cover:

Wind Direction and Velocity:

Temperature:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity:

Waterfowl Responsiveness:

Hunters:

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Curses:

Kudos:

Birds By Species:

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Duck Engr]

Date:9/13/24

Time: morning dove hunt

Location: timber farm “triangle field” deer plot

Cloud Cover: heavy. Stale at times. Had to teach my little boy the art of hearing rain coming and hot footing it back to the truck just in time.

Wind Direction and Velocity: very little

Temperature: would’ve been ok without the humidity

Moon phase: no idea

Special Notes: didn’t hunt our opening weekend of dove season when we had more birds due to an infection in my finger called paronychia that got in my blood and caused a streak up my arm the Thursday before opener. Happened quickly and boy was it painful. I didn’t want anything to do with a shotgun. Strong antibiotic took care of it.

fowl Activity: slow early, which is typical for our place in mornings. Enough ones and twos for our purposes trickled in until aforementioned rain run at 730.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: n/a

Hunters: I was the only shooter. Five year old son Beau in tow as well with his rubber band gun.

Guns: had to shoot my 12 ga M2 due to not being able to find 20 gauge ammo the night before.

Malfunctions: none from me

Dog(s): June gave me some hope that she’ll be worth however annoying she is around the house. She made all the retrieves with 5 of them in the tall, green sage grass about 15 yards deep. Didn’t have to walk in there with her, just sent her and let her figure it out. Her nose has improved many times over from last year, which is why I got her breed (German wire hair). Still doesn’t like dove feathers in her mouth. Was dropping them as she got back to me. I hate being a guy who yells “hold!”

Special Equipment: Beau was adamant to put together and install the dove mojo so I told him to figure it out and put it out there, which he happily did. Don’t know if it helped or hurt.

Curses: not from me.

Kudos: nice start to the season. Killed everything i shot at, which is rare for me.

Birds By Species: 7 doves. Had opportunities to fill limit but didn’t shoot at several due to working June and watching Beau

Photo Ops:
Beau out there inspecting his handiwork.

Lagniappe:

[Rick]

"Killed everything i shot at, which is rare for me." Rare for anyone.

[Duck Engr]

"Killed everything i shot at, which is rare for me." Rare for anyone.

I’ve had to become a better shot out of necessity due to lack of game recently. Don’t know if it’s helped, but my wife bought me an oculus virtual reality headset that has a sporting clay game on it. Haven’t played it much recently but did a bunch last year.

Took my time and took some close shots that morning.

[Duck Engr]

Date: 9/14/24

Time: 130 pm to 4 with a 30 minute rain delay

Location: friend’s field right behind my office.

Cloud Cover: heavy. Sprinkled rain early and came a flood from 230-3. At least an inch of rain.

Wind Direction and Velocity: swift from the north early on, calming some after the rain.

Temperature: hot before rain

Moon phase:

Special Notes: I’d been watching this field out my office window for 2 weeks. Hadn’t been seeing nearly the birds I had been in the week prior but they all decided to return on Saturday. Suspect other fields in area they’d gone to were also being hunted

fowl Activity:steady stream of doves all afternoon.

Waterfowl Responsiveness:

Hunters: 8 shooters with Beau and a couple other kids tagging along.

Guns:

Malfunctions: June broke the first time anyone shot and I didn’t have my collar remote turned on. Remedied that situation and employed the hearing aid. Her collar is too small and the new one I ordered hasn’t come in yet, making her check cord to the tie down stake too short to go around her neck instead of just clipping to collar. Also couldn’t find my ear plugs before the rain (they were in my pocket the whole time)

Dog(s): June. She doesn’t handle hear well and plainly got too hot before the rain. She found a few early doves for the guy beside me in a thick privet patch. Had me feeling good about my dog training then came crashing back down to earth when she wouldn’t fetch later doves on command after dropping them. She was back to picking them up after the rain cooled things, including her, off.

Special Equipment: none

Curses: nada

Kudos: really nice weekend just me and Beau.

Birds By Species: 15 mourning doves for me. Shooting took a turn for the worse due in part to an early tail wind the doves enjoyed. Probably took me a box and a half or more to get my 15. 110 mourning doves for the field with about a dozen ringnecks and one pigeon. Saw enough escape in the bigger groups that the field owner said he planned to shoot it again.

Photo Ops:


Lagniappe:

[Rick]

Happy dove campers.

As for June, who "doesn’t handle hear well," she was just waiting to hear "here".

[Duck Engr]

Happy dove campers.

As for June, who "doesn’t handle hear well," she was just waiting to hear "here".

lol, that should’ve been HEAT. Autocorrect strikes again.

Also doesn’t hear here from time to time.

[Duck Engr]

Addendum: The dove princess was with her Momma at the Auburn football game Saturday but has let the world know “I GO TOO” on the next dove adventure.

[PorkChop]

Sounds like a couple great hunts! Especially being able to spend time with Beau!

[PorkChop]

Happy dove campers.

As for June, who "doesn’t handle hear well," she was just waiting to hear "here".

Hahaha that gave me a good chuckle

[Rick]

Addendum: The dove princess was with her Momma at the Auburn football game Saturday but has let the world know “I GO TOO” on the next dove adventure.

Auburn's that bad?

[Duck Engr]

Addendum: The dove princess was with her Momma at the Auburn football game Saturday but has let the world know “I GO TOO” on the next dove adventure.

Auburn's that bad?

Haha afraid so. Going to be a long season.

[Deltaman]

Great reports DE!!!!

[Duck Engr]

Date: 9/22/24

Time: morning

Location: local river

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: light from northeast

Temperature: 65 or so

Moon phase: big and bright. Didn’t really even need boat light.

Special Notes: Beaus first boat ride in the dark. Handled it well. Thought 25 mph made us the fastest boat in the world on the way back to the ramp.

Waterfowl Activity: a few groups buzzing around, which is a big day for us in our area.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: too far to tell

Hunters: Beau and I

Guns: 20 ga m2

Malfunctions: wrong spot

Dog(s): June

Special Equipment: spinner but water was too deep. Anybody ever built a little rig to float a spinner without having to buy it already done?

Curses: nope

Kudos: got kinks worked out. Boat lights were intermittent. Found a ground wire almost broken in two. Fixed it that night.

Birds By Species: DNS

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[don novicki]

I just binged your reports. Keep em coming.....

[Duck Engr]

Date: 9/29/24

Time: morning

Location: local river

Cloud Cover: clear early moving to partly at sunrise

Wind Direction and Velocity: light but steady from the northeast

Temperature: pleasant

Moon phase: Cheshire grin of a crescent

Special Notes: last day of early season.

Waterfowl Activity: saw some woodies early and a handful of mallards, including a mouthy Susie who lit 100 yards out in front of us. One early group of ducks flew over that I was pretty sure was wood ducks but couldn’t really tell so I passed. The shooters set up behind me weren’t taking any chances and let them have the 9 shot salute. Saw less than 10 blue wings

Waterfowl Responsiveness: good for what got close. Pair decoyed but my view was blocked and by the time I shouldered my gun I was out of my shooting lane in Beau’s direction so I passed. Couple squacks and they were back front and center. Only killed one somehow.

Hunters: 5 year old son Beau and I

Guns: M2 20 gauge.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): June. Easy retrieve in decoys

Special Equipment: lucky duck on timer.

Curses: none

Kudos: didn’t get skunked early season

Birds By Species: 1 bwt (juvenile)

Photo Ops:


Lagniappe: I leave for South Dakota in less than 3 weeks and haven’t even sniffed packing yet.

[DComeaux]

Picture made me smile.

[Rick]

Picture made me smile.

Indeed. Glad you and he finished on a high note.

[Duck Engr]

Addendum: you’ll notice his left eye is a little swollen. It’s turned into a full on shiner today. He popped off to little sister aka the dove princess on Saturday and she didn’t miss…

[Rick]

Yarch!