SpinnerMan 2024-2025 Log

[SpinnerMan]

Date: September 7 (First Day out for Early Goose)

Hunters: Myself

Time: Morning

Location: B&G Blind 22

Weather Conditions: Almost cold, clear, north wind.

Waterfowl Activity: A couple dozen or more geese roosted about 150 yards north. Heard geese all morning. Didn't see very many.

Got everything set up and ready to fish. Made a few casts. Hooked and lost a pretty heavy fish. Then the geese roosted not far north started making noise. Sounded like they might get up. Still have about 15 minutes to shooting. Had a pair flyover in the dark. I can usually coax some in when they are roosted that close. But not today. Tried all my tricks for about an hour and they all eventually got up without even giving me a look.

I had a single circle for a few loops about 150 yards up talking back and forth with me. Then headed off. Seemed like the same goose came back about 20 minutes later. Did the same thing, but about 100 yards up. Circling, talking and eyeballing everything. Headed off again. About 20 minutes, seems like the same one, but not quite as high. Looked like he was going to repeat, but instead swung out, cupped up and came down low and behind. Couldn't turn around easy because of my knee. Looked like he was heading away. Turned him around and he came right back and was going to land right where they play book intended.

Got another single that didn't require near as much convincing. Only a couple more shells than it should have.

Curses: Bum knee cost me one more. Sitting on a stool to avoid standing all morning. One came straight from behind not more than 25 yards up, but couldn't turn to see it and decided not to shoot it in the ass. Couldn't talk him back. I had a decoy blown over and another single talking to us as well. They buddied up and left.

Birds By Species: 2 Canada Geese

Fishing: Fishing looked like it was good but I was there for the geese and they got up early.

Photo Ops:

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[PorkChop]

You are on the board!!

Looking forward to more cast and blast reports!!

[Duck Engr]

Hey that’s plenty to keep you coming back!

[5 stand]

Hey that's plenty to keep me coming back to read the next adventure...

[SpinnerMan]

I am happy anytime I get a bird. Two is a very good day, especially two that came after a lot of play.

The bummer is that I had to take today off. The knee was pretty pissed about yesterday. After I hunted, I helped my blind partner dress the duck blind we were responsible. Too much for me right now. Not to mention after about 3 weeks of being a slug, my legs were just sore from being on them probably more yesterday than I have been total in the last 3 weeks.

Amazing how quick you can start feeling the effects of doing nothing. Although my legs feel pretty good know after moving around a bit to get the soreness out. I iced the knee several times last night which also calmed it down. Good to go again. Hopefully Tuesday morning.

[Rick]

Face it, Spin, you're old. First you fall apart and then...

[PorkChop]

for sure the truth

[SpinnerMan]

I am definitely feeling old at the moment.

Trying my best to do what I can to fight nature. Sitting in front of a computer 8 hours a day or more isn't the best for that. In spite of ending up having to be a slug for the last few weeks, I have lost 12 lbs over the last two months. I think I have finally gotten serious about that.

Only 50 more and I will be happy Only 86 more and I will be at the weight I met my lovely wife. I actually gained as much as my wife weighed when we met. That's crazy. Although she was tiny.

I actually wore 30" waist jeans as an adult. I was actually skinny at one point My family is full of big people. It's an uphill battle, but I need to get back up that hill and stay there.

[Deltaman]

Glad to see your goose efforts (and subsequent pains), were rewarded with a couple of honkers Ed

[SpinnerMan]

Date: October 19 (Opening Day)

Hunters: Myself and Jose

Time: Morning

Location: B&G Blind 3

Weather Conditions: Fairly cold but warming, clear, no wind.

Waterfowl Activity: Saw good numbers for us of woodies, mallards and Canadas.

Curses: Mojo battery died right away. Didn't have any spares on n the blind. Probably cost us some birds. Jose eventually ran and got some from the truck. Clearly I had a bad battery based on the little bit of corrosion. Last pair zeroed right in on the spinner once we had it back in business.

Had quite a few mallards work, but no wind and no mojo, they skirted wide.

Birds By Species: 3 mallards


Photo Ops:

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[Rick]

Locals?

[SpinnerMan]

Locals?

Seemed like it.

[PorkChop]

Don’t let the Sitka guys know that you’re killing ducks wearing blue jeans and using silver crutches

[SpinnerMan]

Don’t let the Sitka guys know that you’re killing ducks wearing blue jeans and using silver crutches

Recognize the baseball cap? That's your recommendation.

All the camo you really need.

[PorkChop]

I did not recognize it. Had to zoom in to see it. Hope it serves you well! We love ours!

[SpinnerMan]

I did not recognize it. Had to zoom in to see it. Hope it serves you well! We love ours!

Very happy.

[SpinnerMan]

Date: October 20

Hunters: Myself and Jose

Time: Morning

Location: B&G Blind 3

Weather Conditions: Cool but warming, clear, no wind again.

Waterfowl Activity: Saw a few woodies and mallards and a lot of Canadas.

Curses: None.

Slow second day. We blew an easy opportunity on a pair of woodies. They crossed just as we came up to shoot and I think switching targets midway threw us off. That's my excuse anyways.

Birds By Species: DNH (Did Not Hit)


Photo Ops:

I got the skunk.

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[Rick]

Damn fine skunk by the looks of it.

[SpinnerMan]

Date: November 3

Hunters: Myself, Jeff, John, Mike

Time: Morning

Location: Saginaw Bay

Weather Conditions: Low 40's-50, wind 10+, cloudy, wave about 1.5 with some 2+'s splashing over the back of the layout.

Waterfowl Activity: Disappointingly slow saw a variety of birds but not a lot of anything

Curses: Nothing but the cummulative effects of having a very warm fall and the birds not down in the numbers they should be

I got two shots and missed them both. John and Jeff shot well and got 4 birds each. Mike had never shot a duck and still hasn't.

Birds By Species: 3 old squaw, 2 white-winged scoter, 1 bluebill, 1 bufflehead, 1 common merganser

Photo Ops:

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[SpinnerMan]

Date: November 4

Hunters: Myself, Jeff, John, Mike

Time: Morning

Location: Saginaw Bay

Weather Conditions: 50's, wind 15+, rain, lots of rain, wave about 1 because we couldn't get on the main lake.

Waterfowl Activity: Lots of bluebills, but they have been hunted hard

Curses: Same as yesterday. 50's and a south wind isn't bring new birds

Got a little more shooting today and actually hit a few

Birds By Species: 7 bluebill, 2 old squaw

Photo Ops:

Just laying out in the rain.

[DComeaux]

Interesting stuff. I'd love to see 40's and 50's in the near future.

[SpinnerMan]

Date: November 5

Hunters: Myself, Jeff, John, Mike

Time: Morning

Location: Saginaw Bay

Weather Conditions: 60's, wind 15+, rain, wave about 1' because we couldn't get on the main lake.

Waterfowl Activity: Lots of seagulls not a lot else

Very few birds flying. Mike and John started out in the layouts and got some long shots at a few birds skirting the spread. Didn't get any. So little activity we picked up and went looking for birds. Kicked up a decent number in one area. Decided to set up and hope some came back. We had seagulls working the spread quite regular. Had 1 duck within 100 yards. Saw few further out.

Birds By Species: Nada

[SpinnerMan]

Date: December 5

Hunters: Myself

Time: Afternoon

Location: MU #30

Weather Conditions: 20's with wind 20's NW

Waterfowl Activity: Heard a few high flying cranes. Did not see a single bird of any kind.

Every other pit but one shot ducks. The one that didn't saw a lot of ducks feeding nearby.

Not having great luck this year to put it mildly.

Birds By Species: DNS

[Duck Engr]

Kind of piles on when everyone else shoots some but at least there’s some around. How’s the knee?

[SpinnerMan]

Kind of piles on when everyone else shoots some but at least there’s some around.

Very frustrating year. Largely driven by the inability to go at all for a good chunk. Then to have such a huge bust on most of the few times I have gotten out. I had planned on going every day, but it's a lot more work right now.

How’s the knee?

Going very well. Need to build strength and endurance. When I do things like yesterday where I am using it for an extended period, it wears me out. I basically did nothing for about a solid two months. It's been just a month since I started rehab. Just don't have the strength and endurance I had, but it is definitely coming along.

I think I will go every other day to not overdo it and to avoid frustration if my luck doesn't pick up.

Mallards seem to be getting as hardy as geese. With the extreme cold I would have expected more in the area. We are still way below peak numbers. And you wonder why you don't see as many mallards in Louisiana.

[SpinnerMan]

Date: December 7

Hunters: Myself

Time: Afternoon

Location: MU #21

Weather Conditions: 40's with wind 20's SW

Waterfowl Activity: Saw 2 birds. SW wind seems to have sent them north.

Almost mirror opposite of Thursday. I think I was the only one that shot a duck.

First drake widgeon so that made my day.

Both came in on absolute suicide runs. Never touched the call.

Birds By Species: 1 widgeon, 1 mallard

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[Rick]

"Both came in on absolute suicide runs." Always makes me wonder if they shouldn't have been left to breed.

[Duck Engr]

Sweet!! Duck gods heard your woes and decided it was your turn for some good luck.

[SpinnerMan]

"Both came in on absolute suicide runs." Always makes me wonder if they shouldn't have been left to breed.

It would make your job a lot easier.

However, then any idiot could do it.

The widgeon came in from behind me full speed. Hooked around just outside my decoys. Which is where I first saw him. Did a slalom through my spinners. Passed about 10' from the end of the pit. He landed behind me because I had no chance to get up and shoot. Then he starting whistling just to make sure I knew he was there in case I had some how missed him buzzing through the decoys about 3' off the ground.

The mallard came in on the same flight path, but he just hung there backpedaling out in front about 10' of the ground about 20 yards from the pit.

If they all acted like that, you wouldn't even have to much of a worry with the guys being able to shoot well.

[Rick]

Suppose the cherries come along now and then to atone for some of the others that flip us off.