Hope everyone has a great season! Please keep yourself safe and always be courteous to the other Hunters.
Waterfowl Hunting
2022 Waterfowl Reports
Got out yesterday AM for geese, with a couple buddys on a smaller field and mostly frozen pond set up, were hundreds of birds have been loafing and eating the past 2 weeks, of course it got cold and windy and most birds moved to the big lake but we managed to scratch out 3 and missed a couple more before we packed up by 10 being frozen, back out friday AM I hope.
I harvested two mallards yesterday in the field. I could have taken my four, but it was very enjoyable to watch them come down in the corn and waddle around the decoys. There were a good amount of ducks for around 2 hours. I did not shoot at any geese as I wanted to get a few mallards. Thankfully I remembered to charge the mojo's!!
THATS A WRAP!
Hit a local icey slushy river with 3 buddys yesterday AM, actually seen 4 ducks and a couple high flying flocks of geese, frozen toes and hands aided to our leaving by 9am, no birds harmed during the hunt great way to end the season. Late goose opens up again Dec 18th so maybe we'll get out for that.
Goodhuntin all!
The Evening Report.
Just before daybreak, the temp was a cool 10 degrees. I prefer 20 degrees for fishing. But with only 2 more days left of duck hunting, 10 degrees will do fine.
All that it really meant was adding one more layer to my gear.
The stars lingered, or so it seemed, in the night sky. But the chilly delay was rewarded with the sound of ducks racing down Duck Creek, like Ferrari's on the freeway.
There is one surefire way to stop a duck. Mechanically. I would have stopped a second duck had my ejector on the scattergun not frozen up.
Duck is cooking on the stove. I will either end the season with another mallard or perhaps a goose. This requires two different blinds. Which one I will use will not be decided until the morning.
Duck hunting gets me out of the house and into the woods. A local stream is perfect duck habitat and that is where I wait for them.
I see other critters while posting guard over that shallow water. A mink is usually the first critter of the day. Monroe, the eagle, also keeps an eye out over the same waterway.
Eagles hunt ducks just like humans do.
When the temps are cold, a mist rolls across the surface of the stream. It does not stay still like fog does, it is on the move, just like the living water of the stream.
I hear ducks before I can see them. The wind whistles in their wings. Their subtle splash as they land on the water can be heard by those who are listening. Some early morning duck crow like a rooster, announcing a new day.
There are more wood ducks than mallards, the latter being a larger bird. Canada geese are a plenty. They also make plenty of noise.
We have no standing snow. The lakes are not usually not frozen over until Christmas. Ice fishing comes after duck hunting. The winter ends with the advent of maple syrup production.
Every new day is a gift from God. Enjoy each one.