Certainly a Duck Day

Hello again all my technologically advanced and well connected waterfowl enthusiast friends. Well, I remember posting something about preparedness in my last post. Was a bit of a late start this am but got to the ditch just in time. The wind was howling like a mutha and it was just too much work for one man to move the deeks. The big foots were falling over every 30 secs and after awhile the re-setting up just wasn't worth the fight. Must admit wasn't a very good aiming day. Had 3 different volleys and came home empty handed. The bottoms sounded like World War III for a couple hours this morning. North South East and West there was shooting all over the place! Not a plethora of new ducks but there were some nonetheless. Nice to see some already. Will be back up Sunday. Check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

Hello?

Hello again all my technologically advanced and well connected waterfowl enthusiast friends.  It appears that the water-fowling community actually reads this blog and some of you have been wondering if I had retired from being a "word-smith."  Well I haven't and I'm glad to report we have had a bit of action the last 10 days or so.  I start 10 days ago on a Wednesday.  A south windy day and there were birds around.  A wrecking crew of 3 manged to hammer down on 6 ducks, should've been more, but one of them happened to be outside the blind with the dog when about 12 came in "hot."  The Wednesday morning was soooooo good that after the morning hunt, lunch and a nap, one guy decided to roll back out late afternoon.  No disappointment, brought home 2 gaddys on the afternoon shoot.  The only real mishap was on a single can, "one more pass" got em and no steel flew. 
The next day, Thursday had a zero in the bag and very little going on.
Fast-Forward to Sunday, I would like to title this day "Two Too Many."  A one man show began with trying to calculate "leave" time Saturday night after a few too many hops and barley.  Mistake number one, showed up late, after shooting time and kicked off birds.  Next comes some screaming teal, again a bit foggy from the night before, didn't even pull up the gun.  Later, it was time for a muffin, after opening it up and taking a bite, oops, dropped on the floor, reached for it and stepped on it, hit head on shelf, immediately looked up and had 7 dropping in hard.  3 shots and not a bird.  I've been told that LUCK is when preparation meets opportunity.  This day definitely had nothing to do with that.  After a bit of frustration, it was time to leave. 
Now on to yesterday, no morning hunt and afternoon hunt and no birds.  Will be in the ditch in the AM with some opportunity.  I haven't had any fine pilsner this evening so we should be ready to go.  This wind has been howling out of the NNW for about 24 hours now and there has to be some new birds heading in.  Please check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

Opening Morning

Hello again all my technologically advanced and well connected waterfowl enthusiast friends.  It's official, the season has opened.  We have until December to keep the blog full and active.  We will see how long it lasts. 
The first morning was a bag of nothing.  The plus side is that we laid down a handful of groups but were not set up for the South Wind.  They went all around us and away from us landing on the water.  We did fire a marginal shot and even with 3 guns we couldn't find any feathers when the smoke cleared.  Lots of first light shots around the area that we could hear.  Saw a fair amount of ducks moving and some Can's too.  All staying on the river.  Seems like there are more birds than we have been accustomed to the last couple years on opening weekend.  Things slowed quickly and we were OUT by 930AM with nothing to clean.  The dogs got some exercise, the Polaris got the cob webs cleaned out and we're off to the races.  Another season upon us and with it comes early mornings, over-thinking, blogs, stories and fights with the wife.  Ah, the life of a waterfowler!  That's all I got for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

First Day

Well we went out for a quick breakfast and a little work after the first flight. The young man with us hammered a blue wing with the first shot of the morning, not a bad start. Emptied the gun a few more times and some "smiley's" but he missed. A successful first morning. The area is looking good and there are some birds floating around. Everyone is pumping water and with a little weather late week there should be plenty around for opening weekend. That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest. The picture above was Friday morning about 200 pelican sitting on the water.

What a Sight

Thursday was a bit tough.  Had two gun "clicks" for the day.  One on 3 that broke off nice and came down, the other on 2.  Managed to get two shot off on the 2nd group after the "click" and missed.  Oh well was a great day with great sights to see all the duck in the video above.  Hunting Sunday, hoping the rain/clouds forecast will keep 'em low.  Check back for the latest and greatest.

Alleluia

If you've been reading, you may remember a post talking about piles of geese today.  The pile was just a bit small today.  It consisted of just one, but we didn't get skunked, the first day was a success.  A 30 man limit of Pintail could have easily been had while we were watching thousands of snow geese fly overhead.  The Specks are still flyin full-force, along with the Can's.  Cannot believe the birds we see in the Spring, it's truly an amazing site.  Sure is a test of one's will having all those birds that you CANNOT  shoot just a few yards from the barrel of a feather duster.  As the pic shows we dusted one Ross and that's it.  The weather men were a bit off on the wind today.  We had a nice migratory South wind until about 1PM and then, hold your hats, that North Wind that came up and pretty much ruined our spread.  The next two days, if you believe 'em or not, are supposed to be Big South Monday and nice South Tuesday.  Based on what we saw today, if you're in on taking time off or moving your schedule for snow geese, the next couple days should be good.  That's all I got for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

Holy Numbers

Recent Report:  Reported that as of March 1, 2012 they are reporting up to 3 million geese in the Kearney area, and up to 1 million near and around the Grand Island, area.  They also reported 1.5 million light geese on the north side of Squaw Creek NWR in Missouri.

Prelude to "The Chase"

The prelude to "the chase" has begun.  Went up late morning just to take a peak at what was going on.  Plenty of Specks, Cans and Ducks.  Some snow geese too, finally.  It's "go time"!  We will have bodies piled up Sunday by noon and we will let you all know just how we did it after all these years or trying.  This year is it, I can feel it!  Check back for the latest and greatest.

About ready, might be too late?

So we're flipping around the Internet today and see that squaw creek went from 1million down to 300,000?  Where did they all go?  They definitely aren't here.  We have seen and heard roughly zero migrating snows to speak of.  Maybe these winds the last few days pushed 'em back South?  Who knows, we're heading out Sunday for the first hunt so I hope to have some news for those of you who are anxiously waiting.   That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

The Great Chase (once again)

Well, we're partially ready to go.  Went up today and got rid of some weeds and made sure the pond was muddy.  We pulled the plug on the last day in the Fall/Winter and it paid off.  On the ride down, there were probably about 1000 or so ducks that all kicked up the closer we got.  What a sight the ducks are this time of year.  If you don't shoot anything, it's definitely worth the watch.  The temps are going to fall this next few days and I believe the migration will come to a halt for a bit.  The planned first trip is next Sunday.  Squaw creek, 13 days ago had a million2 and they are down a couple hundred thousand to a measly million.  The Cans have been pushing for 3 or 4 days and today was no different.  That's all I got for now, good luck and good chasing.  See ya next time, same channel, same place.

What a Jacked up Year

Well, for us it's been a mess.  It's now December 6th, almost every water hole is froze up with current temp at 13 degrees.  We have at least 5inches of snow on the ground and for the last 3 days, the snow geese are just now pushing through.  There have been days of Canada Geese and Ducks but not a lot of days of Snows, until now.  Generally speaking the ducks and real geese push after the snows, what is going on?  We have all but given up on the season with just over a week left on ducks and I'm beginning to second guess our decision.  Every night, afternoon and morning you have been able to look up and see and hear the geese.  It is December 6th right?  This last storm didn't affect N and S Dakota so I guess it is just now getting cold enough up there to start the big push.  For those of you who have open holes it could be real, real good to finish out the season.  Back in the upper 20's next few days and upper 30's for the weekend, make sure you're ready to go.  That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest and thanks for all the hits.

Unusual Day

The weather guys were off just a bit this morning.  They said the wind wasn't going to blow hard until early afternoon.  Boy were they wrong.  We had 15 mph when we sat down and soon after 20-25.  Almost too much!   About 8AM we got a show from the ducks.  I almost couldn't believe my eyes.  With huge North winds, all the ducks were flying North from the South.  Have no idea where they were all coming from but there were thousands flying overhead for about 1 1/2 hours.  There are a large amount of birds, both ducks and geese roosting in the area, I suspect they all went out for the morning feast last night or early this morning and what we were seeing was their return to the roost.  The reason I say that is because they flew North into the winds and never returned our way. 
The weather is definitely turning, the lows are getting in the teens and the highs are barely reaching 30.  We had no ice this morning which was a little surprising, but I'm pretty sure that luxury is over.  Snow and West/NWest winds forecast for Saturday with 100% chance of precipitation.  May be a bit sticky as the rain portion of the precip is due to start tomorrow night and go pretty much all the way through Saturday.  There are plenty of waterfowl around, if you're into scouting and chasing there is plenty to do.  If you're in a spot waiting for "new" birds, it's probably going to happen this weekend. 
The season is winding down but at the same time "heating" up.  There is plenty of shootin' left if you're up for it.  That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

Closing up shop?

Tomorrow we are heading out in front of the approaching north winds and slight chance of snow. We are readying ourselves for the end. We have shot few ducks, only one of which was an actual mallard. Been a tough season and don't know if it is likely to get any better. We have 15 days and 3 or 4 more hunts if we try real hard. The large mallard numbers are not here yet. There are a lot of Can's around but few ducks. The first week of December is usually when they get here and that time is now. There will be a report after tomorrows hunt. Check back for the latest and greatest.

A Sky Full

Rolled in early in anticipation of ice and we were right. Took almost an hour to break ice and set decoys. From the time we sat down until we left at noon the sky was full of migrating waterfowl. I don't believe there has ever been a day when I have seen so many Canada Geese. All the birds posed a bit of a problem as the majority were high flyers. We unloaded on a small group of geese, and two small bunches of ducks so we didn't come home empty handed. There was some shooting around so everyone had success I would guess. The only problem with seeing this many birds is; how many more are left for us to see? The high skies once the sun popped up only made the birds higher and higher so who knows how many we missed? The birds are here, and should be going nowhere. That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

Well?

Here it is waterfowl fans, the storm we've been waiting for! The weather is getting ugly over the next 24 hours north of here. All kinds of South Dakota action today and high expectations for many of them tomorrow too! We have been staring to the north for weeks on end and it is now the weekend to get after it. Dumping snow and big winds are going to push the ducks our way. We have not had much action the last couple weeks and with the steady temps and warmer weather one has to hope the birds will get here and rot for awhile. There is plenty of food and no frozen water. Could be a fast and furious migration! That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

Nope!

The night ended without a shot fired. Didn't see the birds in the numbers and didn't get any looks. Seen just a few of the specks and not many ducks. It is nice to see the birds around but this is nothing, really, for the middle of November. There are not the numbers of Canada geese around that you would typically see this time of year. The ducks have been around for about 10 days now and are getting a bit stale. There has been zero birds pushing since around the 8th. We are in need of another weather system and there is not one in the near future. Before long it will be thanksgiving. Last year we went out turkey day am and found the ditch completely froze over. I just don't see that being the case this year. Good news is that we have a lot of season left. That's all she wrote! Check back for the latest and greatest.

Just a few Yards Off

We were in the right field just a bit off the mark. The specks, ducks and can's were right on cue. The first bunch of specs sat down about 200 yards away from us. Rather than kick them off we waited. Should not have done that! After about 15 minutes we had 1000+ specks feeding. The ducks and can's followed their lead. We did walkout with 2 big can's. To do it over again; we should have kicked of the first 50 and waited to see what would've happened without all those feeding birds. Going out at sundown to hit the ducks. They have been hitting the field much harder at night, see what happens. Check back for the latest and greatest.

Great 2011 Hope

Well we've scouted for the last 4 days and have found what appears to be the mother-load. By 8am we have ducks, cans and specks all in the same field. We are heading out bright and early to set up hoping to have one of those days. Not sure what is more exciting, setting up for the hunt or knowing that we may get into some feeding specks. Now that oughta be a rush. We weren't able to go out tonight so hopefully no one else blew em up before dark, that could severely damage our hopes for morning. Going to take the new iKam extreme along just in case it is one to remember. That's all for now, check back tomorrow for what should be an action packed update!

Get Ready

Just got inside from letting the hound out for his nightly doo-dah and couldn't believe what I was hearing.  I ran around the neighborhood real quick like just to make sure no one had their snow goose horns playing in their garage.  Nope!  It was real, actual migrating snow geese in the air, in this rain we're getting and the slight north breeze.  Was out there just a couple minutes and heard 2 large flocks making noise.  We had an unexpected late afternoon hunter and his words were, "you name it, it's migrating".  A good sign.  I then jumped on the Legends blog and they reported the same thing.  Our hunter went out late afternoon, 4 ish, and stayed 'til quitting time.  So two reports from the area indicating steady movements of migrating birds all day long.  It appears that it's time to kick it into high gear, or at least a gear higher than the "granny-low" we've been running in.  Looking forward to the next few days and this favorable weather moving in.  That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.

North Dakota Style

Decided to switch gears this morning and try out our skills pothole hunting.  We got the line on some ducks that have been pond jumping.  Took off bright and early not sure what we were getting ourselves into.  Had decoys, laydowns and robo's and walked in.  MUDDY, MUDDY, MUDDY.  Haulin' in all the gear in what was "soup" wasn't real easy. 
If shootin' time would've been 10 minutes earlier than it was, all 4 guns could have limited out in less than 5 minutes.  As it was, the ducks sitting before shooting time either swam away or flew away when it was time to say "go".  Luckily for us it didn't take long for the birds to start doing their thing.  The first shot of the day we found a cinnamon teal in the bag.  One shot, one duck.  Not a bad start.  Yes it is November 6th and we shot a cinnamon teal.  We hung in there until about 9AM before we called it good.  We rolled out of the mud with 9 ducks, our best day yet.  There was very little movement of migrating birds.
Saturday we had 3 guys in the ditch and they had 3 rounds on decoying birds with the big South winds, looks like our "thinking" was right on.  There was zero aiming oil in the ditch so a bit of rust on the feather dusters interfered with a big bag, but decoying and working birds nonetheless.
There are definitely huntable numbers of birds in the area.  An eager scout this evening found a field with well over 1000 specks feeding in it.  Still not a lot of Can's but huntable numbers of ducks.
The weather is set to turn again Monday night into Wednesday morning, should bring another push of birds into our area.  That's all for now, check back for the latest and greatest.