2018 Waterfowl thread

CoryTheCowboy said:
I can count on one hand the number of Gadwall and Widgeon I've shot over the years here and yet the only two birds I got this morning were these

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I’ve been seeing an unusual amount of widgeon and gadwall in Orillia this year. I’ve shot 4 widgeon and a gadwall this weekend and I cant remember the last time I harvested those ducks.
 
Anyone know what type of duck this is? It didnt get any closer for a better photo, but its close enough for someone who knows to ID it. I thought it was a Blue Wing teal drake from far, but as it got closer, it was apparent that it wasnt. It was about the size of a mallard.

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1963beretta said:
Anyone know what type of duck this is? It didnt get any closer for a better photo, but its close enough for someone who knows to ID it. I thought it was a Blue Wing teal drake from far, but as it got closer, it was apparent that it wasnt. It was about the size of a mallard.

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Looks like a juvenile Velvet Scoter.
 
We have another big push of birds arriving today. The lesser Canadas have been pouring in all afternoon out of the north and west. It’s insane! Flocks every direction you look without a break since noon. The noise is incredible! Good old lessers, sure are high pitched chirpy buggers. And lots of swans moving through too! Here is a TINY sample!!

https://splice.gopro.com/v?id=mgPZo4
 
the spank said:
We have another big push of birds arriving today. The lesser Canadas have been pouring in all afternoon out of the north and west. It’s insane! Flocks every direction you look without a break since noon. The noise is incredible! Good old lessers, sure are high pitched chirpy buggers. And lots of swans moving through too! Here is a TINY sample!!

https://splice.gopro.com/v?id=mgPZo4
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those darned little squawckers are worse then snow geese when it comes to frustration, some of them yappy little boogers are smaller then a big mallard ,
actually I have learned to hate them more then snow geese LMAO
But if one has the patience and times it just right on a big flock one can usually drop 3 or four with one good 10 gauge shot
 
1963beretta said:
Go figure, I was thinking it could have been a scoter but when I googled images of scoters, I didnt think it was the same bird. I saw the bird in Oshawa port while I was out fishing for steelhead. I've never seen them before
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It is definitely a scoter, Spank is probably right as Surf scoters are more common, but the cheek patch and white base at the beak is also common on juvenile velvets until it becomes and eye patch on the adults. We have quite a few scoters on the North Channel... if you decide to shoot them, go with BB's as they can take a full load and dive for a 100 yards... good luck catching up to them after that... I have wasted gallons of gas and boxes of shells trying to finish crippled scoters.
 
hoytcanon said:
It is definitely a scoter, Spank is probably right as Surf scoters are more common, but the cheek patch and white base at the beak is also common on juvenile velvets until it becomes and eye patch on the adults. We have quite a few scoters on the North Channel... if you decide to shoot them, go with BB's as they can take a full load and dive for a 100 yards... good luck catching up to them after that... I have wasted gallons of gas and boxes of shells trying to finish crippled scoters.
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I'll pass on shooting them. I usually refrain from shooting divers with the exception of buffleheads. But I certainly know what you mean. I've also been through the same song and dance with trying to finish off cripples. Some divers are hardy little fockers. Reminds me of advice I gave Patrick a couple years ago when going on a hunt. I told him that if he drops a bufflehead that is still alive, to continue shooting at it no matter what. And so on the hunt, Patrick made a great shot on bufflehead that was screaming past him a few feet of the water. The bird did the usually 10ft of cartwheels while skipping on the water. I'm pretty sure Patrick got 3 more shots on that duck before I got to it with the boat. I cracked off 3 more shots while it was still on the surface. Somehow the bugger went under for a minute only to resurface on the other side of me and fly away. That birds weight must have increased by 50% given the amount of steel it had eaten.
 
1963beretta said:
.......Reminds me of advice I gave Patrick a couple years ago when going on a hunt. I told him that if he drops a bufflehead that is still alive, to continue shooting at it no matter what. And so on the hunt, Patrick made a great shot on bufflehead that was screaming past him a few feet off the water. The bird did the usually 10ft of cartwheels while skipping on the water.
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Great shot except I was shooting at the lead Bufflehead and it was about the fourth one back that dropped. The little buggers are tough and fast.
 
Chuckbuster said:
Does your SA-08 have 2 gas valves? I got mine used and it only came with the heavy load valve. I tried it with light loads and it would not cycle reliably. However, it runs like a champ with heavy loads. I'll have to track down a light valve if I want the young'uns to use it for grouse or skeet.
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Yea, it's got the heavy & light valves. With the heavy one it doesn't cycle the light loads either.
 
I was out this morning on the North Channel, there were a lot more birds trading than usual for this time of year, I agree that the cold up North has sent birds South earlier.
 
hoytcanon said:
I was out this morning on the North Channel, there were a lot more birds trading than usual for this time of year, I agree that the cold up North has sent birds South earlier.
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I think the season will be a lot shorter than I had hoped. Hopefully we’ll get a few more solid hunts in before the pending deep freeze
 
Well Cassie and I wanted one more Hunt to call it a season
we did it up in fine style with a limit of honkers and beautiful weather and evening
Until next spring when snow geese return the big geese can say it's safe in this area,
It was a fine evening with a great companion and friend,
as we sat on the tail gate of the old jelloppy long after our hunt had ended and looking back on a very special and spectacular season watching the moon rise in the east and the setting sun in the west and watching the sky's moving with hundreds of thousands of geese
I couldn't help to think that at times like this
that god was a waterfowler at heart
and really appreciating that we all live in a very spectacular part of the world
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