2023 Waterfowl Thread

Great job Spank! I’m super jealous of your early waterfowl seasons. I’ll have to wait until Thursday to get out for some early goose. Oh well. Gives me some time to build a blind.

On another note, you should change the title of this thread to officially make it the 2023 waterfowl thread. Crazy how fast the month has gone by!
 
1963beretta said:
Great job Spank! I’m super jealous of your early waterfowl seasons. I’ll have to wait until Thursday to get out for some early goose. Oh well. Gives me some time to build a blind.

On another note, you should change the title of this thread to officially make it the 2023 waterfowl thread. Crazy how fast the month has gone by!
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Done...
 
medvedqc said:
wonderful and your help is hooked for life. thank you spank.
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He's a real cool little guy. He is the man of the house. Mom & Dad split a few years back and Mom is deaf & mute. He is the most responsible and polite 10 year old I've ever met. I learned about his mothers' disabilities when I asked him with his parents permission if he'd like to go fishing a few weeks ago. I introduced myself to her and when I got no response he said his mother was deaf and mute. We took him on his first fishing trip and not only did he catch his first fish but ended up landing 21 lakers that morning and we let him run the boat while downrigging. He was so excited. Fast forward to today and before we even had the first flock lift off the roost 1/2 mile away he says to me " I had a hard time sleeping last night I was so excited". He said "this is just like Christmas morning". Yes he's hooked!
I gave him a call lanyard today and a headlamp for setting up in the dark. His mother gave him $60 to give to me to order him a goose and duck call from Cabela's for him after our hunt today so I called it in with my order and tonight while scouting he says "I can't wait to get my duck & goose callers and learn how to call".
I met him when he came knocking at my door this summer dragging a lawn mower asking if we wanted our lawn cut so I had him cut the grass once a week on the weeks we were in BC working.
 

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Day 2, another great morning. Had a limit of big honkers down pretty quickly. My new apprentice is catching on fast and is chomping at the bit to get his license when he turns 12. He said he finds it very exciting to see the birds working into the decoys. We had a pair of big honkers pass in front in range with the wind at their backs. When they got about 80 yards past the spread I said to him "watch this" and hit them with a double cluck-moan sequence and they did an immediate 180 and sailed right in as we talked back and forth. When they were hanging over the pocket 25 yards out and 15 feet up dropping I stood up and hammered the pair. He had a grin a mile wide and said "that is so cool how they come right back and talk with you!"
He's hooked!
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I gave him a lanyard yesterday and his mother sent him over when we went scouting last evening with some $ and asked me to order him a couple BG Polycarb calls to learn on. I think it's great his mother is supporting him into wanting to pursue hunting and fishing and my wife and I are more than happy to provide him the opportunity.
Today after I cleaned the birds I sent them home with him for his family to enjoy.
P
As a side note you sure don't need 3 1/2"BBB to kill big honkers. I ran these 2 3/4" 1 1/16oz #3 Score Brand shells today through my Maxus with the factory IC choke and killed them cleanly out to 40-45 yards.
 

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Bigbubba said:
Frank you are a class guy!!!
Not many around like you
Well done
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Thanks for the compliment. I'm at that age and stage it's time to pay it forward. The fellow who used to take me along as teenager and introduced me to waterfowling passed away in January. It got me to thinking I'd have never probably been exposed to waterfowling as I was if not for him. It's only right to pass that legacy on and what better way than some youngster who is quite grown up by 10 years old having the responsibilities he carries each and every day in his situation. His mother texted me she is so happy because she has not seen him this happy and excited in a long, long time.
 
conor_90 said:
Good on you Spank. When it comes time to get him a shotgun I will be happy to chip in
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Great offer Conor 90 but I won't be buying him a shotgun. He has parents for that and he also does very well cutting grass in the neighbourhood. He has quite a bunch of regular customers. He is a very ambitious hard working youngster. He told me the other day he has already lined up customers for fall yard clean up raking grass and leaves and has a bunch for shoveling snow this winter. He told me he keeps a little spending $ but banks the rest of his earnings as he's saving up to buy himself a vehicle for when he is old enough to get a drivers license. I have to say I was quite surprised when he told me how much money he had already saved this summer.
 
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Thats awesome Spank! Its so great to hear stories like this. Our community needs more kind people like you.

On a side note, I got my blind built today. I cant wait until Thursday’s early goose opener.
 
I cleared the excessive cattail growth from in front of the blind last weekend, and was in place with the decoy spread with 15 minutes to spare on Friday morning. Just me & the ducks. My couple of duck hunting friends couldn't make it... and there were no other hunters on the whole marsh. I used my open-choked Baikal SxS 12 gauge as I often do on opening day... but I was really stinking it up! Not sure what the issue was, but I hadn't been shooting at all since January. Just rusty, perhaps. Anyhow, there were plenty of ducks around, and even with me missing or looking the wrong way or otherwise screwing up, I had my limit of 8 by 7:45 am. In typical duck hunting fashion... I had picked up the decoys, packed up my birds, unloaded the gun and was just about to head for the truck when I hear honking. I look up to see a pair of Canadas cruising along the shore, maybe 10 yards high. I desperately tried to dig out a couple of goose round from my bag, but by the time I stuffed them in the gun, the birds were already past. Something like that always seems to happen just after I pack it up for the day! Anyhow, nice opening day and I'll have at them again maybe next weekend.
 
Had my first serious hunt in probably 5 years, was a blast!
The birds came in great an both I and my hunting partner limited our take and watched group after group come in, many landing right in the landing zone
Was shooting a Beretta muzzleloading shotgun for another first experience
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Well done Spank.
I can recall how keen I was 50 some years ago , to go out with my dad on opening day. Then how keen my son was.
Now it is back to my neighbour and I as my son could be tied up with a new baby very shortly.
My hat is off to you for taking this young man out.
 
The Flint&Fly Guy said:
Had my first serious hunt in probably 5 years, was a blast!
The birds came in great an both I and my hunting partner limited our take and watched group after group come in, many landing right in the landing zone
Was shooting a Beretta muzzleloading shotgun for another first experience
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Now that is very cool!
 
Went out for a quick hunt this morning.

No decoys, sitting on the bank of a creek feeding into a major lake.

I'm very amateur at duck hunting. I am quickly finding out that I am not very good at shooting while sitting down (maybe really not very, I'm not very good in general). I got a couple mallard hens and a teal. I expended an embarrassing amount of shells doing so. Could easily have limited out if I was a better shot

Loving my new franchi affinity, now I can shoot at the air around ducks much more efficiently.

Passed on a few flights because they would have landed on the far end of the creek which is slightly too deep to wade across if I had managed to hit them. Took some self control.

Unrelated but anyone in regina who owns a dog want to go duck hunting :D
 
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