2023 Waterfowl Thread
- Thread starter the spank
- Start date
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
It was another nice day to be out on the lake. Came home with a mixed bag of ducks….mallards, pintails, woodies. Looks like the drop in temperature has birds moving as there were a lot more bigger groups of birds this week.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Most times yes because I don't have time to empty a gun and change shells because often ducks and geese are working the spread simultaneously. If I locate a ducks only shoot then I will shoot smaller shot and throw an open box of larger shot in my shell bag on the blind frame to switch over if I see geese off in the distance and have time to switch. Most times I shoot #2 as my general purpose shot size but I don't hesitate to shoot geese with #3 and #4 (my preferred size for ducks) if they are committed over the decoys.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Nice to hear you're getting out and having success Alvaro. Hope the rest of the season treats you kindly!
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Thank you Frank! Im counting my blessings as I thought I was going to miss the whole season. Luck was definitely on my side!
Thanks Spank
I have some number 2 an old guy gave me but they are pretty old. He told me he stopped waterfowling because the new steel shells weren't as good as lead.
I was using no 3 but switched to no 4. I could attribute my better hit ratio to that but it seems unlikely.
I definitely have the bug now. I'm actually looking forward to getting up bright and early and going duck hunting...
I have some number 2 an old guy gave me but they are pretty old. He told me he stopped waterfowling because the new steel shells weren't as good as lead.
I was using no 3 but switched to no 4. I could attribute my better hit ratio to that but it seems unlikely.
I definitely have the bug now. I'm actually looking forward to getting up bright and early and going duck hunting...
Got skunked today for the first time
Only had 5 ducks come in range; missed one because I had my hands in my armpits, shot at and missed a trio, and missed a single as it was putting the brakes on to land.
Super, super slow today. It was a new moon yesterday so I don't get it.
Super windy, I think I was not leading them enough.
A huge flock of snows passed close, crossing. I only managed to get one bb shell in and at shot at a small speck that was following them and missed.
Going to get a box of new production no 2s for next week.
Disappointing day but did see a pelican, and massive heron
Only had 5 ducks come in range; missed one because I had my hands in my armpits, shot at and missed a trio, and missed a single as it was putting the brakes on to land.
Super, super slow today. It was a new moon yesterday so I don't get it.
Super windy, I think I was not leading them enough.
A huge flock of snows passed close, crossing. I only managed to get one bb shell in and at shot at a small speck that was following them and missed.
Going to get a box of new production no 2s for next week.
Disappointing day but did see a pelican, and massive heron
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Big push of birds the past few days. I am guessing they are moving ahead of the arctic blast set to land upon us starting sunday putting daytime temps in the single digit minuses with as low as double digits forecast on some overnights. Tuesday they gave us a beating but we landed a few good punches and today we did pretty good in my opinion for trying to blend an A-Frame blind into a silaged cornfield and only running 50 snow and 12 speck silos.
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Good job spank.
The snows have arrived here in the Fraser Valley. We have had a good amount of Canadas for a while but the white geese just showed up yesterday.
I haven't found them on the ground yet but I will be scouting today.
The snows have arrived here in the Fraser Valley. We have had a good amount of Canadas for a while but the white geese just showed up yesterday.
I haven't found them on the ground yet but I will be scouting today.
the spank
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- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
So my buddy that was here yesterday asked if I wanted to head to his neck of the woods this morning for a hunt. I got lazy and said I'll come up your way next week. Big mistake...4 of them hunted a pea field this morning and ran out of ammo 13 snows shy of a 4 man limit...211 birds this morning, 187 Snows, 22 Specks and 2 Mallards and one juvie Snow was banded. The only bonus is I don't have to clean that pile!
However I did get one Snow this morning without firing a shot while scouting. I look over a field and 2 Ravens are trying to kill a juvie Snow. They are pecking away at it and it jumps and flies about 200 yards before crash landing, obviously a wounded bird. They dive on it again and suddenly a Bald Eagle is on them. The Ravens take off as the Eagle circles to land. I drove into the field, grabbed the Snow from the brush along the field it's trying to hide in and put it out of it's misery but left it for the Ravens and Eagle to fight over.
However I did get one Snow this morning without firing a shot while scouting. I look over a field and 2 Ravens are trying to kill a juvie Snow. They are pecking away at it and it jumps and flies about 200 yards before crash landing, obviously a wounded bird. They dive on it again and suddenly a Bald Eagle is on them. The Ravens take off as the Eagle circles to land. I drove into the field, grabbed the Snow from the brush along the field it's trying to hide in and put it out of it's misery but left it for the Ravens and Eagle to fight over.
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the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Huge migration happening today. It was warm yesterday with almost no wind. What little there was was from the South.
Overnight temps dropped a bit, not overly cold(6C) but the wind picked up and switched to W-NW after a thunder storm around 9pm. The wind this morning had a real Arctic chill to it, a preminition of what is in store over the weekend!
Sitting in the blind this morning we watched flock after flock of Specklebellies, Canadas and Swans riding the winds SE.
It pushed some new Canada's and ducks into our area and we had about double the # of geese come in this morning to what I had watched on the field the morning before.
My buddy and I collected our limit of Canada's and 3 Mallards this morning. There had not been a single duck on the field the day before but at daybreak our first shots, well my first shots were at a flock of maybe 15 Mallards backpedaling into the spread 3 feet above the decoys. I knocked down 4 with 3 shots but lost one that suddenly came to life when I reached out to pick it up and flew off with me standing there dumbfounded without a gun in my hand. The other three were stone dead.
Overnight temps dropped a bit, not overly cold(6C) but the wind picked up and switched to W-NW after a thunder storm around 9pm. The wind this morning had a real Arctic chill to it, a preminition of what is in store over the weekend!
Sitting in the blind this morning we watched flock after flock of Specklebellies, Canadas and Swans riding the winds SE.
It pushed some new Canada's and ducks into our area and we had about double the # of geese come in this morning to what I had watched on the field the morning before.
My buddy and I collected our limit of Canada's and 3 Mallards this morning. There had not been a single duck on the field the day before but at daybreak our first shots, well my first shots were at a flock of maybe 15 Mallards backpedaling into the spread 3 feet above the decoys. I knocked down 4 with 3 shots but lost one that suddenly came to life when I reached out to pick it up and flew off with me standing there dumbfounded without a gun in my hand. The other three were stone dead.
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the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Saturday the weather forecast for the coming week starting Sunday(today) took a turn for the worst or best if you're a waterfowler and waiting for a push of fresh birds so Saturday I spent the day getting caught up with yard chores, smoking the last of the trout and processing goose meat in the freezer to make room for a deer or two as it will only be a matter of hours before our waterfowl season is likely going to end abruptly in this area and rifle deer starts in 9 days.
After doing the chores my wife and I went out and set out our two deer blinds and trail cameras. I didn't have time to scout but while setting out the deer blinds I watched about 100 Canada's set into the next quarter west which is all on the land I hunted Friday and where we hunt deer(very handy & blessed).
I have a great relationship with the landowner and have 11 quarters(1760 acres) to myself. After finishing the deer blind we took a quick run to check on the birds we'd seen and this morning I awoke early, got dressed, headed to the field and set up alone to hunt.
I set out a whole single pack of Big Al's X-14 silos and tucked my Tanglefree Solo Blind against a bale.
The day broke overcast with strong North winds and -1C temp.
Very few birds moved at first light and I was starting to wonder if they booked out on the N wind through the night but then the roost located on the neighboring property about 3/4 mile North came to life. Instead of the 200-250 Canada's that had been using it there was probably 2500 -3500 lifted off over the next 30 minutes. New birds looking for somewhere to feed!
It wasn't long before birds were coming my way and I trafficked a limit in four flocks. First a flock of three, second a flock of 30+, a 4 pack and lastly a flock of 5 leading a flock of 50+ within a span of thirty minutes. I was limited out, packed up and birds cleaned by 9:45am.
We have snow forecast starting tonight, with accumulations of 5-15cm and the geese in the dugout in the dog park behind my house have been steady all day back and forth field to water. They are likely leaving ahead of this snow!
This may have been my final hunt with the coming cold and snow and if it is, it could not have ended better!
After doing the chores my wife and I went out and set out our two deer blinds and trail cameras. I didn't have time to scout but while setting out the deer blinds I watched about 100 Canada's set into the next quarter west which is all on the land I hunted Friday and where we hunt deer(very handy & blessed).
I have a great relationship with the landowner and have 11 quarters(1760 acres) to myself. After finishing the deer blind we took a quick run to check on the birds we'd seen and this morning I awoke early, got dressed, headed to the field and set up alone to hunt.
I set out a whole single pack of Big Al's X-14 silos and tucked my Tanglefree Solo Blind against a bale.
The day broke overcast with strong North winds and -1C temp.
Very few birds moved at first light and I was starting to wonder if they booked out on the N wind through the night but then the roost located on the neighboring property about 3/4 mile North came to life. Instead of the 200-250 Canada's that had been using it there was probably 2500 -3500 lifted off over the next 30 minutes. New birds looking for somewhere to feed!
It wasn't long before birds were coming my way and I trafficked a limit in four flocks. First a flock of three, second a flock of 30+, a 4 pack and lastly a flock of 5 leading a flock of 50+ within a span of thirty minutes. I was limited out, packed up and birds cleaned by 9:45am.
We have snow forecast starting tonight, with accumulations of 5-15cm and the geese in the dugout in the dog park behind my house have been steady all day back and forth field to water. They are likely leaving ahead of this snow!
This may have been my final hunt with the coming cold and snow and if it is, it could not have ended better!
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the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Well the birds have stuck and are really concentrating on the few remaining waters left open. They have been hitting the feed hard in these cold temps cycling back and forth feed to water all day long all week and new birds are arriving daily as areas further north freeze over and empty out. The past couple mornings were nothing short of spectacular as my buddy Ed and I have tried to get after them before they are gone. Today was just crazy as flock after flock some numbering as much as 1000 birds en-masse descended on a large dugout 300-400 yards from the 40 acres of barley we were set up on to drink before heading out to feed. It was a sight to behold and I am sure we could have easily shot a flat of ammo apiece in short order for the numbers of birds that descended on our small spread of about 7 dozen silhouette decoys. It has been some cold mornings with temps running -9 with wind chill factors hovering around -17 but worth every frozen minute.
Here are a few pics...
Here are a few pics...
