One of my best hunts ever.

sjemac

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Went out for a water shoot for ducks and geese this morning. We usually quit when we get the duck limit and consider the geese as bonuses. Well today was the opposite. The geese were absolutely suicidal and came in regardless of dogs retrieving or us moving. The ducks were cagey.

We didn't take enough shells. Actually, we did. I shot the last shell (#2 Fed High Density) at a pintail that dropped to complete the duck limit. Two man limit of ducks and geese. 32 birds. 195 lbs. The geese ranged between 8 and 12 lbs with the average being 10.

It took two trips in the boat to get both birds and dekes back to the truck. The dogs retrieved 31 of the 32 birds (we picked up the pintail on the way out). Poacher (the fat yella dog) handled most of the geese and the long retrieves. Jet got the close ones and was sent on the multiples since she is three times as fast as my dog.

16 Canadas, 6 pintail, 5 mallards, 3 wigeon, 2 bluebill.

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The duck rack at home (there is a greenwing and spoonie on the rack that were shot the night before while scouting -- the missing wigeon and mallard are behind the tree trunk).

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Nice haul. The opposite seams to be true around here. Take 1 or 2 geese and the rest are gonzo for hours... the ducks on the other hand, seem to be deaf...could be they know duck opener here in southern Ontario isn't for another 7 days.
 
that's awesome. don't the birds go bad hanging there overnight? is there a reason for doing that?

It never got above 5 here today. The morning was frigid and I lost all my tomato plants:mad:.

When it is colder, I hang all my ducks with the guts in them at least 7 days (and up to 21) before I pluck and gut them. That is a whole other thread on ageing game though. Proper ageing tenderizes waterfowl and improves (as in less gamey) flavor.

So, no, overnight in a breezy shaded area does not make birds go bad. Overnight in a Coleman cooler will. They need air circulation to cool down.
 
Nice haul. The opposite seams to be true around here. Take 1 or 2 geese and the rest are gonzo for hours... the ducks on the other hand, seem to be deaf...could be they know duck opener here in southern Ontario isn't for another 7 days.

Usually the same way here. But today, the ducks didn't return from the fields until near noon, while the geese came all day. We had thick fog and cold temps (-5) that may have altered the equation some way.
 
For whatever reason, whenever I'm in the goose swamp and the birds aren't moving, if you let a few shots out and wait 10 minutes, at least a couple seem to fly in close. I dunno if the echo messes with them or what but...
 
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