My dad and I went hunting every Thanksgiving morning when I was young so I started the same tradition with my 8 year old son Aidan for this year. My usual haunts haven't been producing the way they did last year so I scouted some new country this weekend and went in to hunt one of the areas on Monday morning. Its a long narrow slough that had good numbers of both puddlers and Divers on it when I scouted it.
Took the keeless river canoe out and fought the 20 km/hour winds all the way up the slough (found out it IS deep enough for my little motor
) putting up a few thousand birds. The bottom was hard and rocky and only about waist deep. Put out my decoys (just newly Texas rigged them this week -- AMAZINGLY EASY TO PUT OUT AND PICK UP NOW) and waited. The first hour was all divers, with me taking a canvasback, a redhead, a bluebill and a hooded merganser (thought he may have been a mounter - he wasn't ).
The redhead did something I've seen in grouse but never saw in ducks. When I shot he "towered" straight up 300-400 feet then his head cranked back and he fell straight down dead into the water (about 100 yards away as the wind had him during his free fall).
Cracked a 12.5 lb (on the scale) honker that seemed to want to commit suicide.
The next few minutes saw the ducks that had gone out to feed begin to return. I took a large bull Gadwall then knocked down 3 mallards (single drake and a drake and hen pair) before the first big flocks returned. Was picked up and headed off the slough by the time they really started pouring in (which is great since most of them will still be stupid on the next trip).
Poacher, retrieving the last bird of the day.
Aidan made me proud. It was windy, cold and he got his gloves soaked right away plus his hat blew off his head into the water. His hands were so cold when we got back to the truck that he couldn't even unsnap the buckles from his life jacket. Not one complaint though and he wants to go next time I go hunting.
Getting ready for the ducks.
Gave the "Lil Buck" coup de grace to this canvasback that came back as a lively cripple.
Cold as hell but happy.
Took the keeless river canoe out and fought the 20 km/hour winds all the way up the slough (found out it IS deep enough for my little motor
) putting up a few thousand birds. The bottom was hard and rocky and only about waist deep. Put out my decoys (just newly Texas rigged them this week -- AMAZINGLY EASY TO PUT OUT AND PICK UP NOW) and waited. The first hour was all divers, with me taking a canvasback, a redhead, a bluebill and a hooded merganser (thought he may have been a mounter - he wasn't ).The redhead did something I've seen in grouse but never saw in ducks. When I shot he "towered" straight up 300-400 feet then his head cranked back and he fell straight down dead into the water (about 100 yards away as the wind had him during his free fall).
Cracked a 12.5 lb (on the scale) honker that seemed to want to commit suicide.
The next few minutes saw the ducks that had gone out to feed begin to return. I took a large bull Gadwall then knocked down 3 mallards (single drake and a drake and hen pair) before the first big flocks returned. Was picked up and headed off the slough by the time they really started pouring in (which is great since most of them will still be stupid on the next trip).
Poacher, retrieving the last bird of the day.
Aidan made me proud. It was windy, cold and he got his gloves soaked right away plus his hat blew off his head into the water. His hands were so cold when we got back to the truck that he couldn't even unsnap the buckles from his life jacket. Not one complaint though and he wants to go next time I go hunting.
Getting ready for the ducks.
Gave the "Lil Buck" coup de grace to this canvasback that came back as a lively cripple.
Cold as hell but happy.
