Well, I've been having more than my share of good luck with pheasants over my new yellow lab Pearl this season, so I decided it was time for a change of pace. Pearl was pretty beat up after two big hunts this week, so I left her with Mum for a rest and put a canoe on the car to try to jumpshoot some ducks. I planned to sneak up a little braided channel to see what I could do. I brought two paddles, as I always do anyways, but this time it was so I could drop one in the water quietly and pick up my shotgun to jump some ducks. That was it. No decoys, no calls - just two paddles and a shotgun. I brought a blaze vest/cap and a handful of grouse shot as well - knowing that there was some nice grouse cover along on stretch of bank.
Right away I noticed when I arrived that sneak-hunting in the canoe was out of the question. The ducks were there, but the water was so high that there was no way to sneak along in the channel without getting busted right away. I tried anyways, but it was beyond futile. So I was glad I brought my blaze and grouse stuff! I pulled into a bend near the grouse habitat and dragged my little canoe up out of sight. Suited up and off I went. Without the dog, I hunt slow - five steps, stop for a five count, repeat... I flushed two, but it was thick in there and I had no good shot. I did that for a while and then I heard some ducks babbling away in a bend in the river that came close to the thicket. I quietly opened the shotgun and put some non-tox in, and tried to sneak up on them. I got to the edge of the bush OK, but they could see me plain as day (I hadn't taken my blaze off) and so they just swam downstream and then flushed. Darn. I was watching them go when there was a rustling right under my nose, and a big rooster went cackling up. Scared the crap out of me! So much for giving the pheasants a break!
Right away I noticed when I arrived that sneak-hunting in the canoe was out of the question. The ducks were there, but the water was so high that there was no way to sneak along in the channel without getting busted right away. I tried anyways, but it was beyond futile. So I was glad I brought my blaze and grouse stuff! I pulled into a bend near the grouse habitat and dragged my little canoe up out of sight. Suited up and off I went. Without the dog, I hunt slow - five steps, stop for a five count, repeat... I flushed two, but it was thick in there and I had no good shot. I did that for a while and then I heard some ducks babbling away in a bend in the river that came close to the thicket. I quietly opened the shotgun and put some non-tox in, and tried to sneak up on them. I got to the edge of the bush OK, but they could see me plain as day (I hadn't taken my blaze off) and so they just swam downstream and then flushed. Darn. I was watching them go when there was a rustling right under my nose, and a big rooster went cackling up. Scared the crap out of me! So much for giving the pheasants a break!
