I'm an avid outdoors-man who has just recently--in the last three years--been introduced and hooked on waterfowl hunting. With previously sub-par deer hunting land (it has improved drastically this year) and the unquenchable thirst for being out in God's creation (relax, this is NOT one of those posts) I have slowly become addicted to chasing and calling to "wing-tips and tail-feathers."
After my first waterfowl hunt (pass shooting woodies, don't do that to your friends folks!) I bought a dog, he is yet unproven in the field, but I think he's ready.
In the nearly three full seasons of waterfowl hunting my bag count is low, something around 6 geese, 1 blue-winged teal, and 5 mallards. I've hunted from shorts and a t-shirt to as many extra layers as I could find and still manage to shoulder a gun. I've been there to see one dog's first field retrieve (Hunter) and to see a dog's last bumper retrieve (Benelli- RIP). Just this year I helped a fellow new-comer to the sport to kill his first duck. We actually used a piece of vinyl soffit as a flag when there was no motion in the decoys, I was sitting at the edge of the water kicking my foot to get waves going, calling with one hand, and flagging with this ridiculous piece of equipment in the other in order to bring down just two ducks.
After getting my feet wet in the sport, both figuratively and literally, I've decided that this is a nice reprieve from the mundane yet necessary quiet and calm of deer hunting. And as such, I've done some digging, some rigging, and some begging in order to get myself set-up for next year's waterfowl season. With some friends and some newly acquired ground and shoreline to hunt, 2014 is already shaping up to be a stellar season for making wary waterfowl fall from the skies.
Next season I'll have a boat to hunt from. I found out that my buddy has a frame for a blind for the boat that he sold me last year, I just need some fast-grass and some slight alterations and I'll be hunting from a boat. I plan to add a baby mojo or two as well as a jerk-rig and possibly a home made mallard machine to my already existing duck spread of an available three dozen (or so) dekes. This winter I also plan on adding between four and six floating goose decoys to my spread. I don't plan on hunting Geese exclusively on the water, but where seasons overlap I'd like the option. Add some afternoons this summer training the pooch, with my daughter in tow of course, and some other small details (call lanyard, etc...) and I should be a feather-felling machine!
Usually this is the point in a post where I ask for some sort of advice, tips, tricks, etc...but not today. Today I've got a tree to decorate, presents to wrap, and trips to Gander Mountain and Cabelas to plan. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Flight!
After my first waterfowl hunt (pass shooting woodies, don't do that to your friends folks!) I bought a dog, he is yet unproven in the field, but I think he's ready.
In the nearly three full seasons of waterfowl hunting my bag count is low, something around 6 geese, 1 blue-winged teal, and 5 mallards. I've hunted from shorts and a t-shirt to as many extra layers as I could find and still manage to shoulder a gun. I've been there to see one dog's first field retrieve (Hunter) and to see a dog's last bumper retrieve (Benelli- RIP). Just this year I helped a fellow new-comer to the sport to kill his first duck. We actually used a piece of vinyl soffit as a flag when there was no motion in the decoys, I was sitting at the edge of the water kicking my foot to get waves going, calling with one hand, and flagging with this ridiculous piece of equipment in the other in order to bring down just two ducks.
After getting my feet wet in the sport, both figuratively and literally, I've decided that this is a nice reprieve from the mundane yet necessary quiet and calm of deer hunting. And as such, I've done some digging, some rigging, and some begging in order to get myself set-up for next year's waterfowl season. With some friends and some newly acquired ground and shoreline to hunt, 2014 is already shaping up to be a stellar season for making wary waterfowl fall from the skies.
Next season I'll have a boat to hunt from. I found out that my buddy has a frame for a blind for the boat that he sold me last year, I just need some fast-grass and some slight alterations and I'll be hunting from a boat. I plan to add a baby mojo or two as well as a jerk-rig and possibly a home made mallard machine to my already existing duck spread of an available three dozen (or so) dekes. This winter I also plan on adding between four and six floating goose decoys to my spread. I don't plan on hunting Geese exclusively on the water, but where seasons overlap I'd like the option. Add some afternoons this summer training the pooch, with my daughter in tow of course, and some other small details (call lanyard, etc...) and I should be a feather-felling machine!
Usually this is the point in a post where I ask for some sort of advice, tips, tricks, etc...but not today. Today I've got a tree to decorate, presents to wrap, and trips to Gander Mountain and Cabelas to plan. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Flight!
