JohnP

Very few birds seen today. Thought we'd see a lot more birds flying ahead of this front but it wasn't so, atleast on the section of BS we were on. Started out seeing a pair of mergs fly up the creek right at shooting time and 15 mins they back thru never really offering a shot. About 8am 3 greenheads and a hen give us a sneak attack fly thru and continued on down the creek, hit em with a quick "come on back" call and they promptly whipped a Uey and circled us twice before callin' the shot. Managed to drop the drake on the second shot, 1st shot rocked him but didn't fold him so followed up with another which brought him down and threw a hail mary shot at another drake with no luck. Glanced over to see the hen folding up and to watch the other 2 drakes kick it into high gear outta there. Sat till 9:30 without seeing another when out of nowhere 3 gaddies dumped outta the clouds and preceeded to land about 500 yds down the creek and they wanted nothing to do callin'. Sat for about another hour before callin it a day. All in all a good day just to be out. One thing I have noticed this compared to years past is a increase in bald eagles and got me to thinking if that might have something to do with the lack of ducks I'm seeing in the areas we hunt???

Congrats, kind of the same results for us this morning. Seen 9 and managed 2, should of had all 4 that came in but some mighty fine shootin' skillz didn't make it happen . Kinda torn if I'll duck or deer it in the morning, still have 2 unfilled bow tags and a meatless freezer so I'm leaning towards sittin' and shiverin' in a tree.

That wasn't you in the gray truck with the ladder rack pulling the duck boat on 160 heading to beaver creek this afternoon was it? There was a few ducks in the mud flat across from walleye haven but nothing that made me want to tromp thru that muck

Didn't find em . Hunted Bee Creek on BS till 10:30 and only seen 9 ducks (4 mallards, 2 megs, and 3 gads) today and only had the mallards work us which we managed to get a couple. Drove up to Beaver (slough hollow up past tea tables) and k dock area and didn't see any ducks anywhere other than a couple ponds that were half dozen or less. Cross Creek lake behind sunfest has a good number of ducks and geese on it tho, but their bouncing from there to the golf course and back .

Sounds like y'all had a life times worth of adventures and learning experience in relatively short amount of time. Less is more most definately, especially when it comes to the late season hunts down here. Great pics.

Cool pics. Hopefully be able to something similar in the morning, except over water.

Ok, thanks again.

Originally told it was due to the impending flooding? said they expected more run off from the last snow and rain than what we go, then my buddy got another call a couple days later saying that it was because of the of work being done and the roofs just laying on the ground and the fear of people coming in and stealing them for scrap. Wonder if the gate going in from the sub-division is open as there was a red truck parked up the dam on the river run side yesterday afternoon?

Just guessing, but if water was in a cylinder wouldn't it be missing? Engine ran and sounded normal other than the rattling that I'm thinking is a different problem. If you weren't 3 plus hours away I'd bring it up to you for sure.

Thanks and that's what I was affraid of. Only alarm was back when I had water intake blockage a year or so ago. Nothing ever siezed up and shut down as soon as the alarm went off. Guess it probably could of weakened it and its just now starting to leak.

Here ya go.

Actually top corner of the port side.

Congrats to the youngin's .

Had the boat out this morning and noticed a rattling sound coming from the engine when putting it into gear or taking it out of gear. Sounded like a loose linkage???? Never did locate the cause of the rattling but that was due to my attention being diverted when I took the cowling off and noticed a stream of water shooting out from above the top cylinder. Only place it was leaking, appears to be a pinhole in the gasket. Question is how much of a hassle is it to replace it and if I have to take it in to have it done at a shop how much should I expect to pay? Hoping the rattling sound isn't a part of that problem. Thanks. 2006 2 stroke Yamaha f90.

Looking real ducky but ones gotta be careful if your not familiar with it especially if the water comes up another foot or so. Those sudden drop offs on the field edges can make for a bad day quick. Nothing like being in ankle deep water and then next step droping down 8 ft plus.

A drake greenwing and that was it. Hunted the flooded flat in the mouth of Beaver Creek across from the marina and have to say I was very disappointed in the number of the birds flying, especially from the reports I've been hearing in that area the past few days. Son has hunted Slough Hollow area the last few days and said he's been seen 200 to 300 mallards working the flooded flat across the creek but said they knew where they wanted they to go and couldn't get them to work for anything. Got to the ramp about a 1/2 hour later than I wanted, had 4 give me a fly by as I was throwing dekes out and a pair of mallards work the dekes as I getting back from parking the boat and gun wasn't loaded. Had 3 merganser fly thru just out of shooting range. At about 9 with the dawg getting antsy I threw a stick out for her to retrieve and by about the 3rd throw had a single drake gwt cruise in and land not 10 yds from the dawg while she bringing the stick back. duck jumped up, one shot one kill. Sat till 11 without seeing another duck so went for a boat ride to see if I could find anything. Ran up the creek to Big Rock. Flooded field at the end of Sanders Rd. had a 1/2 doz gwt in it. Couple more divers and a pair of gaddies in the flooded timber just down from Big Rock. Flooded field across from Maiden Bottoms had a few divers in it. figured the divers I seen were the same ones I was just bouncing along. Went for a ride up to Barker Hole and checked every cove and flooded flat up and nothing. Didn't make it down lake to Snapps like I was planning as I kept hearing a rattling in the motor, sounded like a linkage but couldn't locate it but when I took the cowling off noticed water spraying out of a pinhole out of the gasket just above the top cylinder, so headed back to the ramp. Guess I'm done with boat until I can get the gasket replaced . Didn't see any concentration of birds anywhere and not a single goose.

sounds like a awesome hunt non the less.

Sounds like a great trip and awsome hunts. Congrats.

Looks like quite the setup indeed, very nice.

Great pics FnF even it was with a crappy camera.

Great report as usual DD.

Congrats Kayser. Shishkabob'd marinated in italian dressing and brown sugar is one of my favorites. That or sliced up and cooked as fajitas.

A buddy called the Corps office and after about the 3rd person he'd talked to he was told they closed it for the impending high water?????? Granted it won't take too much more to flood it but the ramp is still usable.

Id say you found the "X" Billet.

Merry Christmas to you everyone else as well. Finally got out this morning on Bull Shoals. Hunted til noon and maybe saw 50 ducks, 90% mallards and the rest gaddies and mergs and half dozen geese. Lake is up about a foot from last week from when I scouted it and although the spot on a flat with brush to hide the boat blind looked promising the birds wanted nothing to do with it and acted like stale birds that knew where they wanted to be. Had few try to work us and could of taken some passing shots they just wouldn't commit. Ponds still open for the most part and still holding ducks.