Bird Watcher

Yeah, I forgot you guys have your own messed up zone boundaries over there like we do over here on the West side.

Weird, but I was just thinking about that the other day. Where's he at Wrench?

We had lots of guests and had a good time, but we didn't let these 9 party goers leave. They had to stay. Sorry for the crappy cell pic. My phone was about dead. Good times Marty! Lets do it again sometime.

Don't quit JD, you just have an acute case of Parkapainintheassiscitis. It's a common ailment among Missouri duck hunters. That's acutally one of the reason's I love this time of year is because I think the hard freeze will push them out of the duck park refuges.

Marty, I really think that when it's this cold and their roosts are trying to freeze up, they spend the better part of the day keeping the water open by bathing, splashing, swimming, etc. It seems like once the day goes on and they are sure their roost will not freeze, they will make a mad dash to the calories right before dark to gorge and then head back to the roost after sundown or so. I really don't think they stay out there much after dark though. We've been shooting this field and then running back to the truck leaving our gear out while the ducks swarm it. We've been letting them feed on it undisturbed until about 10 til six and by then we can see flocks starting to head back to to the roost.. I think I'm giving them a little too much credit for thinking in my above statement, but that's what I think happens. It just seems like the colder and more frozen it is, the more it's an afternoon shoot.

Mallards and cornfields. Some of the best mallard hunting a guy can go is out there right now. I don't think we've shot a duck before 4:30pm either of the last two days but we've been limited on mallards before 5pm both days. I don't think we've worked a flock less and 100 birds. This is the time that I wait for every year. It's like duck season just started for me. Thanks to Billethead for the heads up to go look for some dry feeding ducks.

Marty just called and asked me to post up for him as he's having a little trouble getting on the forum. I'll let him fill in the details, but he, the Mrs., and a couple of his friends from St. Louis had a super shoot this morning. Sounds like they were making it rain! Here's a little teaser.

I need to do that soon before the season ends. Have you been seeing any of the rebounded population of scaup? I think I'm going to burn up dirt roads tomorrow. Marty has me worked into a lather with these stories of green and yellow he's been telling me about on the phone. I think it's time. I've been watching a little flock of the green headed corn grinders jump back and forth from a cornfield all morning long down here by work. I need to go find some.

Nice variety Scott.

I've been having the same problems.

To the OP, It hasn't really effected me. I've always been cheap and always will be.I bought a lot smaller house than I could afford. I wear clothes till they fall apart and then I sew them back together. I don't use credit cards. I have them, but I don't use them. I drive a small 4 cyl truck and bought a boat that was small enough to tow with it. I've always patched my gear back together instead of buying new when possible. When I do buy replacements, a lot of times its used. I've got more stuff held together with cable ties and jb weld than anyone I know. Most of the year, I primarily use live bait that I catch myself. What artificials I need, I buy in bulk and they last me 5 years or more. I can usually go fishing 3 or 4 times on one tank of gas in the boat. Po' folks got po' ways. All I've ever really wanted out of hunting and fishing is just to be able to go. I've always been aware that the less I spend on gear, the more money my budget allows for gas and the less gas I use, the more times I get to go. That's all that has ever really mattered to me...Just being able to get out. My young family definitely influences my decision to stay home more these days than the economy does.

There's over 500,000 ducks on the West side of Missouri in the duck parks alone.

That's so awesome. Good deal Marty.

I had one hit in my lap in a layout blind 3 or 4 years ago. There's no getting out of the way. you just hope they don't have a broken wing bone sticking out. I couldn't believe how hard it hit. It bruised my thigh through a pair of thick coveralls. It felt like 50 pounds when it hit. I think the mass will hold up North of I-70. We may have a few push on down, but I think it will still take another round of snow on top of what already fell in North Missouri. I hope the Christmas day system develops right. It could get really good if it does.

Merry Christmas to all of you. Marty, I might be in your neigborhood in the morn. Send me a text if you are out. I'll pour you a cup of coffee.

I have been trying really hard to be a good boy this year. I know there was one that one time when the OL was doing the dishes and I goosed her as I walked by, but I apologized and I think she was ok with it. I may have also been responsible for a curse word that my 4 year old daughter started saying, but I explained why it was wrong and she has stopped. So here is what I'm asking. Please, Please, Please let the White Death of Storm Draco blanket Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Please also let the next round of Storm Euclid continue to pummel the same states with layers of frozen precipitation. Please let the horde from the North descend upon the grain fields of Missouri with reckless abandon and hungry bellies. It has been so long since I've seen them and I really think that I and my waterfowling brethren would really appreciate a visit from them. That's it. That's all I want. If I get that I'll be a happy man.

I copied this from another site: Dec. 8, 2012 A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Bassmaster Classic on its way to Oklahoma, along with new facilities at Grand Lake The Bassmaster Classic is like a Super Bowl or World Series for fishing, and the event is headed to Oklahoma this winter. Grand Lake of the Cherokees will host the Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament Feb. 22-24, 2013. The event is expected to draw 70,000 visitors and account for more than 20,000 hotel nights in the region. Even more important, the event is expected to pump $24 million dollars into the economy of Tulsa, Grove and other communities around Grand Lake. At its December meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission heard a presentation on the upcoming Classic. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will be involved in the event by helping with the live release of fish back into Grand Lake following each weigh-in, through booth participation at the event expo, as well as through an extensive project to help the host community of Grove to develop world class fishing, boating and tournament facilities on the lake. With over 15 hours of national media attention on ESPN and ESPN2, the Classic will be an enormous asset to the local economies and to the promotion of fishing in Oklahoma, according to officials with the Wildlife Department. Weigh-ins will be held at the BOK Center in Tulsa, which will be filled with an estimated 15,000-18,000 spectators at each of three different weigh-in events. The winner of the Classic takes home $500,000 in prize money plus inevitable sponsorships and the most coveted prize in competitive bass fishing. "It really is the top prize in professional bass fishing," said Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department. "It's easily the biggest fishing event that will ever come to Oklahoma." While expressing the magnitude of the event, Gilliland also noted that the Classic represents a tremendous opportunity for developing the region further for recreational use by anglers and boaters. "The Bassmaster Classic is going to be a starting point for a lot of things that will be happening in the Grand Lake area and 'Green Country' in general," Gilliland said. "As big as Grand Lake is and as popular as it is, it doesn't really have big-time boat launching facilities. The City of Grove has stepped up and is cooperating with us and some other partners to try to make that possible, not only for the Bassmaster Classic, but for the future." Wolf Creek Park in Grove is being renovated to provide six boat ramp lanes, parking for up to 300, restrooms, pavilions, a drive-through weigh-in station, courtesy docks and more. The two-phase project will result in a multi-million dollar, first-class facility for the public to use. "This facility being built at Grand Lake is not just for the big level tournaments," Gilliland said. "But the City of Grove is trying to make something that the local fishermen can use so that they have some nicer facilities to be able to do some of their weigh-ins." Over the course of the two-phase project, the Wildlife Department will contribute about $3 million, which will be combined with several million dollars provided by the City of Grove, Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Grand River Dam Authority - which owns the lake. The second phase of the project could include other partners as well. "It's a big deal," Gilliland said. "I'm hoping that the folks at Lake Eufaula and at Lake Texoma and Ft. Gibson and some of our other major reservoirs get really jealous about seeing all this, because we'd like to do this same kind of project at those lakes and put in some really first-class facilities at other places around the state." A recent episode of the Wildlife Department's Outdoor Oklahoma TV show featuring the upcoming Bassmaster Classic can be viewed on the Outdoor Oklahoma Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/outdooroklahoma.

supposedly, they are going to widen the Wolf Creek Ramp to accomodate launching of 6-8 boats simultaneously and accomodate parking for 300, but last I heard there hasn't been any work started. They received some funding from the state to help so I would think there would be some pressure to get the work completed, but one just never knows with the good ol GRDA.

River of Four.

A friend had a ressi. Alarm went off at 0200...Wait a sec., What? You gotta be kidding me. To go to the duck park? Went to the draw @0500. Pulled pill, drew pool, went to friends duck camp and went back to sleep. Woke up at 0900, Went to town and ate heaping plate of B&G, eggs, and hashbrowns. Went back to camp and loaded layouts and hooked boat to truck. Arrived at ramp @ 1030. Drank coffee on ramp and watched buddies son limit out in back of pool through binoculars for an hour. Talked about how desperately we did not want to break ice and sweat in our waders. Set up at 1230 in buddies sons open hole. Realized that with warming temps and rotting ice it was no longer a sweet spot. Relocated to apparent new sweet spot in pool. Started at 1430, done at 1530, well to be fair, we didn't try to get all our scratch ducks We just shot 13 greenheads. One of them was a real nice one. The elusive spoontang. Never shot into a flock. We just let those land. Only shot at singles and took turns.

I like it. I've never seen it before, but I like it.

I've been getting daily text pics from Black River. Lots of limits, but lots of brown. Lots of sweat and mosquitos too from what I understand.

There have always been Calendar Migrators and Snow line birds. Some will migrate based on the photoperiod shortening and some will only migrate when their food gets covered by snow. It's two different survival strategies. Use the calories to migrate thousands of miles to more hospitable climate, or save the calories and use them instead to try and stay warm as far north as possible. The latter choice has become more appealing/successful to the birds because of chaging ag practices IMO, like Scott was saying. I also agree, the ones that migrate based on photoperiod will usually have the greatest diversity but the ones that follow the snow line will tend to be green headed and black headed with white cheek straps.

It's weird, but during the course of daily activities I freeze my butt off, but I would do just about anything for 6" of snow from Butler, MO, North to Canada and Daytime highs in the teens.

Just needs to move a little South.