BilletHead

Thanks guys, John P. The hardest part of field hunting I would say is the scouting time. It reflects in Bird Watcher's name. You should try it. Fun and rewarding. Chris yes the streak is alive and I would say we will keep it this way. Ducky, I keep my fishing hope going through you. BilletHead

I almost feel kind of guilty making another report. Some of you have struggled this season. Not as good for me too but still having some good hunts. This being said when the BirdWatcher calls and says hey I'm going solo would you like to go along? Duuuh Yes tell me where and when. Directions were given and a time. This is way out of my territory a long way. Took off across the field and began to set up. Lots of time and then I spot a brown item way off. I looked at it through my binoculars and told BirdWatcher what I thought it was. He had seen it the day or two before. More on this later. So set up and hid the trucks. A rake was used to get the blinds ready. Nice and hidden. So now we proceeded to visit and solve world problems. We beat up a few people too but most of you on OA are pretty safe It got later and BWatcher began to fidget some. No worry it is a good time no matter what. Soon we seen in the distance birds heading here and there. As we were looking out, blind doors open we hear the sound of wind in wings. BWatcher says straight up we have been busted as we closed the blind doors. No matter the birds dropped right down into our faces. We shot three times each and we had four mallards and a bonus gadwall. High fives and birds picked up with more coming. Second and final group circled and when the time was right up we came and down go our other four mallards. Done! Whoo Hooo . I piled up the stuff in a central location as BWatcher went for the truck. We picked up and drove to the mystery brown blob in the distance. Just as I had thought it was a decoy bag a big one you would keep goose decoys in. As we drove by it there was a head poking out, a goose head. No names or id. Nine fully flocked decoys in there. What a hunt. A photo to share. There is one mallard missing on the pile. It is there though, BilletHead

Way cool friend! I was gifted a two hander. I think it is a seven weight. Messed with it some but not fished with it yet. Low end Cabelas. May have to take lessons from you, BilletHead

Look at that mess of birds! Nice way to burn the day off. BilletHead

The BilletHead is to the point he needs tri-focal glasses. Last time my prescription had not changed and my regular glasses were still in great shape. Insurance will do glasses and frames every year. I tried on some ray bans . I had to add some money to get no line tri-focal in sunglasses. This was by far one of the best things I have ever done. They are nice. They wrap around pretty well and no light creeps in on the sides. BilletHead

There will be days like that John P, I sometimes don't post ours days like that. Others I do. I blunder all the time. Glad your motor straightened up and some ducks cooperated . Cold weather is hard on things. Especially for me because while you were out hunting I was in the truck keeping warm. at one time yesterday I bet we were not too awful far from your location. Just glad it warmed up for our hunt. We will have our flamingo by next season. That is so neat, we have to have fun along the way. If it gets too serious the fun goes out of the adventure. Got a mailer for your poppers. Will have them in the mail in a day of two, BilletHead

So we take a play out of BirdWatcher's play book. Do a looooong scout trip. At the far extreme of our hunting territory more than forty miles away one way. Looking at a river or field hunt. What did we find? Other Hunters? What the heck? The first place a river and field combo was a couple of guys I know and they did good the day before and were going to hunt it again. We moved on to place number two. Get there to see a black SUV pulling a rather large enclosed trailer around the field. I turned around and waited and when they seen me they drove out. I t was a Cadillac Escalade with big rims and tiny tires. I said seeing anything? No just scouting. So where are you from. Lake of the Ozarks, we have been watching ducks on Stockton and trying to find where they are going. I said do you know who owns this place. The driver studders. Well so in so said so in so owns it and that they don't care who hunts it. Mrs. BilletHead pokes me in the side and quietly says calm down. I do and we drive off. So home we go and discuss what to try. I give her our options for an afternoon hunt. Either go to the nearest field we can hunt that is next to a roost pond that has a couple hundred mallards and give it a whirl. This is a crap shoot as the roost lake is surrounded by two miles by one mile of field we cannot hunt. Told her I did not think we would have much of a chance at those birds. Other choice is for geese. A bigger crap shoot. At home we stare at each other. What are we going to do. Well how about the geese? So there is a place, a mega roost and a no go zone. Holding maybe three hundred geese. I guess not a mega roost to some but it is to us. Well they have kept this place open and it has been kind of cold and they did not fly out this morning at 7 degrees. With the hard South West Wind and a warm up to 36 I knew there would be a big fly out this afternoon to find grub. Only problem is the closest field was a heavy disked corn field,. More dirt than corn stalks. I have only seen geese there twice this season and it was cruddy weather when they stayed close to the roost. I had and have no idea where they were really going to feed so it would be one of those lucky traffic hunts where you would only hope you might get one to drop in on there way out. Took every full body I had and a dozen shells/ This gave us four dozen decoys. Needed twice to three times that many I think. We find a burm of sorts where a terrace/catch basin in the field was. Nice deep fescue to hide in. Mrs. BilletHead set up and grassed the layouts. I scatter the decoys. Most in the field but a few up on the raised burm. Set up by 3:30 . Shooting time ends tonight at 5:17. Lay and relax as the wind kicks up dirt across the field. Things start to happen with twenty speckle bellies flying over and they even turned and set wings for a second and then fly off. Wow that was neat. Then flocks start coming off the roost. Fifty, sixty fly over just cocking their heads as they fly over. This isn't looking good I tell the Mrs. Another large mass comes over and several do their twisting turning di do's I call it and the whole group begins to circle. It is going to happen, it is! and they set wings and land way out of range! Crapola I said. More coming and landing out of range. Then more and I bet we had a hundred too far out. Then a group started trotting across the dirt our way. hehehe I mean they are moving fast across the field to us and them more geese circling to come in. I thought there isn't room and they will have to land in our spread. The runners on the ground are now in our decoys and still closing the gap to our blinds. I say hey lets just pop up and shoot them. Mrs. Says we will be shooting our decoys. I say it won't happen as when we get up so will they. So up we go and up they go trying to fight the wind and they roll right to us and we shoot and five drop. Mrs. said She shot twice and got the two she shot at so I suppose the other three make my limit. We start to laugh as there are now geese going everywhere heading out of the field. We gather our birds and the Mrs. says She is happy with five and should we go home? Heck no look more birds coming off the roost. We hunker back down and all these want in. First two break off and sail right in front of us. I mean close and I tell her to shoot. So close you could see their beady black eyes. Up she goes and one shot last bird down. I thought that bird will be bad, shot up bad but nope one in the head and two to the neck. Well done bride of mine. We snap a photo and pick up. A full half hour before quitting time. The smile says it all. I would rather be lucky than good. She thinks I'm special but wouldn't be that way without her,

We are the Zen of mallards hunters. Be patent young master, may the force of the North Winds be with you in your quest, This being said there isn't much around BilletHeadville today. Have made a long trip from home looking. Either have to try to run afternoon traffic for canadas or just sit up in a field for ducks and hope there is a group looking for field. Anyway we try it may be just a long afternoon look into the sky. It has warmed from 7 this morning to 34! BilletHead

No,no,no Boobie I am BirdWatchers apprentice, Birds had left the roost next to this place. As of this morning froze over. BirdWatcher, At the "Z" location there are approx. 500 still there. Talked to big John "Z" and the "boys" will be getting them this weekend. Not sure what or how they are going to do this as the open water is a good thirty yards from shore?

If I share my method Ronnie can I have my 100 points back? Heck you will pick it apart if I do. This build is getting me in trouble. Mrs. BilletHead says where's mine that color? I say honey I have a box full of colors you can use similar to these. Yes she says but it's not like having my own. I got more bodies in the works and I will be spraying one up that will be "Just hers" , BilletHead

Wrench by all means take the challenge. I want to be there with the camera though. Just saying it needs to be documented. John P. Yes whites and I have taken many hybrids on the fly rod version of this popper. I was hoping you could get into those upper Bull stripers with them. BilletHead

hahahahhaahhaha The pink flock would have to be right on the elusive "X" where the birds want to land.

Well this started out as kind of a joke I think. John P. said he would like to put a pink flamingo in his decoy spread. I said the first one to do this that I would make them one of my poppers. Sure enough John took out a neighbors pink yard bird and sure enough he killed ducks with it. I sent him a PM. He uses mostly spinning gear so I made a couple with treble hooks. So here we are the "Pink Shad" one with a prop and one without. These are the second and third I have done for spinning gear. Since I carve them out of balsa they tend to be pretty light. I sized them up a bit larger than I would do for the fly rod. Used big stick on eyes instead of painting them on. I think they will work, BilletHead

Nice, Birds around just have to adjust some. Well done Michael, BilletHead

Whhhhhat Wrench? Me carry decoys? I drive right to my places if not you have got to meet my porter. And another thing I could see you pulling me around in that nice john. Rig a harness to Orion and have him help Jason, instead of a rundown it has become a runaround. I suppose this discussion has showed you both sides and mostly where you want to go and how to get there. In the past I have pulled many boats to places I could of driven to with the right rig. I know as Al has pointed out missed many places that hold fish. I like a nice boat ride to find certain concentrations of specific fish. We all want to do what we like and like what we do. Have you went with someone jet boating? I have in the past fished with a fellow in a rather large jet boat. The guy had nads of steel and was crazy to boot. The welds on the bottom of his boat told the tale. He has had me stuck on gravel bars. He had a hot foot and could run that boat like a banshee. Speed up to a gravel bar trim the motor, slide over and tilt back down hit the gas and keep on going. When I got smart I quit fishing with him. I think I would of had a coronary if I kept it up. Not to the other extreme. With another friend a small 25 jet on a 14' boat. We plane to the point where we get out and examine the shoal. Decide carefully the route to take. I get out and point to the place and my bud slips right through. Most problems sloved. I say most because while persuing a specific contrary group of fishes we hit a rock. A stream of water was spouting from the back of this little boat we were in. We return back to the ramp. Peen the crack best we can. Clean the area and I apply some medical tape to the spot. Again launch and this time miss the rock and fish. Problem sloved and we only had a small seep the rest of the trip. Later to a nice welder and small bead and back to new. As you are doing I am looking for my rig. Not too small and not too big. With Wrenches help and he may hate me whan I am done it will get done. Hate me or not I bet he will fish with me Good luck Jason, BilletHead

Well Wrench my friend I'm not physically able to drag the shoals anymore. That and there are not many people where I go, that and you won't be there unless you go with me will you? That and still no boat yet, that and I am still working on it and you may not want to go in a four stroke boat motor? I said that a bunch and that is that

BirdWatcher you make me feel so special. Ha Ok you are right about the birds. They fell like pennies from heaven and the ones that hit the ground were very nice. They sure do bruise their little breasts when they hit the frozen turf too. Mhowerton. Yes they may stay there and keep it open if I did not scare them off too badly. BirdWatcher may be checking it this afternoon, BilletHead

BirdWatcher, come on you know I can be stupid. Yes, yes you have been there for a scouting trip. Your birds? I made sure I only shot the ones that were staying there. I asked each one before I pulled the trigger if they had been to or had come from the "Z" Lake. In all seriousness thanks for "Watching the Skys" and kind of telling me I was an idiot, BilletHead

Ness! I did call some but really none needed. Might of really had a good hunt if I did not call at all. Private, Good to know and have farming friends. They farm many, many acres. Not all is waterfowl friendly but enough to make a good hunt now and again. POACHING ? What? I don't sneak around, just ask BilletHead

I got some very good intel yesterday morning. When Sir Von Field Marshall The guru BirdWatcher speaks we should listen. We had been shooting the bull on the phone yesterday when he said he had seen some mallards dumping into a field up my way. There was a bit of confusion on which field at first but when we got that straightened out. I decided to drive down to take a look see. He had also found a roost pond and I scoped that too. I got to the field parked the truck and took a stroll. Not much of a place to hide as the field had been disked. Found whre there was an intake in a low spot for draining terraces. Some weeds there. Peeked over a hill and low and behold there was another roost. Large irrigation lake 99% froze with one open place litteraly covered with birds. I quickly ducked and scurryed back to the truck and one the way home called the BirdWatcher. So he says you going to hunt it? I replyed no just goint back to watch them to see where they are going, then make a plan. He responded you are an idiot if you don't hunt it right now. Someone might mess them up before you get to hunt it. Do it NOW ! So I proceed to load up. Fourteen full body geese, two dozen ducks a layout and two mojos. Field frozen so all of this in the back of the truck. Ten miles later I am in the field setting up. 2:30 setting up a tornado of birds coming p off the lake. A group of ten start circling the field as I just stand there. Crap and I bounce the truck across the field to it's hide. As I walk back two birds are circling my spread. They leave as I dive into the blind. Quiet for a while then more birds get up and work me. Still early they are not too serious and they leave. A bit later here comes a group, they circle twice and down they come. Three shots and two drakes down. As I picked them up I peeked over the rise and the pond mass had not scattered. Good BirdWatcher and I had been afraid if I shot that close to the roost I may booger them out? So far so good. I then got to see a flight of assorted birds. A bunch of specklebellies flew over and landed with the ducks, many many snows flying south over me. Great flights of mallards high going south, some of them breaking off to land on the lake. Another group of ducks started working me. Smallish group. And as they started to land on my bad shooting side I wiffed three shots. When I did a large group got off the lake, worked me and then landed a long way off int he field. They fed for awhile and returned to the lake. I thought I still have a half hour before shooting time ends. Then still another group gets up and begins to work me. As they do I see a couple of drake pintail in the bunch. I let them work wanting the sprigs. They circle and circle coming down. Swing to the West and just then out of my right eye a literal cloud of ducks swing and desend on me. I raise on them and shoot twice and drop my other two mallards. So then all heck breaks loose and the sky fills with ducks off the lake. They all scatter some wanting into the field and others going who knows where? I quickly pick up and get the heck out of Dodge. I am not sure if I did indeed booger them out or not. Time will tell. I am glad I went and even more glad BirdWatcher told me I am an idiot. It is getting to the point in this season I need pushed a bit. Some photos of the set up and reward. I had a half circle of decoys. Geese to the right and left with ducks and Mojos in front, BilletHead

Excellent report. Love the photo of Brother Dave over dosed . A good way to go on a walleye coma. BilletHead

Nick you should take a little time and check out the trip Mrs. BilletHead and I take out West to Wyoming. It is in the USA West forum on here. I think there is two summers of posts. If it is a type of trip you might like just PM me for any questions, BilletHead

There you go. That will work. BilletHead

You did it! HA! way to go you win! I will have one before next season and it will be along. Ok you win the next BilletHead popper I make. Are you going to be flyfishing with it or spinning reel? Color prefrence? Maybe pink flamingo pink? You take the cake friend, BilletHead

Fourth annual after Christmas hunt, My friend and his wife came down for the fourth annual hunt we do right after Christmas. Second time his Bride has partaken too. They arrived the day after Christmas just after noon. Mrs. BilletHead was off too so we all had a feast of goose fajitas and headed off for an afternoon hunt. We are not much of afternoon water hunts and as a matter of a fact this was my first one this way. Needed to try this as my field hunting has been non exisisnt this year. We arrive and spook off a couple of small groups of canadas. Set up the decoys and layouts and as we do a couple of singles want in. This was a dark cloudy day with drizzle. As the afternoon starts to vanish we have a double of canadas come and not leave, then a tripple and they go down too. Four shooters and five geese, not too bad I thought as it got darker and darker. I call it as I did not check last shooting time. When picking up five nice groups and some singles try to come in and come to find out we had fifteen minutes more to hunt that day. No pictures taken on day one. A good evening of visiting and deciding what to to thenext morning. Girls say we are not going in the morning! Day two alarm goes off at five fifteen. I suggested the place where I had gone a week or so ago and managed a duck limit and a goose. Drizzle again damp and dreary. Temp around freezing, north west wind. Put out duck floaters, goose floaters and some big foot geese. Five minutes to spare and it began to spit snow. LST arrived and noting. It took fifteen minutes and two ducks shot by and circled for another pass. When they did we lit them up. Brad took the one to the right and I took the left one. As I pulled the trigger I seen the spoon bill. As mine went down I said shoveler. Turns out two smilies. Oh well. A bit later it began to snow harder. Big white wet globs of snow. A trio of canadas came in and again we lit them up and all three dropped. Some larger groups took a look see and veered off. I think they were seeing snow on the field decoys backs. Floaters looked fine as the warmer water kept the snow melted. A pair dumped in and we had too more. Then a single and we were done with geese as the snow got even more heavy. Seen a few ducks more but none interested. Good morning some photos. Sorry for the quality of the pictures as I just took the point and shoot during the crappy weather, Got that batch cleaned and another rather large mid day meal was consumed. Discussion followed for another hunt. We had made up our minds what we were going to do and let the girls in on the plan. Afternoon hunt would be just for geese and since we were done the gals would have to do all the shooting. We picked a spot, snow had stopped and most had melted off. Colder north wind. A hard place to hide as irragation lake low with pretty bare bank backed by fescue. Tried to blend in best we could, girls in the middle with us on the outside doing the calling. Lots of geese flying with big groups ignoring us either going other places or picking out something they did not like. A single then dumped in and The Mrs. took him out. Then a double and each of the ladies tagged one. Ten minutes later LST had arrived and we got up to three groups of twenty or more trying to come in. MAYBE this is why I don't hunt evenings? So three more down. More photos of the spread and hide, Cleaned birds and again discussed the next morning. Going to be a low of nineteen this night. Girls say no way in the morning again! Up again next morning back to same place as night before to ice, ice baby around the bank where we had been hiding the day before. Wind was now out of the south west so we changed banks and set up. We both got pretty cold and all we seen was long distance flights and a big goose egg for the hunters. Mid day rest and another meal again big and tasty. Now where to go? Back to Fridays spot and this time I know quitting time. All four of us again. Just goose decoys again. We see distance flights and a few closer ones but nothing commits. All of the suden I hear a roar which is a single gadwall coming straight down to the decoys. It flared and circled three times looking at us as we called to it. There were four ruddy ducks in the middle swimming around and everytime it tried to land we gave it a come bck call. I thought this bird got confused hearing a duck calling to it but no ducks there to land with. Well third time was the last time when it got a bit too close and Brad took it out. So one duck down and again when picking up geese fogging in. Now i am beginning to dispise afternoon water hunts. No pictures. Home to discuss tomorrow. Tomorrow rrives to seventeen degerees and and again the Mrs. had to go to work and Mrs. Brad says no way she is going. We guys look at each other and neither one of us were smart enough to agree to not go so as Brad says you have to be tough when you are stupid and we head out. This time just for a ducky looking place where we had seen a few day before. As we drive that way my truck read fourteen. Are you kidding me I thought. Why am I doing this? Well misery loves company and yes we were pretty misreable yesterday morning. First thing where we wanted to get it was froze out thirty yards from the bank. We did flush birds out. and did set up near the dam where there was deeper water. We got buzzed by a couple of green wings but all we got was cold so home we went. We went to town and ate at the local greasy spoon for a great burger and suzie q's. Back home for the last hunt. Decided to head to the best goose place where we had got our limit one morning. Got set up with goose and a half dozen duck decoys. Did manage seven mallards to my suprise. No geese in before LST ends but a bunch while picking up. Again now I really know why I am not hunting ponds unless forced to in the afternoon until we have to quit. So the bag for the last hunt with friend, Home for cleaning ducks and a feast of leftovers. A good visit and as the hours got later and more talking. I see Brad's eyes go closed right in the middle of a conversation. he nodded off in the middle of me talking. I did not want to admit of being tired and hurting and neither did he. Today all is quiet and I will be taking a break, BilletHead