BilletHead

Will update some. Been involved in three more hunts. Did a little driving and found a little oxbow wet area off of a river. Flushed about a hundred mallards. Wow is all I thought. Made a plan and Saturday morning The Mrs. and I took the four wheeler around a very muddy corn field to the oxbow. Less than knee deep about sixty yards long and very narrow maybe six yards at the widest place. North wind so we sat on the north end. Dozen decoys and a butt bubbler. We snuggled up under a small pin oak on shore. Daylight and duck city but we only took one there as they centered in on a pond across a fence a hundred yards away from our hide. I mean hundreds of mallards including woodies. Quite a show. After the morning blitz a group of four greenheads came over the treetops from the pond and sat down away from us in the middle of the oxbow. Mistake of not setting up in the middle. Scared them off and moved to the middle. Soon a few more got up off the pond and started moving. We than decoyed three and got them. Things got quiet and the Mrs. decided to walk up and peer at the pond across fence. What she saw made her squeal look at the ducks as they flushed in a flurry. They got up in a swarm . I then walked up to see the pond. It was full of water and had flooded into some timber. You could see the muddy water where they had been bobbing for acorns. Wow moment. We picked up and in the photo you can see the little puddle we had hunted, Got out of that place and on the way out found the cattle farmer of the pond. Asked for access. Well he said when were you going to hunt it? Why I ask is we lack one doe for my daughter and we were going to hunt it Sunday. I replied hey we won't even hunt the oxbow as to not mess up your hunt. Thanks he said you just hunt that pond anytime you want! It will be a good place if the birds stay around. It will be tough getting in there and trying to slip gear under a very nice tight fence but maybe a Thursday hunt with the Mrs. She suggested I go ahead and do it Monday (yesterday) but like what a wife might do I think it was a test to see if I would go without her. Nope I won't bite that one off! Dinner Saturday was peppered mallard. Sunday morning we made a quickee to a slough here next to the house hoping for a duck or two. Nadda , nothing. Then Sunday Evening I was trying to decide where to try? Then the phone rang, Cajun back from La. Hey want to go in the morning? Sure! Back to the duck park. Cloudy Set up and there was a small daylight flight of woodies. I drop one and it went under the grass and disappeared. Gone, bummer It really bothers me bad to loose one. Then a few mallards here and there looking but not working. Mark says if that sun would come out. Then the clouds start to break birds start moving and then it was like an Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh moment. Down from the heavens they came and it took fifteen minutes and we were done with four mallards each. No scratch ducks around so we quit. Mark says I'm going again in the morning (Tuesday) wanna go. Dang I can't got a friend that is going to install a pellet stove in the morning. So as I assisted in the pellet stove installation I get a text from the Cajun saying done at seven thirty, So we will see what the BilletHead's will do next?

Well done Mike. Strange season for sure. We are scratching out a few more. I should add to my report soon, BilletHead

Well done Mike. Strange season for sure. We are scratching out a few more. I should add to my report soon, BilletHead

Thank you and good job, BilletHead

Managed area but in an open zone. No draw just a blitz across the wetland to the place of your choice. Yes this is what I felt like in the dark as we sped through the trees dodging all the wood. All other stuff we just seemed to glide across.

Thanks gentlemen, So wench you think you might find a duck rig like that on a beer budget? On second thought If I took off through the wetland like Mark did in the pitch dark I would of made Mrs. BilletHead a poor widow woman. BilletHead

A few birds around BilletHead land, very few. I have went four days with the Mrs. with me for three of the days. Strange how we have had cold weather like last season but not many birds on our places so far. Last year we had bookoos of birds already. So far in the South zone nine ducks. 1 gadwall, 3 mallards and five green wings. 9 canadas too. Have rendered two and a half quarts of goose fat from those geese. That stuff is amazing! I did get in three hunts in the middle zone. One solo with the kayak and that take was two gadwall and a green wing. On that day I got to witness a guy jump a levy in his boat with a surface drive, no kidding just like on swamp people he was actually air born for a second! The other two hunts are ones I will remember for a long time. I had met a true Cajun from Louisiana during teal season two years ago. He is an off shore oil rig worker. He spends almost the whole middle zone season here in Mo hunting. He told me we should hunt sometime. We did once last year and did good. With the big freeze last year I even got to introduce him to field hunting. He really liked that and he got the gear and finished his season that year in the fields.. Now to the two hunts with him this season. He has the stuff to hunt open duck park areas. A gator trax with a big surface drive. We were done the first morning at eight thirty with four mallards each and our scratch ducks were green wings. Day two four green heads each and scratch birds a mix of gadwall and widgeon. Done by seven thirty. It literally rained duck that morning. Here are some photos. The hunt with Mark the Cajun and a couple of our birds from two hunts, BilletHead

Well done John P. Thanks for the report and photo, Love seeing everyone's pictures, BilletHead

Hey Duane, Thanks for the report. Nice hat too BilletHead

Just saying Wrench the better fishing you get your bride into! Isn't that right Justin? Happy wife, happy life, BilletHead

Amen Rps, thankful we are for so much. Thankful for friends and enemies on here. Hopeful for a good south zone starting tomorrow. Also hoping to rub more of a good season to that feathers and fins fellow.

Neat Justin, Mrs. BilletHead says that is her kind of romance BilletHead

Loose lips sink ships, This is why I am ever so careful who and where I am able to take people especially on private ground, yes you can have the same problem even on private. I have even encroached on some of BirdWatchers ground but with permission from him even though I had been granted trespass from the landowner. AND I would take him to my other spots if we wanted. Trustful friends can be hard to find. If you don't want company don't spill the beans. Even without telling you can be seen or heard and give up your spots. Speaking of public ground Scott I got some intel for the place you like to hunt West of me, BilletHead

HAHAHAHAHAA I going into the hole on this one. BilletHead

Glad you got it picked up Ronnie. Money back guarantee if it doesn't work for ya, BiletHead

This won't cost a bit. Leave wallet in the vehicle, on second thought I left my shopping list with Jim

Ronnie stop by the fly shop sometime in the next couple of days. Billethead

Uh ooooo, Mrs. BilletHead just giggled about that and said Sadie needs to give him a talk about such things. Never busted one on a motor but have blown up a couple on pinch points next to rocks. Just one more cast and another inch or two and BLAM there goes another one!

So are you saying it will end up in a tree?

Why yes we do tie on some of those humpback popper hooks. You know that shad colored single hooked popper you have in your possession? Yep you have one of those hooks. Maybe you should send it to Ronnie ? BilletHead

I don't beg just pout like a big baby, BilletHead

I know that Wrench, I have some Gavin blockheads and they work well. Just got to give the Flysmallie a ration of crap. Foam for heavens sake, BilletHead

foam, Foam, FOAM ? What is that you say ? Blasphemy! Foam has no place in the home made popper world! HA And to think you are my popper hero, BilletHead

Ness Ronnie is so busy with all the irons he has in the fire. I for one think he will make a statement when he gets one done. Ha I may have to leave him something at the fly shop to hold him over. BilletHead

I think it is the way to go Ness. Many possibility's. Dremel out a chamber for a rattle? I'm working one up for a spinning rod too. I'm not into that much anymore but I have a friend who I think will throw it. It will be a popper wit two trebles. If it turns out I will share a picture, BilletHead