BilletHead

I will show some photos if the event happens. Kind of excited to get after it again. Hope they come back. I got permission to hit a timber pond in the morning. This is a pond that has been there many moons. Last time I was there was bass fishing before I was married. More that 34 years ago. Once a pond in a field which now is surrounded by timber. I have seen geese on it from the road and finally seen ducks going down yesterday. Got the owners name and did the door knock. He said I keep that place for my Son's to hunt. My heart went heavy as I said I understand. Then he replyed they only turkey and deer hunt so go ahead. So on the way home Pat and I took a walk to get a lay of the place. This is a very small place with the pond being about two acres more or less. Geese came off first with a few mallards following, then more mallards and then more yet. No blind will be needed just sit under a oak tree. Bad thing is it will be like the other goose place. I know for darned sure I will bust off birds. Oh well a man has to do what a man has to do. Ok now I have two mornings figured out. Report will follow my friends. Just getting to go with a friend makes the hunt. Taking a bird or two will be a bonus. Fins and feathers this has been a strange year for everyone. The only geese I have taken over a field was during October resident season. With the warm weather all others from water, Last year almost every goose from fields. No wood ducks this year but last year before the freeze I did real well. go figure? Marty

I will be there real early for sure Chris, Thanks Marty

Hey Chris, I made the circuit this morning and the geese were still there.. Found Mike too. He wanted to know if season was still on. I replyed yes and he said he was getting ready to call someone to get into them. I told him I had talked to you and would like to try. He said to get after them.. Only problem is they have been roosting there at night and staying all day. Question I have is Saturday will be the day most likely. Going to be 20 that morning. Most ponds will be iced over. If I bust them off do you think they will trickle back in being it will be mostly open? Also there was some mature pintails too. Never have taken a fully mature drake

I remember the first two of them I shot. Pretty close to the house. There were a bunch of snows flying that day so I called Pat to pick up the little squawkers thinking I might get some snows, NOT. I carried them out of the field to her. She giggled and said what the heck are these? Couldn't you have killed some bigger ones? She had them cleaned and we ate them for lunch. I hope to have you a report for the next couple of days. I really want more ducks, I lack a good duck day, Marty

Cannot go in the morning. The guy that I hunted with two days the week after Christmas will be here Friday and Saturday morning. Looking for a place to get him a bird or two. I would go anytime you would like to try. There at Mike's was a few of those little Richardson's canadas. Man they looked so funny with the big ones. Marty

Thanks Chris, Pat and I will try that for sure. Yes the hostage goose is being treated well and having a good time. He is even in a heated shop when not in use. He might even resist going back to his flock. Why I asked about you coming back up is there was about 200 geese on the pond next to Mike's house this morning. He told me to get after them if you were not hunting but my reply was I would not get into your hard scouting. I even felt bad about the windmill hunt. Mike told me he did not think you were hunting there so that is why I went. i am going to go Friday and Saturday somewhere to finish out duck and then may quit for the season, that is a maybe? Marty

Chris that all sounds good. Where did you get the corned goose recipie? I bet sliced thin that would make some good sandwhich meat. Are you going to make it up to hunt Mike's again? Remember I have a hostage plastic goose It has been treated real well. Marty

Bird Watcher, I made a jerky board. Down towards the bottom of this post I put a couple of photos. http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/index.php?showtopic=31467 With a sharp fillet knife it works real well.

Good Grief! I love this place. I have been keeping track of you all hunting. I was froze up big time here. Friday morning we had 11 on the house themometer. On Pat's way to work she seen 8 on her vehicle. Got out yesterday afternoon for some recon. Had a couple of places half thawed but I knew this morning all would be good to go. Hunted a new place for the first time. We seen some mallards there before. A nice big pond on a low place in a big prarie. First thing getting there busted some roost geese. So windy and noisy couldn't tell if there was any ducks in the mix. Got set up with a mix of duck and goose decoys. Early had three ringnecks bomb in. Did not shoot, I know some of you like them but I think they are just a tad strong especally just searing them. They started diving and doing what they do. Another one soon joined them. About nine out of nowhere five mallards scared the crap out of me and I missed. So, so windy and you couldn't hear a thing. Whitecaps and a couple of my geese floaters actually flipped on there sides. Nine-thirty here came the geese. They circled down wind high and then did there happy di dos on there way down! What a hoot when they do this. Took them forever fighting the wind to drop in. I picked the lead two and shot. They both went down, picked another and he went down too. They were just hovering in the strong wind. it was like shooting a strutting turkey in the air. That was that, picked up and went to the house. Time for slicing Keep up the posts friends, Marty

I too do some reading on other waterfowl forums. I woud not dare post in those hornet nests. I feel home here and can learn from you all, thanks from Marty

I will be gone one week in Febuary. If it isn't that week I would like to attend. I have bookoos goose jerky, Marty

I will Duane! Sounds yummy my friend. Also thanks for the phone visit the other day, Marty

Yes Chris that is where I found it. Mike or one of his hired hands put it by the downed windmill. I hunted that pond yesterday morning. Got my three geese. I just layed there and seen it by the windmill. I just couldn't figure out what it was. Finally I had to get up and see what it was. IT looked as though the cows used it for a football. Just covered with mud! I gave it a bath in the pond and set it out. Good luck I suppose as shortly later the birds came in. I hunted close to the house this morning and got skunked. This pond I was at sits down in a low place pretty much out of the wind. Still decoys, I need to do a goose jerk string like you have made up. I had a few mallards look, swing down and leave. A single drake came back and landed a long way out. I will take good care of your bird until we finally meet. Marty

Again Bird Watcher neat to have your Dad to share a hunt with. Still getting into birds down here. Did you by a chance have a big foot walk away from your decoy set up? If so I have it working with mine and it is safe until you get it Marty

Test here, I think I am good to go. Thanks Phil, Marty

Will be looking forward to it. Count me in Marty

I hope you guys can make a hunt together. I am looking for your report. I have almost as much fun hearing others as the hunts I have here. Marty

Well I wanted to try to sear my first white fronts like I have now started to do with ducks but lost the skin while plucking them. The skin just tore off pulling feathers. I e-mailed the hunter angler gardener cook. This is the website where I learned how to sear duck breasts. I told him my plight of what I had done and how should I do the specklebellies. He told me to properly sear the goose I needed the skin. So this is what he suggested. Jaeger Schinitzel http://honest-food.net/wild-game/venison-recipes/medallions-backstraps-tenderloins/classic-jaeger-schnitzel/ He said to cut the goose breast halves in half length wise and do the pounding. Mighty good let me tell you. Had mixed veggies and smoked cheese mashed taters. I know we (I) sometimes get into a rut of eating things the same old way time after time. I was worried the gravy would mask the taste of the specks but it did not. I will be trying this with other cuts of meat. Bon appetit, Marty

Way to go again Duane. I went solo again this morning and got one greenhead. Really slow here. Bird watcher seen the other post. I was watching for you from the E hyway pond. Thought I saw you but I guess not. I am wearing out up here and will still go some but may be slowing down. Looks like cooler weather is coming, Marty

Got pretty cold up here Duane. I was wondering about you all. We had fifteen here Tuesday morning. Did you stay warm camping? Like you said good company makes it nice. Pat went with me this morning. We busted a bunch of birds off the pond. I was dissapointed as it became like the dead sea. Nothing flying. She said it was just nice to watch the sun rise with each other. That got to me a bit. Soon after that I was just about to call it good and a few geese started moving around. We got three and that was just a little icing on the morning together. Marty

Thanks Chris, Yes mic just what Bird Watcher said and kind of special to me as they are my first ones. Just cool birds too, Marty

I was really wanting for this to happen to me someday and today was that day. After taking off a couple of mornings, cold ones at that. Yesterday early we had fifteen here and ice on most ponds. Warm afternoon and warmer night so it was time to go again. Setting up I had a bunch of roosting birds and they left. I hate to mess up roosts but you never know where they might be for the night. Well as it got light a single speckelbelly came back and dropped in, one down! My very first speck. Then ducks started showing up and three went down. I hear another speck? For real? Yep two more specks and a canada start circling. Here they come and I got my second speck and his friend the canada. the other speck came back three times looking for his buddy. Seen a few more ducks and while working them a trio of canada's came silently and set there wings. I took the lead two and decided to call it a morning. The specks were young and not too white on the belly but none the less a beautiful bird in hand, Marty

Yes then it was you we heard shoot, small world isn't it? I hope we can do a hunt sometimes. I knew there were a bunch of birds roosting on the "Z" farm. Another big farmer I hunt on are real good friends with "Z" and told me to go talk to them about hunting. Just haven't done that. If you have that PM I shot you off a week or so ago remember don't hesitate to give me a ring and I may be around over that way Friday morning somewhere hunting where you seen me, Marty

Bird watcher, one of these days we will meet other than a drive by! Funny is right. Yes we seen you on Tally's pond. We were thinking of going there on Thursday until we seen you all and figured it might need a rest. On "E" that day we got two geese and a pair of ducks. Thursday we went back there, My friend Brad, Pat and I and never fired a shot. On the above mentioned pond with the levee the windmill blew over night before last when the wind switched from South to North. Did you get anything on Tally's? I did see some of the speclebellies on the trailer pond with the creepy dog. I have never taken a whitefront and wanted one bad so Pat and I fought that mud hole in the howling South wind saturday morning. it was white capping. Only had one goose come in and one flock of ducks. Got the goose and two ducks. Where did you hunt Wednesday? Brad and I heard shooting South West of the E pond. Was that you all? Marty who wants a speck very bad

Pretty neat to see the grebes I think. You guys that hunt the big waters have a large diversity of critters to see. Water in the ponds had warmed up enough that turtles were pecking and bumping my decoys the last couple of days. Would like to trade turtles for grebes? 24 here this morning and 19 tonight. Supposed to be 61 next Thursday. Crazy weather. Last year it was froze up tight at this time and all I could get was canadas, no ducks but I think it is because I am not savvy about field hunting ducks. I have now invested in a couple dozen full bodied mallards but I suppose I will not get to use them this year being so warm. When it is froze up big time there was a great flight of canadas morning and evening off of Stockton lake. Thew fly right over the trees passing over the house. One evening I pass shot from the porch, got feathers. Feathers have you gotten your ringneck drake for mounting yet? Pat and I seen a couple of beautiful drakes on a pond yesterday. I sent them your way. Bird Watcher if you are out there we seen about 50 canadas and three lonely snows on Mike's pond next to his house. I hope you had a good week off and hunt, Marty