BilletHead

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

Are you going to stay in the blind all day or take a break at camp Schell sometime tomorrow? Marty

Windy, windy, windy. Just opposite of yesterdays south wind. Hit a pond that has been rested for about three weeks. Geese were not even looking but the ducks were. North wind so Pat and I set up on the North side where there was a small break out of the wind. Set up and made a hole right in front of the blinds. Pat has finally got the stink off as far as ducks go. Good shot on the geese but not to quick on getting on the ducks, not so today as they were right in our faces and she whacked some. We got six gaddies and two mallards. Mallards flying with the gadwall. Just finished gadwall fajitas. A couple of photos from this morning, Marty

Beautiful Duane. You are right about finishing off the year that way. Pat and I fought the wind on the praire. White caps on the ponds today. Got a goose early and right before picking up at 10 o'clock a big flock of mallards checked us out. We seen them a long way off fighting the wind. They were almost stationary at times in the wind. Two fell for us. We will be starting off the Next year tomorrow on a pond bank I am sure. Marty

Pat thinks the Summerfresh market on the West side of ElDorado Springs market might have small bundles. If not I have a bunch here you can have if you can't find any. I even deliver. I know they let you pick up dead wood around the campgrounds but I bet it is pretty picked over. Just let me know, Marty

You all have a good time hunting up there Duane. Stir them up and maybe I can get a shot or two as they fly by going South. Remember I am close and if you need anything while camping give us a ring. I am thinking I may take Pat to a pond that has been resting for three weeks. It isn't close to the road so I don't know if it is being used or not. Might just scare off roosting birds and nothing after that but a nice sunrise and mild weather, Marty

Solo hunt this morning. Only one duck and it landed in the decoys way before shooting light as I was adjusting decoys and off it went. Later on geese going from place to place and my little set up they wanted nothing to do with. I knew it would only take time before the pond hopping birds would start milling around. This place is another I have been watching and birds were there yesterday so surely they would be there again? First group wanting in badly coming in low but they had to rise over the power line then a long glide into my face and I dropped two. A short wait and a trio did the same and I ruined one of there days. Picked up and headed back home. Really no place to hide so I had set up on a point and put some big foots to break up the layout. A picture of the set up and the reward, Marty

Watermen and everyone else, The recipe comes in a box, high mountain brand you can get about anywhere. Ducky's sample was the original. We use cajun, pepper and garlic too. Just do as it says with whole muscle meat. I use a Bradley smoker and yes it is idiot proof, good thing too. Taking it off at the right time helps also. Get your meat uniform in thickness. I do one quarter inch thick. I also made a jerky board. Measurements are 10" long, 6" wide. Made 1/4" rails on the sides. I made this to fit a goose breast side pretty perfect. A very, very sharp fillet knife rids the rails as you hold the breast flat. Take off a slab, remove and repeat. Do as the instructions tell you to. 1/4" minuminum 24 hrs set time with the mix. I do up a batch one Evening go a full 24 hrs plus the next night. So about 36 hours or so. Set the smoker for 210 degrees and smoke time 2 hrs and 20 minutes. I have only tried hickory so far. After 4 hours start to check for doneness. You don't want it hard but pliable. I think a dehydrater or oven would work fine too. Here are some board pictures. I used maple for my board and soaked it in mineral oil. My buddy Brad and I talked of making a plastic one from a cutting board. Dado blade, taking out the slot. would be easyer to clean up. Marty

It was pretty funny peeking over the dam. Thinking where would be the best place to set up and hide. And most importantly how to look like mud and hide. I think they will be safe until a big rain, Marty

Way to go Duane, Brad, Pat and myself got four geese this morning. Pretty tough as they are getting smart and the duck flight really sucked this day. We did hear some others shooting this morning to the South West of us. On the way home Brad and I checked out some other places for the future.Pat on the camera. Plus todays haul. Brad is on the way home so I may go solo in the morning. Found where some of them are going, Marty

Duane, You have my numbers and e-mail. I will fix you up. No big secret just good eats. Nice to see you and your friend too. Brad and I were worried if you and your bud got to eating it on the way home it would be gone and MonaChari would miss out. Glad she liked it, Marty

We all get to share posts and pictures of our hunts. I like to see what we do with them afterwards too. Seen photos of Duane's poppers before. Well here is Pat's and my dinner. Pan seared gadwall with a romaine salad. I washed mine down with a cold fat tire. A full belly I have. I won't be dreaming of Santa and his reindeer but of birds big and small cupped and comitted. Merry Christmas to you all, Marty and Pat

Way to go guys, and bands for a bonus. Taking a few days off here. Starting again early this next week. Marty