Sit Still And Good Things Will Happen

[BilletHead]

Sometimes I get a little impatient. Pretty cool here this morning. 24 when I left the house. The misses had to work so I was on my own. The pond is about two acres in size. And only a half mile from the house. More geese starting to show up, still having trouble finding them in fields. They all break up off the roost ponds and scatter to smaller ponds to mill around. I load up a small utilty trailer behind my ATV with what I need and don't need and head out. First thing is I should of had a face mask on cold face, duh! Took my time setting up but still managed to sweat and get damp. Did not set the decoys too far out as I just had hip boots. Noticed a pretty good frost with my head light. Settle in for a beautiful sunrise. No wind, Pond smooth as glass and not a decoy moving, not good and then I noticed the glaze on the decoys where I had splashed water on them, not good and then I noticed how white the ground was and how the frost had now covered my land decoys. Crap I thought as a few ducks started to fly. Making pass after pass and not liking what they were seeing and then leaving. Even in the layout blind my hip boots had frozen stiff. I started to figet some. Ducks quit flying but I could hear geese starting to make noise on two roost ponds/lakes. Soon the first flights of three to a dozen or more are heading out. Over me some come and tilt there heads and do as the ducks did ignore me and my frosty set up and go other places. By now the sun was up pretty good and I noticed the frost leaving the sunny side of the decoys. I get up and spin them around trying to thaw the dark side. More flights stirring and here come more. A pass over, a turn and then eight cupped up with another twenty behind them. I get a little crazy at times too in my shooting but this time I told myself take your time. Just as there little black feet hit the water I let them have it. Three hit the water dead and not even a twitch. I grab my rod and reel and drag them in. While doing this a duck landed and more geese trying to do the same. I get loaded up and the heck out of Dodge for another day. Back home and un loaded by nine thirty. Right now I bet there is a couple hundred that are roosting in a five mile radius of here. Like I said some new birds about. While skinning and slicing the breast sided out I noticed one bird had a #4 shot just under the skin. Next bird had a big, big like size #T heavy shot type not steel about a quarter inch in the breast. Both had healed about completly up. Pictures . The set up, not too pretty but it worked. The results and loaded ready to go back to the house.

[mic]

"I grab my rod and reel and drag them in."

Thats awesome. What a good morning. I need to try duck/goose hunting sometime.

[duckydoty]

That looks like a good hunt to me. I tried a new cove by the dam this morning on Table Rock. Been seeing ducks in there lately. I set up about half way down the cove on the north east side and had a few early mallard fly overs. Took one golden eye after the sun was all the way up and missed on two others then found out the ducks wanted all the way back in the cove. After a couple of dozen landed back there my decoys did not stand a chance. Had to be back home around 10 so I decided to just pack up and save the back end of the cove for another day......like tomorrow or Sunday.

[BilletHead]

Hope you get them good Duane in the next couple of days. Our Son and his family are coming up tonight for our Christmas together. Might get him out on a Sunday morning hunt before they go home. Not going to be so cold that morning. There was some ice today on the pond.

Marty

[duckydoty]

Thanks Marty. Taking the wife and her daughter to hunt Bull Shoals in the morning

[Bird Watcher]

While skinning and slicing the breast sided out I noticed one bird had a #4 shot just under the skin. Next bird had a big, big like size #T heavy shot type not steel about a quarter inch in the breast. Both had healed about completly up.

I cleaned one during early season that had a .22 bullet lodged on the bottom of it's breast..completely healed over...like it had been shot at a long range in the back. They are some tough birds. Nice hunt.

[Feathers and Fins]

Now thats a sweet looking spot... congrats and get back to um.