Still Have A Few Birds

[BilletHead]

Actually bookoos birds but very localized. Big freeze up. Frozen is the word. Ok I have a pond in the middle of a disked corn field that has been drilled in wheat. I know it is being used as a roost pond. I slipped in and took a peek over the dam. Full of birds . They have a fifty yard by thirty yard place open. I thought there is no way another bird could fit as I heard a mighty roar over head as a group of a hundred ducks landed. I backed off wondering how to figure out this debacle. So I watched this mass of ducks and geese for three days. 3 to 4 hundred ducks and I bet that many geese. Since this is the only place I have birds I am not going to mess with them. They have been staying on the water until a half hour to fifteen minutes before sunset. Then come off go over some trees and feed next to the pond. From talking to Bird Watcher if I hunt them that close I will run them off. Darned if I do darned if I don't. For the time being they will be safe from me. On the way home from one of my scout trips just about dark thirty I see some Canada's come off a field close to home. So about two thirty yesterday afternoon I load three dozen full bodies in my little trailer, hook up the four wheeler and go to the field. Took my time setting up, got the layout covered with corn stubble and settled in. At 3:15 I see two ducks streaking across the sky along way off. They turn and start working the field I was in three to four hundred yards away. I call to no avail. They are up and down almost landing. Crap, I sit up and wave my arms calling loudly. Felt like an idiot as I forgot my goose flag. Worked though as the ducks turned and bee lined towards me. I duck back in the blind. They have a north west tail wind bringing them in fast. Woosh over my head, I turn to see them turn cupped and falling. Took them both out. Lucky I thought with a big smile. Get this triple bs was the load. Did not have time to change shells. From 4:30 on the geese started flying. From three miles away I could see the mass of birds come off the roost pond, straight up and back down into the field that were using. I had flocks coming from the South East from who knows where to my field. First flock of 21 birds, one pass and down they came. Got two. Then a flock of 40 or more go over and work where the ducks wanted to go down far off. Again I blew the goose call crazy, bet I sounded like a pig under a gate. Again got up and waved my arms off. It worked and they turned my way, two passes later I picked one and got my third bird. Started picking up and a couple more flocks tried to drop in. Right now they are only feeding once a day . A couple of photos,

I have an adventure planned for today about 50 miles North of here. May have another report if it pans out.

BilletHed

[Feathers and Fins]

I'm so jealous, these dang roads around here have kept me from getting to birds on the big water and the small back-up areas are froze solid and then I tried to go to my favorite creek and found construction going on right above it. I swear this is payback by the duck gods for me starting off so well lol

[duckydoty]

Your hammering them Marty! Awesome!

[JohnP]

Awsomeness right there. Haven't seen nothing like that this season just yet .

[moodyfour]

Awesome Job!!

[mhowerton]

Nice Hunt. Dry field hunting is a nice change of paces from slopping around in waders.

[BilletHead]

Thanks gentlemen,

had kind of a wild goose chase yesterday (no pun intended). I had a call from a friend North of here 30 miles. I met him up at four rivers teal season and then got to go with him on a hunt in the middle zone before Out South season opened. He is a Cajun from Louisiana, Bought a house for a base in Missouri to hunt ducks. He would rather hunt here than where he lives. That has to say something for what we have here in MO. He told me on his call about all of the geese (snows) that were working a field and there were ducks mixed in with them. he is going bonkers because of it being froze up and had never hunted in a dry field. He knew I had had some luck doing that and wanted me to load up my stuff and come up. So I loaded truck, my little trailer with three layouts and all my field crap I have accumulated over the last four years. He had one of his Cajun buddies up with him. We did a quick scout of the field. I know we were pretty dry here before the rain, we did not get the snow like most of you guys did. He was even drier up there. The field he had was one inch of dust on top of a lightly disked corn. He said when all the birds were there the evening before there were dust clouds in the air from so many birds stomping around. We grabbed a quick lunch and then to the field to set up hoping for the best. We had a good hide in a depression in the field. Plenty of corn stalks to put on the blinds. These to guys were plum giddy to hunt a field. As here birds were flying late so we had a long wait. One of them fell asleep and started snoring, his lab snuck over the edge and gave him a big lick We had out two and a half dozen Canada decoys, two dozen mallards and four dozen snow silo socks. Some mojos too. As the late afternoon set in a lone duck spied us and started circling, pintail one exclaimed. They started calling and down came the duck to a shot. One of them shouted a pintail in the corn, can't believe it! Well we never seen anything like that? Later a mallard hen appeared and done the same thing. I kind of felt like a semi guide as they thought this was pretty neat. Then the massive flights of snows came and then I began to think otherwise. They really wanted in this field. We literally had thousands swarming overhead. I knew with all those eyes looking down we might be in trouble. Wish it was small bunches instead but the sight was one to behold. First of all I don't even own a snow goose call or even know how to blow one. One of the guys were trying to blow on one they had. Sounded sick, soon his friend says let me try. Over me it got tossed to the other, still sounded awful, especially after it was used in conjunction with chewing tobacco. hahahha He asked his buddy if he wanted it back? No was the response I'll buy another. Funny pair. All of this while all those snows were above us. One dropped down and they shot it. Then the swarm knew there might be something amiss and they started leaving taking flocks within sight with them. I knew all the time it takes a bunch of decoys to do a mass of geese like this but I was amazed at the show. Right up until dark snows passed overhead. Nice show for sure. At least I got them into a field hunt where they did some shooting. Chalk another one up to experience. I got Canadas pretty well figured out and ducks in fields are coming along. Not sure If I even want to figure out snows at all ! Some pictures of the set up in the dust bowl,

BilletHead

[duckydoty]

Sounds like you had another great adventure Marty! Must have been a sight to see.

[BilletHead]

You know Duane just getting up every morning is becoming an adventure for me!

BilletHead

[Feathers and Fins]

Marty, that lovely Mule of yours will KILL you if you get in to snow goose hunting. I have the affectionate nick name ( I say affectionate as a joke ) of The Drill Sargent, by guys who have snow goose hunted with me. It was given for the many packs of goose decoys it takes to hunt them. I have gotten older since then and wiser and just put out 24dz silosocks now.

Rule #1 in snow hunting land the first few groups at all cost

#2 Never shoot the first few

#3 refer to #1 , 2

If you do the flocks will bust you and the hunt of a lifetime will be over. I don't know what it is but as long as you let the first batches land and then shoot the remaining flocks the filter in will still try and land. You ever find a field that's hot let me know I will be happy to come up and do a hunt for you and show you how to call them. But as I have said before I wont shoot more than 5 or 6 been on the cleaning end of a snow massacre and aint spending no 8 hours cleaning birds again lol. Get ahold of Chris he knows how to hunt them as well.