Finally Was Able To Get The Franchi It's First Kill.

[JohnP]

A drake greenwing and that was it. Hunted the flooded flat in the mouth of Beaver Creek across from the marina and have to say I was very disappointed in the number of the birds flying, especially from the reports I've been hearing in that area the past few days. Son has hunted Slough Hollow area the last few days and said he's been seen 200 to 300 mallards working the flooded flat across the creek but said they knew where they wanted they to go and couldn't get them to work for anything. Got to the ramp about a 1/2 hour later than I wanted, had 4 give me a fly by as I was throwing dekes out and a pair of mallards work the dekes as I getting back from parking the boat and gun wasn't loaded. Had 3 merganser fly thru just out of shooting range. At about 9 with the dawg getting antsy I threw a stick out for her to retrieve and by about the 3rd throw had a single drake gwt cruise in and land not 10 yds from the dawg while she bringing the stick back. duck jumped up, one shot one kill. Sat till 11 without seeing another duck so went for a boat ride to see if I could find anything. Ran up the creek to Big Rock. Flooded field at the end of Sanders Rd. had a 1/2 doz gwt in it. Couple more divers and a pair of gaddies in the flooded timber just down from Big Rock. Flooded field across from Maiden Bottoms had a few divers in it. figured the divers I seen were the same ones I was just bouncing along. Went for a ride up to Barker Hole and checked every cove and flooded flat up and nothing. Didn't make it down lake to Snapps like I was planning as I kept hearing a rattling in the motor, sounded like a linkage but couldn't locate it but when I took the cowling off noticed water spraying out of a pinhole out of the gasket just above the top cylinder, so headed back to the ramp. Guess I'm done with boat until I can get the gasket replaced . Didn't see any concentration of birds anywhere and not a single goose.

[RSBreth]

Cool - Nothing like christening the new boomstick. I was down there fishing last week - only saw a couple of mallards and a small flock of Gadwalls.

[duckydoty]

Glad the new gun works for you. Hoping this cold weather this week and snow will bring us some new birds. Im telling you, that upper Bull Shoals is looking real ducky.

[JohnP]

Looking real ducky but ones gotta be careful if your not familiar with it especially if the water comes up another foot or so. Those sudden drop offs on the field edges can make for a bad day quick. Nothing like being in ankle deep water and then next step droping down 8 ft plus.

[BilletHead]

Nice christening for the gun! I bet it is the beginning of many, many more birds. Yea you guys might get more birds of all kinds soon. The Mrs. and I did a field hunt this afternoon. We did full body ducks and mojos. 1/2 doz Canada decoys for eye appeal. No ducks but did turn off the spinners and took out two geese. Starting temp of 43 degrees with a stiff north wind. Now 25. 19 for a high tomorrow. 2-4 inches of snow. Sunday night 0 Monday night -3.

BilletHead

[Feathers and Fins]

Congrats on the new bang stick.