BilletHead Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 I got some very good intel yesterday morning. When Sir Von Field Marshall The guru BirdWatcher speaks we should listen. We had been shooting the bull on the phone yesterday when he said he had seen some mallards dumping into a field up my way. There was a bit of confusion on which field at first but when we got that straightened out. I decided to drive down to take a look see. He had also found a roost pond and I scoped that too. I got to the field parked the truck and took a stroll. Not much of a place to hide as the field had been disked. Found whre there was an intake in a low spot for draining terraces. Some weeds there. Peeked over a hill and low and behold there was another roost. Large irrigation lake 99% froze with one open place litteraly covered with birds. I quickly ducked and scurryed back to the truck and one the way home called the BirdWatcher. So he says you going to hunt it? I replyed no just goint back to watch them to see where they are going, then make a plan. He responded you are an idiot if you don't hunt it right now. Someone might mess them up before you get to hunt it. Do it NOW ! So I proceed to load up. Fourteen full body geese, two dozen ducks a layout and two mojos. Field frozen so all of this in the back of the truck. Ten miles later I am in the field setting up. 2:30 setting up a tornado of birds coming p off the lake. A group of ten start circling the field as I just stand there. Crap and I bounce the truck across the field to it's hide. As I walk back two birds are circling my spread. They leave as I dive into the blind. Quiet for a while then more birds get up and work me. Still early they are not too serious and they leave. A bit later here comes a group, they circle twice and down they come. Three shots and two drakes down. As I picked them up I peeked over the rise and the pond mass had not scattered. Good BirdWatcher and I had been afraid if I shot that close to the roost I may booger them out? So far so good. I then got to see a flight of assorted birds. A bunch of specklebellies flew over and landed with the ducks, many many snows flying south over me. Great flights of mallards high going south, some of them breaking off to land on the lake. Another group of ducks started working me. Smallish group. And as they started to land on my bad shooting side I wiffed three shots. When I did a large group got off the lake, worked me and then landed a long way off int he field. They fed for awhile and returned to the lake. I thought I still have a half hour before shooting time ends. Then still another group gets up and begins to work me. As they do I see a couple of drake pintail in the bunch. I let them work wanting the sprigs. They circle and circle coming down. Swing to the West and just then out of my right eye a literal cloud of ducks swing and desend on me. I raise on them and shoot twice and drop my other two mallards. So then all heck breaks loose and the sky fills with ducks off the lake. They all scatter some wanting into the field and others going who knows where? I quickly pick up and get the heck out of Dodge. I am not sure if I did indeed booger them out or not. Time will tell. I am glad I went and even more glad BirdWatcher told me I am an idiot. It is getting to the point in this season I need pushed a bit. Some photos of the set up and reward. I had a half circle of decoys. Geese to the right and left with ducks and Mojos in front, BilletHead JohnP 1 "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
ness Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Nice, detailed report. Pretty sweet when you scout things out, make a plan and things come together. Did you have to call them in? Was this public land, did you have permission, or were you poaching? John
Bird Watcher Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 lol. that place looks really familiar. Deja vu maybe? C'mon man, I wasn't calling you an idiot. More like, "Plan? What do you mean make a plan? If I was you my plan would be to go grab a mojo and shoot my mallards", lol. Good going BH.
BilletHead Posted January 6, 2015 Author Posted January 6, 2015 Ness! I did call some but really none needed. Might of really had a good hunt if I did not call at all. Private, Good to know and have farming friends. They farm many, many acres. Not all is waterfowl friendly but enough to make a good hunt now and again. POACHING ? What? I don't sneak around, just ask BilletHead "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
BilletHead Posted January 6, 2015 Author Posted January 6, 2015 BirdWatcher, come on you know I can be stupid. Yes, yes you have been there for a scouting trip. Your birds? I made sure I only shot the ones that were staying there. I asked each one before I pulled the trigger if they had been to or had come from the "Z" Lake. In all seriousness thanks for "Watching the Skys" and kind of telling me I was an idiot, BilletHead "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
ness Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Ness! I did call some but really none needed. Might of really had a good hunt if I did not call at all. Private, Good to know and have farming friends. They farm many, many acres. Not all is waterfowl friendly but enough to make a good hunt now and again. POACHING ? What? I don't sneak around, just ask BilletHead Yeah, I figgered private with permission. Wish I had the time to scout around. Or could get on BirdWatcher's call list John
mhowerton Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Nice hunt. Do you think they will keep the roost open through these single digit temps? Dry field mallard hunt is just slightly ahead of a good flooded timber hunt in my book of favorite hunts.
JohnP Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Nice. Wish I had something closer around here to scout as far as crop fields go.
Bird Watcher Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Your birds? I made sure I only shot the ones that were staying there. I asked each one before I pulled the trigger if they had been to or had come from the "Z" Lake. BilletHead No, "your" birds. I said If I was you, I'd shoot my mallards. As in the four mallard limit in your possession napping at the top of page. I'd never take possession of God's creatures. I might be a little secretive about where I saw them, well, unless it was one of my good buddies. Then I'd tell them.
BilletHead Posted January 6, 2015 Author Posted January 6, 2015 BirdWatcher you make me feel so special. Ha Ok you are right about the birds. They fell like pennies from heaven and the ones that hit the ground were very nice. They sure do bruise their little breasts when they hit the frozen turf too. Mhowerton. Yes they may stay there and keep it open if I did not scare them off too badly. BirdWatcher may be checking it this afternoon, BilletHead "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
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