The BilletHead's 2015/2016 season

[BilletHead]

Again out this morning at a different duck park. This place has draw duck blinds on earth humps. I am sure most of you all know where it is. Paddled in this morning for a hunt. Managed four and lost one, my fault as it was down but swimming in the decoys. I got greedy as the group wanted back in so I took my eye off the downed bird and it swam into the nearest smartweed. I looked all over but no cigar the bird had vanished. Will not be doing that again.

  Now a bit of a rant. Why can't people clean up after themselves? I police my hunting areas well. Find my empties loosing very few and generally come home with more than I use because I pick up after others but today took the cake so to say. This place has been hunted hard this teal season. I was there early just to get the place this morning. I could see trash in my headlight setting up. There was so many empties I could not believe it. Candy and thermacell pad wrappers. When cleaning up my six empties I picked up THIRTY-TWO other spent shells. I cold see others in the giant ragweed that I did not wade in to get. Signs all over saying empty shells are trash pick them up. I cannot blame just the young new hunters doing this. There was even 28 gauge high priced bismuth empties. I don't know of many young shooters changeling themselves with a 28 gauge on ducks. I am sure my OA friends pick up after themselves and if you don't why? We all have seen where fisher people  leave their lure packages on the bank, worm containers etc. Why? Those that kill what fish they don't like by throwing them on the bank, why? I once fished along side a guy crappie fishing. A small spot and he crowded right in on the other side of a tree. This spot was filled with gar and every other flip out letting your jig drift back towards yourself a gar would be snagged. He would fight them in, cuss, pull them on the bank, stab them with a knife and throw it on the bank. After the forth fish I asked him why he was doing this. His response was I want to and do you know me? (I knew of him) I did not respond and then he said I have killed a man once and said what his name was. I instantly got sick to my stomach and proceeded to leave which I am sure he enjoyed seeing. Yes I was packing at the time but I did not need to be there and I left dodging cigarette smoke and dead stinking gar from other days. This fellow is no longer around as cancer got him. But why oh why do people trash places? Ok this was more than a bit of  rant but rant over now

A couple of photos from this morning. I need to do a John P. and video a hunt sometime,

BilletHead

[JohnP]

Another great post BH.  Trash is and always has been one of my pet peeves.  Raised to always leave a area better than you found it if possible.  Pack it in pack it out.  Usually have a couple Walmart bags in my gear bag for trash.  I can understand the stray empty hull that gets overlooked wrappers,  cups, etc etc???????????   

[BilletHead]

  Finishing the early teal season this morning. Last three hunts. Thursday morning I tried to get back to where I was Wednesday morning. No dice as I got beat to the place. When I Arrived there was a canoe loaded sitting there ready to launch. The guy leaped out of his truck. No telling how long he had been waiting? I asked if he was going out to "The spot" Yes it was. I was hoping to get there as I had spied some nice bull frogs there on Wednesday. I grabbed two that day but had no where to put them that day so I turned them loose. I had a tote sack on Thursday for them. So on that day I was forced to try another place. I did grab one frog, bagged him and one teal. No hunt Friday and we zeroed on Saturday. So to today. We will call this day frog and fowl . Really wanting Wednesdays spot bad we were up at 3AM. Hey no one said we were too smart. We arrived at the launch at 4:15 AM and got ready. As I pushed off the Mrs. In the kayak I seen a truck round the corner and pause. Beat him today! HA . He then headed to a spot West of us on another blind hump. When we got close I grabbed the rechargeable spot lite and grabbed four frogs!

While this was going on we heard teal in the marsh calling. We than made coffee and just listened and watched the full moon set in the West,

 The Moon setting in the West!

 As the sun started to creep up in the East before LST we witnessed over a thousand teal lift off all around us and head off to the North East of course not many flyers after LST but we managed two and never heard another shot all morning . I know where all these birds were going now but that will be another hunt to hopefully report next teal season. So todays menu will be frog legs and grilled teal!

BilletHead

 

 

[JohnP]

Awsome report BH.  Frog legs and teal, mighty fine eating right there mmmmm.

[BilletHead]

   "Goose on the loose"

That is what we will call todays hunt. Got this week off to a good start this morning. A rather nice batch came in and six shots, six birds went down. We gathered up the dead or so we thought. Got them in a pile and as I went to get the truck the Mrs. started picking up the decoys. As I got to the truck I hear her squeal. Just thinking she was seeing more birds coming into the field as I was gave it no thought. Driving back to the spot I seen her dashing across the field. Rolled down the window say what the heck are you doing? Look up there one of the geese got up and ran. It was trying to hide in some sparse grass in a waterway. I went to the rescue and pounced onto the hiding goose and rung it's neck. Well I did not exactly pounce but gracefully fell onto the hiding bird .

[fishinwrench]

No fear for the walking dead !

[BilletHead]

We all should be watching out for the Zombie Goose Apocalypse coming soon in a season near you.  

[tho1mas]

I know the feeling - while hunting at Stockton a few years ago a single came into the decoys. My buddy shot, the duck folded up and hit the water. Lab hit the water and returned with the duck ( a Bluebill). I went out to get it and pitched it to my buddy. About half way to the blind the duck took off - flew across the lake - only to hit a dead tree. That killed him.

[JohnP]

Good stuff.  Had a bwt do that to me but he kept on going leaving the yella dawg with a puzzled looked on her face.  

[BilletHead]

    Well the BilletHeads couldn't stand it. Opening day middle zone. I had still been looking for a place in the middle zone and not a duck park with the opening crowd. Have a small pond on the highway we have hunted the last two middle openers that did not net us any birds. So Google earth is our friend so I go to looking. Found a small timber pond and I knew the owner. Call and ask, well sure make yourself at home. There may be a bowhunter on there but go ahead. We do a scout trip last weekend. Right along a river. No ducks on there but what the heck we will go anyways. Now to this morning. Up and at em early. Get to the gate and it is open, bowhunter is in here. Not sure how deep the pond is we use the kayak on wheels to take in the gear, I have my waders and the Mrs just in muck boots. Throw out decoys and pond not deep can wade it all. Maybe 35 yards across by 45 yards long surrounded by timber. Oak, hickory, sycamore etc type trees. Taller old growth. We sit up in the middle and hunker under tree limbs. I was figuring maybe some woodies early and that would be all. Well before LST Shooting was happening. Most of it was coming from duck park. About five or more minutes early. Right at LST we had woodies in and out. Too dark for us to see enough to shoot. Then another batch of woodies and one hit the water dead. After that it was many , many ducks flying and the most cool thing started happening. Green winged teal started dropping in this little pond. We finished the morning out with the green wings. Groups of five to thirty dumping down. We got to laughing and ooohing and aaaahing at the flocks coming down to our little timbered pond. I know tailgate shots are kind of lame but did not have the camera with us on the pond,

 Came home, cleaned birds and regrouped. Went to town and visited the landowner, thanked him and gifted some gooseberry jam. He said hey go back all you want, make yourself at home. We may have too

BilletHead