BilletHead Posted January 19, 2022 Posted January 19, 2022 18 hours ago, curtisce said: I could give credit now or after our hunt tomorrow You owe me credit for yesterday and now today :). "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 19, 2022 Posted January 19, 2022 1/19/2022 So, I was invited to go yesterday with @curtisce. I declined for a couple reasons. One of those reasons is this guy is a marathon hunter. Myself not so much anymore. I am what I call a sprint hunter. Figure out the birds and make a plan. Get in, get after them and go home . I did my recon and made a plan. Told Curt about it and what I was going to do. He says am I invited? Yes, because you are good help, fun to hunt with and I don't go alone much anymore. The setting, This is a smaller pond and there is a larger irrigation lake in the background just on the other side of the irrigator arm. This lake is mostly a roost. I hate to hunt it but will if conditions are right and would rather hunt the outskirt ponds and not bust up the roost. Watching the forecast everything was coming together for an outskirt hunt. This is what I have been watching in one outskirt pond, Wife and I have had some epic hunts here before and from such hunts have learned much. Hunt on a big North Wind and shoot South. If not, the roost birds will hear you and bug out. So, Curt made it to the house we got loaded and went to pond. Pulled gear in with ATV and trailer then set up. Wind literally howling from the north right about freezing temps I had many layers on. Felt pretty good snuggled in the layout blinds. Curt making his nest, I knew what was going to happen and happen it did. When first light hit it began to rain mallards, I know it was shooting time bur we could not yet pick out drakes. Birds came in and out landing in our faces and we just watched. Soon we were able to see green and Curt says maybe we should shoot some. So, we did! We could have limited pronto but both of us had cripples swimming towards the far bank. Up we got to terminate and get those as more birds were trying to drop in. We scurried back to blinds, and both got another, and Curt had to chase another cripple. While he was doing that a pair set And I dropped one and hit another. Curt grabbed mine as I watched the cripple sail off into the beanfield. I hunted it down and as I got there it became air born and headed towards roost lake. Crap I thought and dumped it like a flushing quail. Of course, shot towards north and roost. When I did a cloud of mallards came up is a swirl and scattered. I felt bad but will not waste a bird. When walking back Curt was working birds but now spooky in and out, they would go. I was not shot out and Curt needed one. It took a bit and four came in and curt picked his last drake and just like that we were done. Nine thirty not bad but if we had not had to chase cripples, we could have been done much quicker. Now the set-up, Then Curt with our four Drakes each. Good day, good fun and good friend even though he is the marathon man! ness, Linhardt, netboy and 6 others 9 "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
Ryan Miloshewski Posted January 19, 2022 Author Posted January 19, 2022 Awesome hunt @BilletHead and @curtisce! Sometimes you just have to bust em where they like to be. No shame in that this late in the season. I'd love to hunt with some chronologically gifted guys like yourselves sometime. BilletHead 1 “To those devoid of imagination a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.”--Aldo Leopold
BilletHead Posted January 19, 2022 Posted January 19, 2022 16 minutes ago, Ryan Miloshewski said: Awesome hunt @BilletHead and @curtisce! Sometimes you just have to bust em where they like to be. No shame in that this late in the season. I'd love to hunt with some chronologically gifted guys like yourselves sometime. Shame, no shame here avoided the roost and hunted a feed area. What most duck hunters do. I would ride this pony any day during season when conditions are right. Only bad deal was going after the cripple in field and shooting towards the roost lake bugging them out. The shame would come not going after and retrieving that bird. A few days they will be back. Will need a thaw for that. That lake is shallow and no wind it will freeze up again. Has been twice so far this season. Calling for 6 here tonight. Ryan Miloshewski and nomolites 2 "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
Ryan Miloshewski Posted January 19, 2022 Author Posted January 19, 2022 23 minutes ago, BilletHead said: Shame, no shame here avoided the roost and hunted a feed area. What most duck hunters do. I would ride this pony any day during season when conditions are right. Only bad deal was going after the cripple in field and shooting towards the roost lake bugging them out. The shame would come not going after and retrieving that bird. A few days they will be back. Will need a thaw for that. That lake is shallow and no wind it will freeze up again. Has been twice so far this season. Calling for 6 here tonight. 100% agreed. Always get the cripples. Thankfully, I have a dog for that now lol. Makes it way easier. And boy does he hate (or I guess love) them! BilletHead 1 “To those devoid of imagination a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.”--Aldo Leopold
DADAKOTA Posted January 19, 2022 Posted January 19, 2022 Sounds like an awesome hunt. Congrats to you both. BilletHead 1
curtisce Posted January 19, 2022 Posted January 19, 2022 As said a well layed out plan. Loved watching them drop in during early light. more fun watching them than shooting them sometimes. marty didn't mention this pond bordered a busy hardtop road so we had constant company. bet some of them got startled by our shots as they passsed by.Hope things thaw and we get a few more days in next week. Ryan Miloshewski, DADAKOTA and BilletHead 3 The answer may not lie at the bottom of a glass, but you should always check
Johnsfolly Posted February 6, 2022 Posted February 6, 2022 Not for 2021 but some birds available for 2022. We were near the river looking for and finding a snowy owl. Lots of mallards and canvas back ducks. Also saw a small group (5 or 6) widgeon and a single lesser scaup.
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