Ready to do it again

[MadCoPublic]

I've never been a duck hunter. Throughout the years, I've been a few times with friends with limited success. While I enjoyed the camaraderie, the lack of ducks and cheap leaky waders limited my enjoyment of the sport. This past deer season, I spent many a morning and evening watching dozens upon dozens of wood ducks fly overhead and often land in nearby creeks and sloughs. I made the decision that I was going to hunt them after the deer season. Today, I made good on that thought and went to a local area after getting off work at 3. By the time I got to my spot and set up it would give me about 45 minutes of shooting time. When I got to the shallow slough that I had in mind, there were already a dozen or so wood ducks swimming. I approached as quietly as I could, hoping to get close enough to jump them off of the water and have a shot, but that didn't happen. They flushed as I was about 40 yards away. So I made it over to the hole they had been on and stood beside an oak tree on the bank above the water. It wasn't long before woodies began landing in the slough at the upper end, 75 yards or so from me. I loved hearing and watching them come in. As I was deep in thought, a flight came in and began to land in the hole right in front of me. I raised my 870 and fired at one as they "put on the brakes". Dead duck! I hardly had time to get excited before another group flew by 6 feet off of the water and I fired again. Duck #2. Again, no time to get excited before another group begins to land in the water and I pick a late landing one out and fire. Wow! A limit of woodies! My first and hopefully not my last.

While I know it's not decoying and calling mallards and other big ducks, that limit was as much fun as I've had hunting in a long time.

 

[WilcoKen]

Good story. Great picture too!

 

[cbhunter]

Man that's awesome! Congrats

 

[MickThompson]

Next thing you know you'll be shopping dogs

 

[WaterSwatter]

Watching any duck come into the spot you're at is exciting! Been after the ducks for almost 40 years and that excitement is the same for me as it was when I was 10 years old. That and the comradery are why I keep doing this even when there aren't many ducks around.

 

[tickweed]

I've been duck hunting for over 50 yrs. Been able to hunt just about every species of animal in North America. Ducks have always been my favorite. Always will be.

 

[yellalinehunter]

I've never been a duck hunter. Throughout the years, I've been a few times with friends with limited success. While I enjoyed the camaraderie, the lack of ducks and cheap leaky waders limited my enjoyment of the sport. This past deer season, I spent many a morning and evening watching dozens upon dozens of wood ducks fly overhead and often land in nearby creeks and sloughs. I made the decision that I was going to hunt them after the deer season. Today, I made good on that thought and went to a local area after getting off work at 3. By the time I got to my spot and set up it would give me about 45 minutes of shooting time. When I got to the shallow slough that I had in mind, there were already a dozen or so wood ducks swimming. I approached as quietly as I could, hoping to get close enough to jump them off of the water and have a shot, but that didn't happen. They flushed as I was about 40 yards away. So I made it over to the hole they had been on and stood beside an oak tree on the bank above the water. It wasn't long before woodies began landing in the slough at the upper end, 75 yards or so from me. I loved hearing and watching them come in. As I was deep in thought, a flight came in and began to land in the hole right in front of me. I raised my 870 and fired at one as they "put on the brakes". Dead duck! I hardly had time to get excited before another group flew by 6 feet off of the water and I fired again. Duck #2. Again, no time to get excited before another group begins to land in the water and I pick a late landing one out and fire. Wow! A limit of woodies! My first and hopefully not my last.

While I know it's not decoying and calling mallards and other big ducks, that limit was as much fun as I've had hunting in a long time.

That small water i your face hunts are super fun. Just a word of caution if that's a roost spot i would not mess with it again till last day of season or a youth/ veteran season.

 

[TNlandowner]

@MadCoPublic

Great 1st post.... welcome. If the 2016 membership is correct, you should post more often ;o)

 

[MadCoPublic]

@MadCoPublic

Great 1st post.... welcome. If the 2016 membership is correct, you should post more often ;o)

View attachment 308779

Thank you. It is correct. Also, this is a second account. First lurked and posted sparingly from 2000-2013 or so.

 

[thirdwilliam]

awesome. congrats

 

[Gravey]

I'm not a duck hunter either but want to kill a wood duck to have mounted. Think they're such a pretty bird. My nephew had a spot but they moved out before I could get there. Been tempted to walk some backwaters on public land and see if I could jump any but never have.

 

[tndeerman]

Awesome,so pretty of a duck

 

[MadCoPublic]

I'm not a duck hunter e zzither but want to kill a wood duck to have mounted. Think they're such a pretty bird. My nephew had a spot but they moved out before I could get there. Been tempted to walk some backwaters on public land and see if I could jump any but never have.

This is a public area. No decoys. Not jump shooting, but in spot I knew they were using.

 

[MadCoPublic]

Finally had a chance to do it again. Went Saturday morning and killed two in the first five minutes of shooting light. Missed another one before they stopped coming in to this spot. I went back Sunday morning before church and broke ice in the hole I'd been hunting. Thought I had done enough to get them to land, but several flights came over that had zero intention of landing. After waiting for thirty minutes for some action, I decided to move to a nearby creek that has some moving water. When I approached my intended destination, there were probably 15-20 wood ducks already there. I went in quietly with the intention of jumping them up and making an attempt to shoot one. I was successful with a shot on a drake when it got about three feet off of the water. I stood by a tree and waited. Pretty soon, birds began to come back into the creek. I was able to shoot two more (hen and a drake) plus a few misses (not the best wing shot). Anyway. Think I'm hooked on these small water woodies.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

I have a friend with a creek that runs through his place. He has a small blind set up next to it, and puts 6 decoys on the water about 20 yards from it on the days he hunts, picks them up when he's done and leaves them on the bank covered up until the next hunt. He does pretty good this way. Probably kills more ducks total than me a year with less effort.

 

[m_allison71]

I have a friend with a creek that runs through his place. He has a small blind set up next to it, and puts 6 decoys on the water about 20 yards from it on the days he hunts, picks them up when he's done and leaves them on the bank covered up until the next hunt. He does pretty good this way. Probably kills more ducks total than me a year with less effort.

Sometimes, less is more.

 

[BSK]

I refuse to go duck hunting.

Because I might like it!

 

[cbhunter]

I refuse to go duck hunting.

Because I might like it!

That's automatically qualifies you for one of the smartest guys around

 

[WaterSwatter]

I refuse to go duck hunting.

Because I might like it!

Go ahead and throw some 100 dollar bills into the toilet and flush it. That'll replicate duck hunting.

 

[BSK]

Go ahead and throw some 100 dollar bills into the toilet and flush it. That'll replicate duck hunting.

Laughed hard at that one!

 

[tickweed]

Laughed hard at that one!

Go ahead and throw some 100 dollar bills into the toilet and flush it. That'll replicate duck hunting.

Not necessarily. sometimes it can produce really well, financially.