Somebody beat me to my first choice in blinds this morning so I decided to set up in the blind next to it since they had some good shooting yesterday. I was halfway through setting up my dekes and the owners came along. Fortunately they let me stay since it was just me hunting and they couldn't hunt all day anyways. I managed to bag a drake ringneck duck and this fine fellow (Quervo) was gentleman enough to fetch it up for me. This is the blind owners dog.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2093.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2094.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2095.jpg)
There weren't many ducks flying, but here is a pic from the morning blind. You can't really see all of the dekes, but they are out there.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2096.jpg)
I packed up around 11 to have lunch with the wife and headed back down to my first choice in blinds in the afternoon since the other guys had left early. I ended up finally bagging that elusive drake Bluebill. I probably should have cleaned the blood off of his beak, but what the heck - here's the pic anyway.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2100.jpg)
And this is the view from the evening blind to the northeast...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2098.jpg)
and to the southeast...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2099.jpg)
And the days bag...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2101.jpg)
Of course there were many more birds flying, but I couldn't shoot them since they were all bluebills. There was one goldeneye that came through as well, but he took me by surprise and I wasn't ready to shoot. The west wind shifted to a northeast wind and the birds just quit flying. The skys were clear at 4:30 when I left.
All in all a good day in the blinds...I will be heading back out tomorrow, but only get to hunt for a half day since the wife is making me go to the freaking quack doctor :madd:
But looking on the bright side - its back into the layout box on Thursday :yoyo: :yoyo:
Steve
Very Nice :yoyo:
Thjat dude looks so cool in his lil camo vest :laf: :highclap:
MAN I miss duck hunting........Thanks for sharring
Steve, I'm very jealous :eyebrownod: Them blind locations are sick.
You use long line rigs ?
Vic - don't be jealous come on up and hunt :wink: I have one string of longline bluebills...I'm hoping to add 3-4 more lines to that next year for the shore blind hunts. For the layout boat we use all longlines with a sprinkling of singles to break it up a bit. I was embarrassed by my shooting today...I managed to down one hen ringneck and missed - oh heck I don't even know how many birds. Lets just say I just got home from Gander Mt. with a couple fresh boxes of shells for tomorrows hunt. Hopefully I shoot a bit better than today :iroll:
Al - if ya miss it why did ya stop? :confused:
Steve
My mother was dying of cancer and I moved back home and took a lesser job.........Cost is too high for me now and I live so much farther south it just aint the same hunting. :rolleye: I live very close to the Ohio river and hunted it some but man ya really gotta work for a bird here and I just aint got the time.
I used to hunt lake Erie and many other places inland along the Muskingom watershed Man it was a blast.... :eyebrownod:
That sounds like a pretty valid reason...I suppose I am fortunate not to have been witness to the ducks "blackening the sky" I guess I consider any ducks that come in to my spread a good omen and there are sure to be more that follow. I sure wish there were more flying at times, but I really enjoy sitting there listening to the wrath of Lake Erie pounding the shoreline too. I haven't hunted down south, so I can't really compare it with up here. I will someday though. If ya ever want to come up you're always welcome.
Steve
:wink:
Quote from: Coulter on November 25, 2008, 06:58:54 PM
This is the blind owners dog. (http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/NorthBay06/IMG_2093.jpg)
So this is a seeing eye dog too? :confused:
:doh2: :eyebrownod: :eyebrownod:
Congrats, sounds like a great time