Today's shore blind hunt (w/ pics per Jims request)

[Coulter]

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.





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.



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.



And this is the view from the evening blind to the northeast...



and to the southeast...



And the days bag...



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

But looking on the bright side - its back into the layout box on Thursday

Steve

[FinsnFur]

Very Nice

Thjat dude looks so cool in his lil camo vest

[alscalls]

MAN I miss duck hunting........Thanks for sharring

[Silencer]

Steve, I'm very jealous     Them blind locations are sick. 

You use long line rigs ?

[Coulter]

Vic - don't be jealous come on up and hunt 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

Al -  if ya miss it why did ya stop?
Steve

[alscalls]

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. 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....

[Coulter]

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

[alscalls]

 

[vvarmitr]

This is the blind owners dog.

So this is a seeing eye dog too?

[Coulter]

 

[misfire]

Congrats, sounds like a great time