Waterfowl Gunner without "open water"

Gunner with a hen mallard

Sometimes in Ohio it is difficult to find water that is open, as in, not frozen! When this happens, we resort to hunting the rivers and fields. (...unless we can walk on the ice!)

On this particular hunt, we were close to Lake Erie. The Great Lake is shallow, but does provide open water for much of the season. However, sometimes it gets so windy that the waves make hunting extremely treacherous! This day there were 30 mph bone chilling winds out of the north. There were divers out on the lake, but the puddle ducks were not as fond of rough water.
We chose a cornfield to hunt close to Sandusky Bay. We received good "intel" from fellow hunters that there were thousands to ducks in the area. We chose a field not based on scouting or tips of any kind. It was simply a field that belonged to someone we knew. We were just real lucky. As a matter a fact the farmer said, "Go ahead and hunt but I haven't seen a bird in quite a while."

This crippled mojo was no deterrent to the puddle ducks on this hunt!

We were well dressed but the wind felt like stinging needles on the exposed skin around my face mask. We thought this would be a quite profitable day to goose hunt so we loaded the field with nearly 100 goose shells and silhouettes. We did hedge our bet with 6 mojo duck decoys. Setting up mojos in the cold is tough business! I made the mistake of taking off one of my gloves to plug a motor to the mojo battery. Wow, not for long! I forgot how much fun windchill was! I could hardly move my hand. I was smart enough to bring a few hand warmers, and dumb enough to need them! At least I have that going for me! (which is nice!)

The mojos came in handy. We did not see a goose, but thousands of ducks! We saw flock after flock of big ducks flying high around the fields. Occasionally a flock would drop down and circle. It was awesome to see. The cloud of ducks flying across the sky would turn and descend. The turn usually started wide like a semi truck trying to turn on a city street. The turn then began to tighten. The turn became a spiral, tighter and tighter until it a tornado of ducks had developed in little more than a minute. Oh what a sight! It is even more awesome when YOU are at the vortex of the tornado!

Gunner with a black/mallard hybrid

Gunner and his father, Hunter, were busy that day. The three of us hunters shot 14 birds, all mallards and blacks. The dogs had a field day tracking down fallen birds! It was quite entertaining to watch Gunner with all of those ducks around. He sat still very well, but his head was on a swivel like a linebacker expecting a crack back block! He did not know what to make of all the birds. At one point in particular he looked at me as if to say, "Well are you going to shoot or what!" Sometimes I believe that Gunner thinks I am a little slow mentally! I have to admit, it was quite awe inspiring to behold so many of God's beautiful creatures flying so acrobatically together. I probably should have shot earlier a couple of times, but like my two human companions, I did not want to ruin the moment. Who needs "open water" when you can have a hunt like this one!

Teal Time in Ohio

Gunner's soft mouth releases a beautiful drake blue wing to his grateful owner!

Goose season in Ohio opened two weeks ago. We bagged our share of honkers the first two days. We did not fill the liberal 5 goose limit per hunter, but we did well. Not to be greedy, but our group voiced displeasure with the fact that "the state" did not open teal season with the early nuisance goose season. After 6 days, teal season opened and "the state" looked like geniuses! The teal had not made the big flight from the far north to the Midwest yet. They do not stay long when they cruise in, but they commonly check in to many of our local ponds and swamps. It's usually good for the economy to be on the route that travelers frequent!

 

Well two weeks after fresh goose stew became table fare, we finally have some travelers! Early Saturday morning, Blake and I, watched a number of woodies fly in and out of Scotto's little honey hole. We loaded our guns at sunrise, which is legal shooting time during the early season. Not more then two minutes later, a pair of teal glided over the decoys. After one loud bang from each of our scatter guns and it was "time to check out" for these two ducks! I gave the command and Gunner exploded into the water. Following several trips of retrieving giant Canada geese, the miniature feathered game had to seem like "easy money". He didn't mind! He loves to retrieve. Shortly thereafter we heard a honk. Gunner snapped to attention! The goose and I traded honks several times. Then the feathered 747 appeared over the trees. I hit him with a short series of double clucks and he was sold. He locked up and decoyed perfectly! I said "Take'm" and Blake bagged his first banded goose. I don't know who was happier Blake or Gunner! Either way it did my heart good to see these two pups enjoy the sport that I have loved for thirty seven years. 

Gunner retrieving his first teal of the season!



Blake and Gunner with a Goose wearing jewelry.

Super Black Eagle II

In 1994, I purchased a Remington SP-10. Two friends of mine owned one and I was impressed with the range and knock down power. I decided it was time to retire my 1100 Remington 12 gauge and join the 10 gauge parade. It was like swinging a barbell at first, but once I got used to it, I loved it. After my buddy, Randy, enviously observed the performance of my SP-10 for several years, he bought one. Two other friends followed suit. Recently the tide turned. My waterfowl buddies and acquaintances started shelving their big guns for the more versatile 3 1/2 inch twelve gauge smooth bores. The Benelli Super Black Eagle was the new rage! I couldn't believe it. I was a hold out. I shot my SP-10 at $1.10 per trigger pull with pride. It out performed those "3 1/2 pea shooters", I thought, "I am not going to change!" Being stubborn is long standing quality of mine. It has served me well in many endeavors. It has also made things difficult from time to time.

It wasn't until I regained an interest in pheasant hunting that I realized the true advantage of a versatile gun. Switching firearms from deer to ducks to pheasants is not an easy task. (There is no way I am going to carry that SP-10 around field hunting! It weighs 10.5 pounds!) I reluctantly saw the advantage of owning the SBE. Last season I used my 1100 on pheasants, an Ithaca model 37 rifled barrel for deer and the 10 pounder for waterfowl. With the SBE I could use the same gun on all the game I hunted!

Versatility was an issue, but it was the comfortec stock that finally opened my eyes. That "blunder buss" I carried pounded my shoulder with each blast of the barrel. At age 55, I began to wonder how much longer I wanted to deal with bruises that reminded me of my football playing days. The comfortec stock was advertised to reduce recoil. As tough as it was to admit, I was wrong. I put the Remington cannon in the gun cabinet and began the search for the SBEII. I found a waterfowl camo version and I was the proud owner of a new shotgun. I could not wait to get my new gun out and shoot it. Randy and I got together on his land to shoot some clay birds. We began with going away shots. I did well. Then we changed angles to the crossing shots. I could hit nothing. Not to brag but I was a pretty good shot with my 10 gauge. I did not panic however, because I new it would take a while to get used to my new gun, especially after swinging that heavy 10 gauge. The weight of the SP-10 was an advantage on the swing. Once you started swinging it swung beautifully all the way through. You were not going to stop it easily. A few nights of shooting and 7 box of shells later, I felt much more confident.

The first day of goose season came and I was a bit nervous about hunting with my new gun. The first flock of the evening came in and I folded a nice big Canada goose on my first shot. Two geese later, I am convinced that I made a good choice. I really like this gun. Gunner likes it too! He got to retrieve his first birds of the year and he was ecstatic!

New hunting spots...against your religion?

   New hunting spots always peak our interest. However, most of us hunters wet our appetites for new surroundings when a friend or acquaintance offers to take us with them. It is still exciting, but we usually have the confidence that our buddy is well versed in the locale and all will go smoothly. We are drawn to their "honey hole" by stories of limits or grand adventures that intrigue us enough to leave the confines of our own "ace" spot and venture out in an attempt to broaden our horizons.
   The truth is as interesting as new hunting spots are, most of my hunting buddies are reluctant to try new places. My friend Randy is so set in his ways it is unbelievable. You would think it was sacrilegious to hunt somewhere new. I don't exactly share my friend's religious devotion to our favorite duck blind. I must admit, however, that I find it difficult to stray away from our "known commodity" (not to be confused with a sure thing). What is really difficult is to explore a new hunting location, "cold". When I do this I always research the location thoroughly. I get maps, scout and talk to other hunters when possible. Regardless of what species of animal I am hunting or where the new place is, there is no substitute for setting up on location and seeing how it goes. It almost never goes as planned and therefore adjustments have to be made. Somehow we, I, always figure it out.
     The subject of new hunting spots came up recently as we were vacationing in North Carolina. I saw large areas of wetland that looked very ducky. I told my wife that there must be a ton of ducks flying through here during the migration. That made me check the Internet for potential public hunting locations. I got up one morning and drove around to some of the local public hunting areas near Wrightsville Beach / Wilmington area. My wife volunteered to go along! I found a few awesome looking duck spots! I saw wood ducks, pintails, widgeon, teal, and scaup! I couldn't wait to text my friends and share my findings! A duck spot with plenty of ducks... that doesn't freeze! Fantastic! The response I got back was, "I've heard that before" and the like. I guess Gunner and I are going to be the brave souls to make the trip down to NC and send back pictures! I personally am excited at the possibility of getting in some good hunting in a warmer climate and only have to drive 10 hours!  It certainly isn't against my religion!

Geese on Ice

Matt, Hunter and Randy and eleven geese

Many years late in January geese will pile up in Ohio in big numbers. If you can find the fields that they are using and get permission, you can have some great shooting. We have been able to do that many times. The only problem in Central Ohio is that the only public hunting is on one of many lakes. That is the tricky part as the lakes tend to freeze in the bitter cold of late January. There are some hunters who have boats who can cut through 4 inches of ice or more! I personally do not own such a boat. There are people who "thought" their boat could cut through the frozen layer of lake water, only to slice into their hull and take on gallons of frigid liquid. Somewhere in between, too thick for the duck boat and not safe to walk on, is all too common. Even though ice can be thick, the way it forms is important in determining its level of safety. Sometimes there will be a brief warm spell as ice is forming and it may even rain then refreeze. This can lead to dangerous "honeycomb" ice which is not safe.

When the conditions occur for safe ice in January we have marvelous shooting. The dock owners around the lake use "bubblers" to keep the docks from being damaged by the ice, and open water for ducks and geese alike. Keep in mind that by keeping the water moving, these "bubblers" also can create a current in the lake. Such a current can create a thin place in the ice, so BE CAREFUL!
Much like hunting in a snowy field, you can suck the birds into a large spread of goose and duck shells. Choosing a location a safe distance from the edge of the ice and laying in the spread wearing all white is the best camo there could be! White on white is the best, there is no way a hunter could ever hide in a typical field as well as you can hide white on white! The best way to get your gear out there is to use plastic sleds and pull them out. The first time I tried this ice hunt I laid down on my decoy bag. I never gave much thought to the fact that laying on ice would be a bit colder than a snowy field! After that I brought a foam sleeping bag pad to lay on. It works great!

Your dog can be a big help in retrieving downed birds as always, but your dog needs to be kept warm as well. It is imperative that he or she has an insulated place to sit or lay. In terms of safety,  don't send your dog somewhere that you wouldn't go. Bad things can happen to dogs and have.
This season we had multiple areas of open water to hold birds. Bubblers kept water open, and a few thousand geese swimming around in one spot kept a hole open on the middle of the lake.These openings can be a refuge for birds and a hazard for your dog. Just like shooting geese near a refuge, it is a good idea to get in line with their flight path. They will commonly decoy right in or swoop down for a closer look and WHAM!

Goose hunting is fun no matter where you choose to hunt, and if you dress for the conditions (cold or hot and I have done both) its tough not to enjoy. My dog, Gunner, gets really excited about goose hunting. He likes to hunt pheasants and he is good at it! (pointing Lab) He is also a good duck dog, but he comes "unglued" with excitement when the geese fall! Here is a toast to raining geese on ice!

Mallards in the Snow

We have have had an unusually slow migration in central Ohio, so we went back to our favorite fields near the Ohio River in eastern Ohio. We were not disappointed,  yes the mallards were there. Twice in two weeks we shot our limit of mallards. A few black ducks were bagged as well.

There were so many birds that the entertaining part of the trip was picking out green heads. In Ohio we are allowed four mallards and only one may be a hen. The truth is we prefer to shoot drakes anyway, but an occasional hen does find its way into the freezer.  Our first 5 birds of the early morning were all drakes. This prompted my buddy, Randy, to spout off, "OK, there are plenty of birds so lets not drop any hens! Green heads only! Black ducks are permitted."

No sooner did he say that but the sun peeked out from behind the the hill right in our face! The wind was at our back so we were looking into the sunrise as the birds were forced to land into a stiff West wind! A few minutes later another flock of ducks came coasting in from way up. They looked like unsuspecting paratroopers planning to join their ground forces! With the sunlight streaming in from behind them, they looked like flying black silhouettes. I could not distinguish one from another. I thanked my friend for jinxing us with his comment. He said that he could tell them apart and not to worry. I said something like, OK wise guy, why didn't you shoot?

About that time another flock descended into our fakes. There had to be twenty five in the flock. Randy said, "Do you see that group of three that broke off from the rest? I could see the birds that he was referring to, but I still could not make out any difference from one duck to the next. they all looked black! Randy said, the third one back is a drake its on the right now. Wait it switched, its in the middle, now its on the right, follow it!" I felt like I was playing a shell game. Here I was, lying in the mud and snow with the wind trying to send chills down my back. All the while I am trying to lay still and pick out ducks that I can't distinguish.  I followed Randy's drake and it suddenly banked. I instinctively sat up and shot! The bird folded up and pummeled to the ground like it is scripted. The dog quickly ran over and retrieved it. It was a hen! "Nice call, Eagle Eye! You couldn't see'm either!" Randy insisted that he was basing his evaluation on the fact that this was a bigger duck so it had to be a drake. (So much for that theory!)

Before we could discuss this any further, two ducks coasted in. We both took one shot. Gunner brought back my drake and Hunter brought back Eagle Eye's hen. Another great day of waterfowling ended, and more stories are available for ammunition on the next hunt!