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!

Second season opens!

Gunner, Randy, Hunter and 8 geese

Oh, it has been too long since I have posted on Waterfowl Gunner! I have been busy, but it's time to get back to waterfowl! The Ohio north zone goose season opened over Thanksgiving weekend and we put the smack down on them. We got 8 out of a possible 9 geese and quit so as not to shoot into too many flocks. Yours truly doubled on the first flock and dropped one of a pair that ventured our way. I shot really well which made up for the poor outing that I had pheasant hunting two weeks earlier! Go figure! Pheasants are easy to hit compared to honkers at 50 yards. The first two, I must admit, cruised in at about 25 yards. Nice shots!

Gunner and his Dad, Hunter, did exceptionally well as anticipated. They "sit stayed" like perfect gentlemen while the birds worked their way in. I had to laugh out loud at Gunner. One flock circled twice before committing. he sat still and watched them as they made their circle. When they got too far around for him to see them from the corner of his eye, he scooted his bottom around as if on a swivel stool so he could see the birds work. His upper body stayed rigid like a statue. He looked like a cartoon! There were no geese escaping these two dogs! They were on those birds like right now!

Tomorrow the south zone for ducks and geese opens. It should prove to be interesting. We normally shoot most of our birds of the year during the second season, and we are already ahead of schedule on numbers. Hope the harvest curve continues to climb. If you don't hear from me for awhile, I'm huntin'!

Teal Season at Last!

Gunner retrieving a blue wing that decoyed to the gadwall mojo.

Teal and early goose season have arrived at last. Gunner and I received "intel" of a lake that teal had been frequenting. The lake is mostly shallow which teal prefer. Our scouting tip proved to be spot on! The teal were in! 

Shooting time is sunrise to sunset during teal season. I am sure that having enough light in order to distinguish teal from young woodies is the motivation for the later start time.  We drove through a storm, and when we arrived there was a cloud burst complete with lightening. I don't do lightning. We sat in the Explorer and waited. We arrived at the location thirty minutes prior to sunrise. The radar app on my iphone showed that the storm was nearly passed us. It was 8 minutes to shooting time when we ventured out in the light drizzle on the short hike to the small reservoir. As we strolled in ducks exploded from the lily pads. One flock after another of woodies, teal, and mallards flew right in front of me to escape. It wasn't shooting time yet. I kept walking to the end of the peninsula and quickly set up my gadwall mojo, with stand, floated by 4 mallard dekes. I tossed out 5 teal decoys and I was ready by shooting time!

Gunner retrieves the last teal of the day.

 Mother nature had other plans. Just at shooting time we were hit with one more brief downpour. As soon as it stopped, I was on high alert. Sure enough, a pair of blue wings came screaming into the spread as if out of thin air. One bark from my SP-10 and both ducks were down! (Talk about saving money on ammunition!) Ten minutes later another pair came in and another drake hit the water. Gunner had a tough time finding him in the thick lilly pads, but we got him! Twenty minutes later Gunner retrieved the last bird of the day. What fun. All the work we did in preparation for duck season is paying off! Now we need to find some geese!

Four blue wings, a limit for the day

Duck Dogs and Ladders

During my thirty six years of duck hunting, I have had various retrievers each of whom were unique. One of the biggest challenges for some dogs is simply the task of getting in and out of the boat. I had one particular golden retriever who hated to jump out of a boat! He liked to swim, but the entrance was not to be with a splash. He preferred a more stylish approach. My wife called him, "the furry alligator", because he liked to slink into the water. He was ace with whistles and hand signals. We never lost a bird. However, he still held the splash in disdain. I tried various dog docks with him. I even modified one by adding an extra step. Wow did that get heavy. I should have made one that looked like a sliding board!

For this reason, I have been very careful in trying to create a positive learning environment for Gunner, my young yellow lab. I take him swimming daily, and we take excursions to the lake for retriever training from the boat. I started out with the heavy cumbersome dog dock and decided against it. My hunting buddy, Randy, let me borrow his Beavertail Dog Ladder. It is nice and light, of aluminum construction. My dog got back in the boat using the Beavertail without any problem. The only trouble he had was that he got used to getting on his Dog to enter the water. The Beavertail made that more difficult. Understand that this is not a fault of the equipment. It is simply a testimony to how badly I spoil my dog!

The most important thing is that the dog is comfortable enough to retrieve. For this reason, I went to Cabela's to see what they had available. (Good excuse anyway.) As soon as I saw the Cabela's Northern Flight Dog Ladder, I knew that was the answer for my dog! He loves it! As you can see in the pictures, Gunner even enjoys getting in and out of the boat while it is in the driveway! He can step out onto the ladder and jump off, and he can swim up the ladder and walk right in the boat. The ladder clamps on and it hinges at the clamps.When the boat is moving you can swing the ladder back into the boat. We have been to the local reservoir and he did very well.

The entire dog and boat thing has been a sticking point for a number of duck hunters whom I have net over the years. I believe this ladder could be the answer for many dogs and hunters. The other key is to take the boat and dog out on the water to practice! 

(Check out: Duck Dogs and Ladders Part 2)

What to do between Early Goose and October Ducks?

My yellow Lab pup, Gunner, and I visited my tree stand every other day after early goose season. I had a food plot to hunt, but I wanted to put some apples out to entice the deer a little closer. I didn't have a camera up near there, so I was not sure who was visiting. They were certainly cleaning up the apples though! The last few days before archery season opened, Gunner and I went down over the hill every day. I was careful not to put out too many apples. I wanted the bucks to have to compete with the does for the red delicious tasty treats. In order to compete, they have to come out of the woods before dark. Finally, opening day arrived, and I knew I would see deer. I was just hoping to see a nice buck in the field before dark.

I barely got in my stand when a deer appeared in the field. As it grazed its way across the field to my apples, another deer entered the field. At that point I could see that the first deer was a spike. The second deer jogged across the field straight in. I saw his fork rack as he approached the apples. I looked up to see two six point bucks heading across the field right at me. I laughed to myself thinking, "Who rang the dinner bell?" The two sixers pushed the smaller bucks away from the apples and started crunching. They had one apple each when I saw rack entering the field from the same path . Good rack! I could see it across the field. This buck started on a jog and broke into a sprint to chase those six pointers away from the fruit. I thought I was going to have to end my season on the first day with this buck. My heart started to pound, my palms were sweaty. Oh, false alarm! This was a nice tall seven point with good mass, but it was a seven. I remember thinking that I knew quite a few guys who would shoot him. I was going to give them that chance. My buddy, the landowner would not want this one killed. Besides, it was not the rack I wanted. It was just as well. Did I really want to end my season on the first day?

That was a good question, and I didn't have long to answer it. The seven point suddenly looked right. The other deer spooked. The big seven point stopped chewing and stared off to the west. I could not see what caught his gaze and alerted his olfactory senses. Then I saw him, a big bodied ten point buck! Oh my as soon as I saw him my heart started to pound and that was my cue. He was in range and I put him down. I made a nice double lung shot, and he fell 40 yards away! It always feels good to know you made a good shot and a good clean kill!

The Ohio archery season for deer opens in late September. It usually gives me something to hunt before ducks open in late October. Last year I was tracking for my friends!

A Duck Hunter was Born!

My college roommate and close friend, Larry, invited me to go duck hunting at the Edgewater Park break wall in Cleveland. I had heard his stories and the passion in describing the various Lake Erie waterfowl hunts. I always enjoyed hunting and couldn't wait to go!

My Dad gave me an old olive drab army parka that smelled like moth balls. It was as heavy as a bag of cork decoys, but it was fur lined and warm as toast. I already owned a pair of wool socks. I bought a pair of heavy camouflage gloves and a brown "duck hat". I had a model 37 Ithaca 12 gauge pump that I used for squirrel and pheasant hunting, and a couple of boxes of "high brass" number 6 shells. My friend said that would work just fine.

I should mention that these were days before steel shot, Gortex, Thinsulate, and Thermax, etc.  

I arrived at his house at 3:30 AM. I was so excited that I could hardly contain myself. Larry gave me duck calling lessons in the truck on the way to the lake. At the conclusion of my first lesson, he informed me that I was not to call at any ducks under any circumstances. He added, if anybody asks who taught you how to call, not to mention his name! Good natured ribbing of course, and yes I sounded like a sink donkey with whooping cough! He failed to mention the fact that we didn't need to call to diving ducks. 

We arrived at his Dad's business at 4:30 in the morning. The first thing I noticed was the unmistakable smell of cut wood mixed with the pungent odor of dead fish. Larry’s father had a tree business and we were right next to a channel that connected us to the Cuyahoga River. It was dark and noisy from the sound of heavy equipment at the distant loading docks. We had work to do. We needed to get the boat on a trailer and get it to the water's edge. Decoy bags, line, spreader, and a box of decoy anchors had to be rounded up. Next we had to get the motor and gas tank in the boat. You may imagine my surprise when I saw "the boat". It was a 12 foot row boat! It was smaller than the boat my Dad and brother and I used to troll for walleyes on Lake Milton. Well, OK I thought with blind faith, how bad could it be?

That was a question that I should never have asked! Soon, we were in the little dingy headed out the slip for the lake. I nearly choked as I got a face full of smoke from a tug boat heading up river. I did not realize how big tug boats really were! It made our boat look even smaller, if that were possible. Almost as soon as we hit the river we felt the boat rise up and down as the swells were forcing their way upstream from the lake. Within minutes I saw a railroad trestle. As we approached the bridge, Larry yelled out "I am going to yell duck and gun the motor. When I do, keep your head down!" As he finished talking we were on the crest of a wave. Any sane person could clearly see that this boat, or any other boat for that matter, was not going to fit under that trestle! Just then, as we were dropping down into the trough of the next wave, he yelled something and gunned the motor! The boat went surging under the bridge. As we were coming out from under it on the other side, I realized how close this was going to be! I practically laid down in the bottom of the boat to keep from being smashed as the boat rose with the next wave! "Had it all the way, buddy!" my friend chuckled. It was about then that I sized up the waves and realized that when in a trough, I could not see anything but smelly lake water! When the boat reached the next crest my heart stopped! What a gruesome sight! We could see the city lights from Cleveland as they illuminated the break wall, the loading docks and rocks on either side. But straight ahead looked like DEATH itself! It was pitch black! It looked like the world ended just beyond the break wall. NO light, no stars, nothing, and to make matters worse when I looked up I could see the blackest clouds ever.  I was sure we were in serious trouble! What were we doing here? With the gap in the break wall lying straight ahead, it looked like we were going right into the jaws of Hell!

As if all this wasn't bad enough, the motor sputtered and stopped. The waves were pushing us back into the rocks.  "ROW, MAN, ROW! “ Larry screamed at the top of his lungs. I grabbed the oars and started rowing white knuckled with every ounce of strength I could muster. At the same time, Larry was pulling the rope on that motor like his life depended on it! I could not make any headway. I began to pray. Just as the boat was about to be smashed into the rocks, the motor started and we darted ahead. We moved barely enough that the next wave failed to throw us against the pier! Just made it by the skin of out teeth.

We were on our way again. I sheepishly asked if we should turn around. My friend asked with the greatest sincerity, "Do you REALLY want me to try to turn this boat around in these waves?" My silence was his answer. "Our best chance is to get behind that wall and wait out this storm!" 

It seemed like forever, but we made it to the wall. As we approached, we decided that since we were out there, we may as well hunt. One problem, neither one of us put the box of decoy anchors in the boat! That mistake was second only to getting in the boat in the first place! We tied off and got up on the wall. Larry tried to cheer me up by telling me that we would probably get some pass shooting. We were right on the end of the west wall, and birds did fly by. However, there were not many in range. The guys down the wall a couple of hundred yards got some good shooting. I wandered down that way to ask for a light for my hand warmer. After sharing the horror story of our trip out, they were gracious enough to invite us to hunt with them. 

Nearly an hour later, three birds cupped in and my fellow hunters dropped all three. Larry quickly volunteered to go out with the boat owner and retrieve the birds. While the two of them were out, a flock of 20 "blue bills" came screaming into the spread. The other host yelled "take'em". I shot my first two ducks, and I was HOOKED! A duck hunter was born!

Summer drought may lead to a mallard drought!

I was all excited after reading the headlines about record duck numbers in North America. My duck hunting buddies were spreading the propaganda early and often. Great news, then I read the fine print. Apparently the eastern breeding grounds have lost significant wetlands due to the drought conditions. This has caused a poor mallard hatch. This is true not just for mallards, but golden eye and ring necked ducks as well. I am sorry for the golden eye and ring necked ducks, but let's face it, mallards are our bread and butter. Mallards,woodies, and teal make up the harvest for a majority of the hunters in the Buckeye state, and in that order. That can't be good for our bag limits this year either, gentlemen...and ladies. 

We have suffered through worse than this however. I recall three duck limits just two decades ago. Even further back when I started hunting waterfowl, we used the point system. Drake mallards were 35 points each. You were permitted 100 points per day, but you could go over on your last duck. A hen was 90 points! They really didn't want you to shoot hens. Wood duck populations were low, so they were a high point duck also. The most fun back then was going to Lake Erie to hunt "blue bills" (scaup). They were plentiful. We could take 10 per day! What a bonanza! We could hunt them on the break walls or from lay out boats. I remember taking two boxes of shells and hoping I didn't run out! Hitting the rascals was hard enough without having to break ice off of my gun and fight frost bite away from my toes and fingers! I recall standing on the break wall at Edgewater Park with the waves rolling over the first  wall and crashing into the second, sending icy spray all over my old army parka. Before long, the ice had built up on my coat sufficiently so that my body was protected from the frigid north wind. What fun!

Getting back to our current problem, there is some good news. Black ducks and green wing teal did very well. "So we have that going for us...which is nice." [for the Caddy Shack fans] Diving duck numbers seem to be unaffected. Well my fellow Ohioans, we may have to knock the dust off of those old diver decoys and head to big water. The truth is, whether the mallard numbers are there or not, real duck hunters will have fun. We will be out there enjoying the sunrise, the whistling of wings and the moans of anticipation from our retriever. There may be less meat in the pot, but there will be plenty of good times.