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!

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!