Afternoon Gentleman (BRANT) 2025
Well! For me it's the first outing of the year and was a great hunt and great time with the few old timers still hunting the old hunting grounds of south bay in Humboldt County.
In the days waiting up just to see if any Brant had left Izembek AK my anticipation was getting stronger by the day for the Birds just to leave AK.
In the meantime, Duck season was a week out and I never hunt the opening due to all the Pin feathers or worms as some call them as a joke but nothing happening.
So, I got off my Duff and got a hold of a Biologist in Cold Bay AK and was interested in Nesting numbers of both Brant and Sprig (pintails).
Very cautious young lady indicated she could give me numbers and chat about the Brant population for the season in a call back a little later in Nov and gave me her number.
During that conversation I asked what the weather was doing in AK and if there was a reason we did not or were not getting the numbers of Ducks we usually have before the opening.
Everything she said was late as at the time when I first called in Oct and there was not expected to get much cold weather they were used to for generations.
My return call in November was made, and the results were even better than I had anticipated on hearing.
The nesting results were up on both Brant and Sprig juveniles' and expectations were good for a good season.
But here on the west Coast of Oregon we were still not getting the numbers of Ducks that we are so used to but finding out that the birds are just staying a little longer up north until the colder weather hits.
That was the results for Oregon opening very few birds some local mallard but not much of anything else, so my hunts were turned off until after my Brant hunt after the first weekend of Brant season.
CA has made some idiotic rules /regulation in my lifetime but now they end up cutting the season on Brant to 15 Days and a bag limit of 2 birds per day.
In my earlier days of hunting these birds it was a 3 1/2 months of hunting Brant starting in mid-November through until the 18th of February and the bag limit was 4 per day. Now 15 days 2 birds.
With numbers basically unchanged since the 1950s and when they have a down year it is due to the nesting results for that season and the fact that now there are 50,000 Brant that are not leaving Alaska and wintering in Alaska.
All information was passed on by the Bio out of Cold Bay AK.
With or when numbers are lower than expected, the fish and wildlife love to down grade low numbers on Sportsman due to over killing of the Birds and one more thing she indicated, on down years do not have a thing to do with over harvesting by sportsman in AK or the lower 48 on their flight to Mexico it happens on the nesting grounds.
one more thing I did not know or have a clue about was the fact that the Natives of AK can hunt Brant until the Spring of the year to just before they start to nest and again in October - to February and can get their quota of eggs.
A lot learned for an old timer of 77 and not liking to hear about a lot of what she had to say I was actious that the Brant number were up.
Just before I left putting me a little behind, I sold my second original Scull boat to a gentleman in Idaho.
We were right in the middle now of November and the ducks were showing up in numbers and chatting with the Bio in AK indicated the Brant had staged in Izembek AK in October and were then leaving AK South for their journey to MX with many stops along the way and one being Humboldt Bay CA.
So, we passed on the opening day Saturday-Sunday and were anticipating on that first Monday after Thanks Day.
Of course, that opening weekend was killer as everyone on the spit killed their birds for those 2 days.
We hit Monday and the hunt was great in fact I have never seen the numbers of Brant in Humboldt that time in November ever.
We hunted for 3 days and killed limits the first two days and on the third in anticipation that the 3rd and 4th would be the same those Birds on that 3rd day rose from the bay wound up headed over the Ocean then South heading to Mexico to winter.
On the 4th day I visited my cousin now 84 years young ask if I was still sculling? Of course, I said and think when I die it will be in a scull boat.
He laughed and said he wanted to let his go and was going to ask if I wanted it.
Tears in both our Eyes as it also was his baby and had been sculling even longer than I, and I knew how he had to feel giving that boat up as I replied
Richard I just sold my 2 Original Nellist and know how it feels as I too had to leave the room. But! before the second was gone I had a single so I could continue my sculling.
When you are raised to hunt and learn from those you cherish and learned from most of our growing life you know what it means when you have to let something go that you also cherish so very much.
So, I took his scull home with me and will do the work she needs. she will be a new boat when done and now time to get on with my Duck and Goose sculling for the rest of the season.
With thousands of Ducks and geese in the bays I will have my cherished days sculling and killing my Mallard-Sprig and Honkers all nice and fat and no pin feathers or worms as many say. LOL
All you young and Old Hunters even if you're not a Sculler enjoys every day, you're in the field.
One more thing see the things around you and it is not always about the killing of the fowl but this beautiful world we are so fortunate to live in.
GOOD LUCK 2025 Mike E Sculler 77
Well! For me it's the first outing of the year and was a great hunt and great time with the few old timers still hunting the old hunting grounds of south bay in Humboldt County.
In the days waiting up just to see if any Brant had left Izembek AK my anticipation was getting stronger by the day for the Birds just to leave AK.
In the meantime, Duck season was a week out and I never hunt the opening due to all the Pin feathers or worms as some call them as a joke but nothing happening.
So, I got off my Duff and got a hold of a Biologist in Cold Bay AK and was interested in Nesting numbers of both Brant and Sprig (pintails).
Very cautious young lady indicated she could give me numbers and chat about the Brant population for the season in a call back a little later in Nov and gave me her number.
During that conversation I asked what the weather was doing in AK and if there was a reason we did not or were not getting the numbers of Ducks we usually have before the opening.
Everything she said was late as at the time when I first called in Oct and there was not expected to get much cold weather they were used to for generations.
My return call in November was made, and the results were even better than I had anticipated on hearing.
The nesting results were up on both Brant and Sprig juveniles' and expectations were good for a good season.
But here on the west Coast of Oregon we were still not getting the numbers of Ducks that we are so used to but finding out that the birds are just staying a little longer up north until the colder weather hits.
That was the results for Oregon opening very few birds some local mallard but not much of anything else, so my hunts were turned off until after my Brant hunt after the first weekend of Brant season.
CA has made some idiotic rules /regulation in my lifetime but now they end up cutting the season on Brant to 15 Days and a bag limit of 2 birds per day.
In my earlier days of hunting these birds it was a 3 1/2 months of hunting Brant starting in mid-November through until the 18th of February and the bag limit was 4 per day. Now 15 days 2 birds.
With numbers basically unchanged since the 1950s and when they have a down year it is due to the nesting results for that season and the fact that now there are 50,000 Brant that are not leaving Alaska and wintering in Alaska.
All information was passed on by the Bio out of Cold Bay AK.
With or when numbers are lower than expected, the fish and wildlife love to down grade low numbers on Sportsman due to over killing of the Birds and one more thing she indicated, on down years do not have a thing to do with over harvesting by sportsman in AK or the lower 48 on their flight to Mexico it happens on the nesting grounds.
one more thing I did not know or have a clue about was the fact that the Natives of AK can hunt Brant until the Spring of the year to just before they start to nest and again in October - to February and can get their quota of eggs.
A lot learned for an old timer of 77 and not liking to hear about a lot of what she had to say I was actious that the Brant number were up.
Just before I left putting me a little behind, I sold my second original Scull boat to a gentleman in Idaho.
We were right in the middle now of November and the ducks were showing up in numbers and chatting with the Bio in AK indicated the Brant had staged in Izembek AK in October and were then leaving AK South for their journey to MX with many stops along the way and one being Humboldt Bay CA.
So, we passed on the opening day Saturday-Sunday and were anticipating on that first Monday after Thanks Day.
Of course, that opening weekend was killer as everyone on the spit killed their birds for those 2 days.
We hit Monday and the hunt was great in fact I have never seen the numbers of Brant in Humboldt that time in November ever.
We hunted for 3 days and killed limits the first two days and on the third in anticipation that the 3rd and 4th would be the same those Birds on that 3rd day rose from the bay wound up headed over the Ocean then South heading to Mexico to winter.
On the 4th day I visited my cousin now 84 years young ask if I was still sculling? Of course, I said and think when I die it will be in a scull boat.
He laughed and said he wanted to let his go and was going to ask if I wanted it.
Tears in both our Eyes as it also was his baby and had been sculling even longer than I, and I knew how he had to feel giving that boat up as I replied
Richard I just sold my 2 Original Nellist and know how it feels as I too had to leave the room. But! before the second was gone I had a single so I could continue my sculling.
When you are raised to hunt and learn from those you cherish and learned from most of our growing life you know what it means when you have to let something go that you also cherish so very much.
So, I took his scull home with me and will do the work she needs. she will be a new boat when done and now time to get on with my Duck and Goose sculling for the rest of the season.
With thousands of Ducks and geese in the bays I will have my cherished days sculling and killing my Mallard-Sprig and Honkers all nice and fat and no pin feathers or worms as many say. LOL
All you young and Old Hunters even if you're not a Sculler enjoys every day, you're in the field.
One more thing see the things around you and it is not always about the killing of the fowl but this beautiful world we are so fortunate to live in.
GOOD LUCK 2025 Mike E Sculler 77
