Winter is here. Who’s hunting?

Had a 30 degree warm up overnight and no wind. Took what I could get. Not a hen shooter, but the more I stare at my hen decoys, the more I realize they need so much more work. Went ahead and pulled the trigger on one this morning. She was a nasally old hen. She’ll eat, but I still felt guilty pulling the trigger on her. Haven’t seen a pin in over a month, so this was a pleasant surprise. Likely headed to the taxi with a woodduck this off season.
 

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Been mentoring a young man a couple years. His family owns a good amount of farming property but they had some mallard and wigeon using a small pothole. Hes in college now and back home for winter break but the youngest is catching the bug and a helluva shot. Dad still not overly comfortable with him going without him. So dad tagged along as well. Was quite an enjoyable evening hunt. A few short of limits but that’s ok. I absolutely love watching the next generation getting sick with the disease of waterfowl.
 

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Been mentoring a young man a couple years. His family owns a good amount of farming property but they had some mallard and wigeon using a small pothole. Hes in college now and back home for winter break but the youngest is catching the bug and a helluva shot. Dad still not overly comfortable with him going without him. So dad tagged along as well. Was quite an enjoyable evening hunt. A few short of limits but that’s ok. I absolutely love watching the next generation getting sick with the disease of waterfowl.
Good Job Bill always nice to see a hunter taka youngster out and show him there is much more to it than sitting around on a computer or cell phone. GOOD FOR YOU! and thank You sir
 
Good Job Bill always nice to see a hunter taka youngster out and show him there is much more to it than sitting around on a computer or cell phone. GOOD FOR YOU! and thank You sir
These kiddos are living right. In a lot of ways, I am envious of how they are growing up and wish I was raised the way they are being raised. I had already been hunting these farms for a few years, and then when the oldest asked if he could tag along. It wasnt even a hesitation. We started showing him the ropes around 16 years of age. Hes caught on real quick, and now hes teaching what he knows to his youngest brother. His brother called Friday night and asked if I would come hunt with them on sunday instead of going elsewhere and hunting by myself. He said he wanted to see good dog work. Mind you.... hes still quite a young man. I think only a year or two into middle school, so I most certainly couldnt say no. I couldnt promise good dog work, as my little goober is still learning herself, but I made sure to save my sunday for the boys. i didnt have high hopes, i figured a few mallard and to root on a young mans shooting. No, I was pleasantly surprised on the action we had in that little hole and I was even more surprised how good the young man shot. Still just shooting a 20" 20ga pump, but he put the screws to some birds. Of course he loved the dog work and I even let him send her on a few retrieves and let him heel her to his side and send her on a blind back. He grinned ear to ear, and i bet I will have another teenager tagging along in the very near future.
 
Another one for the lanyard. Actually saw the band as I put the gun up with a pair of blacks backpedaling at 15 yards. Always a nice surprise.

Five year old bird banded on the Chesapeake Bay, pretty sure the first bird I've killed north of where it was banded.

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Been getting out but having a pretty slow season... However I will be huting in Texas this week. hopefully there will be more birds down there then there have been in Oregon.
 
Another one for the lanyard. Actually saw the band as I put the gun up with a pair of blacks backpedaling at 15 yards. Always a nice surprise.

Five year old bird banded on the Chesapeake Bay, pretty sure the first bird I've killed north of where it was banded.

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Craig, that's pretty cool. Got a Teal earlier in the year that was banded in North Carolina. That was definitely a first for me. Shooting one north of where it was banded
 

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Our season closes tomorrow. Tough one for me. Was sick in our early season when the teal and woodies were around in my favorite pothole. Thanksgiving-Christmas trips on the salt and tidal rivers were slow. The usual Christmas-end of season madness on the salt was tough with wind, rain, lousy tides and work, and then hard cold that shut down most of my spots with ice. Scratched out a few birds here and there, but overall very slow. Wouldn't have missed a minute of it.
 
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