Steve Sanford
Well-known member
All~
I just got back from another whirlwind trip to Long Island - family, boats, decoys - and a fine morning of hunting on Bellport Bay. We hunted the Pattersquash Gunners Association club. Eugene Connett, himself, wrote about the club in Chapter VII of his Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater - a book EVERY duck hunter should own.....
This post has plenty of photos. I had a hard time editing the hundreds I took yesterday. So, bear with me....
Hunts do not start at "legal time". Rather, rigs draw for designated spots among the saltmarsh islands at 7:00 AM. We had no competition - the whole club to ourselves - and Craig Kessler chose John Ryder Bog - since we had a nice stiff breeze from the northeast.
Hundreds of Black Ducks to the east kept the anticipation levels high.
The rig combines a variety of stool of varied provenance. We shot over Blacks, Mallards, Wigeon and Canadas.
Since I am the designated photographer, Craig does all of the work. He is a fine retriever and needs little direction, usually going straight to the bird and delivering it directly to hand without any excess chewing or biting.
The first bird was a hen.
Note the 2 standing Blacks at the edge of the bog. They helped us keep an eye on the tide.
Black Duck # 2 was a nice big drake. Both offered our favorite shots: reasonably high and both "dead in the air".
Those finely penciled cheeks are always worth a close look.
Those broad, "smoky" tertials tells you he's an adult.
The bottom of most of Bellport Bay is hard sand.
We discovered a large "flock" of oysters nearby.
Here is Craig's 17-foot TDB. Because of a low tide range, there is no tall cover on the Bay. So, the hide is not optimal. But - it fooled enough Black Ducks yesterday.
Our bag for the morning. A couple of Mallards baffled us early in the day - but lived to tell the tale. We had dozens of opportunities on Blacks - we both savored the thrill of watching them set up for the rig.
We are not certain what sent this big bunch our way.
...but - notice the large-winged bird amongst them. This was my first time seeing a Bald Eagle harass a Black Duck over salt water.
You can just make out the white tail - it was a full adult. And, it did NOT get the Black Duck.
Seeing big bunches of Black Duck in what has otherwise been a very slow year was good for the soul
The "expression of interest" - as by these 3 - always gets our attention.
We picked up late morning - just as the tide turned. On this shallow, hard-bottomed bay, timing and "shallow drive" can save one from a long slog.
Back to the ramp - and then an afternoon of boat work.....
All the best,
SJS
I just got back from another whirlwind trip to Long Island - family, boats, decoys - and a fine morning of hunting on Bellport Bay. We hunted the Pattersquash Gunners Association club. Eugene Connett, himself, wrote about the club in Chapter VII of his Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater - a book EVERY duck hunter should own.....
This post has plenty of photos. I had a hard time editing the hundreds I took yesterday. So, bear with me....
Hunts do not start at "legal time". Rather, rigs draw for designated spots among the saltmarsh islands at 7:00 AM. We had no competition - the whole club to ourselves - and Craig Kessler chose John Ryder Bog - since we had a nice stiff breeze from the northeast.
Hundreds of Black Ducks to the east kept the anticipation levels high.
The rig combines a variety of stool of varied provenance. We shot over Blacks, Mallards, Wigeon and Canadas.
Since I am the designated photographer, Craig does all of the work. He is a fine retriever and needs little direction, usually going straight to the bird and delivering it directly to hand without any excess chewing or biting.
The first bird was a hen.
Note the 2 standing Blacks at the edge of the bog. They helped us keep an eye on the tide.
Black Duck # 2 was a nice big drake. Both offered our favorite shots: reasonably high and both "dead in the air".
Those finely penciled cheeks are always worth a close look.
Those broad, "smoky" tertials tells you he's an adult.
The bottom of most of Bellport Bay is hard sand.
We discovered a large "flock" of oysters nearby.
Here is Craig's 17-foot TDB. Because of a low tide range, there is no tall cover on the Bay. So, the hide is not optimal. But - it fooled enough Black Ducks yesterday.
Our bag for the morning. A couple of Mallards baffled us early in the day - but lived to tell the tale. We had dozens of opportunities on Blacks - we both savored the thrill of watching them set up for the rig.
We are not certain what sent this big bunch our way.
...but - notice the large-winged bird amongst them. This was my first time seeing a Bald Eagle harass a Black Duck over salt water.
You can just make out the white tail - it was a full adult. And, it did NOT get the Black Duck.
Seeing big bunches of Black Duck in what has otherwise been a very slow year was good for the soul
The "expression of interest" - as by these 3 - always gets our attention.
We picked up late morning - just as the tide turned. On this shallow, hard-bottomed bay, timing and "shallow drive" can save one from a long slog.
Back to the ramp - and then an afternoon of boat work.....
All the best,
SJS
