Dani
Well-known member
After deciding I'd really rather watch the season go out with the sunset, I decided to sleep in and hunt the salt in the afternoon. After puttering around and finally crawling out of bed, I go outside to begin a slow process of deciding what to take. I step outside and immediately turn around and go back inside to the warmth of the house and make a quick change of attire. Yesterday was 80 some degrees. Today barely reached 50 and lawdy...the wind was HOWLING.
I pull into the boat ramp and notice a truck with a DU sticker and get to thinking "man I hope my spot isn't taken." I know the entire marsh there is huge, but ya never know. I launch my boat and get all bundled up for my ride north into the howling wind and off I go. No one is parked where I plan on hunting so after beaching the boat and setting the anchors, I grab my pak and gun and off I go to trek to my pond. Gotta love it...you can see the white pelicans long before you can see the ducks. But if the pelicans are there, you'll usually find some ducks. Sure enough.
After flushing about 100 ducks out of the spot, and getting set up, I sat and sat. After watching several flocks landing in the back pocket of that spot I shot once in the air to get em all riled up and back into the air and HERE THEY COME! About 50 ducks, a mix of greenwinged teal and shovelors. And a BIG GIGANTIC MISS and off they all go, uninjured, to parts unknown to me. After flaring a flock of teal, i move myself to another island that has higher cover and that works like a charm. Or seems to have because in comes a pretty little greenwing hen. Right in oh so perfect.
Later, the birds begin trickling in, but again to that back pocket. It never fails. You set up one corner and they go to the other. You move to the other corner they go to your corner, totally bypassing you. After watching them land over there, I decide to cross the water to spook em up. It's a long walk through the mud on your knees (too soft to stand), but way more direct and you don't stand out like you do when walking through the thigh high grasses. Still, I managed to spook them too far out to get a shot. That's ok though. After making a hole for me in the grass on another island, then covering up, i waited for some to return. I wasn't disappointed. A drake shovelor came in with his two ladies, and he decided to come join my party with my hen gw.
Have I mentioned that those pesky birds we love to hunt will go where you were, not where you are? And that's exactly how it happened. Soooo, with thirty minutes of the season left, I slogged back to my spot near the decoys, to watch the sun set over the marsh. And hope that I would have another chance at some birds coming into the decoys. With ten minutes left in the season, I watch three shovelors head towards where I was, circling to check out the back pocket, but deciding instead to come to me and my decoys. And they came in so pretty, feet down, wings cupped. Another drake and two hens. With the decoys to my left, they came in, the drake swinging my direction, I draw up on him to shoot and CLICK! No shell.
And there go the shovelors, taking with them the season......
But it was a good one...and as I sat there pondering those last ten minutes of the season, I figure that was the perfect way to end this season...
Dani
I pull into the boat ramp and notice a truck with a DU sticker and get to thinking "man I hope my spot isn't taken." I know the entire marsh there is huge, but ya never know. I launch my boat and get all bundled up for my ride north into the howling wind and off I go. No one is parked where I plan on hunting so after beaching the boat and setting the anchors, I grab my pak and gun and off I go to trek to my pond. Gotta love it...you can see the white pelicans long before you can see the ducks. But if the pelicans are there, you'll usually find some ducks. Sure enough.
After flushing about 100 ducks out of the spot, and getting set up, I sat and sat. After watching several flocks landing in the back pocket of that spot I shot once in the air to get em all riled up and back into the air and HERE THEY COME! About 50 ducks, a mix of greenwinged teal and shovelors. And a BIG GIGANTIC MISS and off they all go, uninjured, to parts unknown to me. After flaring a flock of teal, i move myself to another island that has higher cover and that works like a charm. Or seems to have because in comes a pretty little greenwing hen. Right in oh so perfect.
Later, the birds begin trickling in, but again to that back pocket. It never fails. You set up one corner and they go to the other. You move to the other corner they go to your corner, totally bypassing you. After watching them land over there, I decide to cross the water to spook em up. It's a long walk through the mud on your knees (too soft to stand), but way more direct and you don't stand out like you do when walking through the thigh high grasses. Still, I managed to spook them too far out to get a shot. That's ok though. After making a hole for me in the grass on another island, then covering up, i waited for some to return. I wasn't disappointed. A drake shovelor came in with his two ladies, and he decided to come join my party with my hen gw.
Have I mentioned that those pesky birds we love to hunt will go where you were, not where you are? And that's exactly how it happened. Soooo, with thirty minutes of the season left, I slogged back to my spot near the decoys, to watch the sun set over the marsh. And hope that I would have another chance at some birds coming into the decoys. With ten minutes left in the season, I watch three shovelors head towards where I was, circling to check out the back pocket, but deciding instead to come to me and my decoys. And they came in so pretty, feet down, wings cupped. Another drake and two hens. With the decoys to my left, they came in, the drake swinging my direction, I draw up on him to shoot and CLICK! No shell.
And there go the shovelors, taking with them the season......
But it was a good one...and as I sat there pondering those last ten minutes of the season, I figure that was the perfect way to end this season...
Dani
I didn't even get to pull the trigger on my last day of hunting over here in Jersey... it sucks that what would have been the final bang of the season for you ended with a click. I hate it when that happens (or when I forget to take the safety off). 
