Another duckboats.net hunt

Hitch

Hitch

Well-known member
Blake Wilson and Dave Williams flew down for a weekend of Florida hunting hoping to add a few specimens to Blake's freezers. Saturday started out with a spectacular sunrise.

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It was a slow day but Dave did manage a super clean and mature Mottled drake.

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Then Dani met us at the ramp for today's hunt. The weather was much more akin to duck shooting with good wind and weather all morning and only spitting rain a little. And the birds cooperated decent considering the daily pounding they've received from the skybusting youngsters who spent more money this season on shells than gas.

But we had a fine day with much more success on the drakes, and collecting 2 that were nicer than most I have seen.

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Dani took this drake which had more white down the back of its head than any other drake Bluewing I have ever seen with one possible exception that Steve took home a few years back.

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The guys had a few questions for me about hunting with Dani. They asked if they should watch their mouth and so on. I suggested they treat her like one of the guys; that’s what she will do, and the way she would want it. It didn’t take long for them to figure that much out. Here's Dani adjusting her box of shells; just one of the guys - Gotchya!! :-)

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We would have finished out if Blake and Dave had a later flight. Nice flocks of Teal and Mottleds tempted us all along the way out.

The wind was still brisk but the clouds cleared off for the row and slog back to the airboat. I only had use of my 2 Puddlers this weekend as Scott was using his, so we made due with the 2 boats and had fun with it. It gave us a chance to get some photos.

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I was pretty shot after hunting the last 4 days of the season…

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..but the water in my leaky waders running down my back during the relaxing ride back kept me alert for the airboat pilot duty. New waders before next fall are on the list.

Dani manned the camera on the way to the ramp and got some nice shots that tell of the day…

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It was a fun end to another great duck season. Hunting with Blake and Dave was so much fun, a great time for all, and a weekend that will not be forgotten. Blake and Dave each left with a couple of fine birds, and Dani and I also sent Blake home with a few of our own.

Another great hunt made possible by www.duckboats.net

Hitch
 
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Great pictures Hitch. You don't know how bad I want to be down there right now. Love those teals and nice decoys too. I might make a couple of GW teals this winter just for fun.

Mike
 
Great season Hitch! I wondered to myself if age has anything to do with the bluewings having more white.? That's something that you see in some species...redhead hens for example "gray up" quite a bit as they get older. What's the story on that?

I've never seen a bluewing with even a hint of the white crescent up here except for during the spring migration of course. During the season though...I'll bet you could count on one hand how many hunters have harvested a BWT with the crescent up this way.
 
Great pics, I'd love to get me a bluewing but we would need to start the season in Aug/Sept. It must be nice to get wet and not go into hypothermia! Great hunt guys....................Kevin
 
Hitch & Dani,
Thanks a lot for a great hunt and experience! I appreciate the invite and the hospitality, and it was great to meet both of you. I never thought I'd get oppurtunities to kill full plummaged blue wings and mottleds!! Can't wait to see them on the wall! I just hope Blake doesn't get confused and that white headed blue wing ends up in my living room, lol. Hope we can do it again, and you two need to plan on coming up next season for a ride in the scull boats with Blake and I! Keep in touch.

Dave
 
WOOOOOOHOOOOO, is about all i can say.great time,great folks and top it off with great weather.what else could you ask for.i think with all the confusion over that damn white headed teal im just going to keep it here to keep anyone from feeling cheated...dani must have some secret hiding spot out in that marsh where she just wonders off to and comes back with banded birds,ect.thanks again hitch for having us.
 
Y'all down there getting a sun tan while I am up here freezing my butt off . Nice birds !!!
 
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Great season Hitch! I wondered to myself if age has anything to do with the bluewings having more white.?
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I don't know if it does. I've seen a bunch with the white and some are obviously less mature. Maybe some grey early like us humans. This one though didn't have as smooth dark of color under it's bill as the one Dave shot, as Blake pointed out. It may be in the genes. Hitch
 
Now I can't see a smart, observant man like Blake sending the wrong bird to the wrong person. Why, it would just crush me to learn that he had accidentally sent my gray headed, blue-winged teal to you Dave. So you see, there's no reason for all this hoopla about it going to the wrong home.

And as for my 'secret hiding spot'? Hah...my mother claims to be a goddess (I'm sure I'm blaspheming her now) so maybe a little bit of her magic has rubbed off on me and I'm just blessed where ever I go?
 
brush on white out stuff????? OMG can you get anymore ghetto??? how bout some of that spray on snow stuff too for the habitat? Then maybe I wouldn't notice that brush on white out stuff :P
 
Great pics, I'd love to get me a bluewing but we would need to start the season in Aug/Sept. It must be nice to get wet and not go into hypothermia! Great hunt guys....................Kevin
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Managed to get a few bluewing is so.jersey in the early part of Nov.
 
That's a surprise to me. I've never seen them after the start of the season. Share some info, will ya.................where did you get them? Come on, I won't tell anyone else, I swear. Kevin
 
Now I can't see a smart, observant man like Blake sending the wrong bird to the wrong person. Why, it would just crush me to learn that he had accidentally sent my gray headed, blue-winged teal to you Dave. So you see, there's no reason for all this hoopla about it going to the wrong home.

And as for my 'secret hiding spot'? Hah...my mother claims to be a goddess (I'm sure I'm blaspheming her now) so maybe a little bit of her magic has rubbed off on me and I'm just blessed where ever I go?
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Daughter mine, do you remember when I told you that sometimes not setting the record straight is more entertaining? Well that is the case of the goddess thing. I do not recall claiming so much as being proclaimed. Having been raised as one of the boys I have my fair share of ego and Heck fire it sure sounded good. Then Hitch posts and says something about Rub it in, Rub it in and I think of the many times proclamations are made from the rubbed masses upon my table. It would not be proper for me to bust their bubble now would it? As for being blessed wherever you go......that is a given. Nice pictures ya'll took. You will soon have occur what you have seen occur for me......where ever you go you will run into someone you know...then you will understand .......To all who have had the joy of hunting with my daughter, thanks for adding to her circle of friends and for sharing the adventure, for those who have asked if they should watch their mouth around her,....ROFLMAO little do they know............. regardless,you have my thanks as a mother.......now I must go see if I can factor a polynomial, and figure out something about zeros with complexes and conjugating pairs
 
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