Another Season Come Gone

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anthony m coons sr

Well-known member
The end of another duck season here in the Hudson Valley in New York State. The River is flowing with ice now and the bays are iced up. But signs of waterfowl are still here. Goose Season is still open for about another week. But for the most part its been a fun season for me. Did we shoot a ton of birds? Nope! But I got to hunt with my son some days and one of my oldest friends. Got into some good flocks and got to chat about life and the old days. Found out that our wood duck boxes produced lots of birds.
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Found out they fly better then we shoot. But all and all it was fun just to be out there. For those young bucks that think its not cool to ware ear protection. Get some ! my friend cant hear the sound of a birds wing beats. As you get older and maybe your health isn't that great. A day on the water is wonderful. Seeing a duck hit a spread of decoys. There nothing like it ! Ducks in the boat was once my number one goal many years ago. Now taking a few and seeing a lot. Have the honor to share it with someone. Is a best thing about our sport. Hearing stores of the hunt not the numbers of kills. Shooting into a float of geese or mallards and not hitting one is a story. I could share tons of tales with you that are all true. Some are funny now but not then. My point is your dog your father or son or any family member is the sport. Getting after it with them is memories.
If you don't have someone to share your stories with. Then a boat load of ducks may of never happen.
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Glad to hear you had another great season. I hope you share a few tales with us. I also don't need a boat full of ducks, but I do feel better when I get at least one. BUT a boat full of ducks would be nice now and again.
Merry Christmas!
 
Mike

Thank you ! and Merry Christmas to you and your family. Stories of days gone by are great and after Christmas I will post lots of my adventures over the years. And Hopefully it will start a land slide of tales from everyone on here. When I was a young buck nothing made me more happy then a old timer telling stories of great hunts. Yes over the years stories change and more ducks get shot then really did. But who really cares. Those stories are what makes us who we are. Merry Christmas for now and a very Happy New Year. God Bless! all of you on here and may Santa bring you nothing but joy.
 
For those young bucks that think its not cool to ware ear protection. Get some ! my friend cant hear the sound of a birds wing beats.
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Amen to that. Steve used to tell me he kept me around cuz I could hear the ducks coming and see the ducks coming long before he could. And I could hear the turkeys gobbling in the woods. Otherwise I was just too much of a pain in the ass

Nice to hear that you had a great season. I hope that you are blessed with many more to come.
 
Anthony

I see so many people get out of the sport when they start having kids and gain other responsibilities. Those that leave it behind never get to experience one of the greatest things you can as a waterfowler, that being sharing hunts with your son/daughter. Congrats on another season.

Eric
 
Dani

Thanks for the kind words!!! Hearing is a gift that know one should ever take for granted. I always push it on everyone I take out hunting. Your blessed as well. I read your post all the time and your a heck of a hunter. And you post some of the best photos on here. Good luck in the new year.
 
Eric

My friends your so right! Some people think hunters are monsters. They think all we want to do is kill things. In fact most of us are totally the opposite. We love the water the woods and the pray we go after. Our money is what keeps the wetlands and the woods clean and productive. We put back to what we love, We teach the young to do the same. Most people talk the talk . But we the Sportsmen walk the walk. I have been putting back to our sport for forty six years. I have enjoyed my child hunting with me. Some of their friends. And many many other people. A bad day out hunting with your child or friend ,or your dad. Is way better then sitting home and watching TV.
 
Anthony, As we have discussed before, you and I hunt the same stretch of the River. With the new season dates this year, of which I was not a fan, I made the decision to focus most of my season on smaller waters. I had a really fun season and did hunt the river a few times. There were two hunts in particular on the river that were fantastic, both late season, and back to back days. The third day I went again and it was like a switch had been thrown. There were no birds at all.

That's part of what makes the river so interesting, the tides, currents, the migration route, and the timing. I do really enjoy it, I just spent a lot less time on it this season. I went this morning and attempted to launch for geese. Everything was frozen up and the river was choked almost entirely full of ice. It ended up being a drive and a turn-around. I still have a few smaller waters that have geese on them and aren't locked up, so perhaps I'll find another cooperative goose or two before everything closes.

I'm glad you had a good season!
 
J Overland

The river can be the best and it can sure be worse. But finding out which is which is the fun of it. I had a few good days . One early in the year. But just being out there is good enough for me. Glad you enjoyed it and I hope your small water spots are open and full of geese. I think I am done until I had out to Western New York for snows in the New Year. Happy New year my friend hope to chat soon.
 

Anthony,

Seasons come and seasons go, and God Willing we shall be around for the next one.

In my view the best thing about your post, was the fact that your Wood Duck nesting boxes produced many birds.

Who loves the birds better than the hunter?

In that regard alone, your season was a success, and all else icing on the cake.

Doing what you do is your legacy


The duck season is still in here for awhile, and goose season as well. In some ways it was over before it began, a roll of the dice each year.

Even with the warm up, lots of ice everywhere. Plenty of Honkers roosting, resting, and snugged down on the river.

I'll go look see, just in case reverse migration, as the ducks are already paired up.

Last day of the seasons are more important than the first day, in my Geezer years. Seems to be the same for you, we turn another page.


I wish you and yours well, and may you have a happy and healthy 2020.

(Man I cannot believe that, 2020?!)


Best regards
Vince
 
[size 4] Anthony,

Great to hear you enjoyed seaaon doing what you love.

We may get more selective in picking our days, but the anticipation when pulling away from the house in the morning, and the restorative energy of being out there is even better!

Kudos to you for all you give back to the resource.
 
Vince

Many of us love our sport in different ways. Me! I found a way to give back without being a craftsman like most of you guys and gals. I know how to get things done. God gave me the gift of a big mouth. And also the gift of not taking no for a answer. I can lead people in a way that they don't even know it. I make them smile and make them feel it was their idea. I don't care who beats their chest. I just want to get the boxes out there to see if it becomes a home for a woody. People always want to knock you or your way of doing thing down. But those same people don't do a dam thing but run there mouths. I have seen many ducks come from our boxes. They have no guards on them. Yet ducks still use them and make it out of them. I have use guards and seen ducks fly out. And I have use guards and found died birds inside. Way before wood duck boxes the wood duck was around. Doing something to help even if its different then what others do. Is better then nothing. As always Vince I love hearing from you and everyone else. Happy 2020 and I hope we are around for many more years. God Bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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MLBob

My friend your so right. Leaving the house pulling the boat. Is know different for me today then thirty years ago. I still can wait to back the truck in and head down river. When your hunting waterfowl your not a old fart or a young buck. Your a duck hunter and your seeing the same things you saw many moons ago. I may pass on a shot today. Our I might shoot and see if I still got it. But its not the end of the world if I don't.
I enjoy hunting today as much as I did when I was a kid. Maybe in different ways. But still enjoy it like it was my first time. Knowing a could of bagged that small flock that flew by. Is sometimes better then shooting. I pick and choose what I go for. And if I feel like I want to shoot like I did when I was a young buck. I do that too!!. I willn't bull**** you if my sons in the boat its on. Can't let the kid take down the old man. Happy new year my friend. May 2020 be your greatest year yet.
 
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