Baldpate Bonanza

Craig F

Craig F

Well-known member
With the season winding down here in NJ and getting some great gunning opportunities with the weather I went in to work late the other morning and hit up a favorite south zone marsh before it closes tomorrow. I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't been able to scout much lately and just had a hunch the birds would be there. I put out a smaller spread of six LZ black ducks and four mallards and sat back to enjoy the pre dawn. I figured if I could scratch out a black duck the morning would be a win.

Well things went a little better than planned... 5 min after legal here came a pair of wigeon 10 yards feet down in the hole. Two shots later and they were in the bag. I barely had time to get set back up and here were a dozen more... boom, boom, boom and three were floating white belly up in the spread. 15 minutes later here are three gadwall, I picked one out and finished my limit with six shots by 7:15 am... definitely a morning for the memory banks.

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Craig-

That is fantastic. We had some good times the past couple of days and even ended up with a Wigeon too.

Yours look like really nice birds.

Chad A
 
Those wigeon are awesome especially this time of year. I'm a bit jealous as well. We've only shot 1 during the month of January in 30 yrs.
 
A bucket bird for me..... we had some last day of the season...3 drakes in a flock of Gadwalls... with flat lighting I could not pick them out until they were even with me and then could not get a shot. They worked the decoys but would not commit several times over several hours (we had the only open water around). We have some in the area again this year, and now I have some decoys, so am hopeful!
 
I usually shoot a few each season, especially if we get weather, but this was just a real special day. I have a lot of great memories of wigeon hunts. I had one day when I was around 13 or 14 when my dad and I had a flock of easily 30 drop right in and I didn't even know what to do with myself. This hunt was one where later on in the day when replaying it in my head I thought boy even if I don't get out again this season that would be okay.
 
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I hear you, I haven't even seen one in 10 years!
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Sounds like me and pintails! 20+ years, two hens. Never even had a drake work the spread. All the trips my dad shot them when I was young were days too nasty for me to join.
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Back in the day, we used to shoot a couple of widgeon and pintails (even a mallard!) every year. That changed 10 years ago when our wintering numbers of ducks plummeted as our grassbeds did.
I never shot a bull sprig but I got a few nice ones. You will get yours sooner or later!
You can also take comfort in knowing that I have only ever seen 1 black duck, and I missed it. My buddy folded it 1 second after I miffed.
 
I do have to stop and remind myself every once in a while about the black duck thing. Some days they are all you see.
 


"Sounds like me and pintails! 20+ years, two hens. Never even had a drake work the spread. All the trips my dad shot them when I was young were days too nasty for me to join."

I'll trade you a pintail hunt for a widgeon hunt next year?! LOL Nice shoot!
 
Ducks can be funny things sometimes. Since 1981 they've held a special spot in my heart.


On opening day-1981, we had an overabundance of Widgeon around. I remember hearing their whistle calls constantly in the predawn darkness. Back then, Ohio had the point system and Widgeons were 10 point ducks. I shot nine of them that morning, then went home, got cleaned up and went to a wedding... MY WEDDING! (not sure what I was thinking, apparently I was smitten). To this day still, that was the most Ducks I ever bagged in one day. Must've been a good omen. My Honey and I celebrated our thirty-third anniversary last October.


I've harvested every specie of Duck common to the area I hunt, EXCEPT a Pintail. See a few every year, had a few give me a look. Two times this season I had Pintails land just outside my spread. Yet I've yet to even point my gun at one...


We usually see a few Widgeon every year. I even managed to harvest a pair of nice drakes this year.


Jon
 
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