Sadly I didn't take my camera. Forgot it in my excitement to head out to the marsh because IT"S FINALLY DUCK SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
The place I scouted that was so good for the opener last year (LOADED with coots and ducks mingling with them) when I looked at it on Thursday it was with total shock. A total of five grebes. That's it. Plenty of tailing redfish. There were a good number of redheads out on the big water. I figured well if nothing else they gotta come in for some freshwater sometime and it might as well be when the management area is open (the power of positive thinking doncha know).
Friday I looked at a local lake that I've never been on (and it gets shot hard but in Leon county we're only allowed to hunt sat, sun and wed plus the lake is electric or paddle only during the duck season). I saw a scattering of coots. A nice flock of bufflehead and scattered ruddies. I got my foamy boat reregistered and a battery for the trolling motor so that i can get out onto this lake to check it out.
So the decision was....do I go to a place I know the lay of the land and where there might be redheads or do I go join the throng on a lake I don't know?
I chose to go with the redheads. I didn't figure I needed to get out there super early as I didn't anticipate it being as crowded as last year. It wasn't. There were probably a half dozen hunters, not including me. However, one hunter and I met up at the intersection of two creeks...he came up one leg and I came up another and we met at the same time. He saw me and put it into overdrive and ended up going where I wanted to set up. No worries. I went over and spoke with him and told him where I'd be and to make sure I wasn't too close. I put out my dozen decoys and then Drake and I sat to await the sunrise, listening to the woodducks that were squealing throughout the marsh and the frogs that were talking up a storm way back behind me. There were more ducks in there than I expected, though not many more. I think probably they were just passing through because there was very very little food in there. The guy who took my spot had a fair number of opportunities and managed four birds (two redheads, a wood duck and a bufflehead).
I had one flock of redheads that I watched come in off the big water and swing up the creek, around the corner, set their wings and come into my decoys. So very pretty. A pair of drakes ended up staying out of the flock to keep Drake and I company while we sat to see if maybe anything else might come by. After a bit we were both getting bored so we decided to go for a snipe walk. Shockingly, there were no snipe that we could find. Drake did get his first rail. A virginia rail that he brought me. He was mighty upset with me when after all the hard work of tracking that wily beast down and catching it (well pouncing on it) before it had a chance to fly away and bringing me his prize that I went and let the little bugger go. While we were out, there was another hunter who was looking for a cripple. Drake played the hero and found his cripple for him. The guy was very appreciative and happy not to have lost his only duck of the day. Definitely not a stellar day duck numbers wise. But still fun anyway, and way preferable to dealing with the horde at a lake I don't yet know.
But duck season is FINALLY here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dani
The place I scouted that was so good for the opener last year (LOADED with coots and ducks mingling with them) when I looked at it on Thursday it was with total shock. A total of five grebes. That's it. Plenty of tailing redfish. There were a good number of redheads out on the big water. I figured well if nothing else they gotta come in for some freshwater sometime and it might as well be when the management area is open (the power of positive thinking doncha know).
Friday I looked at a local lake that I've never been on (and it gets shot hard but in Leon county we're only allowed to hunt sat, sun and wed plus the lake is electric or paddle only during the duck season). I saw a scattering of coots. A nice flock of bufflehead and scattered ruddies. I got my foamy boat reregistered and a battery for the trolling motor so that i can get out onto this lake to check it out.
So the decision was....do I go to a place I know the lay of the land and where there might be redheads or do I go join the throng on a lake I don't know?
I chose to go with the redheads. I didn't figure I needed to get out there super early as I didn't anticipate it being as crowded as last year. It wasn't. There were probably a half dozen hunters, not including me. However, one hunter and I met up at the intersection of two creeks...he came up one leg and I came up another and we met at the same time. He saw me and put it into overdrive and ended up going where I wanted to set up. No worries. I went over and spoke with him and told him where I'd be and to make sure I wasn't too close. I put out my dozen decoys and then Drake and I sat to await the sunrise, listening to the woodducks that were squealing throughout the marsh and the frogs that were talking up a storm way back behind me. There were more ducks in there than I expected, though not many more. I think probably they were just passing through because there was very very little food in there. The guy who took my spot had a fair number of opportunities and managed four birds (two redheads, a wood duck and a bufflehead).
I had one flock of redheads that I watched come in off the big water and swing up the creek, around the corner, set their wings and come into my decoys. So very pretty. A pair of drakes ended up staying out of the flock to keep Drake and I company while we sat to see if maybe anything else might come by. After a bit we were both getting bored so we decided to go for a snipe walk. Shockingly, there were no snipe that we could find. Drake did get his first rail. A virginia rail that he brought me. He was mighty upset with me when after all the hard work of tracking that wily beast down and catching it (well pouncing on it) before it had a chance to fly away and bringing me his prize that I went and let the little bugger go. While we were out, there was another hunter who was looking for a cripple. Drake played the hero and found his cripple for him. The guy was very appreciative and happy not to have lost his only duck of the day. Definitely not a stellar day duck numbers wise. But still fun anyway, and way preferable to dealing with the horde at a lake I don't yet know.
But duck season is FINALLY here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dani
