Jay Anglin
Well-known member
I shot a bluewing in a picked bean field over a a field spread the last day of the Indiana north zone last year in mid-December. We also had a flock of shoveler dive bomb into the decoys in addition to widgeon, mallard and blacks. Last year was one of the better duck seasons I've had in recent years and there were tons of migrants in by mid-November. I've shot plenty of woodies in ditches towards the end of the season when everything else was frozen solid. Like any species, some individuals just don't give a shit and disregard the rules. As I like to refer to the aberrant steelhead that slashes at a fly on a super slow day..."there's always a village idiot, you just have to find him".
Last Saturday was not a big migration day as I'd hoped but I still got into a few flocks of flight birds. A few buddies hunting 30 miles west saw lots of migrants Saturday. Sunday was HUGE.....masssive flocks of mallards, blacks and gaddies dropping in from space. At one point I had 4 separate flocks of migrants stair stepping in behind each other into the pattern. By 1 central there was NOTHING in the air and nothing in the water. If you were to go on an afternoon hunt you'd think there were no ducks.
Today I shot a limit of Canadas and a gorgeous, full-blown eaglehead Blue Goose. I've taken one other adult blue in Indiana and that was last spring but it wasn't nearly as nice as this one. That's a true trophy in these parts and yet they treat them like garbage elsewhere. This one and the trophy snow I shot last spring down the road are destined for the taxidermist.
This is simply an off year and I'd be willing to bet that anybody that can handle the weather in the Midwest over the next few days will do quite well. Bust some ice and settle in for a full day because sooner or later some tired birds are going to drop in for a visit.
Last Saturday was not a big migration day as I'd hoped but I still got into a few flocks of flight birds. A few buddies hunting 30 miles west saw lots of migrants Saturday. Sunday was HUGE.....masssive flocks of mallards, blacks and gaddies dropping in from space. At one point I had 4 separate flocks of migrants stair stepping in behind each other into the pattern. By 1 central there was NOTHING in the air and nothing in the water. If you were to go on an afternoon hunt you'd think there were no ducks.
Today I shot a limit of Canadas and a gorgeous, full-blown eaglehead Blue Goose. I've taken one other adult blue in Indiana and that was last spring but it wasn't nearly as nice as this one. That's a true trophy in these parts and yet they treat them like garbage elsewhere. This one and the trophy snow I shot last spring down the road are destined for the taxidermist.
This is simply an off year and I'd be willing to bet that anybody that can handle the weather in the Midwest over the next few days will do quite well. Bust some ice and settle in for a full day because sooner or later some tired birds are going to drop in for a visit.