Hunting the prairie

BillS

BillS

Well-known member
My Family was in town this weekend, after the first day of pheasant hunting it was time to take my 12yo neice out for some duck hunting. Last year she shot a sandhill for her first bird ever. This year she really wanted to shoot a canvasback and a redhead. So we headed onto the prairie and loaded up the dolly and boat.

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The dolly allows me to get to spots the arent readily accessible that hold a "few" birds. This is a classic Sago Lake, mostly cans, some redheads, widgeon, pintails and swans. But right now mostly Canvasbacks.

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After a few missed shots, few more missed oppurtunites, she dropped this hen.

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Her dad got his a few minutes later. She also shot the bird over her redhead decoy that I carved for her and she painted a few years ago.

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The dolly works like envisoned and has been providing some successfull hunts.

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The next day her choice was to either pheasant hunt or try for redheads on our property. She opted for redheads, she wasnt successfull in hitting one, however she did shoot another canvasback. She joins only myself in ever shooting a can on our property. We don't see many, in fact last year was the first time we had seen them there so now she has a leg up on her dad.

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Bill,
That is a great hunt I bet they were both thrilled with there birds and the cart looks like it worked really well. I am jealous of that setup for sure. I wound not have much need for it here but out in the prairie it would be a perfect setup. I was lucky I could drive to the water I found when out there and then paddle to the points I wanted to hunt.

Thanks so much for the help you provided when I was on my trip out there. I plan to come back each year with the family and as the kids grow I am sure they will have more and more opportunities at those Canvasbacks.

Quick question you often say you carry in 2 dozen balsa decoys. What species are they or do you have several to choose from and limit what you take to two dozen?
 
This post should go into the duckboats.net Hall of Fame.

Great story

Great pics

Cute grandchild

Canvasbacks

Hand carved decoys

A boat

If there had been a dog it would have been the best ever.
 
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I'm still looking to get my first can. Send some down my way. Great photos! Nice looking S x S's! What kind are they?
 
Congrats Bill! Glad to see the cart works well and that you really got into some good shooting. Feel free to send a few of those out to the East a bit, been pretty slow north of Grand Rapids, MN lately. Did see some big flocks of 'bills but they were high and moving east farther to the big lakes.
 
No problem for the help. I started dragging my cork decoys out when I made the trip out here every year. When I moved out here I carved a rig of balsa birds. I plan to add more but dog training got in the way this summer. I hunt mostly sago lakes, you will see just about everything on a sago lake. The first batch I went with 6 Cans, 6 redheads, 4 pintails and 1 widgeon and 8 coots. I do have more in the works that I just havent finished. The coots are important on some lakes and some not as much. My goal for next year is either to buy or make 2 canvas swans, carve a few more widgeons, add some ringnecks, few greenwings and a few shovelers for confindence. Then I can change out what primarily seeing on each of the waters. An old time waterfowll biologist/decoy carver who I learned a lot from on hunting sago lakes, had a pair of each species of duck in his rig, he also had a couple specklebellies and swans. Because these lakes really hold everything.
 
They should be leaving in the next 5 days, we are gettiing a big blow wed and thurs with 40-60mph winds. but not real cold, so if they make it through this then they may stick around for a bit. The guns are JP sauers, but not typical german guns, both are very english style and are excellent quality. Prussian era, hers is a 16ga his is a 10gauge with chamber sleeves for 12ga shells.
 
Bill, awesome pics and story. Your post gets me fired up for my 11th trip to your great state! Pushing our luck this year and coming out the second week of November.

Brad
 
Wonderful thread, Bill. I sure enjoyed the pictures. Reminded me so much of the area I grew up in. Glad to see you were so successful.
Al
 
Bill, good to see and hear that you all are having some really fun times gunning with family!!Hipe the balsas are holding up well on your excursions.
Keep your neice painting AND get her carving her own stuff, too!
 
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