Late season gadwalls

Carl

Carl

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Staff member
Every once in a while I like to remind myself how much I hate late season gadwalls. So I am torturing myself this afternoon. So far it's working, at least 10 groups have came within 75 yards and then went off to land in open water 200 yards away. I ran a few scaup and buffies off the spot. I hope they come back.
 
Damnnn, I'm shooting horrible this weekend. Whole flock of greater scaup in the decoys and I didn't cut a feather.
 
Slept in this morning after waking up and seeing that the winds were blowing 20-30 mph. Forecast was for it to calm a little by late morning.
Got up around 8:00, puttered around the house and went grocery shopping.
Left the house for Mobile Bay at around 10:00.
Got to the ramp and found the wind still blowing North at 15-20mph. Ran out to the spot I had in mind. Ran up a bunch of gadwalls, a few scaup and a few buffies. Got set up and settled in.
Like my first post noted, gadwalls came back in pairs and small flocks but were very blind shy. Just wouldn't come in more then 75 yards out. Finally at about 12:40pm, a pair came in. The hen hung back but the drake came in feet down. Dropped him on the second shot and then used up 3 more water-swatting him.
Had more gadwalls come & look then go elsewhere just about all afternoon.
At 1:15, a hen greater scaup skirted the gadwall decoys, came up the line of bluebills and went feet down in the "hook", couldn't get a diver to decoy more perfectly. MIssed the first shot and folded her dead in the air on the 2nd.
Had another gadwall come in to the edge of the decoys and whiffed all three shots.
Had a flock of greaters buzz right over the decoys and didn't cut a feather.
Birds stopped flying about 3:15, so I packed it in.
Not a stellar day of shooting, 13 shells to kill 2 birds.

Hen bluebills was huge, very pretty. The drake gaddie was not huge but had great colors.

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They are very smart and pretty birds.

Hard to scull also. They sit in open water here too in the late season.

Keep up the good work, jerk. :)
 
Way to go, Carl. Sure glad to see you getting birds. Congrats. By the way, your shooting percentage of 15% is pretty good when at one time they had figured out that the average hunter was shooting about a box of shells for every bird. As we would say, "You done good, Carl!"
Al
 
That is one big bluebill. Some of my most memorable shoots have been when the "gadwall switch" turned on when I was hunting backwaters off the Missouri River. Quick limits on those days when they were all feet down in the decoys and then there were the days the gads wouldn't get any closer than 100 yards.
 
Thank Al.
I know what I am doing wrong, looking to see that I hit the bird vs. following through. Over confidence will bite you!
 
Yep, they sure are goofy birds. Like you, I've been out one day when they wont give you a second look and then the next you cant keep them out of the decoys.
 
Carl, dani and I crossed The Bay while you were still on the water. Was that you we saw from I-90?

We saw a couple of nice wads of Gadwalls but not much else.


Steve
 
Might have been, was it yesterday? What time?

I was on the flats east of & across the river channel from the Battleship, just south of the channel that run parallel to US 98. It would have been a big bushy green blind.
 
That plus it was HUGE! And the white extended way out on the wings. Nicest hen I have taken in years.
 
Carl.......2:30 or so. We were looking North of the northern most lane of I-10 so I'm sure we didn't actually see you. We did see the battleship but that was after we made that sweeping turn as you leave the Bay into the city.

Dani got to see the Rosseau blinds and we saw at least two active blinds.

Nice NORTHERN RED LEG buffleheads those. Truly must be a deep freeze to the North to push those rarities into you area.


Steve
 
Well is was not out then but you did get to see my main hunting area!
Hope y'all had a good trip. We need to get a central Gulf DHBP gathering together sooner or later.
 
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