Vince Pagliaroli said:
Vince, the boys cleaned the ducks and I will cook them. We might do a cookout at the shop after the season and if we do I'll get some pictures. Thanks.
Eric
Opener That Will Be Remembered
- Thread starter Eric Patterson
- Start date
Vince, the boys cleaned the ducks and I will cook them. We might do a cookout at the shop after the season and if we do I'll get some pictures. Thanks.
Eric
Eric Patterson said:
Wise move, I can smell the grilled duck already.
Bill Burruss
Well-known member
Eric,
Looks like an awesome hunt that will make for some great memories-
take care,
Bill
Looks like an awesome hunt that will make for some great memories-
take care,
Bill
tod osier said:
Tod, this particular hole will be good for a few more ducks but nothing remotely compared to the opener. There are other spots that are easier to hunt so we may or may not be back.
I've never hunted flooded timber like that. Are the birds in that spot only after acorns, or is there other food?
SJ Fairbank said:
Not having hunted flooded timber either, that was why I was asking about how they hunt it and how easy it is to burn one out. I'd think a hole would have better legs for hunting multiple days if there was feed there rather than than it being a loafing area.
benp
Well-known member
Being they are gadwall and he is in the south, the swamp hole is probably Tupelo gum. They grow great in the swamps with large swelled bases, they have elongated purple-black berries about the diameter of a .410 shell and roughly half-3/4 inch long.
Gadwall Love them, wood ducks and mallards do too but gaddies are the main takers. Tupelo is great for carving decoys too.
as far as burning the spot out, we have a couple breaks around my area and it's one of those places where you don't want to overhunt it, normally you can get good hunts when a cold front comes through and pushes new birds in, like any other place.
Gadwall Love them, wood ducks and mallards do too but gaddies are the main takers. Tupelo is great for carving decoys too.
as far as burning the spot out, we have a couple breaks around my area and it's one of those places where you don't want to overhunt it, normally you can get good hunts when a cold front comes through and pushes new birds in, like any other place.
tod osier said:
Based on the number of birds they shot I would guess there must be some food. I agree though, anytime there's no food it's more likely to be one and done.
benp said:
Thanks Ben, good info. I didn't know tupelo had a fruit.
You guys are savvy. It is more than a loafing hole. Beavers have dammed up the creek that drains the timber and it is killing the trees. Dead trees are dropping their limbs making the water rich with nutrients. In walks coontail (aquatic plant that does not need to root, but rather floats and absorbs nutrients from the water). Gadwall love coontail and they are now using this area for both its food and cover. I've seen this scenario play out in numerous flooded timber areas over the years. If it works like other places I hunt in North Alabama the gadwall will use it heavily for the coming years. Then alligatorweed and water primrose will find their way in and take over, strangling all other vegetation with deep thick mats on the water surface, rendering it useless to waterfowl and hunters. To be honest I wish the state would get the beavers under control, preserve the mass bearing trees, and have the flooded timber available for many years, rather than a dead swamp that had a great five or so year run.
Hate to be pessimistic, but I've seen this scenario play out numerous times and the conditions are pretty much identical.
Eric
Hate to be pessimistic, but I've seen this scenario play out numerous times and the conditions are pretty much identical.
Eric
Eric, has this spot cycled through the good/bad conditions before? If you built the dog stand 26 years ago, does it take that long to come back?
SJ Fairbank said:
SJ, Back in the 80s a levee was built to create a greentree reservoir. Up until recent years the timber seemed to be healthy. Since the beavers started stopping up the creeks and weirs it is holding water too much or even all year long, thus killing the desirable oak hardwoods, giving way to crap trees like red maple, sweet-gum, and green ash. Every time the state purchases new land I ask myself where the money to maintain it will come from, because they seem to already struggle with what they have.
Eric
Death to those beavers! LOL Is it permissible to trap them for fur, or is it too warm for good pelts? I remember the problem on your private area, but don't remember the solution.
Sorry to hear about the state's lack of maintenance. Whether it's money issues or treehuggers, "conservation" land seems to be left to nature. Pretty much the same way here in CT, the prevailing policy in state forests is to remove only dead wood. Most of the state forests are mature or past mature stands of hardwoods where some clearcuts would benefit many wildlife species. Better than houses I guess.
Sorry to hear about the state's lack of maintenance. Whether it's money issues or treehuggers, "conservation" land seems to be left to nature. Pretty much the same way here in CT, the prevailing policy in state forests is to remove only dead wood. Most of the state forests are mature or past mature stands of hardwoods where some clearcuts would benefit many wildlife species. Better than houses I guess.
SJ Fairbank said:
There is no market for beaver pelts around here, as far as I know. An employee of the WMA told me to shoot any beaver I see. They want them gone, but don't have the resources to get it done.
Get Thomas and his buddies some conibears and a WMA trapping permit!! A .22 at dawn or dusk works too.
Most of our WMA biologists are stretched thin. They have the desire just not enough time in the day or funds.
Too bad the fur market crashed, back in the 70s or 80s there would have a trapper or two after those pelts.
Most of our WMA biologists are stretched thin. They have the desire just not enough time in the day or funds.
Too bad the fur market crashed, back in the 70s or 80s there would have a trapper or two after those pelts.
I like Carls approach, if it's legal set the kids up to trap a few. I think the beaver pelts are only worth $8-10, but spending time learning how to trap is a great way to learn more about all the critters in the swamp. To be a good trapper you need to know something about everything, and it's hands on work down in the dirt and water. Quality time for the outdoor mind.