Ruddyquest...

P

Pat Gregory

Well-known member
We completed our Delta Decoy Ruddy Hunt this past weekend with success. I was so impressed to see an entire longline of ruddy duck decoys. It was awesome! At first the ruddies did not want to play, then, things changed. We were even able to shoot them on the wing! Be looking for an article highlighting the hunt, the decoys and the carvers in an upcoming issue of Delta Waterfowl Magazine.

I appreciate my good friends Tim Speight (our loyal captain), Jim Williams (his faithful first mate) and Paul Wait. I also want to thank this years carvers who graciously donated a ruddy duck decoy...

- Scott Green
- Gordon Martin
- Steve Sanford
- Jim Williams
- Kurt Benson
- Tim Speight
- Brian Moyse
- Pat Gregory

These decoys will be headed to Delta Banquets accross the country to raise money funding research for our beloved ducks. Thank you again for your generosity! May God bless you for it! Pat

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Good morning, Pat~

Congratulations on a fine feat afloat!

I hope some of those articles let us see each of those decoys a bit closer. One of my favorite things with gunning stool is to see how different carvers interpret each species - when the carvers are not bound by the artifice of contest rules. Ruddyquest was a great idea!

All the best,

SJS
 
Pat,

Searching my memory banks I can remember only taking one ruddy in my life. Though we have them on Lake Koshkonong I have never spent the time to hunt them. Reading the accounts of the market hunting days the Ruddy was thought of very highly for the table. How did they taste?
 
Not only did everyone have a great hunt but when I read about what you are doing with your carved Ruddy decoys, I found myself smiling. Good job, Pat. What a marvelous thing you are doing for Delta and the ducks.
Al
 
Pete, the ones I have killed have tasted fine. Comparable to the gadwalls we shoot.
 
Hi Pat...this thread interested me as years back I attempted to attract Ruddys on a lake I hunted which had a Ruddy presence during the season. They always flew around my diver rig reguardless if I was hunting from shore or lay out. I made this rig and was set.....I thought. They still flew around my rig? I thought maybe my skill as a decoy maker was not up to par until a bunch swam into the rig, looked all their buddies over, fed a little and then proceeded to tuck their heads and sleep off and on for an hour or so??

I tried them solo on a short long line with a few as singles and also with other decoys of species also on the lake. Made no differance to the Ruddys.

At any rate it was fun to try, I have since given several of these away in swaps or to interested parties and moved on to other decoy quests.

I'm happy to see that they will decoy. Maybe I need to revisit my spot and see if I can figure them out?



 
Good morning, Brad~

That is one sweet rig!

Ruddies may never be the King of Gamebirds, but - thanks to Mother Nature and Lee Dudley - their special charm as the live bird or as wood/cork counterfeits is undeniable.

All the best,

SJS
 
Guys #!thank you for the kind words. We were back at it today. The ruddies didn't cooperate but goldeneye and buffleheads did. Cans and bills skirted us. Try again tomorrow.
 
I've shot exactly three ruddies in my lifetime and one of them was flying, sorta. It was opener of early season in IA and I scouted a prairie pothole that had a pile of bluewings, mallards, and pintails in addition to a small group of ruddies on it. I was so excited about the ruddies I went to the parking lot at 1:30 AM and waited until 3am to walk in and stake out my spot. When shooting light came I quickly bagged a mallard and pintail, then I saw the ruddies swimming into my setup. When they got good and close it popped up, and nothing happened. Then, I started chasing them off to make them fly, and when one reluctantly started taking off I shot it. When I waded out to get it, the others scooted away but could not fly. It was then that I realized I had shot a hen with her immature brood. Felt pretty bad about it for a while.

In Florida they raft up on the big lakes by the thousands, but they do not fly unless someone runs them up with a boat. As others have stated, they're decent ducks on the table. It's a shame they don't fly better.
 
Up north in the "Duck Factory" pothole country of Canada & USA they fly pretty good, unlike when they get to Big Water. That is where I have shot the most Ruddy's, also on the old strip mine ponds of western PA (now surrounded by homes and shopping centers). Very fast targets indeed, when going from one small body of water to another. For me they are Small Water ducks.

Recalling every time that I hunted NC, from Currituck to Core Sound. The only birds the guides would leave and go after, were Ruddy's & Blue Peter's cuz they said they were the best eating. I have shot, cooked and eaten my share of both and no complaints. All shot on the wing.

I have one canvas/slat Ruddy drake and one cannonball hollow Ruddy drake, both in fall plumage in my marsh rig. Just in case... ya never know.
 
John - We officially adopted the name "hardheads" for this flying cannonball.
Brad - I only count 11 ruddy decoys. Did Bortner steal one? He may be a closet ruddy guy... Check his den...
Sweet looking blocks. It was nothing you did. Ruddies are just flat out tough. Couldn't get close to them this weekend... pg
 
Pat I actually had 13. While Brad B has a few of my decoys he hasn't lifted one of the Ruddys. I donated one to a group that did a wounded warrior hunt and wanted to gift a decoy to each vet and a grandson talked me out of one. Wish I'd know about your event as I'd have gladly gifted one to that event although mine don't self right so maybe not good for your purpose.

I'll have to see if the Ruddy water I know of has them now. Might be a little late this year.
 
Went through my collection. The 1984 DU national pin, features a outstanding painting of a drake Ruddy in flight. It's not often you get to enjoy a good painting of a Ruddy in flight, for those interested.
 
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