This is a long story!
I felt like crap after travelling back from PA yesterday, had a blast but also ate and drank too much, stayed up too late and caught a cold. So last night I went to bed early and "slept in", 7:00am, this morning.
Woke up and felt better. Got the boy up and said lets go duck hunting. I had gotten a good report from down in the salty big water, so we headed south.
Ran to a couple of spots without seeing much then ran into a small bay I like to hunt. Jackpot, put up about 20 buffies and 100 redheads.
Quickly set up and by 9:30, we were waiting for the show to start. Well, the show never started. One redhead came back and I killed it. Saw a few others. Other than that not much going on. SO about noon we picked up and went scouting.
Didn't go far, maybe a mile to the east where we found even more redheads and more buffies and they were right on a spot I love to hunt. Again, quickly put out the decoys and get the blind up. This time, the show cranked up quickly and lasted until 4pm.
Between redheads and buffies we had constant shooting. Haven't seen divers like this in our area in years. I quickly had a limit of redheads and then slowly picked up buffies on my end of the boat.
My boy, well he shot, and I mean he shot a lot. I mean a lot! He missed and missed and occasionally connected. He got one redhead and a few buffies. Then about 3:45, a whole small flock of buffies decoyed into his end of the boat in a tight wad. First shot he dumps 2 and then another on the 2nd shot! Well, we are done with 3 redheads and 9 buffies. This is the first time he ever shot a limit!
But did I mention snow???? About 3:30, I'm watching my end of the boat when 2 redheads zoom through from the boys end of the boat. He stands shoots and misses. As he shoots, I see a bird take off from out of the decoys. "What the hell??? That's a snow goose. OH SHIT, SNOW GOOSE!!".
Miss with my first shot and the next two connect but aren't fatal. The goose is dipping and slipping, barely keeping airborne. Then 60 yards out, it reverses course and head right back to the spread, crashing down into the decoys! Its head up, swimming around, so Boom, I lay it out! My first goose ever in Alabama! And a beautiful eagle head at that!
After I fetch it, I ask my son "how long was the goose swimming in the decoys and why didn't you shoot it???" He says "for about 2 minutes but I didn't think we could shoot geese"!
I talked to two other groups at the dock afterwards and they saw a lot of redheads and buffies too but also bluebills where they were. Based on what I saw & heard today, we have more divers down here on the Gulf Coast than we have seen in the last 5 seasons. Not sure why or how, but they are finally here. Rain and holiday plans will keep us off the water until at least Friday but we will hit it hard Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Eagle-head Snow:
View attachment Dec29-2015SnowGoose.jpg
A boy and his birds:
View attachment Dec29-2015B.jpg
A nice drake buffy:
View attachment Dec29-2015Buffy.jpg
A nice drake buffy:
I felt like crap after travelling back from PA yesterday, had a blast but also ate and drank too much, stayed up too late and caught a cold. So last night I went to bed early and "slept in", 7:00am, this morning.
Woke up and felt better. Got the boy up and said lets go duck hunting. I had gotten a good report from down in the salty big water, so we headed south.
Ran to a couple of spots without seeing much then ran into a small bay I like to hunt. Jackpot, put up about 20 buffies and 100 redheads.
Quickly set up and by 9:30, we were waiting for the show to start. Well, the show never started. One redhead came back and I killed it. Saw a few others. Other than that not much going on. SO about noon we picked up and went scouting.
Didn't go far, maybe a mile to the east where we found even more redheads and more buffies and they were right on a spot I love to hunt. Again, quickly put out the decoys and get the blind up. This time, the show cranked up quickly and lasted until 4pm.
Between redheads and buffies we had constant shooting. Haven't seen divers like this in our area in years. I quickly had a limit of redheads and then slowly picked up buffies on my end of the boat.
My boy, well he shot, and I mean he shot a lot. I mean a lot! He missed and missed and occasionally connected. He got one redhead and a few buffies. Then about 3:45, a whole small flock of buffies decoyed into his end of the boat in a tight wad. First shot he dumps 2 and then another on the 2nd shot! Well, we are done with 3 redheads and 9 buffies. This is the first time he ever shot a limit!
But did I mention snow???? About 3:30, I'm watching my end of the boat when 2 redheads zoom through from the boys end of the boat. He stands shoots and misses. As he shoots, I see a bird take off from out of the decoys. "What the hell??? That's a snow goose. OH SHIT, SNOW GOOSE!!".
Miss with my first shot and the next two connect but aren't fatal. The goose is dipping and slipping, barely keeping airborne. Then 60 yards out, it reverses course and head right back to the spread, crashing down into the decoys! Its head up, swimming around, so Boom, I lay it out! My first goose ever in Alabama! And a beautiful eagle head at that!
After I fetch it, I ask my son "how long was the goose swimming in the decoys and why didn't you shoot it???" He says "for about 2 minutes but I didn't think we could shoot geese"!
I talked to two other groups at the dock afterwards and they saw a lot of redheads and buffies too but also bluebills where they were. Based on what I saw & heard today, we have more divers down here on the Gulf Coast than we have seen in the last 5 seasons. Not sure why or how, but they are finally here. Rain and holiday plans will keep us off the water until at least Friday but we will hit it hard Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Eagle-head Snow:
View attachment Dec29-2015SnowGoose.jpg
A boy and his birds:
View attachment Dec29-2015B.jpg
A nice drake buffy:
View attachment Dec29-2015Buffy.jpg
A nice drake buffy:
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