The Late Season

John Fraser

Well-known member
We've been busy lately so I haven't posted up any of our outdoor adventures, but we did have our late duck season was this past month and I've got some pictures of all the fun.

It's only a 16 day late season here in western NY but there's always lots of prep to do beforehand (especially with a new boat). Years ago I bought 7 of these large cork birds with Herter's heads at a garage sale, they were in rough shape so I refurbished a couple of them.

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Got the decoy rig stowed in the boat. The 1" x 12" bin board holding them all in the bow also doubles as a bench seat.

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Also rigged up a bracket to hang my Coleman stove up in the bow. Here it is in action.

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At the start of the season I was hopeful of getting into the broadbill and redhead. However wind and ice kept us out of our favorite spots. Luckily the bufflehead and oldsquaw provided us with some fun hunts. Here's the buffie spread, not a great picture but there are 8 hand carved decoys and 7 repainted foam Herter's.

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Ethan enjoying a hot chocolate. He shot a double out of a decoying flock that morning, which I thought was great for his first season!

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Here's the crew.

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Not many mature drake birds decoyed for us this season, but we did bag a couple.

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Although Molly doesn't care. Any bird is great in her eyes!

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Here's me and the pup after our last hunt of the season.

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Mild weather at the end of the season allowed me to get the boat washed and everything dried and put away. Even got out to do a little trapping last week. Got lucky with this beaver, but the trap held and the set worked just as it was supposed to.

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Here's the fur I'll be dropping off this Sunday for the Fur Harvester's March auction. I like all the different patterns on the backs of the muskrats.

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Ethan's got a hockey tournament this weekend. Hopefully we can get out soon to do some ice fishing. Hope you all are enjoying winter too!
 
Nice pics. Glad you had some good hunting in the Western Zone. Looks like a spot my buddy John hunts near. He showed me some video around Christmas that was downright nasty wind and waves in the harbor. He was able to take me hunting a number of times while I was home visiting family this past Christmas just not on/near Lake Ontario.

Chris
 
Thanks Carl. I've had two beaver by the tail in 330's before. Held one and lost one (just found a few scales). First time getting one like this in a foot hold though. Those MB-750's really do grab.
 
Thanks Chris. The hunting on Ontario can be good. You just don't want to be there with a northerly wind!

Were you hunting on the Finger Lakes?
 
Yeah, we hunted Cayuga when the Western Zone opened up. Before that we hunted over by Oneonta and Whitney Point. Not much near Whitney though. I had a great time hunting this year. First duck ever and my lab finally had her 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc retrieves this year. Great times and memories. Was even able to get my younger Bro-in-law out for his first waterfowl hunt and his first duck was banded!
 
John,
You had a great late season. Glad to see your weather held up for you to get some of those chores done. I sure enjoyed seeing the pictures involving your kids. By the way, congratulations on the successful trapping season.
That long tailed drake is beautiful.
Al
 
Thanks Al. I've really enjoyed taking my sons hunting and watching them have fun out there.

The trapping has been good. Muskrat season ends in a few weeks but beaver will be open until April. Lots of people have been calling me lately with beaver issues, so I should keep busy with them.
 
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