Ugly Ducklings---

Al Hansen

Al Hansen

Well-known member
I'm glad that I am older because yesterday I sat for three hours and never saw a duck. I guess it would have been easy to complain about that but I just can't! Why? Just before I left I saw these two young swans flying south on the Rio. Since they were so far away, I decided to get on my mallard call and blow a couple of notes. Good grief, they swung in so fast that even while trying to get my camera out of my jacket pocket, I couldn't. They didn't take but a couple of seconds to make this maneuver and there they were in the middle of my decoys---the ones I set up in front of me.

This was a first for me and I was thrilled beyond words. It was also the first time that I had to physically put a hand on Chili's collar. My, did she want to get after them.

I had a great day in the blind!

Al

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Funny how your mind wanders when you all of a sudden see something like this. The first thing that I thought of was the time I read "Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling, to my daughter.

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I had to get to work in the bosque. Had a customer who needed a cord of firewood. So, I stood up with my camera on burst mode. The pics aren't so good but the best I could get. I sure had fun with these majestic birds swimming in and out of my decoys. What a fantastic experience. I got a kick out of watching them run across the water for take off. Of course I wished that I had my other camera which is now in New Jersey getting repaired.

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I've always thought it was good luck when you could get a swan in the decoys
the young ones especially respond well to a call
I've never tried to use a call, just "whoo whoo" by mouth
definitely a red letter day
 
George, I thought the same thing. We do get allot of birds from the Great Salt Lake Basin and I think that they have a season on them out there. Not sure. Maybe that was the reason why the parents weren't there. I still can remember screaming at some guy who was skybusting on a flock of swans that flew over us while hunting the Palmer Hay Flats when I lived in Alaska. We had no swan season when I lived there. When you think of how many times they are shot at by people who cannot tell the difference between a snow goose, Ross, and or swan-------do these people really need to be shouldering a shotgun?
Al
 
Mike, what beautiful shots of the swans. Thanks for posting them. I need to find out what kind of swans these are. As soon as the waterfowl biologist tells me I'll post it.

Made me think of when I went caribou hunting on the Alaskan peninsula. There are thousands of potholes there and most of them contained swans. What a sight that was when I flew over them in the Super Cub.

Al
 
T----now I know why I didn't see any. Thanks! Had to chuckle about that because a few years ago, I had tossed out my widgeon decoys in the morning and had a string wrapped around the head just like what you saw in those last couple of shots. Well, what interested me so much was the fact that the decoy reacted so differently in the river water. It took a sideways approach instead of usually running either upstream or downstream, depending on how you have the string attached to the keel. I liked the sideways motion that it showed me and now do this frequently. The current has to be just right but it works. Gives my spread a different look.
Al
 
Be glad you held onto Chilli's collar - swans give dawgs powerful gas... a few years ago I filled my swan tag and breasted the bird for grilling (along with the thighs & legs for gumbo). I put the meat in the sink for further prep and went back outside to finish putting things away with my hunting partner. After getting things stowed, we go inside for a beer and Gunner, my lab, is no where to be found. I called him and Gunner sheepishly sticks his head around the kitchen wall. I immediately checked the sink and both breast halves were gone. Fast forward to later that night where I wake to a horrible stench. I think the sewer lines have backed up into the house. This logic prevails until my big, black doofus rips another gagger at the foot of the bed. It was so fowl and lingering I even got out of bed to clean up what I knew had to be a shart. Nope, just pure stinkiness emanating from the gut of a black lab.
 
Al,
Excellent pics as usual even without the good camera.
Just goes to prove that you don't always have to
harvest a bird to have a great day.
Best,
William
 
as maturation occurs, the bill color changes. adult shows the yellow on bill process later in season--Best to get up with f&w folks in your locale for i d. Much easier to i d coscoraba and black neck!
 
I know Clint and Chris will think I am a splitter, by coloration of bills and size, I think the darker and larger bird maybe a Trumpeter and the lighter smaller one is a Tundra.

I would like a closer look at Mike's picture. The adult on the right of the first picture looks like a Trumpeter. I can't see if there is yellow on the bill of either or red lipstick.
 
T----now I know why I didn't see any. Thanks! Had to chuckle about that because a few years ago, I had tossed out my widgeon decoys in the morning and had a string wrapped around the head just like what you saw in those last couple of shots. Well, what interested me so much was the fact that the decoy reacted so differently in the river water. It took a sideways approach instead of usually running either upstream or downstream, depending on how you have the string attached to the keel. I liked the sideways motion that it showed me and now do this frequently. The current has to be just right but it works. Gives my spread a different look.
Al
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That is one of the neat things about hand carved decoys. The carver can keel them funny so that they respond to a current and swim. I have a couple that swim, but don't hunt in a current very much.
 
This logic prevails until my big, black doofus rips another gagger at the foot of the bed. It was so fowl and lingering I even got out of bed to clean up what I knew had to be a shart. Nope, just pure stinkiness emanating from the gut of a black lab.
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Chris, this has to be one of the best write ups of a dog fart I have ever read!! Damn you caught me on that one.

Al, great pictures and story as usual. Unbelievable actually, nice work on the call!!
 
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