What's Worse?

Jeff Reardon

Jeff Reardon

Well-known member
Supporter
Which is more frustrating?

(1) A day when you see a lot of ducks flying, some of them right overhead, and they show absolutely no interest in your decoy spread; or (2) a day--the next day, in fact--sitting in the spot where the ducks did want to be the day before, and not seeing any ducks fly.


In #2, I really do mean not seeing a single duck fly, in 3 hours of sitting in the 9 degree cold at the end of a 40 minute canoe paddle.

Toughest end to a season I've had.

What am I going to do with my free time until fishing season?
 
"What am I going to do with my free time until fishing season?"

__________________________________________________
Take up ice fishing?
Fly Tying?
Hibernate?
All sound like good options to me!
 
Hutch--time for the fly tying.

Carl--Unless there are kids involved and the game is getting flags from eager perch or pickerel to keep them running around, I just can't get excited about ice fishing.

I wouldn't have felt so bad this morning if I hadn't seen piles of ducks where I was hunting late yesterday. And I bet I put 500 ducks in the air as I was paddling out in the dark this morning. I want to know where they went.
 
I know the exact feeling. Hunted a spot a few years back and the ducks were thick as flies on road kill in August on Friday and Saturaday. Went back Monday morning and didn't see a single duck?

Yet we keep going back.
 
Jeff, Have you ever thought about a scull boat? Some of my best days are when there are no birds in the sky.
Dale
 
Dale, there were none on the water either, once the sun got up. It was literally like they disappeared just before it got light enough to see them.

It was the last day of our hunting season, and a lot of folks out hunting. Within sight of where I was hunting were two parties in blinds, and I saw a pair in a canoe jump shooting the tidal creeks at half tide, too.

I heard a single shot all morning.
 
I've had those days. Really makes you wonder. But isn't figuring it out one of reason we keep at it??
 
I think you should keep jumping birds down to ct. This has been the worst migration i have seen. Even the sanctuaries (private areas, citys parks are devoid of birds)

If i lived in maine and duck season closed id be driving down to the keys to go spearfishing.
 
The blue bird day you had couldn't have helped. I was in Maine yesterday,well more like northern Boston as you downeaster's call it,and the warm weather ,void of anything that looked like winter was startling.
#1 is certainly frustrating,but there is always the hope you could turn some.
#2 turns into a day of patience and confirming the old adage "if it were easy everybody would be doing it.

Long Island zone in Ny is open until the end of the month.

Time to go plow
 
Jeff, Welcome to the Minn. opening weekend, Sat. was gangbusters and Sun. someone threw a switch. Oh well "a bad day duck hunting beats a good day at work (or anywhere else)"
 
Seeing waterfowl is always better than not...

Carve fowl & fish decoys after the season. The only ice I like is in my drink.

Wish I had a dollar for every hour I spent watchin' empty skies. Now I hunt game that IS around and in good supply, but still not easy to kill.
 
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