Will Goldeneyes go to bluebill decoys

Bill,

I think they are just getting here last weekend. We just started seeing them and we HAVE BEEN LOOKING. I will let you know.
 
I agree with Andy as does my wife.

We get both barrows and common, they decoy to anything out here in the PNW. I really wish they wouldn't though.
 
I'm incredulous at guys that turn their noses up at eating goldeneyes. I'd just as soon eat a properly marinated, grilled whistler as any bird on earth. Maybe its what their eating here on Champlain compared to other places, but done right, they are heavenly...

John Bourbon
 
They are better on Lk. Champlain than on the coast. I still don't eat or shoot them. Some clients do. I like watching them in the spread though.
Cheech K.- I only saw maybe a dozen today on the N. part of the lake, NY side.
 
The car thermometer said 5 degrees and I believe it. We launched the boat a little after 7 and headed north up the lake. The northwest wind had started to push ice toward the launch and I could hear the crinkle of ice as we motored out of the bay. We had seen a few birds the day before while scouting the shorelines from the road. My friend Scott was up for the weekend to hunt and Saturday was a bust! Today John Bourbon was able to join us. Because of the extreme cold weather, the idea of layout boat hunting was abandoned. We motored north for about four miles with both John and Scott having their backs to the bow. I had my ski goggles and full face mask on, and I still hid behind the windshield as much as possible. We were about 1000 yards from where we had planned to set up when the skies filled with a swarm of Goldeneyes. The number of birds was somewhere between "but load" and "holy S---"! All I could think was "FOUND YOU". We got to our spot and set 30 cork and cedar Goldeneye decoys from the boat as quickly as we could. Inside the Goldeneyes we set a dozen Buffies. We pulled the boat under an overhanging cedar against the shale and got the blind up and guns out. We were no sooner finished setting up and the birds started trickling in. John and Scott had each killed a drake before I had a chance to load up. As it turned out, this was the start of a trend. Evey time I stepped out of the boat, was looking in my blind bag, or out taking pics, Scott and John were forced to stop shooting only to let their barrels cool off. Then I would climb back in the boat and give the barrels ample time to cool. Twice I was forced to fire Scott for emptying his gun on decoying birds with no feathers cut. At about 10:30, the gods shut off the Goldeneye Fountain. We had 11 Goldeneyes in the boat and we only had to chase down one cripple that WAS reduced to possession. Of course we had to confirm this fountain shutoff by waiting until noon before pulling the decoys and heading back to the launch. To say that my lake Champlain season has been slow would be like saying the Titanic had a leak. Isn't it funny how one good day out with friends can change how you feel about a whole season.
Thanks for all the advice on rigging for layout hunting. I have already put coot decoys on my wish list. Maybe next year I will get a chance to actually layout hunt Champlain again.

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John, how was Saturday? I struck out, but got my boat pulled before the big freeze. Temp dropped `15 degrees from when we went out to when I got home. Now I need to figure out how to extract the frozen grass from the boat--it's like a rock this morning.
 
Sat. was a wash- I spent the day on the couch with fever and chills- so much for the frikkin' flu shot. I will try this Saturday though, hopefully, since I don't have to pick up my kids until noon on Sunday.
 
Thank you Cheech for that write up and picture. I've had some enjoyable hunts this year, mostly because of who I was in the boat with, but this one added a decent bag to good company.

Thanks to all the rest of you guys who offered info on proper decoy set up. Like Cheech said, we will get a chance to conduct a lay out hunt, although it will probably be next year at this rate (our season closes Dec 23).

John Bourbon
 
did this morning. got one nice drake but the three of us each connected on him once and hes not of picture quality. lots of birds flying probably in the 600-800 range. west swanton and the isles.

eddie
 
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