It's funny, you know...during duck season everybody with a phone and a gun wants to go duck hunting. And most people know that I don't mind taking someone as long as they 1) Take everything I say as law, and 2) don't sky bust or blow their duck call. I also like to share moments such as a pal's first duck or first trophy duck. I also like to show my skills off. I may be a terrible duck caller, but I'm better than any of my friends, and I can throw out a mean decoy spread. That's probably where my expertise lies. In fact, I hand paint most of my Herters and then repaint all those cheap plastiques.
Nevertheless, I have about 5 or 6 "regulars" that give me the call the night before a hunt. And most often, I oblige. They know of their own, pitiful places. And they might even have their own boat. But it, too, is pitiful. Generally speaking, most of my companions are congenial and offer me a biscuit or other "treat" that I like to receive. They know me all too well. Some former companions, though, have loose lips. They tell their other friends where the birds are, which happens to be at my blind. Then, I show up to hunt it and find soda bottles and what-not which gives away my friend who religiously drinks peach flavored sodas. Busted. Those guys are the worst. If they make it to the end of a season with me, they nevermake it to the next season. They are the folks who are too lazy and dumb to find their "own" spots.
I have other regulars who have to be nudged to contribute. I have to nudge them because, I believe, they feel like they don't know what to contribute. Sometimes, we have banner days...days that make us all feel like we ought to pay for the fun we had and the ducks we shot. Those friends are good with me. I know when to ask and I know what they can give. Often times, they really do want to do more than say "Thanks."
I have a few pals who every time I go, they flash the twenty dollar bill at me, and bring their finest decoys. I like these partners, not because of their open wallet, but because, they, too, understand that there is no price tag on the fun, but it does cost money to run a boat and keep a stand of decoys maintained. A twenty dollar bill is always welcomed, but always turned down. These friends either have, or will, return the favor. When I hunt with them, my biggest problem is keeping the gun loaded.
However, in the 5 or so years I've been hunting ducks, I have never had a clean-up day that came with help. We all know that clean-up day is the day where decoys are un-rigged and stored neatly. The rough ones are left aside for patches. The burlapped ones are left out to dry. the long line weights are stored in boxes, and the decoy barrels are dumped and wiped. Long line ropes are hung to dry. And hopefully, the boat gets washed and de-feathered.
Year Six, though, was different. I did something that I felt was out of character for me. I asked for help. I offered a contract to my regulars to consider before considering my invitation to hunt on the closer. Each had to agree to cook a meal (which they had to plan) for me, not to skybust, to allow for one regular the first shot at the first duck (so that he could bag his first duck, which he did - and it was a drake wigeon), to speak in whisper tonnes while hunting, and to clean up the mess they had helped to make throughout the season. After the hunt, they were all very willing to help. Had I not asked, they would not have obliged...but only because they didn't know better. If you don't have boat or an expansive stand of decoys, you can't imagine the work and effort it takes to manage it. Either way, they were happy to help and were helpful. Hopefully, along with the tradition of getting together for one more hunt, I've also started a tradition of helping to put away the mess when the season is put away.
Overall, the season was fair. In a bad year for most, I still got some ducks. 101 to be exact. I've come to expect bluebills, but I had to do without. My consolation prize, though, were the best teal flights I've ever experienced. They stuck around and showed up late, all season long. I did get a handful of bluebills, the occasional wigeon and redhead, and lots of scoters. The Black Duck still evades me. But there's always next year...and in the mean time, I'll try to get rid of those ignorant and dumb regulars.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Last Day's Eve
Tomorrow is the last day of the General North Carolina Waterfowl Season. For a few days afterward, one can chase sea ducks in the sea duck zone. There's also a few days in the Conservation Order for snow geese. But for all intents and purposes, this one is done.
This season will go down as one that lacked cold weather and birds, but was plentiful on new hunters and new laws. I love that so many people are duck hunting...but only if they are doing so while supporting local conservation organizations, and an occasional large one, such as Delta. I only like them if they are buying two waterfowl stamps, as that is the best investment a duck hunter can make for birds.
But I'm going to sleep right now to prepare for tomorrow. Let's hope that tomorrow is the best day of our worst season.
When you're done, put away your decoys neatly. The heat of the summer will warp them if stacked. Wash your boat, and then put some fuel treatment in the tank. You know you won't drive it for at least a month, unless the rockfish really get rolling. Hang up your waders and let them drain and dry. Nine month old water stinks. Reintroduce yourself to your wife or significant other. Eat some of those ducks you killed. Consider trying that bufflehead that you inevitably throw out each year. After you eat it, you'll promise yourself not to ever shoot another one, I promise. Clean out your truck, too. Dorito's start to smell disgusting after a month. Sleep an extra hour in the mornings, and go to bed an hour later. You'll love it. But tomorrow, shoot responsibly. On youth day, take a kid. I dare you.
This season will go down as one that lacked cold weather and birds, but was plentiful on new hunters and new laws. I love that so many people are duck hunting...but only if they are doing so while supporting local conservation organizations, and an occasional large one, such as Delta. I only like them if they are buying two waterfowl stamps, as that is the best investment a duck hunter can make for birds.
But I'm going to sleep right now to prepare for tomorrow. Let's hope that tomorrow is the best day of our worst season.
When you're done, put away your decoys neatly. The heat of the summer will warp them if stacked. Wash your boat, and then put some fuel treatment in the tank. You know you won't drive it for at least a month, unless the rockfish really get rolling. Hang up your waders and let them drain and dry. Nine month old water stinks. Reintroduce yourself to your wife or significant other. Eat some of those ducks you killed. Consider trying that bufflehead that you inevitably throw out each year. After you eat it, you'll promise yourself not to ever shoot another one, I promise. Clean out your truck, too. Dorito's start to smell disgusting after a month. Sleep an extra hour in the mornings, and go to bed an hour later. You'll love it. But tomorrow, shoot responsibly. On youth day, take a kid. I dare you.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The best ideas I've ever had...this year
North Carolina Duck seasons like this one are hopefully an abberration. This one in particular has caused some major migraines for me. Each year, I re-perfect my decoy stand to be suitable to all traditionally encountered species. Everyone does that. Now it's just fine tuning. And heavy rigging! Still, my two major problems were leaky waders and an inability to scout. These had to be fixed, and boy did I do it...
First of all, waders, aside from a good number of decoys and a boat (and dog training for many of you) are the most expensive investment a hunter can make for waterfowl. Let me just say this. I've had several pairs of waders - all from the El Cheapo to the La Prima. They all leak, right in the junk, first time out. Maybe the third time if you're lucky. Also, since I layout hunt a good bit, taking water over the spray skirt and down the neck happens occassionally. No one would ever accuse me of being a large dude. In fact, I weigh 150 pounds. There is no wader that fits me, either. To me, it seems rewarding fat people with fittable waders is unfair. But I refuse to look like 75% of the goons I encounter. Seeing the belly button outline in one's waders is disgusting. Either way, I swim in my oversized waders. A size 10 wader, which is what fits my feet, was tailored for a man who weighs 100 pounds more than me. And, my waders, since they are baggy, get pinched and rolled, and scraped on everything I maneuver through. And son, do I do some maneuverin'.
Anyway, my most recent waders were from the big box store, sized 10, fitted gigantic. My girlfriend and I can both fit in them simultaneously. They lasted three trips before leaking. I tolerated it the rest of 2009. I dealt with it all of 2010. This season, though, I refused to buy more because I knew and know the new ones will leak. Instead, I invested in the stockingfoot fishing waders. I wear them like longjohns! They are a snug fit, thankfully, and add extra warmth on those cold days. Sure, with weather like we have had, I might sweat a little bit, but I'd rather sweat than freeze. Either way, once I put my older waders onver my stockingfoot waders, I can literally fill the "overwaders" with water and the "underwaders" never take any water on, even if they, too, have a leak (which they already do). The water pressure is to low to force water through the neoprene barrier. For a comfortable touch, I wear thin slacks beneath the "underwaders." I look like a fool at the ramp when I continue to remove layers of pants, but I feel like a fox when I'm high and dry. The $60 stockingfoot waders were a great investment, as they prolonged the life of the original $200 waders. And since the "underwaders" are never exposed to nature's surfaces, they too are kept abrasion free! I'm a genius, I know. And very warm on frost mornings!
Problem 2 was my inability to find time to scout. The general rule is to scout more than you hunt. I hunt 40 days per regular duck season, and 60 days total when including the sea duck zone and season. I can't scout any, except of course, while I hunt. And that's effective, but birds are so scattered by 9:00, you'll only find superficially sized rafts. Anyway, birds always stage up at night. I decided to attempt night scouting. Boating at night is always dangerous, but I even the odds by taking communication equipment, beacons, and the like. The secret to scouting at night, though, is to go offshore. Pulling the boat to suspected rafting sites, and then killing the motor, allows me to hear restless rafts lift, feed, croak, fly, and everything else. It has truly transformed my success. I've only done it four times, but each hunt afterward proved to be a success. Still, it requires an ability to resist the urge to get to close to a flock. Shooting roosting birds is dangerous as it can force them to leave. Pushing birds off of a roost with a motor is just as risky. If you can get within 300 yards of a flock, then mark it with a gps, you can return and set-up. The large flocks will separate at daybreak, then return to feed. Of course, gun shots will make them weary, but a layout boat is the key to success. You can hunt these giant rafts from a float rig. Forget it. It's not going to work, and it's going to ruin other hunters' chances at doing it the right way.
Anyway, these two things worked for me. Hopefully, you cna use it to your advantage if you're wise and/or brave enough. When going out on any boat trip, you should always leave a float plan with someone that states where you're going, and when you'll return - also - take a change of clothes and wear a PFD at all times when night scouting. Also, check regulations. Some places don't allow entrance on land or water after sunset and before sunrise. And please light up your boats well!
First of all, waders, aside from a good number of decoys and a boat (and dog training for many of you) are the most expensive investment a hunter can make for waterfowl. Let me just say this. I've had several pairs of waders - all from the El Cheapo to the La Prima. They all leak, right in the junk, first time out. Maybe the third time if you're lucky. Also, since I layout hunt a good bit, taking water over the spray skirt and down the neck happens occassionally. No one would ever accuse me of being a large dude. In fact, I weigh 150 pounds. There is no wader that fits me, either. To me, it seems rewarding fat people with fittable waders is unfair. But I refuse to look like 75% of the goons I encounter. Seeing the belly button outline in one's waders is disgusting. Either way, I swim in my oversized waders. A size 10 wader, which is what fits my feet, was tailored for a man who weighs 100 pounds more than me. And, my waders, since they are baggy, get pinched and rolled, and scraped on everything I maneuver through. And son, do I do some maneuverin'.
Anyway, my most recent waders were from the big box store, sized 10, fitted gigantic. My girlfriend and I can both fit in them simultaneously. They lasted three trips before leaking. I tolerated it the rest of 2009. I dealt with it all of 2010. This season, though, I refused to buy more because I knew and know the new ones will leak. Instead, I invested in the stockingfoot fishing waders. I wear them like longjohns! They are a snug fit, thankfully, and add extra warmth on those cold days. Sure, with weather like we have had, I might sweat a little bit, but I'd rather sweat than freeze. Either way, once I put my older waders onver my stockingfoot waders, I can literally fill the "overwaders" with water and the "underwaders" never take any water on, even if they, too, have a leak (which they already do). The water pressure is to low to force water through the neoprene barrier. For a comfortable touch, I wear thin slacks beneath the "underwaders." I look like a fool at the ramp when I continue to remove layers of pants, but I feel like a fox when I'm high and dry. The $60 stockingfoot waders were a great investment, as they prolonged the life of the original $200 waders. And since the "underwaders" are never exposed to nature's surfaces, they too are kept abrasion free! I'm a genius, I know. And very warm on frost mornings!
Problem 2 was my inability to find time to scout. The general rule is to scout more than you hunt. I hunt 40 days per regular duck season, and 60 days total when including the sea duck zone and season. I can't scout any, except of course, while I hunt. And that's effective, but birds are so scattered by 9:00, you'll only find superficially sized rafts. Anyway, birds always stage up at night. I decided to attempt night scouting. Boating at night is always dangerous, but I even the odds by taking communication equipment, beacons, and the like. The secret to scouting at night, though, is to go offshore. Pulling the boat to suspected rafting sites, and then killing the motor, allows me to hear restless rafts lift, feed, croak, fly, and everything else. It has truly transformed my success. I've only done it four times, but each hunt afterward proved to be a success. Still, it requires an ability to resist the urge to get to close to a flock. Shooting roosting birds is dangerous as it can force them to leave. Pushing birds off of a roost with a motor is just as risky. If you can get within 300 yards of a flock, then mark it with a gps, you can return and set-up. The large flocks will separate at daybreak, then return to feed. Of course, gun shots will make them weary, but a layout boat is the key to success. You can hunt these giant rafts from a float rig. Forget it. It's not going to work, and it's going to ruin other hunters' chances at doing it the right way.
Anyway, these two things worked for me. Hopefully, you cna use it to your advantage if you're wise and/or brave enough. When going out on any boat trip, you should always leave a float plan with someone that states where you're going, and when you'll return - also - take a change of clothes and wear a PFD at all times when night scouting. Also, check regulations. Some places don't allow entrance on land or water after sunset and before sunrise. And please light up your boats well!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
North Carolina Migration End of Season Update
It's the end of the season, which means birds, on an average year will begin to hover our decoys much more frequently. Word on the street is that it will snow in the week leading up to Youth Day. Anyway, here's what I've heard and what I know:
Redheads - They're present in the low end of the average count in most traditional coastal places. Ocracoke and downeast have less redheads than normal, while Croatan Sound areas seem to have redheads. Pamlico and Beaufort counties are sporting some reds, but they're leaving out early morning for rafting purposes on Lake Mattamuskeet. Some opportunities for a trophy redhead can be found at all points in between within the Northern Pamlico.
Bluebills are beginning to settle into average numbers in their typical northern tier strongholds. The bluebills I have encountered are throughout the Northern Pamlico and are also available on the Croatan and Roanoke Sound areas, as well as Currituck. As of now, bluebills are also thick locally downeast. They are decoying friendly for me!
Swans, while here in good numbers earlier, seem to be a bit more inland than typical for this year. Most swans are congregating around Pantego and other Hyde/Washington/Beaufort fields. Birds are also present in Currituck in good numbers, while Bodie Island has some around. Pea Island also holds many swans, but they're off limits. Tyrrell County swan counts are below average, and many believe the swans are still not down in traditional numbers.
Wigeons are not here in strong numbers whatsoever. In fact, they've barely presented themselves in most public areas. Still, they are an early season bird as far as I am concerned. Excellent impoundments featured good wigeon counts, as well as Gadwall, in early parts of this abnormally warm winter. Wigeons are considered at this point to be in localized pockets throughout the beaches. Few have been noticed on Lake Mattamuskeet. Pamlico Point, near Hobucken, is also low on traditional wigeon numbers.
Pintails are beginning to arrive in fair numbers. Pintails were harvested in early October on state-managed impoundments, but that turned out to be a false positive. Open water shoals featuring grass may hold pintails at anytime. Pamlico Point has had some wigeons killed, with my reports suggesting that what enforcement officials have counted adds up to about .1 pintails per permitted hunter within the state impoundments. Generally, that number is as high as .75 in that location. J Morgan Futch pintail counts are lower than in December, but have increased consistently over the past two weeks.
Mergansers are here in good numbers and can be seen stretching the limits of Raleigh Riff Raff shotgun chokes. With these birds come the larger divers. Cans and bluebills are in average numbers.
Scoters are in good numbers within the sea duck zone areas. They will continue to build through the end of the traditional sea duck season. Huntable numbers exist within 1000 yards of shore in and around southern Hyde and Beaufort counties.
Hopefully, this year will go down as the worst year in quite some time. Interestingly enough, it comes on the heels of some of the best years in recent memory. I'm working on a streak of about 50 consecutive kills - my shotgunning has been very good, but it has needed to be if I wanted to add heft to the game bag. Ducks that I don't normally count in scouting, such as teal, are here in above average numbers. There are also a lot of mature birds of all species, making hunting them all a fun challenge.
Redheads - They're present in the low end of the average count in most traditional coastal places. Ocracoke and downeast have less redheads than normal, while Croatan Sound areas seem to have redheads. Pamlico and Beaufort counties are sporting some reds, but they're leaving out early morning for rafting purposes on Lake Mattamuskeet. Some opportunities for a trophy redhead can be found at all points in between within the Northern Pamlico.
Bluebills are beginning to settle into average numbers in their typical northern tier strongholds. The bluebills I have encountered are throughout the Northern Pamlico and are also available on the Croatan and Roanoke Sound areas, as well as Currituck. As of now, bluebills are also thick locally downeast. They are decoying friendly for me!
Swans, while here in good numbers earlier, seem to be a bit more inland than typical for this year. Most swans are congregating around Pantego and other Hyde/Washington/Beaufort fields. Birds are also present in Currituck in good numbers, while Bodie Island has some around. Pea Island also holds many swans, but they're off limits. Tyrrell County swan counts are below average, and many believe the swans are still not down in traditional numbers.
Wigeons are not here in strong numbers whatsoever. In fact, they've barely presented themselves in most public areas. Still, they are an early season bird as far as I am concerned. Excellent impoundments featured good wigeon counts, as well as Gadwall, in early parts of this abnormally warm winter. Wigeons are considered at this point to be in localized pockets throughout the beaches. Few have been noticed on Lake Mattamuskeet. Pamlico Point, near Hobucken, is also low on traditional wigeon numbers.
Pintails are beginning to arrive in fair numbers. Pintails were harvested in early October on state-managed impoundments, but that turned out to be a false positive. Open water shoals featuring grass may hold pintails at anytime. Pamlico Point has had some wigeons killed, with my reports suggesting that what enforcement officials have counted adds up to about .1 pintails per permitted hunter within the state impoundments. Generally, that number is as high as .75 in that location. J Morgan Futch pintail counts are lower than in December, but have increased consistently over the past two weeks.
Mergansers are here in good numbers and can be seen stretching the limits of Raleigh Riff Raff shotgun chokes. With these birds come the larger divers. Cans and bluebills are in average numbers.
Scoters are in good numbers within the sea duck zone areas. They will continue to build through the end of the traditional sea duck season. Huntable numbers exist within 1000 yards of shore in and around southern Hyde and Beaufort counties.
Hopefully, this year will go down as the worst year in quite some time. Interestingly enough, it comes on the heels of some of the best years in recent memory. I'm working on a streak of about 50 consecutive kills - my shotgunning has been very good, but it has needed to be if I wanted to add heft to the game bag. Ducks that I don't normally count in scouting, such as teal, are here in above average numbers. There are also a lot of mature birds of all species, making hunting them all a fun challenge.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Ducks I Hate
I like most ducks. Especially bluebills. And redheads. And teals, too! Some ducks drive me nuts. Black ducks can read your mind and smell your deodorant. Pintails are to snotty to hang with your five dozen pintail fakes. Those ignorant jerks almost hate flying with each other...just look at them next time you see flying - they look at each other as much as they do anything else. And all that whistling! It's just each one trying to outwhistle the other. I promise. Canvasbacks don't appear around my spread enough. They altogether hate North Carolina, I do believe. Coincidentally, thee\ last three birds I mentioned are the ones that have offered me the fewest shots. However, I have never, ever missed a pintail, I'm 1 for 4 on canvasbacks, and black ducks, well that's another story. But I've missed them in the air, on the water, and while they were sleeping.
Some birds I just absolutely despise, though. Mergansers, the poor things, are what I like to call night ducks. You don't mind looking at them at night, but come light, they are hard to bare. I know there are some people out there they say I should be appreciative of all ducks. Well, you, both of you, can kiss it. Mergansers, all three breeds, are terrible as table fare, hardly pretty, oily, smelly, hard to decoy, and impossible to kill with a gun or cannon. Well, I take that back. I used to shoot them. I didn't know better. However, mergansers have a way of being the test bird for the "good ducks." Virtually every time a good flock of 'bills was working the spread, a merganser would knife the air and land into my decoys. When this happened, one of my less experienced friends would open fire, missing, thus flaring the incoming trophies. ORRRR...the mergansers would spot the fakes, croak, and get out of town. Sure, hooded merganser drakes are pretty. Commons are big and manly. But the hens are just gross creatures. In fact, mergansers kill thousands of wood ducks every year come nesting time. Mergansers are also cavity nesters. They'll raid a cavity, peck the wood duck hen to death, eat the babies, lay eggs, and hatch more future baby killers. That's the truth. So in hindsight, I might want to shoot a few extra, but I still don't like seafood. So I think I'll just save my shells.
Coots are ridiculous. They're noisy. They're sporting on the wing, but God does it take an effort to get them to fly. Old Curritucker's called them Blue Petes. They ate them and loved them. I think they are a waterlogged wild chicken. They are a heavy bird, with lots of meat, too. But man-a-live is it dark colored. Burgundy almost. The worst part about a coot is that they are like a lighthouse to other ducks. Coots raft up by the hundreds. No decoy spread can match them in realism or numbers. And what's worse, the clumsy coot, when feeding, can't even eat all of it's grass, so ducks like wigeon can steal it. A raft of coots, to most ducks, means safety and food. And coots are so dumb that you can't even bust the flocks up. If you shoot one, the rest will all fly together and return in about 45 seconds. Other less than redeeming characteristics about coots are too numerous to mention, but the ever-present Raleigh Riff Raff hunter, who ventures out east, has a "well, I drove all the way down here, I might as well kill something, even if I plan to feed it to the dog" attitude and opens fire, flaring trophies from us Good Hunters. But coots aren't killers, like mergansers.
Snow Geese are almost as bad as coots. Clannish and wary, they're not worth hunting in North Carolina. I've encountered them only by chance and have seen only one harvested by my hunting party. It was with a flock of swans. The only thing I don't like about them is that they are indeed so difficult to hunt. When you are in them, you've got them where you want them. Most often though, any attack on "snogs" takes at least 500 decoys. The Big Boys in the Midwest chase them with 1000 full bodies...all flocked white. Apparently, they are horrible to the taste buds, too. I'll say that the one I had wasn't awful...just bad. The worst part about snogs, though, is that there are so many that they are literally destroying their breeding grounds. There's not enough space to support them all...even the foxes can't keep them eaten. Drastic measures must be taken to prevent snogs from having a massive die-off on account of disease. The liberal limits in effect now are helpful, but really aren't doing much. They're slowing population growth, and that's it. But that's my opinion. I've never been to the tundra and I'll probably never go, but I do see more and more snogs each year. But an eagle-headed blue is on my life list...
Other than that all the other ducks are good to me. And when you think about it, a merganser isn't much of a duck. A coot is more in the Gallinule family, and a snow goose is, well, a goose. Ducks are a harbinger for the health of our ecosystem...especially the prairies. Rainforests get all the glory, but it's difficult to match a prairie and it's wetlands for the biodiversity it contains, the clean oxygen it produces, and for the buffer it creates against floods. Even in eastern North Carolina, wetlands absorb billions of gallons of storm tides, saving billions in losses to crops, homes, and lives. Ignore the rainforest for a while, and save a wetland. Or just don't drain one. All good duck hunters recognize the importance of a wetland. And all good duck hunters know that not all wetlands are here to stay, either...
Some birds I just absolutely despise, though. Mergansers, the poor things, are what I like to call night ducks. You don't mind looking at them at night, but come light, they are hard to bare. I know there are some people out there they say I should be appreciative of all ducks. Well, you, both of you, can kiss it. Mergansers, all three breeds, are terrible as table fare, hardly pretty, oily, smelly, hard to decoy, and impossible to kill with a gun or cannon. Well, I take that back. I used to shoot them. I didn't know better. However, mergansers have a way of being the test bird for the "good ducks." Virtually every time a good flock of 'bills was working the spread, a merganser would knife the air and land into my decoys. When this happened, one of my less experienced friends would open fire, missing, thus flaring the incoming trophies. ORRRR...the mergansers would spot the fakes, croak, and get out of town. Sure, hooded merganser drakes are pretty. Commons are big and manly. But the hens are just gross creatures. In fact, mergansers kill thousands of wood ducks every year come nesting time. Mergansers are also cavity nesters. They'll raid a cavity, peck the wood duck hen to death, eat the babies, lay eggs, and hatch more future baby killers. That's the truth. So in hindsight, I might want to shoot a few extra, but I still don't like seafood. So I think I'll just save my shells.
Coots are ridiculous. They're noisy. They're sporting on the wing, but God does it take an effort to get them to fly. Old Curritucker's called them Blue Petes. They ate them and loved them. I think they are a waterlogged wild chicken. They are a heavy bird, with lots of meat, too. But man-a-live is it dark colored. Burgundy almost. The worst part about a coot is that they are like a lighthouse to other ducks. Coots raft up by the hundreds. No decoy spread can match them in realism or numbers. And what's worse, the clumsy coot, when feeding, can't even eat all of it's grass, so ducks like wigeon can steal it. A raft of coots, to most ducks, means safety and food. And coots are so dumb that you can't even bust the flocks up. If you shoot one, the rest will all fly together and return in about 45 seconds. Other less than redeeming characteristics about coots are too numerous to mention, but the ever-present Raleigh Riff Raff hunter, who ventures out east, has a "well, I drove all the way down here, I might as well kill something, even if I plan to feed it to the dog" attitude and opens fire, flaring trophies from us Good Hunters. But coots aren't killers, like mergansers.
Snow Geese are almost as bad as coots. Clannish and wary, they're not worth hunting in North Carolina. I've encountered them only by chance and have seen only one harvested by my hunting party. It was with a flock of swans. The only thing I don't like about them is that they are indeed so difficult to hunt. When you are in them, you've got them where you want them. Most often though, any attack on "snogs" takes at least 500 decoys. The Big Boys in the Midwest chase them with 1000 full bodies...all flocked white. Apparently, they are horrible to the taste buds, too. I'll say that the one I had wasn't awful...just bad. The worst part about snogs, though, is that there are so many that they are literally destroying their breeding grounds. There's not enough space to support them all...even the foxes can't keep them eaten. Drastic measures must be taken to prevent snogs from having a massive die-off on account of disease. The liberal limits in effect now are helpful, but really aren't doing much. They're slowing population growth, and that's it. But that's my opinion. I've never been to the tundra and I'll probably never go, but I do see more and more snogs each year. But an eagle-headed blue is on my life list...
Other than that all the other ducks are good to me. And when you think about it, a merganser isn't much of a duck. A coot is more in the Gallinule family, and a snow goose is, well, a goose. Ducks are a harbinger for the health of our ecosystem...especially the prairies. Rainforests get all the glory, but it's difficult to match a prairie and it's wetlands for the biodiversity it contains, the clean oxygen it produces, and for the buffer it creates against floods. Even in eastern North Carolina, wetlands absorb billions of gallons of storm tides, saving billions in losses to crops, homes, and lives. Ignore the rainforest for a while, and save a wetland. Or just don't drain one. All good duck hunters recognize the importance of a wetland. And all good duck hunters know that not all wetlands are here to stay, either...
Friday, January 20, 2012
Decoys I'd like to hunt over, collect, and purposely shoot...
Duck Hunters without decoys aren't duck hunters. They're either mooches, cheap, or pass shooters, all of which are clammering for a space at the bottom of the totem pole. Every duck hunter should have atleast 1 decoy. Seriously. You can kill all the wood ducks you want, most of the time, with one wood duck decoy. A dozen mallards is probably the average hunter's personal stand. Not in North Carolina, but in places where mallards bless the waters, a dozen is all that's needed. I've got about 250 decoys in my stand. At any time, some are loaned out, some are in my "shop" for repair or repaint, some are in my boat for the next days hunt, and some are hanging out in the backyard, awaiting their turn in the boat. Needless to say, I've got plenty, but I could always use more. I typically have 5 or 6 different locations I like to hunt...backwater creeks get the same wood duck trio. Low country creeks get the same 2 dozen teal. Layout hunting gets either my scoter set or a combination of divers and scoters. Shallow water and tide water hunting get the pintails and redheads - 100 or so total - every time. And one special place gets the Model 72 Herters. I, like a duck, am a creature of habit.
Specifically, here's what I do for each:
Backwater creeks and river sloughs...this is the haunt of the wood duck in eastern North Carolina. Thebest way to miss out on opportunities for woodies is to throw out more than 4 decoys. Put anything out other than a wood duck, and you'll get to stare at an empty decoy spread. I like to get as real as possible for decoying wood ducks. So as much as I hate the brand, Greenhead Gear is the best for the money. Just buy a pair off of Ebay, though. You'll never need 6, unless you shoot you're decoys regularly. An upgrade would be the E Allen decoys with a professional paint job. Expect to pay $100 a piece, though. Still, they're beautiful and practically bomb-proof. They're two part urethane - not plastic.
Teal like open marshes and the creeks that feed them. Teal are so reckless in their decoying and flight that I have been able to determine that they really don't inspect the decoy spread as much as they attack it. Teal generally travel in flocks of 10-20 birds, so I replicate that. And since the tidal areas they hunt are often approached on foot, I prefer a light plastic decoy. Flambeau makes a nice water-keeled bird. The paint will wear off quickly, though. I rig them all with 5 feet of 2.0 mm clear monofilament with a three ounce egg sinker. No decoy bag needed and it's almost tangle-free! Almost. You can usually get a dozen for about $30 from a major retailer. Avoid paying monstrous prices for GHG decoys as they are just as effective as the knockoff.
Layout hunting requires lots of decoys. Open water has no reference points for ducks to key in on, so a large raft of decoys is used to draw their attention. Birds are much less weary that far out, too! Almost anything that is similar in color and size is good enough. For Scoters, I have spray painted all of my broken and patched decoys solid black. A touch of fluorescent orange on the bill is all that is needed. I also use filler decoys...they're just crab pot buoys I have found that are spray painted black. My layout diver duck decoys are old decoys that I purchased from ebay. All were mallards, but not any more! Cans of black and white spray paint were used to half-way mimic bluebills. Ruddy brown primer from a spray can completes a redhead. You can stop right there! But, I like a little more detail, so I put yellow acrylic paint on the old eye holes, and I spray paint each bill gray. A black tip and white stripe complete the redheads. I use about 140 decoys when layout hunting. I never buy the GHG anymore...they're too heavy to fool with when you're putting out 140 fakes. Flambeaus are perfect. The standard mallard Storm Front is what I like to re-paint, but I got about 40 old Carrylites on Ebay once for around $25 bucks. The ducks look great from 20 feet away, but within 5 feet, overspray is seen by the human eye. Ducks, on the other hand, have been fooled all the way to the gun barrel! Maintaining this rig is fun, too! And if you lose or shoot a decoy, which is common in layout hunting, you haven't lost a heavy, $10 decoy.
For the shallow and tidewater places I hunt, pintails and redheads predominate. I use approximately 40 pintails on 5 foot mono each, and I'll put out the longlines with redheads on them. I like the flambeau pintails because they have a good silhouette and they're lightweight. I do have some Final Approach and Greenhead Gear in the mix, too, but I like the Flambeaus.
If you've got a place that makes you nostalgic like I do, you want to offer it your best effort. I'm a novice decoy collector - which means I've got about 10 collectible birds, but most are collectible only to me. Still, I've got about 5 dozen Herter's Model 72 decoys...which are getting scarce! Most people are collecting them and I am hunting over them! Over the past 4 years, I've accrued them through retailers, trade shows and Ebay. I've burlapped them all (or at least restle coated them) to make them resistant to shot, fuel, and any other unsavories that could damage a high density styrofoam decoy. They even look vintage! I put large white flanks on the bluebills, gratuitous white noggins on the buffleheads, and shiny red heads on the redheads and cans! Herter's are the best everyday decoy you can buy for divers. Especially the magnum Model 72's. They ride high, are tough as nails, and have great form.
In the coming years, I have some resolutions I intend to keep concerning decoys:
1) Eliminate all plastic diver decoys
2) Double my Herter's collection
3) Procure 2 dozen famous make factory wooden decoys to hunt over (I really like the Tackeye Masons)
4) Destroy with a gun, all of my Greenhead Gear decoys in favor of lighter and just as realistic Flambeaus
5) And if I ever decide to frequently buy plastic puddle duck decoys, I'll also consider G&H...they look phenomenal on the water!
6) Carve about 3 dozen more bluebills to replace my Herter's.
7) And, finally, purchase 2 dozen teal from Down East Carteret County carvers.
I want history and durability. The history is for my heart. The durability is for my gun...
Specifically, here's what I do for each:
Backwater creeks and river sloughs...this is the haunt of the wood duck in eastern North Carolina. Thebest way to miss out on opportunities for woodies is to throw out more than 4 decoys. Put anything out other than a wood duck, and you'll get to stare at an empty decoy spread. I like to get as real as possible for decoying wood ducks. So as much as I hate the brand, Greenhead Gear is the best for the money. Just buy a pair off of Ebay, though. You'll never need 6, unless you shoot you're decoys regularly. An upgrade would be the E Allen decoys with a professional paint job. Expect to pay $100 a piece, though. Still, they're beautiful and practically bomb-proof. They're two part urethane - not plastic.
Teal like open marshes and the creeks that feed them. Teal are so reckless in their decoying and flight that I have been able to determine that they really don't inspect the decoy spread as much as they attack it. Teal generally travel in flocks of 10-20 birds, so I replicate that. And since the tidal areas they hunt are often approached on foot, I prefer a light plastic decoy. Flambeau makes a nice water-keeled bird. The paint will wear off quickly, though. I rig them all with 5 feet of 2.0 mm clear monofilament with a three ounce egg sinker. No decoy bag needed and it's almost tangle-free! Almost. You can usually get a dozen for about $30 from a major retailer. Avoid paying monstrous prices for GHG decoys as they are just as effective as the knockoff.
Layout hunting requires lots of decoys. Open water has no reference points for ducks to key in on, so a large raft of decoys is used to draw their attention. Birds are much less weary that far out, too! Almost anything that is similar in color and size is good enough. For Scoters, I have spray painted all of my broken and patched decoys solid black. A touch of fluorescent orange on the bill is all that is needed. I also use filler decoys...they're just crab pot buoys I have found that are spray painted black. My layout diver duck decoys are old decoys that I purchased from ebay. All were mallards, but not any more! Cans of black and white spray paint were used to half-way mimic bluebills. Ruddy brown primer from a spray can completes a redhead. You can stop right there! But, I like a little more detail, so I put yellow acrylic paint on the old eye holes, and I spray paint each bill gray. A black tip and white stripe complete the redheads. I use about 140 decoys when layout hunting. I never buy the GHG anymore...they're too heavy to fool with when you're putting out 140 fakes. Flambeaus are perfect. The standard mallard Storm Front is what I like to re-paint, but I got about 40 old Carrylites on Ebay once for around $25 bucks. The ducks look great from 20 feet away, but within 5 feet, overspray is seen by the human eye. Ducks, on the other hand, have been fooled all the way to the gun barrel! Maintaining this rig is fun, too! And if you lose or shoot a decoy, which is common in layout hunting, you haven't lost a heavy, $10 decoy.
For the shallow and tidewater places I hunt, pintails and redheads predominate. I use approximately 40 pintails on 5 foot mono each, and I'll put out the longlines with redheads on them. I like the flambeau pintails because they have a good silhouette and they're lightweight. I do have some Final Approach and Greenhead Gear in the mix, too, but I like the Flambeaus.
If you've got a place that makes you nostalgic like I do, you want to offer it your best effort. I'm a novice decoy collector - which means I've got about 10 collectible birds, but most are collectible only to me. Still, I've got about 5 dozen Herter's Model 72 decoys...which are getting scarce! Most people are collecting them and I am hunting over them! Over the past 4 years, I've accrued them through retailers, trade shows and Ebay. I've burlapped them all (or at least restle coated them) to make them resistant to shot, fuel, and any other unsavories that could damage a high density styrofoam decoy. They even look vintage! I put large white flanks on the bluebills, gratuitous white noggins on the buffleheads, and shiny red heads on the redheads and cans! Herter's are the best everyday decoy you can buy for divers. Especially the magnum Model 72's. They ride high, are tough as nails, and have great form.
In the coming years, I have some resolutions I intend to keep concerning decoys:
1) Eliminate all plastic diver decoys
2) Double my Herter's collection
3) Procure 2 dozen famous make factory wooden decoys to hunt over (I really like the Tackeye Masons)
4) Destroy with a gun, all of my Greenhead Gear decoys in favor of lighter and just as realistic Flambeaus
5) And if I ever decide to frequently buy plastic puddle duck decoys, I'll also consider G&H...they look phenomenal on the water!
6) Carve about 3 dozen more bluebills to replace my Herter's.
7) And, finally, purchase 2 dozen teal from Down East Carteret County carvers.
I want history and durability. The history is for my heart. The durability is for my gun...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Bluebill Day
Bluebird days are the bain of the diver hunter's existence. I don't know how I missed the boat, but I did. It's not that I don't like hunting puddle ducks like mallards. In fact, if I kill pintails, I lose control of my bodily functions. Puddle ducks are beautiful. And stupid, save for the pintail and black duck. The others have all made easy acquaintance with several varieties of my diver spreads. Pintails and blacks, though, want their species only, typically. Pintails need 60 or more fakes, and blacks need 3 or less. Anyway, I suppose I love divers, especially the bluebill, for the reckless way the terrify the tops of my decoys with their streaking flight. When passingnearby and overhead, a flock of 'bills sounds like ripping newspaper. They'll work several times over the decoys...a pass to be convinced, a pass to line up, a pass to finally approve, and then - the last pass...before settling into the decoys to purr at their fake brethren. I also enjoy the weather. Diver hunters absolutely must be willing to deal with stout winds and low temps. I don't know why it makes our divers so stir-crazy, but it does. Today was one of those days...
I've got a special place. All duck hunters do. It's one of those places that's in the Top 3 of where my ashes should be scattered. Originally, I liked it because of how productive the location is on certain weather conditions. When those weather conditions persist, it's where I go, every time. Sometimes, I'm optimistic and hunt it when I shouldn't. Most of my friends have shared this spot with me and had success, too. In fact, the spartina marsh has a permanent trail stamped into it from where I pound the ground back and forth between the blind location and the boat hide. But this special place, even when the birds aren't flying well or close enough, sees the same visitors everytime I appear. I don't think anyone else hunts it, but they all drive right by it. On a typical morning or my presence, the water is topped with 36 decoys. Herters redheads, bluebills, and cans, all 12 on a longline, then an assortment of other Herter's divers on single lines. Each decoy is hand painted by me. I like knowing that my art imitates nature long enough to bag a few birds. Other things that are constant upon my arrival. The yellowlegs and curlews frequent my point, and often try to return, all while I'm sitting there. They've startled my quite a few times. Willets pass over regularly. Cormorants and gulls always inspect the spread. One loon parks in the spread until I shoot. I like his company!
Today, in the northeast breeze and 25 degree wind chill, I braved the elements. Earlier in the week, and all season for that matter, the 'bills hadn't cooperated. I don't think there here en masse, though. Teal and buffleheads enjoyed the spread most of the season to this point. But today, was a Bluebill Day. Five minutes before legal shooting light, the bravest and hardiest of the divers tested my patience and dared my morals. But who wants a limit before it's legal? I waited and shivered. They delivered. Within seconds of legal shooting time, more bluebills bombarded the decoys. Making just one pass before settling in, I made a clean double. It was the day I had enjoyed so often in seasons' past and finally this season. I just wanted two. One for the table, one for the taxidermist. After inspecting the greenish sheen of their black heads, and the spectacular vermiculation on their backs, it might be two for the taxidermist. I killed what I wanted, with only two shells, and settled in, passing up on the mergansers, avoiding the bonus bluebills, and waiting on the cans. The cans never showed. After enjoying the flight for 30 more minutes, I picked up...happy at my success and happy that even in bad years, bluebills and Mother Nature can almost always deliver before it's too late.
I've got a special place. All duck hunters do. It's one of those places that's in the Top 3 of where my ashes should be scattered. Originally, I liked it because of how productive the location is on certain weather conditions. When those weather conditions persist, it's where I go, every time. Sometimes, I'm optimistic and hunt it when I shouldn't. Most of my friends have shared this spot with me and had success, too. In fact, the spartina marsh has a permanent trail stamped into it from where I pound the ground back and forth between the blind location and the boat hide. But this special place, even when the birds aren't flying well or close enough, sees the same visitors everytime I appear. I don't think anyone else hunts it, but they all drive right by it. On a typical morning or my presence, the water is topped with 36 decoys. Herters redheads, bluebills, and cans, all 12 on a longline, then an assortment of other Herter's divers on single lines. Each decoy is hand painted by me. I like knowing that my art imitates nature long enough to bag a few birds. Other things that are constant upon my arrival. The yellowlegs and curlews frequent my point, and often try to return, all while I'm sitting there. They've startled my quite a few times. Willets pass over regularly. Cormorants and gulls always inspect the spread. One loon parks in the spread until I shoot. I like his company!
Today, in the northeast breeze and 25 degree wind chill, I braved the elements. Earlier in the week, and all season for that matter, the 'bills hadn't cooperated. I don't think there here en masse, though. Teal and buffleheads enjoyed the spread most of the season to this point. But today, was a Bluebill Day. Five minutes before legal shooting light, the bravest and hardiest of the divers tested my patience and dared my morals. But who wants a limit before it's legal? I waited and shivered. They delivered. Within seconds of legal shooting time, more bluebills bombarded the decoys. Making just one pass before settling in, I made a clean double. It was the day I had enjoyed so often in seasons' past and finally this season. I just wanted two. One for the table, one for the taxidermist. After inspecting the greenish sheen of their black heads, and the spectacular vermiculation on their backs, it might be two for the taxidermist. I killed what I wanted, with only two shells, and settled in, passing up on the mergansers, avoiding the bonus bluebills, and waiting on the cans. The cans never showed. After enjoying the flight for 30 more minutes, I picked up...happy at my success and happy that even in bad years, bluebills and Mother Nature can almost always deliver before it's too late.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Hunting with a Dog
I like dogs. They make good pets. For the longest time, I thought duck hunting meant a dozen mallard decoys, some camouflage, and a black lab. Then I started hunting ducks. In North Carolina. On open water. On my first ever duck hunt, I hunted, with permission, a place called Little Florida. I shot 3 ducks thhat were later identified to me as ringnecks by a 12 year old boy. They were all retrieved by a chocolate lab named Hershey. Upon retrieval, Hershey bowled me over and attempted intercourse with me. Good times! Bu that dog did what it was born and bred to do...go get dead ducks and bring them to the owner. Also, as we rode out of the swamp in our trucks, Hershey shared the bed of the pickup with the dead ducks...and tossed each one out on a major highway. Two wrongs and one retrieve don't make a right and it discouraged me from ever wanting a dog. In fact, I knew of a million bad dogs, and only one good dog. And that dog lived in Mississippi.
In my years perusing the back and open waters, I have learned to do without a dog. I didn't need a mouth to feed or a whistle to blow...especially while ducks were working. In North Carolina, we don't hunt the X. We hunt the path to the X. Our decoys are used to convince ducks to land and hang out a bit. And we use lots of decoys. Some people even use mallards! That topic will be discussed in many forthcoming blogs. Back to dogs. A good friend of mine purchased a beautiful silver lab about 3 years back. He sent her to one of the area's finest trainers wwhere she learned commands that she would never get to use. But she's a beautiful dog with good instincts. We took her hunting a few times. We never shot a lot of ducks...in fact, we never killed a single bird, but that tragedy can be blamed on the dog. Whimpering, barking, yelping, and just plain running around and swimming through the decoys can do a lot to un-convincce ducks to sit in the decoys. However, when we did shoot, the dog from return from parts-unknown and heel attentively by her master's side. She knew that things had just gotten incredibly serious. After the smoke cleared, there were twelve empty shell hulls, three floating butt feathers (maybe four), and one disappointed dog. Still, she retrieved the shotgun shells and brought them back to us. As we discarded them into the water, she barked, stared at us in disgust, then promptly retrieved the 12 shells again. The painful 30 minute ordeal also saw several flocks of teal and wood ducks pass high and dry over the decoys. Those wary black ducks, laughed from 300 yards away. Black ducks always get the better of me...
Still, I have never been one to totally write off anything...otherwise, a season like this would have me giving up the sport. I longed to hunt with a dog that followed directions. Simple ones...like "Sit" and "Hush." I knew that this season, my opportunity to hunt with a dog would arise.
In my line of work, I meet an impressive array of people. they come from all over North Carolina. And people in North Carolina are similar only in their adoration for barbecue, with the exception of some Tree Huggers in the mountains. But us flatlanders never encounter them. Nevertheless, many people who visit the Center end up in my office, either to book a retreat, debrief during a retreat, or just to stop by and introduce themselves. My office is an altar to all that is good about waterfowl. Taxidermied specimens of redheads, pintails, and cans are suspended from the wall. they share their space with fine, old decoys from Kitty Hawk, Back Bay, and Stacy. Fine art prints showcasing Mattamuskeet Lake as Mattamuskeet Farm illustrate my love for the yesteryear. To put it shortly, if you come in my office, you know what I like.
Either way, one gentleman, whom I've known since I arrived in North Carolina, recently necame a duck hunter. I don't know where he got the idea. In fact, if someone told me they wanted to start duck hunting, I'd tell them to skip the boat and decoys and just go with a guide three times a year. But, let's call him Tony, he never asked. Tony is a fun and easy going guy with a good and fun career that he enjoys. It also frees him up a good bit to waste a lot of time and money...just like the rest of us.
If I were going to give someone a checklist of things to buy to begin waterfowling, I'd include 4 dozen decoys, none of which would be mallards or even made of plastic, a reliable pump shotgun, a boat with atleast 20 horses, and maybe a good ABC duck call. I'll cover ABC calls in forthcoming blogs. Nevertheless, I would not have included a dog. Tony did, though. But he never asked e or anyone else, I suppose. Waterfowling is what you make it. there's more than one way to skin a duck and Tony foundd his, just like I found mine.
Still, Tony and I would cross paths a couple or three times throughout the year. As he picked up waterfowling, we struck up more frequent conversations. The wetland is the ultimate leveler, isn't it. In fact, at a meeting last year, I had told Tony that I was moving away and entrusted him with my favorite duck spots. He never gave them away. I know this because I moved back, and have yet to catch him in there. But he has great spots, too. Buut after I revealed my places, he introducced me to his dog. He also wanted to run some drills. I was fairly interested in seeing another dog do dry land retrieves, to say the least. But after meeting the dog, I knew that he was special and that the relationship between Tony and his dog was even more special. The dog did not want to disappoint Tony. Anyway, several drills later, we said our Goodbye's, certain to never see each other again. Then I moved back.
A recent meeting in Tony's town, produced an opportunity for Tony and I to rendezvous on a duck hunt, on my good ducking spots, albeit. He promised to bring the dog, an that it would b better than my past experiences. there's nothing I can type to describe the pleasure I endured over the past couple of days when I shared the blind with two great hunting companions...one of which stood on all fours. As Tony counted the technical "blinds", "doubles" and other retrieves his dog made, I counted on my fingers the best hunts of my life. My best friend is also my best hunting partner. He doesn't bark and in fact, he's human. My friend and I mark our hunts as successful based on how many ducks we could have killed. We like to decoy them and watch them. If we shoot a limit, it's because our aim was good. If we didn't, we talked about how beautiful the trio of redheads looked when they strafed the decoys. Tony and his dog have their own way to measure their hunt's success. I'm pretty sure the dog thinks it was good if he retrieved a lot of birds for his Master. I think Tony measure's his success based on whether or not he was able to just share a place in time with him remarkable dog. They hate to disappoint each other. The best part about duck hunting is sharing it with others...
In my years perusing the back and open waters, I have learned to do without a dog. I didn't need a mouth to feed or a whistle to blow...especially while ducks were working. In North Carolina, we don't hunt the X. We hunt the path to the X. Our decoys are used to convince ducks to land and hang out a bit. And we use lots of decoys. Some people even use mallards! That topic will be discussed in many forthcoming blogs. Back to dogs. A good friend of mine purchased a beautiful silver lab about 3 years back. He sent her to one of the area's finest trainers wwhere she learned commands that she would never get to use. But she's a beautiful dog with good instincts. We took her hunting a few times. We never shot a lot of ducks...in fact, we never killed a single bird, but that tragedy can be blamed on the dog. Whimpering, barking, yelping, and just plain running around and swimming through the decoys can do a lot to un-convincce ducks to sit in the decoys. However, when we did shoot, the dog from return from parts-unknown and heel attentively by her master's side. She knew that things had just gotten incredibly serious. After the smoke cleared, there were twelve empty shell hulls, three floating butt feathers (maybe four), and one disappointed dog. Still, she retrieved the shotgun shells and brought them back to us. As we discarded them into the water, she barked, stared at us in disgust, then promptly retrieved the 12 shells again. The painful 30 minute ordeal also saw several flocks of teal and wood ducks pass high and dry over the decoys. Those wary black ducks, laughed from 300 yards away. Black ducks always get the better of me...
Still, I have never been one to totally write off anything...otherwise, a season like this would have me giving up the sport. I longed to hunt with a dog that followed directions. Simple ones...like "Sit" and "Hush." I knew that this season, my opportunity to hunt with a dog would arise.
In my line of work, I meet an impressive array of people. they come from all over North Carolina. And people in North Carolina are similar only in their adoration for barbecue, with the exception of some Tree Huggers in the mountains. But us flatlanders never encounter them. Nevertheless, many people who visit the Center end up in my office, either to book a retreat, debrief during a retreat, or just to stop by and introduce themselves. My office is an altar to all that is good about waterfowl. Taxidermied specimens of redheads, pintails, and cans are suspended from the wall. they share their space with fine, old decoys from Kitty Hawk, Back Bay, and Stacy. Fine art prints showcasing Mattamuskeet Lake as Mattamuskeet Farm illustrate my love for the yesteryear. To put it shortly, if you come in my office, you know what I like.
Either way, one gentleman, whom I've known since I arrived in North Carolina, recently necame a duck hunter. I don't know where he got the idea. In fact, if someone told me they wanted to start duck hunting, I'd tell them to skip the boat and decoys and just go with a guide three times a year. But, let's call him Tony, he never asked. Tony is a fun and easy going guy with a good and fun career that he enjoys. It also frees him up a good bit to waste a lot of time and money...just like the rest of us.
If I were going to give someone a checklist of things to buy to begin waterfowling, I'd include 4 dozen decoys, none of which would be mallards or even made of plastic, a reliable pump shotgun, a boat with atleast 20 horses, and maybe a good ABC duck call. I'll cover ABC calls in forthcoming blogs. Nevertheless, I would not have included a dog. Tony did, though. But he never asked e or anyone else, I suppose. Waterfowling is what you make it. there's more than one way to skin a duck and Tony foundd his, just like I found mine.
Still, Tony and I would cross paths a couple or three times throughout the year. As he picked up waterfowling, we struck up more frequent conversations. The wetland is the ultimate leveler, isn't it. In fact, at a meeting last year, I had told Tony that I was moving away and entrusted him with my favorite duck spots. He never gave them away. I know this because I moved back, and have yet to catch him in there. But he has great spots, too. Buut after I revealed my places, he introducced me to his dog. He also wanted to run some drills. I was fairly interested in seeing another dog do dry land retrieves, to say the least. But after meeting the dog, I knew that he was special and that the relationship between Tony and his dog was even more special. The dog did not want to disappoint Tony. Anyway, several drills later, we said our Goodbye's, certain to never see each other again. Then I moved back.
A recent meeting in Tony's town, produced an opportunity for Tony and I to rendezvous on a duck hunt, on my good ducking spots, albeit. He promised to bring the dog, an that it would b better than my past experiences. there's nothing I can type to describe the pleasure I endured over the past couple of days when I shared the blind with two great hunting companions...one of which stood on all fours. As Tony counted the technical "blinds", "doubles" and other retrieves his dog made, I counted on my fingers the best hunts of my life. My best friend is also my best hunting partner. He doesn't bark and in fact, he's human. My friend and I mark our hunts as successful based on how many ducks we could have killed. We like to decoy them and watch them. If we shoot a limit, it's because our aim was good. If we didn't, we talked about how beautiful the trio of redheads looked when they strafed the decoys. Tony and his dog have their own way to measure their hunt's success. I'm pretty sure the dog thinks it was good if he retrieved a lot of birds for his Master. I think Tony measure's his success based on whether or not he was able to just share a place in time with him remarkable dog. They hate to disappoint each other. The best part about duck hunting is sharing it with others...
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Raleigh Riff-Raff
For us duck hunters on the coast, hunting season is a great time to see the people west of I-95. Throughout the year, most residents of the piedmont wish and believe that Eastern North Carolina is a waste of time and money. But, when it comes to duck hunting, these people will stop at nothing to spend the appropriate dollars to shoot some of "our" ducks. what is most interesting is that many areas, especially in and around Wake County have ducks, and good concentrations of them. The triangle probably hosts more mallards than any county in the east. And that's what everyone wants to kill, right? Mallards, migratory ones that is, are some of the easiest birds to find and hunt. Still, with dreams of blackened skies, hunters journey east to the Promised Land.
How would one spot a Triangle-area duck hunter? You might want to start with the vehicle they're driving. Normally, they'd parade our backroads in a Prius or Miata, with their noses aimed at the sky. Oh, but no sir, here, it's all about the Tahoe. The Tahoe is preferred by mid-staters for it's ability to comfortably sleep 3 men and 3 labs at a remote boat ramp. Despite the rumors that they have heard, the boat ramps do not fill up by 2:00 am. And if it does, it's by Triangle residents. Hey folks...it's not Jordan Lake down here...
Raleigh hunters can also be typified by their hunting clothing. No item is without the latest and greatest camouflage. And stamped to that camouflage one will find the insignia of some of America's greatest waterfowl product companies. It only makes sense, though. If the Duck Commander shot a 10 man limit over his intensively managed rice farm while wearing a prom dress, rest assured that the Raleigh Riff-Raff would also don the same garb. Still, some get it right. On the coast, the wet and cold wind chills hunters to the bone. Few eastern hunters head out doors without wearing wool in the drabbest of browns and greens. Wool retains warmth even when wet...
Another great way to identify the hunter across the bay as an out-of-towner is to listen to his mating call. Rarely do eastern hunters blow mallard calls. But if they do, it's low and slow. Visitors are quick to belt out their best rendition of a screaming mallard as soon as the first bufflehead strafes the decoys. All eastern people know that buffleheads are best decoyed when the hunting party is all concurrently urinating with backs turned away from the spread. We take things easy out here...
Boats are another good marker...that ski boat that Daddy bought for the lake house...it can double as a duck boat. When Ski Nautiques outnumber Privateers at the boat ramp, we're all in trouble. Eastern hunters are masters at hiding their boats either under camo or away from the hunting site. Triangle hunters hunt from the boat, despite the aluminum ski tower. They just do.
Decoy spreads are another difference-teller. Mallards, mojos, and goose decoys are absent in all eastern hunter decoy stands. However, on the easterly hunter migration, the mallards and geese fakes come with them. Hey folks...we don't have geese. We just don't. And if we do, we can only kill one in the last week of the season, if we get a permit. Still, there's nothing like watching a raft of 30 plastic geese and mallards drift away with the tide. The tide is serious business folks...
Nevertheless, we do enjoy seeing our western companions. they bring an influx of tourism dollars - well, those who don't sleep at the boat ramp, anyway - as well as financial support for conservation organizations. All hunters from the west appear to be ardent supporters of Ducks Unlimited. Hopefully, they also buy federal waterfowl stamps.
For those from Raleigh reading this article, here's what I hope you take away from it...
Vehicle: Leave the luxury road yacht at home...drive the beater.
Clothing: No camouflage matches the coastal spartina grasses. Just wear light brown and let the shadows do the work.
Duck calls: Leave the single read at home and buy yourself a sports whistle. It calls in everything when you chirp in it!
Boats: If you're gonna bring a white boat, don't set-up with the sun in your face. Hide that thing 100 or more yards away, too.
If you want to bring the appropriate decoys, bring 3 dozen bluebills and redheads, a dozen wigeons, and 3 dozen pintails. You can hunt any open water with that stand. Leave the mojo at home.
Bring lots of money and stay in local hotels. Also, hire a guide. They know where the ducks are - much better than us freelancers do. And you can sleep until 5:00 am with most guide services. Also, please bring a map and learn how to pronounce city and county names...
How would one spot a Triangle-area duck hunter? You might want to start with the vehicle they're driving. Normally, they'd parade our backroads in a Prius or Miata, with their noses aimed at the sky. Oh, but no sir, here, it's all about the Tahoe. The Tahoe is preferred by mid-staters for it's ability to comfortably sleep 3 men and 3 labs at a remote boat ramp. Despite the rumors that they have heard, the boat ramps do not fill up by 2:00 am. And if it does, it's by Triangle residents. Hey folks...it's not Jordan Lake down here...
Raleigh hunters can also be typified by their hunting clothing. No item is without the latest and greatest camouflage. And stamped to that camouflage one will find the insignia of some of America's greatest waterfowl product companies. It only makes sense, though. If the Duck Commander shot a 10 man limit over his intensively managed rice farm while wearing a prom dress, rest assured that the Raleigh Riff-Raff would also don the same garb. Still, some get it right. On the coast, the wet and cold wind chills hunters to the bone. Few eastern hunters head out doors without wearing wool in the drabbest of browns and greens. Wool retains warmth even when wet...
Another great way to identify the hunter across the bay as an out-of-towner is to listen to his mating call. Rarely do eastern hunters blow mallard calls. But if they do, it's low and slow. Visitors are quick to belt out their best rendition of a screaming mallard as soon as the first bufflehead strafes the decoys. All eastern people know that buffleheads are best decoyed when the hunting party is all concurrently urinating with backs turned away from the spread. We take things easy out here...
Boats are another good marker...that ski boat that Daddy bought for the lake house...it can double as a duck boat. When Ski Nautiques outnumber Privateers at the boat ramp, we're all in trouble. Eastern hunters are masters at hiding their boats either under camo or away from the hunting site. Triangle hunters hunt from the boat, despite the aluminum ski tower. They just do.
Decoy spreads are another difference-teller. Mallards, mojos, and goose decoys are absent in all eastern hunter decoy stands. However, on the easterly hunter migration, the mallards and geese fakes come with them. Hey folks...we don't have geese. We just don't. And if we do, we can only kill one in the last week of the season, if we get a permit. Still, there's nothing like watching a raft of 30 plastic geese and mallards drift away with the tide. The tide is serious business folks...
Nevertheless, we do enjoy seeing our western companions. they bring an influx of tourism dollars - well, those who don't sleep at the boat ramp, anyway - as well as financial support for conservation organizations. All hunters from the west appear to be ardent supporters of Ducks Unlimited. Hopefully, they also buy federal waterfowl stamps.
For those from Raleigh reading this article, here's what I hope you take away from it...
Vehicle: Leave the luxury road yacht at home...drive the beater.
Clothing: No camouflage matches the coastal spartina grasses. Just wear light brown and let the shadows do the work.
Duck calls: Leave the single read at home and buy yourself a sports whistle. It calls in everything when you chirp in it!
Boats: If you're gonna bring a white boat, don't set-up with the sun in your face. Hide that thing 100 or more yards away, too.
If you want to bring the appropriate decoys, bring 3 dozen bluebills and redheads, a dozen wigeons, and 3 dozen pintails. You can hunt any open water with that stand. Leave the mojo at home.
Bring lots of money and stay in local hotels. Also, hire a guide. They know where the ducks are - much better than us freelancers do. And you can sleep until 5:00 am with most guide services. Also, please bring a map and learn how to pronounce city and county names...
Sunday, January 8, 2012
North Carolina Decoys, Briefly
Befpre I moved to North Carolina, I had never duck hunted. In fact, I thought it was as simple and boring as watching ducks in the park. I also thought that plastic decoys were a gimmick that would never fool a duck. I sold myself and the decoys short, apparently. Soon upon arriving here, I tripped upon The Bird Store, a decoy collector's dream in KDH, North Carolina. At first, I liked the cheap crap, so I bought it. My first bird was a papier mache black duck, made by Ari-Duck, I believe. I've since shed that one. I then bought "contemporary antique" decoys...new birds, made to look old. They're good for your wife and girlfriend to decorate with but are generally unhuntable and unvaluable, other than as folk art that will need an occassional dusting. Nevertheless, in my journeys as a public land freelancer, I've encountered some people with wonderful decoys...all carved by themselves. I've even hunted over an all wood spread of 50 decoys. It was lethal for ducks. Three years ago, when Herter's quit making decoys, Iquickly began acquiring them, just as a collector would have...but I hunt over them. Herters, though, are not north Carolina standards. I'm proud of them, though, and I'll have 5 dozen divers to pass on to my child. By then, I'm certain duck hunting will be illegal, though. Now, my friends, I am in hot pursuit of reallly old North Carolina decoys...here's my current wishlist...
Ned Burgess: Ned's probably the most famous of the Curritcuk Sound carvers. His decoys have great form, and many other imitators. Ned Carved in the 1900's, when battery gunning was all the rage...his decoys are sizeable, but better than crude. Other carvers of the time, like Burgess, probably hacked their decoys out of old fenceposts and sail masts...but Ned kept carving. Smooth lines and high heads mark his birds. I'm looking for a redhead...good luck to that.
Lee Dudley, arguably the most famous of all North Carolina carvers lived during the time of the civil war. A knotts Island carver, his decoys were considered small by most standards. His ruddy ducks are bulbous, include great lines, and are simply beautiful. To own a Dudley, you'd have to shell out about $400 for the least desirable ones. He had brothers, too, that carved - but he was easily the best of the bunch. I'd take one of his ruddy ducks, please...
Mitchell Fulcher probably rarely traveled to the Outer Banks. Instead, he carved his birds for the milfoil flats of Downeast Carterest County. I think he was from Stacy or Harker's Island...either way, they didn't have cable tv then, or now. His birds are incredibly rare. Especially complete birds. Fulcher was incredibly tedious when creating birds, all the way to the rigging. He was noted for his attention to detail, but the block style paint that the area is noted for was nothing extraordinary. His carved heads were beautiful, too. Some of his birds are considered priceless. If you come across a Mitchell Fulcher black duck, let me know!
Anyway, if you want to learn more about North Carolina decoys, I'dd like to recommend Kroghie Andresen's "Gunnin' Birds". He has the largest collection of north Carolina decoys...about 1100, I think. If Kroghie wants, Kroghie gets. His book is well written, accurate, and even interesting...and talking about wood carving and old, dead people can be a tough subject. Anyway, hunting decoys is harder than hunting ducks...so good luck!
Also - there are still some great carvers turning out beautiful decoys in Carteret County. To connect with these decoys and their carvers, check out the Core Sound Decoy Carver's Guild.
Ned Burgess: Ned's probably the most famous of the Curritcuk Sound carvers. His decoys have great form, and many other imitators. Ned Carved in the 1900's, when battery gunning was all the rage...his decoys are sizeable, but better than crude. Other carvers of the time, like Burgess, probably hacked their decoys out of old fenceposts and sail masts...but Ned kept carving. Smooth lines and high heads mark his birds. I'm looking for a redhead...good luck to that.
Lee Dudley, arguably the most famous of all North Carolina carvers lived during the time of the civil war. A knotts Island carver, his decoys were considered small by most standards. His ruddy ducks are bulbous, include great lines, and are simply beautiful. To own a Dudley, you'd have to shell out about $400 for the least desirable ones. He had brothers, too, that carved - but he was easily the best of the bunch. I'd take one of his ruddy ducks, please...
Mitchell Fulcher probably rarely traveled to the Outer Banks. Instead, he carved his birds for the milfoil flats of Downeast Carterest County. I think he was from Stacy or Harker's Island...either way, they didn't have cable tv then, or now. His birds are incredibly rare. Especially complete birds. Fulcher was incredibly tedious when creating birds, all the way to the rigging. He was noted for his attention to detail, but the block style paint that the area is noted for was nothing extraordinary. His carved heads were beautiful, too. Some of his birds are considered priceless. If you come across a Mitchell Fulcher black duck, let me know!
Anyway, if you want to learn more about North Carolina decoys, I'dd like to recommend Kroghie Andresen's "Gunnin' Birds". He has the largest collection of north Carolina decoys...about 1100, I think. If Kroghie wants, Kroghie gets. His book is well written, accurate, and even interesting...and talking about wood carving and old, dead people can be a tough subject. Anyway, hunting decoys is harder than hunting ducks...so good luck!
Also - there are still some great carvers turning out beautiful decoys in Carteret County. To connect with these decoys and their carvers, check out the Core Sound Decoy Carver's Guild.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Layout Boat, Briefly
Today was a special day for some of my favorite sportspeople...I took Josh and Kali, both friends of mine, on a layout boat hunt for scoters. I've got a great boat that keeps a very low profile. It's a Great Lakes-style boat, meaning it has a combing (or sprayskirt) and it's more rectangular than pumpkinseed or saucer shaped as Texas-style or Maritime Canada boats might appear. Nevertheless, my disgust for the weatherman grows with each layout hunt. There are 3 things that layout hunters must consider when going on a layout boat: Targeted Species, Gear Load, and Weather. Here's where my fun begins...
I layout hunt for Black and Surf Scoters. I call it a Blackout...drakes only, hopefully! Nevertheless, I rarely see other birds in good numbers, even though I have decoyed pintails in October, teal in January, and every diver except a goldeneye virtually each trip after Thanksgiving. But it's so incidental, that it's not worth the extra decoys. One should never expect to kill mallards, or other puddlers for that matter, on the open water of the extra salty Pamlico or Albemarle Sounds. If you want to kill scoters in North Carolina, the Pamlico Sound is the place. Sometimes, I'm so successful at bagging scoters, that I feel as if I should be a guide. Obviously, it would be Blackout Outfitters.
The Gear Load, I tell ya, is the meat of the matter. Layout hunting and primarily targeting scoters, even from shore, requires a different approach. I'll discuss this from the layout hunters standpoint.
I layout hunt for Black and Surf Scoters. I call it a Blackout...drakes only, hopefully! Nevertheless, I rarely see other birds in good numbers, even though I have decoyed pintails in October, teal in January, and every diver except a goldeneye virtually each trip after Thanksgiving. But it's so incidental, that it's not worth the extra decoys. One should never expect to kill mallards, or other puddlers for that matter, on the open water of the extra salty Pamlico or Albemarle Sounds. If you want to kill scoters in North Carolina, the Pamlico Sound is the place. Sometimes, I'm so successful at bagging scoters, that I feel as if I should be a guide. Obviously, it would be Blackout Outfitters.
The Gear Load, I tell ya, is the meat of the matter. Layout hunting and primarily targeting scoters, even from shore, requires a different approach. I'll discuss this from the layout hunters standpoint.
- Decoys: I buy the cheap-ass Flambeau mallards when they go on sale...a dozen for 20 bucks is hard to beat. I'll never shoot a mallard in North Carolina, so I immediately open the box, remove the plastic from each duck, and paint it with black spray paint. Dead flat black is all that is needed. Glossy black is no good. I even have about 3 dozen crab pot buoys that are black. I've also used gallon milk jugs painted black. It sounds ridiculous, but all of the above work. I have even decoyed them to my cork scoters that I carved. There's no need to buy the GHG decoys unless you really think it matters. Still, scoters - and most other ducks - are almost easy to decoy when you leave the confines of the Gentleman's Shoreline Blind. Black and round is good. Leave the mojo in the garage, too. A flag to wave is also very valuable. Since calling scoters is a giant wate of time, the flag i how you hail their attention. I wave my black Stormy Kromer cap at them. I've flagged them in from a mile, no joke. Back to decoys...don't show up with less than 50, while 100 or more are the norm.
- Decoy Rigging: All of my decoys are on 3/8" mainline rope. I use the Rig'em Right brand because I kinda know the owner...well, his brother anyway. But it's the best stuff at the best price. Each decoy has a springy clip, as seen on lobster lines, that is used to connect the decoys to the lines. Each line is about 150 feet long...with the front and back 20 foot sections devoted to being underwater, attached to anchors. For anchors, I use bricks...usually three on the front, and one on the bag. Old sections of chains, cinder blocks, and weight plates are all good...just make sure that each weight will grab the bottom with angular edges and that it weighs around 10 pounds. Also, but big plastic trashcans...like 40 gallon trashcans. Each trashcan will hold approximately 20 decoys. I use 5 per trip. Nevertheless, Once the decoys are attached to the mainlines, I never take them off unless they get tangled. They're easy and lightning fast to deploy and pickup. All the guides do it, too...
- Clothing: Wear black or gray. Wool and synthetics. and snug neoprene waders. Brown and green does not exist on open water, so ducks flare over it. The layout boat is traditionally gray, so it blends with the water. I put mine right in the middle of my decoys, so the profile of the layout boat actually helps to provide the illusion of a dense flock of feeding scoters. Also, always bring an extra full change of clothes.
- Gun and Ammo: I use a 20 gauge semi, choked full, with #2 steel. Shots are close and I'm fairly accurate at those ranges. Full chokes deliver the payload in a tight wad. Crippled sea ducks almost always get away. As soon as a scoter hits the water I follow up with an immediate finishing shot on the water. Most people shoot twelve gauges. Still, a full choke is the absolute best when it comes to serving lethal shots. Always bring two boxes of shells, too. When I take my 12 bore, I always shoot 3" shells. Call me old fashioned...I call it thrifty and whimpy...
- Miscellany: Only idiots leave shore without multiple forms of communication, including rescue flares. I keep a pail on board for bailing out the layout boat on rough days. Also, a dry box with bandages and bandaids for rope burns is good. Also, I bring two anchors...already tied on a line. Where the line attaches to the boat, I tied of crab pot floats...that way if I have to make a quick run in the tender boat , I can just unclip the rope and hassle with the anchor later. Also, I keep an extra 200 feet of rope on an orange spool that are commonly used to store extension cords. Extra rope is good for towing or replacing a broken motherline! VHF radios are good, but I prefer cell phones. Also...bring plastic zippered bags to stuff electronics into at the ramps. Everything will get wet, no questions asked. Also, hunting open water without a GPS is like going in a corn maze blindfolded. Generally, I hunt where land isn't visible, so a GPS is perfect for getting to and from the hunting area. Make sure to take extra batteries for it, too! Also, a boat repair tool kit such as simple wrenches and screw drivers are good, too. Binoculars are good to have when the tender boat is keeping an eye on the hunter in the layout boat. The tender boat generally sits downwind and 400-500 yards away from the layout boat. And don't forget a lifejacket for the layout boat! A 5 foot dip net is also handy for retrieving ducks.
- Boat: The bigger, the better. Mine's a flat bottom boat, so it takes a whipping on the choppy waters. But it's sides are tall enough to keep water out, but low enough for hunters to trade out of the layout boat easily. Also, I strap my layout boat to the bow for transport. Some are towable, but mine isn't. A boat smaller than 17 feet is just too small. Mine's a Carolina Skiff, as are most of the others that go after scoters. Aluminum boats, with the exception of those Alaskan Lunds are useless when it comes to hauling all of the above gear. There's simply not enough room. Either way, the Tender Boat is "base camp" for the layout hunters. It holds the other hunters while they await they're turn in the layout boat. It keeps the snacks, dry clothes, cased guns, etc. It's important to have it big and well-stocked. A nimble, but fast craft is also needed. Sometimes, especially when the weather comes in, it's nice to have a boat that will run 30 mph when loaded. I like beating the guides back to the ramp the most, though.
The Weather: Weather is the most important thing to consider when layout hunting. Cloudy days with a light chop sea are pristine conditions. The layout boat can sometimes appear white in open, sunny days. Also, if prevailing winter wins are from a westerly direction, you're eventually staring directly into the sun. I will not fight the sun. Period. The light chop on the water helps the layout boat itself look like a small wave. A 10 foot long, 4 foot wide, and 6 inch deep gray boat absolutely disappears in a light chop. Winds around 10 miles an hour are perfect my preferred locations, but those winds do different things for different areas. Rainy days are alright, as scoters don't seem tom mind. I've bagged them in all conditions, but when wind speeds are above 13 miles per hour, I DO NOT GO OUT. Four foot tall waves are daunting for the tender boat. A roller like that, while it won't flip a well-made layout boat, it will fill it with water in about a second. Then the layout boat, while refusing to sink, will still list recklessly and become a cold, wet, hazard. Summing up, avoid sunny days with westerly winds and all days with high winds. Very cold days, such as 20 degrees Fahrenheit are also dangerous as accumulating ice on a tender and layout boat can weigh down an outfit quickly.
Above all, layout hunting is almost a subculture to duck hunting. You were either born to do it, or you'll only do it once. Expect soaking, cold, bouncing hour-long stints in a boat the exact dimensions of your childhood bunkbeds. Expect your gun to rust. Expect to lose a cell phone or 4. Expect shots of less than 20 feet at some our country's least pressured, beautiful waterfowl species. Expect to want to go again and again!
Anyway, we got our limit, despite filling the layout boat with water and employing virtually all of the gear I mentioned above. Anything can happen to anyone, at any time. It's a wonderful, but risky sport. No ordinary asshat, whose only experience is this meaningless blog or some other write-up in a magazine should just up and go. Hire a guide. They'll put you on the birds and have the right gear. If you love it that much, invest your time and money.
Friday, January 6, 2012
North Carolina Migration Update
Certainly, few would argue that this has not been a great, good, or even average duck season for the Old North State. I guess I picked up the sport recently enough to have no knowledge of the bad days of the early 21st Century. Still, even I knew that the seasons of 09-10 and 10-11 were a little special. We had extra-cold air early and often. If it's cold here, it has to be a mother up north of us. North Carolina's hunters truly believe that it's the weather that affects our duck season.
In my early days of duck hunting, I paddled the local creeks looking for passing shots at scorching wood ducks. I think I averaged 1.4 ducks per day that first full season. Still, I yearned for bigger water and bigger ducks. Only until I forked over the funds for a genuine duck boat propelled by combustioned motor did I truly begin to learn about the different species of ducks, what they eat, what they did after they ate, and when they typically arrived. Every day, I take copious notes of my hunts. It is useless. I remember everything in my head, but the the one purpose of the notes is to remind me that the notes are FACTS.
Anyway, after spreading my decoys over various waters, I learned the most common species of birds to migrate through our great state...well, on the coast anyway. I even found a couple of favorite species that were easy for my style, delicious for my plate, or just spectacular hard-to-get-to trophies. I imagine that if I had live 200 years ago, I would have been one of those fools who would have traveled out west to stake a claim on 40 acres in the Great Plains. Venturing into the unknown and making it familiar to myself is how I express my creativity. Some people paint, sing, and carve. I wander.
So what all of you trolls are looking for...with each Migration Report from me, I'll highlight 7 species that I commonly see. Over the years, I can mark their arrival in a certain order and know when to expect more of the same and more of the other species. common species that I encounter in my scouting include:Redheads, Bluebills, Swans, Wigeon, Pintail, Mergansers, and Scoters. Yeah, I hunt a lot of saltwater. So here's what I know...
Redheads: Continentally, this prairie nester's population has increased recently...and North Carolina coastal hunters have seen the results, too. Strongholds for redheads include Currituck Sound, areas near Oregon Inlet, northern Pamlico Sound areas, and the Southern Core Banks. Redheads are relatively early migrators and can be spied throughout the season. I saw and bagged redheads on opening day this year...since then, though, I have bagged only two. On Ocracoke Island, the guides have done well with them, but only with good blind rotation. They, too, suggest that the redheads haven't "pushed" down yet. Currituck Sound and Oregon Inlet are suffering from "rafting" redheads...the Core Banks are still waiting on the redheads...Overall, I don't consider redheads when considering my "flight factor"...they could literally be here at anytime from September through April. And they are guilty of rafting anywhere...
Bluebills are my bread-and-butter duck. Generally, the blinds I keep see only Greater Scaup. In fact, I've never killed a Lesser, but I know that they frequent the bay adjacent to where I prefer to hunt on northerly days. Nevertheless, bluebills generally began arriving in medium sized flocks of 30 birds by late November...usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. thus far in the season, I have killed less than 10 bluebills...normally, I've killed three times that. Yet have I seen a flock of more than 10 birds over my decoys. What's most bittersweet is that I've killed only very young birds. One hen was genuinely mistaken for a bluewing teal drake. When the bluebills are here, I'm happy. They're just not here in significant numbers. All Outer Banks areas are seeing the birds, though. The Northern Pamlico has isolated flocks not worthy of specifically pursuing. Core Banks areas are experiencing bluebill presence similar to Northern Pamlico areas.
Swans are here and in good numbers. I've already bagged my swan for the year, too! Swans generally arrive with the first 20 mile-an-hour winds in November. Peak population is reached around the turn oof the year. Swans, I have noticed, have been especially "clannish" this year, meaning they are illustrating behaviors seen in snow geese. Large wary flocks of old birds...tough to decoy. Additionally, they're much more concentrated than in years past. Strangely enough, the wheat fields that they normally prefer have been mostly ignored, with the birds preferring the waste corn. Nevertheless, the swans are here, which are traditionally the first birds to arrive en masse.
Wigeons showed up early this year in the Oregon Inlet. Which means they were also prevalent in most places that I familiarize myself with. Nevertheless, many came and went, and the hardy wigeons of the boreal forest region have failed to move to far. Generally, there presence is mirrored by redheads. Wigeons eat, poop, and migrate with redheads, or so it seems. They are around, but there's a lot well north of us. The Northern Pamlico has a few wigeon...and I bagged both of them I believe. So far this season, I have not heard the excitement of a 30-something flock of peeping wigeons...
Pintails were bagged in October on the coast. Even the J. Morgan Futch Impoundment had a few pintails bagged on the draw hunts. Other very nearby areas saw early pintails, too. Early in the year, pinails were surprisig many officials and hunters with their presence and location. Pintails were being spotted well inland. Traditionally a wide-open-water duck, pintails stuck to this...yet traditional wintering areas, such as Pea Island NWR seem t have fewer pintails than normal. I blame Hurricane Irene for dramatically altering the salinity and killing localized food sources. Up until January 1st, I had heard of no sizable flocks of pintails, except for the flock of 300 using the channel space leading into Ocracoke Island. J Morgan Futch had about 200 birds using the food source there, but those birds moved out around December 5. As of now, pintails appear to be arriving in traditional areas. Rarely though, will these birds be taken inland. Only large impoundments and wide open water blinds bring pintails to bag. Best odds for hunters pursuing pintail are probably best realized near Ocracoke.
Why in the hell would anyone monitor mergansers? Well, the hooded versions are not tallied, as they may show up in any hog lagoon, tidal gut, or indoor toilet. Personally, I pass on them because I hate them so much. I leave them for the kids on Youth Day and for the idiots with the mojos. Still, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers are actually pretty special birds when in the hand. I'm still looking for a prime drake to have taxidermied. Nevertheless, I saw big mergansers in late November during the 10-11 season. It was the earliest I had ever seen them. Normally, they are the hardiest of birds and only fly out when their favorite fish or fishing holes are frozen solid. This year, I counted my first big mergansers around January 2. That's normal. I do know of harvested specimens in Core Sound areas. Currituck hunters would never admit to killing mergansers, but I would imagine that they have also bagged them. I did bring one to bag this year, but only after it decoyed for the 5th time...But as usual, they're always an incidental bird. However, they're presence generally ushers in the peak within a week or two. Hopefully, the good ducks are just behind them...
Scoters are pursued by few in North Carolina. I love shooting scoters, and I want go in to a whole lot of detail about how and why I am successful with them, for I'm afraid that if I do share my knowledge I'll see rubberheads trying to figure out ways to plant their Mojos into 20 feet of water. But I digress. North Carolina has a Sea Duck season that opens around the first of October. Never are there scoters here at that time. Ever. Still, October 20 is my standard mark for their arrival in my stomping grounds. Black Scoters always show up first, too. The Surf Scoter generally arrive in small numbers in November, but as the weather turns frigid, they'll begin to appear. Nevertheless, this season saw a delayed arrival of scoters. I wasn't successful until November 1 with scoters. And the flocks were meager. Worthwhile sea ducking didn't take place until the middle of November....a full 20 days later than always! I knew at that point that this season wouldn't be like the rest. The birds are here, now, though. Traditionally, these birds don't use the beach areas, but they are prevalent in throughout the Pamlico Sound. In fact, some hunters are doing well from shore blinds for them, but the real action is from a boat blind several squints from the mainland.
To wrap this too long article up....this season is VERY average, maybe even below average. Piedmont duck hunters, those with access to water or annually wet swamps are having banner years on woodies. I'd take a daily limit of woodies most days in this current season. Not counting sea ducks, I've limited once this season. It was one of those days that made you forget about the bad days. I picked out the drakes, and passed on the less desirable species. I wish it could be that way every day. Maybe that's what Heaven is like. And I'm certain that in Heaven, it's shoot and release...
In my early days of duck hunting, I paddled the local creeks looking for passing shots at scorching wood ducks. I think I averaged 1.4 ducks per day that first full season. Still, I yearned for bigger water and bigger ducks. Only until I forked over the funds for a genuine duck boat propelled by combustioned motor did I truly begin to learn about the different species of ducks, what they eat, what they did after they ate, and when they typically arrived. Every day, I take copious notes of my hunts. It is useless. I remember everything in my head, but the the one purpose of the notes is to remind me that the notes are FACTS.
Anyway, after spreading my decoys over various waters, I learned the most common species of birds to migrate through our great state...well, on the coast anyway. I even found a couple of favorite species that were easy for my style, delicious for my plate, or just spectacular hard-to-get-to trophies. I imagine that if I had live 200 years ago, I would have been one of those fools who would have traveled out west to stake a claim on 40 acres in the Great Plains. Venturing into the unknown and making it familiar to myself is how I express my creativity. Some people paint, sing, and carve. I wander.
So what all of you trolls are looking for...with each Migration Report from me, I'll highlight 7 species that I commonly see. Over the years, I can mark their arrival in a certain order and know when to expect more of the same and more of the other species. common species that I encounter in my scouting include:Redheads, Bluebills, Swans, Wigeon, Pintail, Mergansers, and Scoters. Yeah, I hunt a lot of saltwater. So here's what I know...
Redheads: Continentally, this prairie nester's population has increased recently...and North Carolina coastal hunters have seen the results, too. Strongholds for redheads include Currituck Sound, areas near Oregon Inlet, northern Pamlico Sound areas, and the Southern Core Banks. Redheads are relatively early migrators and can be spied throughout the season. I saw and bagged redheads on opening day this year...since then, though, I have bagged only two. On Ocracoke Island, the guides have done well with them, but only with good blind rotation. They, too, suggest that the redheads haven't "pushed" down yet. Currituck Sound and Oregon Inlet are suffering from "rafting" redheads...the Core Banks are still waiting on the redheads...Overall, I don't consider redheads when considering my "flight factor"...they could literally be here at anytime from September through April. And they are guilty of rafting anywhere...
Bluebills are my bread-and-butter duck. Generally, the blinds I keep see only Greater Scaup. In fact, I've never killed a Lesser, but I know that they frequent the bay adjacent to where I prefer to hunt on northerly days. Nevertheless, bluebills generally began arriving in medium sized flocks of 30 birds by late November...usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. thus far in the season, I have killed less than 10 bluebills...normally, I've killed three times that. Yet have I seen a flock of more than 10 birds over my decoys. What's most bittersweet is that I've killed only very young birds. One hen was genuinely mistaken for a bluewing teal drake. When the bluebills are here, I'm happy. They're just not here in significant numbers. All Outer Banks areas are seeing the birds, though. The Northern Pamlico has isolated flocks not worthy of specifically pursuing. Core Banks areas are experiencing bluebill presence similar to Northern Pamlico areas.
Swans are here and in good numbers. I've already bagged my swan for the year, too! Swans generally arrive with the first 20 mile-an-hour winds in November. Peak population is reached around the turn oof the year. Swans, I have noticed, have been especially "clannish" this year, meaning they are illustrating behaviors seen in snow geese. Large wary flocks of old birds...tough to decoy. Additionally, they're much more concentrated than in years past. Strangely enough, the wheat fields that they normally prefer have been mostly ignored, with the birds preferring the waste corn. Nevertheless, the swans are here, which are traditionally the first birds to arrive en masse.
Wigeons showed up early this year in the Oregon Inlet. Which means they were also prevalent in most places that I familiarize myself with. Nevertheless, many came and went, and the hardy wigeons of the boreal forest region have failed to move to far. Generally, there presence is mirrored by redheads. Wigeons eat, poop, and migrate with redheads, or so it seems. They are around, but there's a lot well north of us. The Northern Pamlico has a few wigeon...and I bagged both of them I believe. So far this season, I have not heard the excitement of a 30-something flock of peeping wigeons...
Pintails were bagged in October on the coast. Even the J. Morgan Futch Impoundment had a few pintails bagged on the draw hunts. Other very nearby areas saw early pintails, too. Early in the year, pinails were surprisig many officials and hunters with their presence and location. Pintails were being spotted well inland. Traditionally a wide-open-water duck, pintails stuck to this...yet traditional wintering areas, such as Pea Island NWR seem t have fewer pintails than normal. I blame Hurricane Irene for dramatically altering the salinity and killing localized food sources. Up until January 1st, I had heard of no sizable flocks of pintails, except for the flock of 300 using the channel space leading into Ocracoke Island. J Morgan Futch had about 200 birds using the food source there, but those birds moved out around December 5. As of now, pintails appear to be arriving in traditional areas. Rarely though, will these birds be taken inland. Only large impoundments and wide open water blinds bring pintails to bag. Best odds for hunters pursuing pintail are probably best realized near Ocracoke.
Why in the hell would anyone monitor mergansers? Well, the hooded versions are not tallied, as they may show up in any hog lagoon, tidal gut, or indoor toilet. Personally, I pass on them because I hate them so much. I leave them for the kids on Youth Day and for the idiots with the mojos. Still, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers are actually pretty special birds when in the hand. I'm still looking for a prime drake to have taxidermied. Nevertheless, I saw big mergansers in late November during the 10-11 season. It was the earliest I had ever seen them. Normally, they are the hardiest of birds and only fly out when their favorite fish or fishing holes are frozen solid. This year, I counted my first big mergansers around January 2. That's normal. I do know of harvested specimens in Core Sound areas. Currituck hunters would never admit to killing mergansers, but I would imagine that they have also bagged them. I did bring one to bag this year, but only after it decoyed for the 5th time...But as usual, they're always an incidental bird. However, they're presence generally ushers in the peak within a week or two. Hopefully, the good ducks are just behind them...
Scoters are pursued by few in North Carolina. I love shooting scoters, and I want go in to a whole lot of detail about how and why I am successful with them, for I'm afraid that if I do share my knowledge I'll see rubberheads trying to figure out ways to plant their Mojos into 20 feet of water. But I digress. North Carolina has a Sea Duck season that opens around the first of October. Never are there scoters here at that time. Ever. Still, October 20 is my standard mark for their arrival in my stomping grounds. Black Scoters always show up first, too. The Surf Scoter generally arrive in small numbers in November, but as the weather turns frigid, they'll begin to appear. Nevertheless, this season saw a delayed arrival of scoters. I wasn't successful until November 1 with scoters. And the flocks were meager. Worthwhile sea ducking didn't take place until the middle of November....a full 20 days later than always! I knew at that point that this season wouldn't be like the rest. The birds are here, now, though. Traditionally, these birds don't use the beach areas, but they are prevalent in throughout the Pamlico Sound. In fact, some hunters are doing well from shore blinds for them, but the real action is from a boat blind several squints from the mainland.
To wrap this too long article up....this season is VERY average, maybe even below average. Piedmont duck hunters, those with access to water or annually wet swamps are having banner years on woodies. I'd take a daily limit of woodies most days in this current season. Not counting sea ducks, I've limited once this season. It was one of those days that made you forget about the bad days. I picked out the drakes, and passed on the less desirable species. I wish it could be that way every day. Maybe that's what Heaven is like. And I'm certain that in Heaven, it's shoot and release...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Hide Your Face
Some people do stupid things without realizing it. Some people are stupid and don't realize it. There's a difference, too. Nevertheless, there are a host of things that could go awry and cause birds to stare and flare longer than normal over your flock of deceiver-ducks. Most of the problems are figured out rather quick by good hunters. Realizing that ducks aren't cooperating is important in troubleshooting the problem.
To realize whether or not you have a problem, you must first consider the decoy spread itself. Can ducks, geese, or swan land in the spread? Some people consider a landed bird a "finished" bird. To me, if a bird is hovering over the decoys, he has "finished." decide for yourself if you like, but few birds land in decoys thirty minutes after daylight. Also, a highflyer with it's eye's set on distant marshes is not a finished bird.
Anyway...common problems that keep birds from settling in to shotgun range are generally htings that are picked up visually in nature. If I took a poll of duck hunters and asked "What flared your birds", odds are is that they would surmise that the deoy spread was not accurate either based on size, placement, or landing hole size. All of which could be correct. If I took a poll of all flared waterfowl, I suppose the ducks would tell me that they saw the hunters. Ducks and duck decoys both look natural in nature. A long and shiny gun barrel, with it's straight lines are not accurate depictions of nature. And just because you splurged and got the camo-wrapped gun doesn't mean your gun is invincible. It means you are a sucker. Hide your gun in a safe manner until it's time to shoot.
Another problem might be a shiny blind. Brand new ground blinds need to be smeared with mud to dull the glisten of the tightly bound cordura. Boats inevitably have a stainless stell screw exposed, too. However, and unfortunately for all of us hunters, the sun will gleam only on that one screw, despite the pouring rain! I looked over my boat well and dulled all screws and shiny metal parts with some brown craft paint. It seemed to help and it also helped me to believe that anyone can "customize" their boat. I rarely hunt from my boat, though. Generally, I drive it to the location, deploy decoys, drive it into a tidal gut, cover it in a 10' x 30' section of burlap, and then walk back to the decoy spread some 100 yards away. That distance is appropriate generally, because even nervous birds will work to within 75 yards.
So if I have alleviated the gun problem by hiding it and the boat problem by relocating it, I began to wonder, often times aloud and to only myself "what on earth could be the matter?" I soon figured it out when I was returning from a layout hunt several miles offshore. With the sun to my back and shining on the nearing shoreline, decoy spreads of other hunters began to materialize. I knew that no blinds were in the area...eventually, from at least a mile out, I could make out the ugly mugs, all shining in the sun, of at east 6 different parties. Not a one wore a face mask or paint, a la Phil Robertson. Even when employing the use of said tactics, it's not enough. When possible, always use the sun to your advantage by making a shadow for you. When possible, sit with the sun to your back. It will backlight you and dull the neon white of your pasty winter face! Often times, novice hunters will hope to see all the ducks and their actions. Staring at ducks, especially late season ducks will flare them, guaranteed. I believe so much in this that often times, I hide my face for so long that many good shooting opportunities are lost through my extended patience.
On today's hunt, I took a party of three for a swan hunt in the corn fields of Northeastern North Carolina. With a west wind, we were forced, unfortunately to stare into the sun. Using the convenient canals on the property, we kept our faces below field level. When we heard the buzz of their feathers, we stood, tugged the trigger, and were soon collecting the dead. Killing 4 swans isn't hard. Being in the right place at the right time is paramount over all other factors. Swans are noted for being less than wary, but it is no game to them. Soon enough they realize that the sillosock decoys are in fact plastic bags and not feathered swans. Especially if shiny faces are popping up along the nearest canal of v ditch. The bags finished the decoys only when we stayed hidden, though. Swans are tougher to hunt than people want to award them credit for...but all good duck hunters, who are battle-tested by the wariest of fowl will find swan gunning to be a cinch. Nevertheless, always hide your gun, boat, and your ugly mug...
To realize whether or not you have a problem, you must first consider the decoy spread itself. Can ducks, geese, or swan land in the spread? Some people consider a landed bird a "finished" bird. To me, if a bird is hovering over the decoys, he has "finished." decide for yourself if you like, but few birds land in decoys thirty minutes after daylight. Also, a highflyer with it's eye's set on distant marshes is not a finished bird.
Anyway...common problems that keep birds from settling in to shotgun range are generally htings that are picked up visually in nature. If I took a poll of duck hunters and asked "What flared your birds", odds are is that they would surmise that the deoy spread was not accurate either based on size, placement, or landing hole size. All of which could be correct. If I took a poll of all flared waterfowl, I suppose the ducks would tell me that they saw the hunters. Ducks and duck decoys both look natural in nature. A long and shiny gun barrel, with it's straight lines are not accurate depictions of nature. And just because you splurged and got the camo-wrapped gun doesn't mean your gun is invincible. It means you are a sucker. Hide your gun in a safe manner until it's time to shoot.
Another problem might be a shiny blind. Brand new ground blinds need to be smeared with mud to dull the glisten of the tightly bound cordura. Boats inevitably have a stainless stell screw exposed, too. However, and unfortunately for all of us hunters, the sun will gleam only on that one screw, despite the pouring rain! I looked over my boat well and dulled all screws and shiny metal parts with some brown craft paint. It seemed to help and it also helped me to believe that anyone can "customize" their boat. I rarely hunt from my boat, though. Generally, I drive it to the location, deploy decoys, drive it into a tidal gut, cover it in a 10' x 30' section of burlap, and then walk back to the decoy spread some 100 yards away. That distance is appropriate generally, because even nervous birds will work to within 75 yards.
So if I have alleviated the gun problem by hiding it and the boat problem by relocating it, I began to wonder, often times aloud and to only myself "what on earth could be the matter?" I soon figured it out when I was returning from a layout hunt several miles offshore. With the sun to my back and shining on the nearing shoreline, decoy spreads of other hunters began to materialize. I knew that no blinds were in the area...eventually, from at least a mile out, I could make out the ugly mugs, all shining in the sun, of at east 6 different parties. Not a one wore a face mask or paint, a la Phil Robertson. Even when employing the use of said tactics, it's not enough. When possible, always use the sun to your advantage by making a shadow for you. When possible, sit with the sun to your back. It will backlight you and dull the neon white of your pasty winter face! Often times, novice hunters will hope to see all the ducks and their actions. Staring at ducks, especially late season ducks will flare them, guaranteed. I believe so much in this that often times, I hide my face for so long that many good shooting opportunities are lost through my extended patience.
On today's hunt, I took a party of three for a swan hunt in the corn fields of Northeastern North Carolina. With a west wind, we were forced, unfortunately to stare into the sun. Using the convenient canals on the property, we kept our faces below field level. When we heard the buzz of their feathers, we stood, tugged the trigger, and were soon collecting the dead. Killing 4 swans isn't hard. Being in the right place at the right time is paramount over all other factors. Swans are noted for being less than wary, but it is no game to them. Soon enough they realize that the sillosock decoys are in fact plastic bags and not feathered swans. Especially if shiny faces are popping up along the nearest canal of v ditch. The bags finished the decoys only when we stayed hidden, though. Swans are tougher to hunt than people want to award them credit for...but all good duck hunters, who are battle-tested by the wariest of fowl will find swan gunning to be a cinch. Nevertheless, always hide your gun, boat, and your ugly mug...
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Initial Advice/Disclaimers
This blog might get read by my parents and that's it. It'll be a shame. After years of pounding the surf, slipping in the rivers, and driving by the wealthy duck clubs, I've accumulated some information that has made me mostly successful at shooting at ducks, and occassionally, bringing some to the game bag.
Many people will find this blog by searching "North Carolina Duck Hunting". I hope those fortunate enough to do so take the advice to heart. I've wanted to build this site for several years, but I don't think that I was quite ready to outfit the unfit. My best advice, though, is to hire a guide. Hire one before you ever go out in a boat with even your closest of friends. Odds are, you'll save money. In all honesty, few of us have the time to match the money we will eventually invest into the sport. Guides will put you on ducks, if the ducks are around. Generally speaking, the second best option is to lease an impoundment or join a duck club. For those to ignorant to heed my warning, buy your self a boat, some decoys, a mojo of course, and last but not least, a GPS...
Updates occur randomly. If this blog upsets a reader, that reader's best option is to quit reading or start their own, better blog. I seriously doubt that I will ever accumulate sponsors, either. I just want followers. So follow the blog and tell your friends to follow it. I'm a good writer with even better opinions. It's worth your time.
Other warnings: (1) I'll never, ever tell you where I am shooting ducks, so don't ask. (2) If I do tell you where I killed ducks, odds are I killed both of them, so there's no need to go anyway. (3) If I know you as a follower and I learn that you are breaking or attempting to break a game law, I will report you. I know most of the game wardens in this area and I like them. In fact, they probably already know you're thinking about breaking a law. I can outrun all of them, save for one. And if I can't outrun them, rest assured that you can't. (4) If you read this blog and in the aftermath perform as a fool on public waters, I will revoke your privileges somehow. Acting a fool includes, but is not limited to: blowing your kazoo, riding through the decoys 20 minutes either side of legal shooting time, skybusting, goose calling at cormorants, and taking your sweet-ass time at the boat ramp. And finally, (5) Never, ever, ever tell me a mallard is the best duck.
Enjoy your reading...
Many people will find this blog by searching "North Carolina Duck Hunting". I hope those fortunate enough to do so take the advice to heart. I've wanted to build this site for several years, but I don't think that I was quite ready to outfit the unfit. My best advice, though, is to hire a guide. Hire one before you ever go out in a boat with even your closest of friends. Odds are, you'll save money. In all honesty, few of us have the time to match the money we will eventually invest into the sport. Guides will put you on ducks, if the ducks are around. Generally speaking, the second best option is to lease an impoundment or join a duck club. For those to ignorant to heed my warning, buy your self a boat, some decoys, a mojo of course, and last but not least, a GPS...
Updates occur randomly. If this blog upsets a reader, that reader's best option is to quit reading or start their own, better blog. I seriously doubt that I will ever accumulate sponsors, either. I just want followers. So follow the blog and tell your friends to follow it. I'm a good writer with even better opinions. It's worth your time.
Other warnings: (1) I'll never, ever tell you where I am shooting ducks, so don't ask. (2) If I do tell you where I killed ducks, odds are I killed both of them, so there's no need to go anyway. (3) If I know you as a follower and I learn that you are breaking or attempting to break a game law, I will report you. I know most of the game wardens in this area and I like them. In fact, they probably already know you're thinking about breaking a law. I can outrun all of them, save for one. And if I can't outrun them, rest assured that you can't. (4) If you read this blog and in the aftermath perform as a fool on public waters, I will revoke your privileges somehow. Acting a fool includes, but is not limited to: blowing your kazoo, riding through the decoys 20 minutes either side of legal shooting time, skybusting, goose calling at cormorants, and taking your sweet-ass time at the boat ramp. And finally, (5) Never, ever, ever tell me a mallard is the best duck.
Enjoy your reading...
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