Its Over

[Larry Welch]

Been a decent year. The weather as usual has been crazy, the ducks foolishly smart, sometimes smarter but overall no real complaints. Last day weather was warmer, cloudy, and foggy as crap. At times we couldn't see 40-50 yards. We scratched out a smorgasbord. A pair of mallards, trifectas of teal and buffies, and singles of sea scoter and bluebill.

 

[Paul26]

There are more ducks in that photo than I have shot this year....good work.

I'm not done....4 and 11 Feb will be my last 2 chances.....then, the long summer.

Thanks for posting

 

[Mack270]

Nice pictures. It was a strange season. A friend and I got back into diver hunting for the first time since 2016. We had a good time and aside from one day in the wrong spot we did well. This is the first season in at least the last five where I didn’t get a shot at any big ducks. Never saw any except during that cold snap after Christmas and they were in the stratosphere.

Did kill a Shoveler in an inland county on a swamp. That surprised me. Otherwise the dry weather did not help my swamp hunting and the local beaver control guy was too effective in one of my spots.

I did get some pretty sunrises.

 

[Paul26]

Sunrises are what keeps me coming back to Diver hunting.

 

[Tomstoswans486]

I ended with several sad misses the last day and a shot i should've taken, but didn't. Always hurts to end on a skunk. Overall a decent season. November was down right awful. 3rd split was a blast. Grateful for every day, and a few days chasing geese then it's on to crappie fishing until turkey.

Crazy this was the first year where GW Teal and Woodies were my top 2 harvested birds. I did not even get out to diver hunt other than up in VA. That was a bust. First year in a long time with no bluebill.

 

[Paul26]

We shot 2 Scaup. And thank goodness.....I don't think we have ever gone a year without bbill blood on the deck of my blind/boat.

The New River is covered in blue bills. As many as I have ever seen......and they didn't show up until February. Sign of the times. Sure wish this vortex had hit the NorthEast in December.

 

[JFG]

Paul, respectfully I disagree with the implied response that bb’s didn’t show up until this polar vortex. Did they all migrate southward in the last 24 hours? No they didn’t. They have been there in decent numbers this year because the food source (tiny clams) have flourished this year. What’s happened. and does every year, is the one week LULL from having the crap harassed out of them. It’s very predictable year after Herat, a one week
lay-off this time of year means everything.

 

[Larry Welch]

New River had bbs before and around Christmas. They for sure weren't at the numbers that's in now but they were here.

 

[Mack270]

They were there in decent numbers in January. Not 2011 levels but more than in a long time.

 

[bufflehead1]

Paul, respectfully I disagree with the implied response that bb’s didn’t show up until this polar vortex. Did they all migrate southward in the last 24 hours? No they didn’t. They have been there in decent numbers this year because the food source (tiny clams) have flourished this year. What’s happened. and does every year, is the one week LULL from having the crap harassed out of them. It’s very predictable year after Herat, a one week
lay-off this time of year means everything.

Exactly. It’s the same thing up here with redheads and blackheads. The constant boat traffic and banging at buffleheads keeps them in Pea Island then all of a sudden after the season they are everywhere.