Good luck. I’m still seeing birds coming through.
Not much flying
- Thread starter Curt Gibson
- Start date
waterswatter
Elite Refuge Member
The birds cooperated. We got 10, 7 green and 3 hens. Very first time for one guy. He got 2.
waterswatter
Elite Refuge Member
-5*F when I went out today. The birds that were flying yesterday seemed to be hunkered down today. I bumped them off the water and then used a bowsaw to trim some branches that interfered with shooting. Nothing flew back during the hour it took me to trim trees.
waterswatter
Elite Refuge Member
I used my age-card and let a couple of 23-year-olds set up the decoys. I rolled in around 0900 to a spread of ~70 decoys. Still had to wait almost 2 hours for the geese to fly. Birds came right in without hesitation. Overcast skies. A win! Finally.
waterswatter
Elite Refuge Member
^Before today's goose hunt, I went to a Woodie hole and waited. We've tried 3x this season but have not managed to get a good shot off. The trees are thick and you can't see the birds long enough to get a shot off. Yesterday, I trimmed a shooting lane right at water level and early this morning, I waited. They flew in right at legal and I waited 10 minutes before I did a skillet shot. I guess I lived up to my handle. 
waterswatter
Elite Refuge Member
Birds are in, but not in good numbers. The GWT showed up with the cold front. Some come from Alaska. My only GWT band (many years ago) was banded near Fairbanks.
blacktail
Elite Refuge Member
^Before today's goose hunt, I went to a Woodie hole and waited. We've tried 3x this season but have not managed to get a good shot off. The trees are thick and you can't see the birds long enough to get a shot off. Yesterday, I trimmed a shooting lane right at water level and early this morning, I waited. They flew in right at legal and I waited 10 minutes before I did a skillet shot. I guess I lived up to my handle.
That is awesome! Great eating bird
Old Guys Rule
Refuge Member
It has been a tough late season here in the valley. Last half of December brought fresh birds but too much water. Only two to five birds a hunt for two guns as the birds had so many options. As the water dropped so did the bird numbers. Unless you had a one day hunt honey hole duck hunting was just fair over Christmas break. Then cold weather this last week dried up or froze the sheet water but not cold enough long enough here in the valley to get a good hard freeze. Hunting improved to seven to ten bird per hunt but still had to really work for the birds, no easy limits. Until New Years Day - after 2 solid days below freezing all the small water dried up or froze and the skies opened up. Jan 1 was good but Jan 2 was epic, I bet we saw 10,000 ducks. Big Vs of high flying pintails, knots of widgeon swarming the decoys on the river, balls of teal screaming by at mach 10, landing and leaving before an old guy could stand and shoot. Knots of carefully mallards working the decoys. Shots every 10 minutes. Drakes only, days like that you can be very picky. The second sounded like a war with lots of hunters out and every group shooting them up big time. One of those epic days in the valley.
And then it was over. An inch of rain last night and two more forecast for this week. Back to too much water again. Keeping my fingers crossed for another freeze.
And then it was over. An inch of rain last night and two more forecast for this week. Back to too much water again. Keeping my fingers crossed for another freeze.
baltz526
Elite Refuge Member
Last day I hunted was December 16th. Missed a few days then Snow got too deep.
waterswatter
Elite Refuge Member
I went out solo. Brought back 2 hen Mallards, male GWT and a hen Widgeon. Lost a wing-tipped greenhead that kept diving. The dog performed well, otherwise.
