Sometimes Life Gives Ya Lemons . . .

. . . whatcha do with those lemons is entirely dependent upon the whims of the end user.  As for me and mine, I prefer to make em into dove kabobs.

No ducks huntable on Trigger Happy Farms on this, the day after Christmas.  In the absence of those, our intended targets, we opted to put the resident dove population in our crosshairs.  Whilst we didn't have dove loads, we found that an ounce and a quarter of steel number ones does the job just fine.

Limits in an instant.  Add 52 dove to the season's talley.



On Sunday, Reece, John, Blake & I tried it again.  Chucks.  Night feeders.  No love.

5 ducks.
All mallards.



On Saturday, December 22, I found myself coaching 4 separate 6th grad basketball games.  Reece, Haun, Blake, and John, however, slipped in on cChuck's and managed to eek out a mallard and 2 gadwalls.

3 Birds
1 Mallard
2 Gadwalls

Mayans . . . Pranksters!

Wow!  It was only after I had been awakened from my slumber by the alarm clock and made tracks to the duck blind that I realized that I'd slept right through the end of the world.  I would have expected to have been shaken from my sleep or something.  Hmmm . . . aparently the Mayans had a good sense of humor.   

We expected to get 'em today.  We really did.  The birds were there, and there was more than enough of 'em.  It just didn't happen. I was joined by the Baker Boys, John, Grant, Casey Brown, and another gentlemen for what we expected to be a revival in Chuck's.  Unfortunately, the weatherman botched it yet again, and the conditions just got in our way.

Temps were forecasted for mid-30's.  Actual temps were in the mid-20's, which is a world apart from the mid-30's, because 30's means chilly, whereas 20's equals quarter-inch ice, which is exactly what we fought.  Add to that a 15 m.p.h. wind dead out of the West and the most crystal clear day imaginable, and you're starting to form a mental picture.  Lookin' dead at the sun, fighting birds that wanted to feed 400 yards from our spread, we had to plead our case all morning.  We popped a mess, but it wasn't what we hoped for.

16 Birds
10 Mallards
03 Gadwalls
02 Pintails
01 Speck



I took the mornings of Tuesday, December 18, and Thursday, December 20 off.  I was tired, and the birds just weren't cooperating.  Casey Brown and I tried it on the Lost 20 on Wednesday, December 19, but came out empty-handed. 

Still Grinding.

Back to chuck's.  6 man crew.  Weatherman screwed it up, and I was stupid enough to listen.  As a result, we set up bass-ackwards and it took us three times as long as it should have.  We got em, though.

Gray, Hailey, Baker, Taylor, Elder, and Ole Gibby.  31 Ducks

31 Birds
24 Mallards
4 Gadwall
2 Shovelers
1 Pin

If Ya Can't Find 'Em, Grind 'Em.

Ssunday's take:  we had a short crew and very littl time to do anything with it.  Cloudy skies and über-warm temps, but we won.  We left outta the blind at 8:15 with 11 birds.  Then, on the way back, Johnny spotted snows on Marvin's.  Stupid birds.  We smoked another 8.  Call it 19 for the morning.  That's a win.

19 Birds
7 Snows
6 Mallards
5 Gadwals
1 Speck



On Saturday, Reece, Tasha, Blake, John, Franks, Garrett, Meredith and I went back to Charles.  It was slow, but we eventually ground out 26 birds and our 2nd Banded Mallard of the season!

26 Birds
12 Mallards
05 Gadwall
04 Speck
03 Shovelers
02 Snows

Night Feeders . . .

Geez, Coleman's pond is brimming with birds.  It just ain't happening in the a.m., though.  We drive into the field, run the ducks out, and they glue down on the pond until 4:00 in the afternoon.  It's a rough go right now.  What should be easy limits turns into a grind and a few birds picked off before we head off to work.

John, Blake, Papa, and your's truly.  Jones.  Tough huntin'.

10 Birds
4 Mallards
3 Gadwalls
2 Speck's
1 Pintail

Jonesy

All by me onesy.  Weather was cool.  Ice everywhere but where I set the blind.  Decent little shoot for a loner. Scotch double on my last Gaddie put me out at 7 birds.

7 Birds
5 Gadwall
1 Mallard
1 Pintail



On-Farm Season Total:  255
Total On & Off Farm:  329

Down South . . .

Franks, Fred and I received the gracious invite from Cason and the fine folks down at Byers Farm earlier this week.  Because we're not idiots, we jumped at the chance.  Always a fine time.  Darn good duckin', too.  Limits for all by 8:00.

35 Birds
18 Green Wings
4 Mallards
4 Shovelers
1 Gadwall
4 Scaup/Ringneck/some sort of divers
2 Specks
2 Snows

Uggggh!

Ice.  It's a love hate relationship.  Sure, when its good its simply spectacular.  When it's bad, it kills ya.  Last night, temps dropped into the low 20's.  we tried it on chuck's anyway.  No dice.  Olivia, Gray, Elder, Baker, John, & Papa.  Left with one speck.  Because we were still mad at em, John, Franks and I called in reserves (Casey Brown & two gents from SC).  Back to Chuck's.  better this time.

28 Birds
5 specks
15 Mallards
7 Gadwall
1 Shoveler

Yessssss!

Chuck's.  cold front. Northwest winds.  Temps in the low 40's.  Clouds.  Ducks.

Baker, Gray, Elder, Papa, and the Gipper.

31 Birds
21 Mallards
04 shovelers
02 Pins
02 gadwall
01 Wigeon
01 Speck

Chuck's . . . Gotta Love It!

Back to Charles' Field with a skeleton crew.  John, Blake and lonesome me.  We expected five in the party but wound up with only three.  Kinda stunk, cause it took longer to get the 'coys out than it did to smoke our limit of mallards.  Outta the blind by 7:05. At this point, the harvest is more being limited by a lack if warm bodies than a lack of cooperative birds.

14 ducks
12 Mallards
02 Pins


Season total to date:  188
15.67 Birds Per Hunt.
14.46 Birds Per Day of Season.

Consistently Inconsistent

Today, Gates, Blake, Johnny & I jumped back into Chuck's. LOTS-O-MALLARDS.  No wind, heavy clouds, hot.  Then again, we left at 8:15 will mallard limits.  Not too shabby.

19 Birds.
16 Mallards
2 GWT
1 Wigeon




On Friday, Dec. 7, John, Meredith & I tried again on Jones in hopes of giving Charles' a rest.  Poor choice, but we did bag the season's first jewelry.

2 Birds
1 Mallard
1 Shoveler

Annnnnnnnnnd . . . We're Back!

It was good.  Chuck's:  Rick Huffman, Dan Maddox, Papa, Baker, Johnny, and yours truly.  Light southeast winds and cloudy skies.  Never flapped up. Didn't matter.  Dumb, hungry mallards.  In and out before 7:30.  Limits, all mallards and a bonus speck.

26 Birds.
25 Mallards
01 speck.

Humble Beginnings

Well, assuming that things go in accordance with my evil genius plan, construction of the compound shall commence at daybreak, tomorrow.  The shell should pop up like a greyhound coming out of the gate.  Interior design, on the other hand, isn't something that'll take shape within a week or two.  When I say I'm new to this, I mean green as a gourd.  Wish me luck.

Before . . .















Saturday, December 1, Johnny and I went on a mission to eradicate the snow geese that were molesting the Lost 20.  We didn't get the snows, but did leave with 3 specks.

Season total:  127 Birds.   We'll get there.

Breakdown: Split Number 1:

Grand Total for the First Split:

124 Birds
Mallards:  52.  42%
Gadwalls:  40.  32%
Shovelers:  13.  10%
Greenwings:  7.  6%
Wigeon:  4.  3%
Specks:  4.  3%
Pintail:  2.  2%
Canada Goose:  2.  2%
15.5 Birds Per Hunt on 8 Hunts at Trigger Happy Hunting Club.

Commentary:

Numerically, it certainly wasn't as good as last season's 1st split total of 179 Birds for an average of 19 birds per hunt.  ON THE OTHER HAND, the grand total of mallards harvested during last season's first split was a whopping 5 (that's right, I said FIVE).  It's funny, because the difference between this year's gadwall split and last year's is only 2 birds.  The difference on pin's is only 1.  The obviously different number is the total shoveler count.  2012's 1st split talley is a grand total of 13, which is EIGHTY-SIX birds short of last year's headcount.  In summary, we've done just as well, minus a butt load of ditch ducks.  Not too shabby.

Now, contrast those numbers against 2010/2011's first split, and the story starts to come together.  In 2010, which we have lovingly dubbed the greatest mallard year on record, our first split ended with a very humble 44 birds reduced to possession.  Only 10 of those were mallards.  Like this season, only 7 were greenwings.  A mere 7 were shovelers.  Another 12 were grey ducks, 4 were specks, and only 1 was a pintail.  It wasn't until December 11 of 2012 that we actually started getting into numbers of birds.  By Christmas, we'd killed 333.  By Christmas of 2011/2012, we'd killed 435 (of course, 312 of 'em were flat-snout's).

I'm getting to a point:  I was somewhat disappointed at the way the birds tapered off at the end of this split, but in the scheme of things from a historical perspective, I'd say we're doing just fine.  As a matter of fact, I'd say that the season's shaping up quite nicely. 

Not Slower, Just Slow

Okay, it wasn't any better this morning.  There were, at least, a few ducks sitting in the field when we got there, though.  John, Blake, Gibby.  Chuck's.  It sucked.

3 Birds
1 mallard
1 speck
1 Canada.

Catching Up . . .

Saturday, November 24, Reece, John, Blake, Jake, and I went back to chuck's, as we really have no place better to go.  A cold front moved through, and whereas we had been "enjoying" morning temps in the 50's, we saw 10 m.p.h. North winds and a blustery 28 degrees this morning.  It was slow, but we managed to scratch out 2 mallards before Reece pulled out and another 4 thereafter.  The break is looking better all the time.

Chuck's
6 Mallards







On Friday, November 23, Reece, John and I set up a blind on the Jones field in search of the elusive speck.  No love, and skunk #1 for the season.

Thursday afternoon, Dave and I plopped down on the levee on jones and managed to pick up one speck.

Jones
1 Speck.

The Titanic . . .

. . . it was a big ship, but it still sank like a rock.  Where duck hunting's concerned, we can relate.  The first split came outta the gate like a racehorse, but let's face it, we're going down.

Today, Hunter, Reece, John, Blake, and I gave thanks for the meager bag that we carried out of the field, and we were thankful because we, rightfully, should've geek carrying a skunk.

3 Birds:
1 Mallard
2 Specks






November 21, John, Grant, Keith, Hailey, Olivia, Garrett, and I went back to the well-used water on Chucks. As expected, the numbers of working birds continued to decline.  It was tough, and we exited at 9 with only 8 birds.

6 Mallards
2 grey ducks







On Tuesday, we were graced with the invite to Byers Farm, or "heaven for Waterfowlers," as I've come to know it.  Cason Short is da man.

As always, the hospitality was phenomenal, the numbers of birds on the place was incredible, and my shooting was laughable.  Excellent trip,as expected.

We hunted until 8:00, and left with 6 limits of teal, and a full bag of mallards and scraps to round out an excellent hunt.





Monday, November 20, was the first trip of the season that turned out to be a struggle. I was fortunate enough to be joined in the blind by Eric Price and my eldest, Olivia.  We hunted till 10:00 to get our limit, but ultimately left with full bags.

19 Birds
09 Shovelers
05 Mallards
05 Gadwall

Grey Ducks Down

Day 2, having no place better to go, Dave, Franks, Garrett, Meredith, John, Blake & I returned to Chuck's.  It was obvious at first light that the throngs of birds we'd seen the day before would be much more humble on this occasion. The mix of a fairly thin herd of birds in the area and extraordinarily heave hunting pressure meant that the diminished numbers came as no surprise.  Nonetheless, the birds did show, and we obliged 'em. Pulled out at 8:15, two birds shy of a full bag.

40 birds
22 gadwall
10 mallards
4 green wings
4 shovelers

84 for the season.

Good Enough

Okay, let me say this: it was good.  I don't wanna be that guy that whines when he's holding a golden goblet, so understand that it was really, really good.  It just wasn't as good as I expected it to be.  The ducks worked, but never put their feet down in big groups like I thought they would.  On the other hand, we were out be 8:00 with a 7 man limit, sans spoonbills, so how do ya complain?

Tasha, papa, Dave, Johnny, Blake, Meredith, and yours truly popped 'em in Chuck's blind.  Clear weather, perfect 5 mph NE winds, temps in the mid-30's.  Good Stuff.

44 Birds.

23 Mallards
11 Gadwall
4 wigeon
3 Greenwing
2 Pintail
1 Canada Goose