Al Hansen
Well-known member
Hunting hasn't been all that good but steady. For me a good hunt is being in the duck blind and hopefully seeing some birds. If I get one or two then it is a bonus. Yes, I also know that my dogs will be happier, too!
The first hunt from November was the day that I finally was able to shoot some gadwalls.
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Habi's 2nd drake gadwall came in with a group of 4. I absolutely love hearing the wings of these birds when they are losing altitude fast. It sure wakes everyone up in the blind. Without hesitation they came barreling in and Habi made quick work of this one.
Can't help but smile every time I look at that G&H drake mallard decoy with the missing eye. Not one duck has noticed it missing to my knowledge! That is the way it was shipped to me back in the early 2000s.
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You will quickly notice that I am not an elaborate blind builder. I go for bare necessities and that is about it. We just don't move around much and that is all that is necessary. I also make sure no ducks can spot us from the air especially from our backside which most of this blind is nestled back into a good sized clump of salt cedars.
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On this hunt, I guess I must have been sitting there way too long before shooting. I finally had a small group of mallards come in and I took a long shot. For me, that might be 40 yards. Problem was that the birds were going left to right which is normally my favorite shot but my barrel of the Nova is bent with a curve to the left, so I just scratched this guy. However, steady Habi did what she needed to.
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There were small ripples still on the pond when she crossed over on the shallow side. The morning light had a beautiful effect on it.
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I would not be duck hunting if I didn't have a dog with me. They do make the ultimate difference.
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For the month of December, yesterday was quite something. I thought perhaps the entire morning would be a complete bust because Chip and I sat in the blind from 6AM, which was 26 minutes prior to opening until 8:15 before we saw some ducks. There were 3 mallards that came from our back side heading south. I was able to coax them back with the duck call and they made one circle coming back over the pond. I looked at it and just didn't like the shots offered so let them go. As soon as they passed I was making the lonesome hen call and they made another swing. This time they had dropped to about 25 yards and when the moment was there swung on them and squeezed the trigger. If you ever wanted to see a flabbergasted 74 year old hunter, yesterday would have been the time to witness it. All 3 ducks crashed to the ground. The first two landed in the short weeds not 30 feet to the southeast of us and the third one hit the trail to the east. Chip and I walked over there and he made quick work of her. Hey, I'll take a Norwegian triple any day. I guess it has been 6 years ago that I shot the last one. They are rare as hen's teeth for me.
Chip and I then sat in the blind until 10:30 hoping to see some brunch time mallards but we never saw another feather. That was fine however because I was still smiling!
Al
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The first hunt from November was the day that I finally was able to shoot some gadwalls.
Habi's 2nd drake gadwall came in with a group of 4. I absolutely love hearing the wings of these birds when they are losing altitude fast. It sure wakes everyone up in the blind. Without hesitation they came barreling in and Habi made quick work of this one.
Can't help but smile every time I look at that G&H drake mallard decoy with the missing eye. Not one duck has noticed it missing to my knowledge! That is the way it was shipped to me back in the early 2000s.
You will quickly notice that I am not an elaborate blind builder. I go for bare necessities and that is about it. We just don't move around much and that is all that is necessary. I also make sure no ducks can spot us from the air especially from our backside which most of this blind is nestled back into a good sized clump of salt cedars.
On this hunt, I guess I must have been sitting there way too long before shooting. I finally had a small group of mallards come in and I took a long shot. For me, that might be 40 yards. Problem was that the birds were going left to right which is normally my favorite shot but my barrel of the Nova is bent with a curve to the left, so I just scratched this guy. However, steady Habi did what she needed to.
There were small ripples still on the pond when she crossed over on the shallow side. The morning light had a beautiful effect on it.
I would not be duck hunting if I didn't have a dog with me. They do make the ultimate difference.
For the month of December, yesterday was quite something. I thought perhaps the entire morning would be a complete bust because Chip and I sat in the blind from 6AM, which was 26 minutes prior to opening until 8:15 before we saw some ducks. There were 3 mallards that came from our back side heading south. I was able to coax them back with the duck call and they made one circle coming back over the pond. I looked at it and just didn't like the shots offered so let them go. As soon as they passed I was making the lonesome hen call and they made another swing. This time they had dropped to about 25 yards and when the moment was there swung on them and squeezed the trigger. If you ever wanted to see a flabbergasted 74 year old hunter, yesterday would have been the time to witness it. All 3 ducks crashed to the ground. The first two landed in the short weeds not 30 feet to the southeast of us and the third one hit the trail to the east. Chip and I walked over there and he made quick work of her. Hey, I'll take a Norwegian triple any day. I guess it has been 6 years ago that I shot the last one. They are rare as hen's teeth for me.
Chip and I then sat in the blind until 10:30 hoping to see some brunch time mallards but we never saw another feather. That was fine however because I was still smiling!
Al
