3 Firsts in One Week!

Tom Roberts

Well-known member
The week after Christmas has to be one of the greatest weeks of hunting I've ever experienced with 3 new species taken. November and most of December started out as one of the poorest seasons I've ever experienced. No ducks, too warm,....you name it, were all working against me. Then my son came home from Tampa, FL and then the weather made some dramatic changes in the form of some Arctic type cold fronts. 3 hunts in particular stand out with me. The first hunt was with my son and a couple of friends. We shot 21 ducks that morning with Mallards, Gadwalls, and Bluebills being the main species taken. But I also took a drake Old Squaw in first winter plumage which is extremely rare in Oklahoma. The next outstanding hunt wasn't impressive in numbers but I did take my first drake Buffelhead. Now I know that doesn't probably impress most of yall but I've been trying to get one of these for the past 5 or so years. My friends were starting to kid me about seeing Buffies here and there with the sole intent of successfully aggravating me. Well finally that monkey is off my back! That particular morning my son and I were hunting and he took a moment to answer the call of nature when the drake Buffie flew into to my 3 Buffelhead decoys I had set to the side. One single shot and I was one ecstatic hunter! That was also the only shot fired and duck taken that morning. It goes to show you a successful hunt doesn't have to include a limit. My next significant hunt was on New Years morning. My son, son-in-law, and another friend and his father shot a 5 man limit of G.W. Teal, Gadwalls, Ringnecks, Bluebills, Mallards, and the best of all.....my first bull Canvasback. Actually my son and I both shot one. We've been wanting to get one of these since we've been hunting for ducks for nearly 20 years. My 28 yr old son and I were both like a couple of giddy teenage girls. LOL As I was holding my Canvasback and beaming with joy my son surprised me by jokingly saying he was so excited/happy that he could cry. What a great father/son moment and week! I was sure sad when I had to drop him off at the airport for his return flight to Tampa. With 3 species now at the taxidermist that week will also go down as my most expensive!
 
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Good stuff Tom! Glad its been a good season of firsts for you!
Any pics??
 
Thanks Carl.....I tried to post some pics. Can you see them on your computer? I cant see them on my work computer. But they be blocked for security reasons too.
 
The pics show up now.

WOW! What a cool mix of birds!
Do I see a hen GE in there too??
Thats one stud canvasback!
 
Congrats on all those birds. It is easy to take for granted ducks that are common to an area, like buffies and woodducks here in NC.
Taxidermy bills can be crazy, most people around here charge 300-350
There is one guy that does 150 but there is a reason it is cheap, that’s why I started mounting my own.
 
Thanks Carl.....no GE but we did have some buzz our spread. That's what I really enjoy about lake hunting when a severe cold front comes down from the north. Anything is possible. One year when my son was young we shot 11 different species. You would have a line of divers flying in low on the water and then you would look up and see puddles circling overhead dropping down out of the stratosphere. Get this.....we had 4 Trumpetet Swans circle our spread last week. Not legal to shoot in Oklahoma but very interesting to see!
 
Congrats on all the great week. Looks like some nice bunches of ducks and memories.

Tim
 
You have to be a proud papa! I sure enjoyed see those ducks and being able to read about those 1st ducks for you. Congratulations, Tom. Being able to hunt with your son had to be so much fun.
Al
 
So, one could conclude that the divers decided, enough with this frigid weather and fled to Oklahoma! Congratulations! Except, you don't look all that warm either!
 
The lake I hunted did lock up the next day and I guess the divers moved on down the line. Hadn't seen them since. If the weather warms up like its supposed to do this weekend will the divers return?
 
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