Picture Tuesday and a Mixed Bag (kinda long)

Dani

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Well today I went out to one of my management area spots and man has the water fallen! By about ten feet! Well today in N. FL we had very windy conditions (around 20-30 mph steady), cold temps, and clouds rolling in. No rain in the morning but is raining now. I wish that I had remembered to take my camera with me into the field. Anyhow, I digress.

Today was more or less mud flats shooting (since all the water is gone ya know). I took the blueyed teal out that Lee gave to me and put him out with my ugly slambeau tealitors. This morning at legal it was too dark to distiguish from the larger shore/mud flat birds from the teal since all I could see was white bellies, so I waited until more light.

The woodrow was me testing the limitations of my little 20 gauge. I don't generally take a sky bust shot, but I felt like I could get that woodrow...he was about 50-55 yds (above tree level) in the air and I made sure I gave him a wide lead. If I could only have seen the astonishment that had been on my face when that birds wing broke and he went sailing. Luckily, I am a decent marker and I knew that area pretty good so I knew how to get to where he was without him getting spooked and trying to run into the brush (he landed in one of the mud flats).

The redhead.......MY FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got out of the impoundment and was push poling myself around. Mind you the wind is 20-30 mph still, if not more by that time of the day. I wasn't ready to leave and so I was just looking around the lake and I noticed that not too far away was a group of coots and I saw two birds sitting all by their lonesome, looking like bluebills. Sure enough they were. I was intent on challenging them so I push poled myself against the wind as fast and easy as I could without startling them and get within probably 20 yds and they are still just chilling on the water. Since they aren't in any hurry to get up I check out the group of coots that are sitting there in the shade and I see three big huge fat mottleds and one wigeon!!!! Well I decided to let the bluebills live and go for a puddler. (Nothing against bluebills, in fact I like them.) Then because all the birds are still chillin on the water, I glance at the coots in the sun and I see a bright red head sitting amongst those black ones! I say forget the puddlers and try for that red head and about that time the blue bills and the the puddlers get up and fly away.

The red heads don't. So I follow the group of coots that has the two redheads sitting in with them. They don't want to get up so I just keep following them as best I can with the wind spinning me around in my canoe and wanting to push me everywhere but where I want to go. Eventually they get up and that drake did not get a chance to leave. I was whoopin and hollerin cuz man o man did I work for that bird! I was shooting real good today!


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self portrait.......no one to take a picture :)
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Now that is really cool! You had a great shoot Dani. In teh bottom photo of the birds I see you got a drake GWT, a drake Woodie, a Drake Red Head and next to it a Hen Blond! :^) :^) :^)

Congrades!

Dave
 
Good work there a very productive hunt for sure. I really like the part then you ditch them puddlers and GO FOR THE DIVER!!!!!!! (insert thumbs up smiley here)

Congrats on the Redhead!
Dave
 
right sum good shootin there,my friend still hasnt decided to build a foam boat or not ,i told him i knew a foam boat master builder "you"

congrats on them purdy burds you got

Shermie
 
Shoulda picked that booger before taking the pic up yer nose! Good hunt young lady! I'm still waiting for my first drake Redhead.
 
Lee-
I had a hard time holding the camera with my finger up my nose, so I said to heck with it. :)
 
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