An unforeseen milestone in my hunting career.

Carl

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
For the first time in 40 years, I did not get a single day of hunting in, not one single day.
Between the career change, move to Tampa, settling into a new house, a whole new life really, I just didn't have the time to scout new hunting grounds.
The motor problems with the boat didn't help either.
Just didn't realize how good I had it in coastal Alabama, the huge amount of huntable public lands and waters there compared to the lack of it here around Tampa is now very much apparent.
Not saying there isn't duck hunting to be had here around Tampa, but I have to put in the time and effort to scout and learn a whole new area.
Time that I had in abundance when I moved to Mobile back in 1997 and very clearly don't have that much of now.
Plus the days of 20 minute drives to the ramp to be within an easy boat ride of my blinds are clearly over.

Got my work cut out for me between now & November, I don't care to repeat this milestone again until I am too old to pull the trigger.
 
What I found out when I switched focus on hunting for big game to hunting waterfowl was that one wasn't easier than the other and one wasn't easier. They were just different. Once you learn to the locale and waterfowl behavior for the area it will come to you.

Joe
 
Really missed your reports this year Carl. Really hoping you can get some time in for next year
 
Carl

Sorry you missed it and feel a little loss. With limited hunting there in Tampa maybe it is time to travel to waterfowling destinations and experience new sites. Good luck filling the void.

Eric
 
I did miss your reports. I think the big bend area has some good diver hunting and most lakes over 10 acres in Florida are able to be hunted. It?s also the only state with an early wood duck season.

I here you on access, New England has the fish and fowl rule(the only saving grace) and most of Oregon is public at least to the high water mark(unfortunately its not law just an opinion from an AG).

Just see the move as an opportunity to learn new things and meet new people. I have met awesome people all over the country from this site.

Also go spearfishing!

Good luck with all the nuts in Florida! Lol
 
I did not hunt a single day in 2019- no time, boat issues, new girlfriend, work, you name it. I have already hunted 4 days in 2020 though. Good luck getting back in the game Carl.
 
I was able to get out a fair amount this season and wound up with one bufflehead and two mergansers. Learning a new area has been tough for sure, moving from north georgia I had high hopes for this season since there are certainly more birds down here but I sure do miss my college days in Mississippi. I've never really targeted divers prior to this year and that has been an adjustment as well, but as you said there is plenty of time to scout from now till next season. On to turkeys and redfish for now.
 
Sorry to hear you didn't get out at all this season. I heard that the redheads weren't "in" around me up here much but that down towards Crystal River they were thick. I never made it offshore to hunt this year. Was going to but it just never worked out.

This too was an unforeseen milestone in my hunting career. I only hunted ducks twice this season. The opener and one other day when Belle pushed up some woodducks for me. And I missed two entire weekends of hunting (unheard of before now unless I was really really sick). Beyond those two duck hunts, mostly I have been taking my gun for a walk and letting Belle roam the woods.

The drive this year for ducks was very low....maybe I will get me a lab this year and it will go back up (part of why I didn't have a huge desire for ducks was because after having Drake as a partner, the idea of duck hunting religiously without a dog is not as much fun, especially when I have a dog that needs and deserves to try out her pointy skills) but I need to wait to see how things play out over the next couple of months.

Soooooooo?...I get it.....and it sucks....and being down there looking for ducks will be pretty challenging. I wish you luck with that.

I hope that next year turns out awesome for the both of us...
 
Interesting that I too crossed that threshold too this year. At 48 years old, Psoriatic Arthritis and cold intolerance has made me a fair-weather hunter at best. My 7 & 9 year old have the bug though, but I've used this as an opportunity to begin at the beginning. We spent a lot of time in the shop this winter, which is an old boathouse that is ON the marsh. We would light the stove and go through decoys, cleaning guns, telling stories and peaking out the window to keep an eye on the black duck landing in the creek 25 yards away. We ran dozens of shells through the wire wheel to freshen them up and taped the boxes with labels to restore them to good use. We tied new anchor lines and organized gear. And when done, the boys would say "I had fun duck hunting today Dad." So that's what duck hunting has become to me these days, and that's just fine........
 
My least active hunting season in many years.

Work, my usual partner having health problems of his own and a dog with health issues, some family stuff, and general laziness.

I had plans to hunt a lot between Christmas and New Years, but picked up a nasty cough from my nephew at the family Christmas party and being in a boat breaking ice in the dark seemed like a bad idea. Finally lost the cough as our season closed.

On the other hand, my shooting average went way up. I took a single shot in two days of upland hunting and dropped a partridge cleanly.

On the duck front, I took 3 shots for two black ducks in 4 or 5 hunting outings. Only took shots or decoyed any birds on two trips, and only missed one shootable bird.

No need to buy new ammo for next year!
 
It was one of those years here on the Mississippi River in my area. The river pools I hunt have limited open hunting areas as the state requires waterfowl hunting from duck blind locations you have to draw for. The Mighty Mississippi was out of her banks a fair amount of the year this year as well as the Rock River another local river. Third year in a row for high water has taken it's toll on any food sources on the river. What ducks and geese that came through the area were spread out and spent their time here in flooded farm fields. Many fields where the birds were are corporate farms with no access. This was my first hunting season being retired and I was ready. The islands where I deer hunt were still under water when deer season started. 3 weeks into bow season the water level was 2.5' to 3' deep where my deer stand was located. By November the water level was going down but there was no sign of deer so I pulled my stand and went home. Duck hunting was about the same. I did manage one duck this year. An old friend hunts some private land and was kind enough to offer me a place to deer hunt but nothing showed. He also invited me to duck hunt his private marsh but it just wasn't the year for ducks. They had a couple of good days in the marsh but he was very disappointed with the lack of ducks in the area. We had a good freeze up in November when we usually get migrating birds but from reading reports from down river and Missouri we were passed up on their way south. Talking with hunters in pools above me with historically better gunning were not seeing ducks either. 8 months until duck season. I need to start scouting some different areas.
 
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