BILZZARD HUNTING

Was a "working day" to even get to the blinds.  We waited until almost daylight before we left for the pits this morning.  We went by the bosses house and picked him up on our way to the blinds.  The road was pretty rough, getting to the blinds.  We had customers or we may have stayed in town.  With the snow and the wind still blowing it around making our way down to the lake, not the usual trip. With the blowing snow, seeing where you were driving was the biggest problem.  We found the blinds were not covered with the white stuff as we had thought as we traveled from town.  Got the customers into the pits and broke just a little ice then started hunting.  Yes, it was cold, but with a few section of fiberglass placed, just right it was tolerable.  Then just before 10 o'clock we started seeing some geese on the move.  Then we started getting them to turn around and give us a look.  We did talk one flock of 8 to decoying for a great shot.  What a sight it was to see them, decoy in that wind.  I was telling my crew "they will be to our right over the blinds, then I would say they, will be right over us straight up, then they will be right over the pit to the left.  Cancel that they are coming across the bar way left and be out in front".  Well they got out in front and got real low and pulled up to the water hole, for a great shot.  They dumped half of them in the lake.  Made the efforts of getting to the blind all worth it.   They were all big heavy 12 pound birds. 

We must have "called" about 15 - 18 flocks today.  Think we turned 5, should have got into 3 flocks.  It was an exciting, hard working, cold day, but is a day that we will remember, and isn't that what you look for in a day of hunting??

Last evening, with all the preparations for the blizzard, I did not get out a report for Wednesday.  We harvested 3 out of one bunch and had another flock in there with a low shot out the back, that we didn't do, very good shooting on.

Will let you go, but please remember to say a prayer for all the service men and women, that are guarding our country.  Especially all the ones that will be separated from their families this holiday season.  Also remember to check back

See ya.  Carl    

Didn't limit out BUT

Hope no one is shocked, but we called in some ducks and had a harvest job, on them.  Then shortly after 9:30 we started seeing the Canada's.   There was a serious push of Canada's, and we should of had a big kill.  The number of guns were a factor, but our shooting was another issue.  BUT, we had birds that took an issue with our spread too, and never got into good range, for a good kill.  Some flocks never got close enough for us to ever call a shot on.  Some flocks gave, us quite the show.  Two flock one with three and one with four was  locked up with feet down, decoyed in but, changed their minds and climbed out.  Was one beautiful sight.  Then we has another flock that even "corn shucked" as they come in and then they changed their minds, and turned out.  We have had a couple dozen flocks, that tried to decoy, they pull out and pulled back to us but then rolled out and moved on.   Have to tell you that those flocks all had little Cacklers in the flocks, and they had their influence on those flocks.  Need to kill those little SOB.   But it was a fun and exciting day.

As for ducks, we may have seen 3-5 flocks.  Even had one flock that done as I predicted, to a point.  They got into the field across the lake, from us.  I was asked how long would they feed.  I said about 20 minutes, then they would jump up and head our way, and want to stop here and wash their feet and get a drink.  Well they feed for the 20 minutes, then jumped up and headed for our spread, and then went to the river for the drink and feet washing job.  Boy, them birds love the make a lier out of me. 

Remember the troops tonight and every night, in your bed time prayers.

Also check back when ever you can. 

See ya.  Carl   

short crew shot well

The Honey Bun affect is still on, first off we had birds in just after legal and took 2 of three.  Then at about 10:00 we had a nice group of about a dozen and a half birds, that floated in from the west with very little encouragement. When the smoke cleared there were 6 more DIP.   Great morning for just a very short (4) crew, shooting.   

Was an action filled morning, for this short crew.  But never the less to the size of the crew, it was beautiful decoying of this flock. 

This was about all we seen today.  Again, today the skies were vacant of ducks.  Would be fun to see some duck again.  We seen those high fliers on Sunday morning but nothing that resembled a duck, since. 

Just have to get one of the sunrises in.  This was this morning, and the report is short.  Please remember the prayer for the troops tonight and also check back.

See ya     Carl

Plenty of birds but the action was little slow

Thursday, no Honey Buns and nothing early.  However we did see a few little bunches of Mallards.  Don't know but there has to be a frustrating day looming when you see some ducks early.  The early morning, duck have been the missing link for us, all season long.  Just when, we were feeling it maybe a duck day. Everything changes and all the ducks disappeared.  Then at about 10:00 we started seeing the Canada's, soon after we had a pair that got to close to us and we made short work of them.  Then we had several flocks that, were just teasers.   They just would give us a little look then fly on.  Did get into one flock of around twenty.  We don't have a big enough hole for them, but I remember on the day when we set the record on Canada's, that hole was not as big as we have today.  The biggest flock that day come and everything was landing on the ice, none was landing in the water hole.  But I don't know birds like he does so he may be on target.

We worked hard on several flocks, in the afternoon, but they had the power to resist our calling, and moved on.

Just the two, go-a-rounds today.

Please say a little prayer for the troops tonight.  Also please check back,

See ya.   Carl

Two for One

This is a report that should have been posted on Tuesday but had computer problems

As many of you know or have heard there are time to shoot geese.  Many years ago Ralph started logging info into a little tablet, on the geese, as they passed his view.  He log how many birds in the flock, species of geese and number that was in the flock, if they decoyed, if we shot, the time of the shot, and  how many they killed. He has books back to the 50's.  Several years ago, when computers were becoming a little more friendly to use, this information was put into the computer.  There was all kinds of information, they got from this, data.  Some was easy to understand and some was for only a statistician.  Well one of the more interesting pieces of data, was the 5 most frequent times birds were killed.   They are 9:23, 10:17, 12:08, 3:10, and 4:25.  The most popular time is 12:08.  Since this info was made aware to the hunters, it has been  a tendency, to check the time of every shot. 12:00 noon to 12:15, is a time of day we scan the skies harder, refuse to leave the blind except an emergency.  It is so unbelievable, how many times that you see 12:08 on your watch, when you bust into a flock.  That was then case today on our shot, my watch read 12:08.  

With the lake covered with ice, and a less than ideal water hole, with much hard work, they made it a little more appealing to the birds.  Then we manned the pits with great anticipation, setting for few hours, and several flocks, we finely hit pay dirt. We had a flock coming in from the northwest and a flock coming in from the northeast.  I predicted they were on a collision path and were meeting right over us.  I missed it by a few yards and the met up just to the northeast of the pits.  After a tough calling job we talked a few of them over and the crew, went into action.   Not the greatest results, but we put down a few.  I can not bend my knees and stand so I can look from just under the grass, I did not have my crew aware of the bird location.  Sorry guys but, I had no idea, to their location, or maybe we would have got a couple more down

 

This Wednesday’s report

As most of you know the boss has a sweet tooth.  Some of the customers help him out with this hang up, and use any action as an opportunity to reward him, with candy and other sweet goodies.  On Wednesday morning we fed the boss a Honey Bun first thing, before it was even legal in the morning.  Well we were into two flocks in the first half hour of legal hunting.  We are giving the credit to the honey buns. We were upset we run out of them so early.    So sales of Honey Buns, may set a sales record here in December.  Advice from the pits, buy Honey Bun stock.  Also there was a big box of other pastry, but the Honey Buns was first on the menu. 

The first bunch was in, at maybe 2 minutes past legal.  Second bunch was about 4 minutes  before O'l sol, even showed his face.  A very exciting and memorable start to a morning, especially for a year, that has been so slow, over all.

We knew the day could not continual this, but we did picked up a couple of singles, as the day went on.

Sorry about the mess up last evening.  Please say a little prayer for the troops that serve our nation.

Also please check back and we will see ya   Carl

EARLY BUT FUN

The day got off to a very different day, this morning.  Geese just do not show up early in the day.  Now there is the geese that you kick out of the decoys, that come back early in the day but feeding geese and migrating geese just do not decoy good, early in the morning. Well, it was different, this morning.  Early, before sunrise we had a flock of about 50, come meandering down the flyway.  We fired the choir up, and they decoyed, in giving us a good shot.  Today, was as it has been all fall, we did not shoot good.  Then latter there was flock that was trying, to pull a silent sleek job, coming up from the south, but was spotted and we got them in just for a fair shot.  Again our poor shooting was costly for the total bag.  Then we had a lone snow, give us a good play.  He give us a good shot on him. 

With the nice wind out of the south east, and all the goose activity, the boss was sure there was a need for a decoy adjustment, and the "boot gang" went out and made short work of that.   

The thrill of the day.  I was setting down and looked west southwest and spotted a flock of geese, flying north almost three quarters of a mile west, of the lake.  We all got on our horns and started calling hard.  Well with the wind they only slowed their travel north just a little, but was slowly turning around.  They had to be a couple miles down wind, before getting turned around, and with a spotter with fields glasses, kept our hearts into our calling.  He kept saying "their locked up, so we kept calling”.  We brought them back at least 2 miles.  After about three or four near misses, they got close enough for us to shoot.  It was at extreme range but we went into action.  Brought down one, and there were a couple cripples that made their escape to far for a retrieve.  It was beautiful, it was a big thrill.   Has to be one of the more fun days of the fall season.

As always remember the troops tonight in your evening prayers.

Also check back and we will see ya.

Carl

A FOGGY START

Fog and more fog.  Was rough even getting to the blinds this morning.  Especially from town, on the black top, when we turned onto the gravel it was not to bad from there to the pits.  But shortly after we crawled into the pits it really socked us in.  Was that way till after 9:00, then it started lifting.  Shortly after it started lifting my bionic ears kicked in, I heard some geese.  I told everyone I was hearing geese.  Then the hunters spotted a nice variety pack, coming from the north.  We fired up the choir and they really responded good.  Was surprising to us, for that early in the day.  Had a six pack of the big ones pull out, and give us a couple swings.  Of course the little Cacklers won out and pulled them out, and safely on south.  A few minutes later, I hear another flock coming, but they turned west before the got to us. 

Did have had a little success with the ducks, and we got into them a few time.  Nothing to brag about on the kill, but the last two flocks were after the wind come up.  First go-a-round a down wind shot, which is always fun.   The second flock was wanting to land out in the lake, but with some serious conversation, strayed close enough for us to harvest a few. 

Everyday we say it just has to break lose and we have to have a powder burning day, but the never show up.

Remember the troops in your bed time prayers, and please check back

See ya.  Carl