Bonneau Ferry youth hunt
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Bonneau Ferry youth hunt
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Glad I can at least look at some pictures of ducks hahaha!
“Duck hunting gives a man a chance to see the loneliest places …blinds washed by a rolling surf, blue and gold autumn marshes, …a rice field in the rain, flooded pin-oak forests or any remote river delta. In duck hunting the scene is as important as the shooting.” ~ Erwin Bauer, The Duck Hunter’s Bible, 1965
So I tried a new tactic with my woodie hole this morning. I've only hunted this swamp a few times this season, and haven't done real well, despite knowing birds are in the area. I've been watching them in the afternoons as they cut across an open field on their way to the nearby roost on someone else's part of the swamp. So I thought perhaps they're taking the same route in the morning coming off the roost to wherever it is they're heading, which obviously isn't my any of my holes. Never could get any birds to fly within shooting range, but saw plenty cut across as expected, just couldn't seem to find a pattern to create good shooting opportunities. So Chief and I abandoned the field when they quit flying and took a stroll down to the swamp. Heard some geese off in the distance, but no woodies. Went to walk further to check on my usual spot at the final in a series of 3 beaver dams and when we got close I heard some woodies on the water. Then that sound gave way to a mallard grunting as he flew over the swamp looking intently for a place to go down. So while still in the woods 30yds or so from the closest water, I hit a few soft quacks then watched the greenhead as he pitched, made a big circle, resulting in a the splash as he sat down, right in my woodie hole.
Chief and I then commenced a sneak attack. As I snuck into a good shooting position, making sure he couldn't see me, I sat Chief down at the water's edge and gave him the hand signal to hold, which he did incredibly well. He was obedient, patient, didn't move an inch. Really proud. Anywho, the woodies on the water saw me before I saw them, and flushed only to sit down again some 25 or 30yds away. Apparently they weren't too alarmed. But alas, I was focused on this mallard. I could still hear him grunting on the water, so I knew he didn't flush with the woodies, but I still couldn't see him thru all the brush. So I hit him with a few gentle quacks and drake grunts to get his attention and just as I hoped he started swimming to us. When he got in range and swam into a break in the trees, I leaned to my left a tad, clicked the safety off and bang. I quickly brought Chief to heel, gave him a line and on command he was off. He didn't keep my line, so we gotta work on that, but he hunted for him and eventually see the orange legs flailing whilst floating downstream and figured it out.
A very welcome surprise visitor.
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Last edited by willyworm; 01-26-2020 at 02:53 PM.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!
"For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
-L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft
Good job Miles!
U serious Clark?
Pretty dog and congrats on the mallard.
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Thanks guys. Sure woulda loved to walk out with 3 woodies plus that guy, but I know where they are now, hopefully I'll get to go another time or two before we call it a season.
Chief's coming along well. I've been pretty pleased, given the amount of time I've invested in his training which admittedly isn't much. He's starting to connect some dots that can be difficult to simulate in training. Like learning to follow the gun with his eyes to watch for falling birds. And how a wounded bird will swim to the thickest stuff possible or dive when you get close. You know, that sorta stuff.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!
"For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
-L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft
Shooting a little better than his old man sometimes these days.
Worship the LORD, not HIS creation.
"No self respecting turkey hunter would pay $5 for a call that makes a good sound when he can buy a custom call for $80 and get the same sound."-NWiles
Nice, Spur
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!
"For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
-L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft
and I thought I have tough hunting conditions but looking at the pics, seems like a lot of dedication and hard work into the hunts.
Was out camping, deer & ducks for 3 days...got a good variety and fun shooting... The fun part is to mallards at night in marshes with the spotlight.
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Last edited by cyrusthevirus; 01-27-2020 at 12:24 AM.
Cyrus, you are indeed right... the swamps and marshes of South Carolina can be pretty brutal to hunt in.
Last edited by willyworm; 01-27-2020 at 12:54 AM.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!
"For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
-L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft
Shooting ducks by spotlight!
I want to be Cyrus when I grow up.
91962540-0728-4AA0-B349-63D330274787.jpg nice visitor from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada this morning
Nice. I bet it's a rare thing to kill a migratory Canada Goose in most Southern states.
F**K Cancer
Just Damn.
In the 10's of thousands of band pictures that I have seen since the innernets, I have never seen it done like that. Nice shot!
I will begrudgingly give 10 extra points for creativity. Hahahahaha
Again, nice work.
F**K Cancer
Just Damn.
haha, I appreciate it JAB
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