Last hunt of the year
Work had me busy the last two weeks, so when I got a Saturday morning off I knew I had to take it. The lake I planned to hunt has several blinds you hang a tag before the hunt to claim your spot. Being the last weekend of the season, there were very few blinds left available.
Normally I can expect 10-15mph winds out of the north or northwest at this location. This morning was forecasted for 3-5mph out of the south, ~20* at shooting light then warming up to ~50* by 11am.
I looked at available spots, and interestingly enough a back corner where I have been previously successful was open. Walk in was about 1 mile through some VERY thick vegetation with lots of briars and rabbit holes, so I think people figured it wasn’t worth the trouble.
I parked the truck and three trucks were at the same location and they were about to get set up at the blind next to me. I always try to chat with my hunting neighbors just to feel them out and let them know “hey I’m going to x, please don’t shoot me”. Plus this tactic has played out where I’m on the birds and invite my neighbor, or vice versa. Anyway the hunters are nice enough, seem a bit hurried so I wished them “good luck” and went on my way.
My late-season strategy in SC has always been small spreads, paired up decoys, jerk string, stay very hidden. Well it turns out where I live now we have big pushes of birds late in the season, so I’m seeing bigger rafts on the lake. I decided to take as many decoys as I could, turned out to be ~25-30. I set the jerk string up last (as is tradition) with three black ducks on it. The jerk string I use is one I made and attached the decoy swivels to the main line with prussick knots so I can slide the swivels along the mainline very easily. I wrote a post several years ago about it on here. Anyway, I slide the decoys into place in the center of the main group of decoys, run the line back to my hide.
I spend most of my season forgetting things, running late, dealing with broken gear, etc. But not this hunt- I was ready. Decoys went out efficiently. Hide was perfect. Calls ready to go. Shells in the front left pocket. Glove on my left hand, no glove on the right (trigger hand). Mask up with my old lucky Filson hat on top. I was ready to go.
Ten minutes before shooting light I have a pair of mallards land on the far left of the decoys. They hung out for just a few seconds, it felt like a good omen.
Shooting light comes and the rest of the lake sounds like a war zone. A half hour goes by and I am not seeing any birds, which worries me because the last time I hunted this hole I had 10 teal in the hole at shooting light. I kinda drifted off into thought about how this has been among my top two best seasons to date, and certainly the best I’ve ever done by myself on public land. I realized how lucky I was to have the opportunities this year that I’ve had, and that even if I didn’t shoot a single bird today I still had an amazing season and it would be just fine.
Well just like any other hunt, as soon as you aren’t paying attention the birds will fly. First a lone hen gadwall came fearlessly charging in, and I dropped her. Went to pick her up and saw a silhouette about 300yds off in the stratosphere. As soon as I got back to my hide, the silhouette revealed himself as her drake, who quickly tumbled into the decoys.
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Another 5 minutes pass, and I hear the whistle of wings and lonesome chuckling. I look up and see the sun against a bright green head, and he fell and broke the ice 10 feet from my hide.
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The sun was starting to come up, and I shifted my hide about 20 yards so I’d be in the shadows. Not 5 minutes after switching, another hen gadwall fearlessly decoys and lands. “Take your time with this shot” I tell myself as I aim at the spot I imagine her feet are swimming below, and just like that she is coming home with me and the others.
A drake greenwing teal decides to decoy 10 feet from me, and wouldn’t you know it I go 0/3 and he leaves a free man. Cheers to you, drake greenwing- go make more ducks for us next year.
So now I am sitting on four birds, something I never would’ve dreamed of before leaving SC. But this is my last day of the season, so I do my best to ignore my numb feet and slowly leaking waders. I want my other two birds.
A pair of gadwalls lands at 45+ yards, then started to swim away. I just waited for them to cross, aimed at their feet, and watched the pellets land all around them- quickly followed by both birds getting up and flying away. Dang it!
It’s now 10:45 and getting warm. A lonesome drake gadwall sneaks into the decoys and is quick to join his fallen comrades. I wait until 11:30 and decide to call it as my wife had a big birthday weekend planned in a nearby city. Best to keep her happy.
Ended the day on a high note with 5 birds. As I am walking out, my neighbors ask what I have. They were shocked at the gadwalls because they never see them on the lake, and they were sitting on 6 beautiful drake goldeneyes.
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Originally Posted by walt4dun
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