Season Recap

[BigBrother]

Chalk another one up...

As many can attest, this was an odd season.

My bread and butter, the scaup failed to make a showing again this year.

The nuggets that worked last year and year before didnt produce or the water was too high to work them.

Had to adjust, find new holes, and new methods. Got skunked three times, shot a limit 4 times. One of them on a draw hunt on the 28th.

I somehow fail to remember those places I refuse to hunt on the weekend for the season closer and spent from 1am until 10 am in a boat to not pull the trigger and have a group set up 50-75 yards away upwind of us.

Not a bad season, not a good one. Time to pay the piper and get to work on all those things I put off during duck season.

Some things I learned and relearned:

1. It is not considered bad form to water swat, if you have two groups working, let one land and the other get close.
2. Less is indeed more.
3. Gang rigged decoys are the shizzle.
4. Go big, or stay home. If you arent where they want to be, and arent willing to do the work to get to them, you dont need to leave the house.
5. SC public duck hunting just sucks, and many SC duck hunters are incredibly ignorant, rude and inconsiderate.
6. If you find birds, keep your mouth shut, no matter who you owe a favor to, or how bad you need a partner to help with fuel.
7. Find a lease or a bit of property for some wet soil management.
8. I need a dog.
9. The women in our lives get incredibly grumpy and expensive when duck season rolls around.
10. Do not ever buy lacrosse waders again no matter how good a deal they are.
11. Do not rely on invites. Shit happens and you might be stuck at home. In other words, be the ram rod with the plan.

[Turd Ferguson]

good list but I bet you already forgot half the shit you were supposed to remember!

[duckduckdog]

great list - I'll use it as a beginning to my own.

[Rubberhead*]

I know the feeling Big Brother. It's my fault about the divers. As soon as I give up on the mallards, come to grips that I'm going to become a diver hunter, and increase the spread of diver decoys - the divers disappear.

I killed two bluebills this year - one where I should have and one at "what in the heck is he doing here".

I tried three times to kill a 3-bird limit of woodies and left with a brace all three times. I've shoot woodies for so long that I've never learned to hunt them. It is going to keep me awake until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving but I've got some ideas to try out.

I killed one limit - teal with a shoveler kicker.

I did kill a banded bird. It's been 185 birds since the last banded bird I killed. I guess my kids will be out of college when I kill my next one.

I've reaffirmed that I would rather kill two birds where no one can hear me than a limit surrounded by Carry-lite floatin', duck call squeekin', loud talkin', mudmotor growlin' momma's boys.

I've already fixed the decoys that needed attention and hung the good ones on the wall in my garage; those decoys with supporting roles are safely stored under the house in giant Rubbermaid bins. I seem to recall ordering another half dozen last evening in a fit of duck-season-hangover.

I did kill a bufflehead over my the three cork bufflehead decoys made by a friend in the upstate. He actually made two mallards and a bufflehead but I repainted them and put Autumn Wing heads to convert them to buffies.

I did kill a dark duck over Captain Billy Rand's rig including a pair of black duck decoys 100 yards downwind and a ringbill gull decoy made from a Restle Pintail.

Memorable misses: A wigeon drake on a sunny, still afternoon and a group of four decoying woodies that were in my face. I lost a canvasback too. That still bugs me but Little Rubberhead got his.

As planned - I killed every single duck and my annual swan this year with a horizontal double shooting Kent Tungsten Matrix. It's really no more deadly than high-speed steel but costs five times as much; I think I'll get choke tubes cut in the 12 gauge BSS so I can shoot steel next season.

I found a new spot this year but watched an old friend get ripped to shreds by mud motors. She used to hold ducks but it took a lot of sweat to get to them. Now, she's scarred and barren.


Woops, sorry. I was monologging again.

[Chessbay]

Do not ever buy lacrosse waders again no matter how good a deal they are.

Fuck Lacrosse..............never again.

[BigBrother]

I've reaffirmed that I would rather kill two birds where no one can hear me than a limit surrounded by Carry-lite floatin', duck call squeekin', loud talkin', mudmotor growlin' momma's boys.

Word x 1,000,000,000

With your permission, may I add it to my "list"?

[Rubberhead*]

Word x 1,000,000,000

With your permission, may I add it to my "list"?

Of course.

[HARDCOREFOWLER]

I agree 100%, but i love my lacrosse waders. Guess everyone gets a lemon every once and a while.

[Rubberhead*]

6. If you find birds, keep your mouth shut, no matter who you owe a favor to, or how bad you need a partner to help with fuel.

I agree 100%

Maybe you should have said 90.9%

[BigBrother]

I wasnt going to say anything about that one. But, the location that was posted was where I had planned to hunt the closer...and yes, it was slam packed...whoever says that putting info on the www doesnt hurt, hasnt been impacked by that information.

I am not mad, as I should know by this stage in the game, that I should be kicked in the nuts to even consider certain places on weekends, and on season closers.

[willyworm]

Do not rely on invites. Shit happens and you might be stuck at home. In other words, be the ram rod with the plan.

Yeah, I'm still waiting on THAT call.

Do not ever buy lacrosse waders again no matter how good a deal they are.

I have two pairs of Lacrosse's and they are the best I've had yet. Just don't buy Hodgmans, Coleman bought them out and the quality has gone down the drain!

[KCM]

Well I only hunted 6 times this year. Was not ever skunked and we shot our limits of redheads and ring necks 2 times. Other days where a wood duck limit alone and the other three where chasing the mallards and black ducks which we did with success.

I watched one of my favorite spots get ruined by mud motors this year also. I decided no to even go after December but most of the reasoning was my girls basketball games and did not have any work during Oct-Dec but it was on come January.

I hope to get rid of a few toys before next season in hopes of using a layout boat out of the CC next year.

[FBT]

great list. the one thing that seemed to bother me the most this year was the fact that most people don't do everything in their power to get on the x when it comes to killin em. Like you said, be the ram rod.

[Featherduster]

Yeah, I'm still waiting on THAT call.



I have two pairs of Lacrosse's and they are the best I've had yet. Just don't buy Hodgmans, Coleman bought them out and the quality has gone down the drain!

Bought Hodgmans 2 years ago. Love em. Didnt know they sold out, so thanx for the info. But they replaced the cheapo DU brand. DO NOT, I repeat DO EFFIN NOT ever buy the DU (mad dog?) brand!

[Claimer]

i learned that it can always get werser

[take em' 07]

sounds like the same dismal season for everyone

[sprigdog]

I learned when my buddies on the west coast say "get your ass on a plane now!" means their not spending much more than an hour in the marsh.

I learned a few words in Chesapeake towards the end of the season.

I learned it is highly unlikely you'll have 2 good shoots in consecutive days, it just dont happen.

I learned that if i leave the sugar out of my coffee in my thermos, i can cut back on 6000 calories.

I learned that when a local guy says we are loaded up with birds usually means theres a bakers dozen flying around.

I learned that certain type trucks cant turn off headlights on the boat ramp. Either that, or he didnt like getting yelled at

I learned that looks can be decieving..well outfitted middle aged men can be as big of assholes/rubberheads as any hungover college aged kid.

I learned that when a certain wind blows at a certain speed, a guy can wear ducks out pass shooting a certain spot...maybe next year i'll learn to swallow my pride and partake. doubt it.

I learned that i need 3 dozen coot decoys. Maybe 4

I learned that i am able to take a nap in a duck boat.

I learned that a guy doesnt have to turn left to kill ducks..right turns work.

I learned that my dog has zero problems taking a peanut butter sandwich out of my clinched fist while i'm looking at ducks.

I learned that the days your alarm goes off at 3am and you really dont feel like getting up, those are the days that turn out best. High hope mornings, usually end up with disappointment.

biggest thing i learned, no matter how shitty the duck hunting is, i'd much rather be in my boat cussing than being at home/work wishing..actually i knew that, but this season reaffirmed it.

[white cracker]

I learned that i need 3 dozen coot decoys. Maybe 4

I learned that i am able to take a nap in a duck boat.


I learned that the days your alarm goes off at 3am and you really dont feel like getting up, those are the days that turn out best. High hope mornings, usually end up with disappointment.

same here, but also one important thing i learned is watch who you take duck hunting, because when you go hunitng and him and his buddies got the spot covered , skybusting the hell outa ducks and black birds. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED

[Duckman#1]

Had a fair year. Not my worst but not as good as the last 2 years. So I only saw 1000 die instead of 1500. Can't bitch.

[BOGSTER]

one important thing i learned is watch who you take duck hunting, because when you go hunitng and him and his buddies got the spot covered , skybusting the hell outa ducks and black birds. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED

you post this.

But your signature says you've been snaking your buddies.