Decided to hit the water on Friday in hopes of minor wind and birds moving around on the salt. Only put out about 5 dozen duck floaters, a few geese, and a Knotty Duck pull string, left a big opening for the birds, and they pulled right in. The big flocks of wigeon from the north made for a great shoot and enough mallards to make it interesting. Another hunter in close proximity to us but was very respectful and he also had a good shoot. Done and back on the road by 11am, enough time to scout out a trip for Sunday...
Sunday. Showed up to a permission to hunt feild and as we were about to set up, noticed someone else also had permission. After a discussion with them, we figured it would be best to combine our forces and hunt together. 6 people total (3 of us and 3 of them). They had about 10 dozen decoys out and we added ours to the mix. The first hour produced over 20 birds but the birds were not fully committing and did not like the big spread. The other group decided to leave to go after some snow geese after the first hour and pulled their deocys, the bulk of the mix. We then run our dozen full bodies and a few floaters with the Knotty Duck, hoping a small spread, less people, and less calling would be the ticket and it surely was! We finished off our limits in short time and the birds were in your face, feet down in the decoys making for easy shots.
A few keys to the hunts;
Calling~ Don't overdue it but call enough to get their attention, keep them interested, and hit them on the tips as they are flying around.
Motion~ A flap or two on the pull string for some motion, sometimes pulling until they are about to land was a big part of the formula.
Decoys~ Sometimes late in the year, less is more. A few quality decoys instead of big spreads can pay off with less effort! Also, leave big openings for the birds. They are wary and a big spot for them to land makes them feel more comfortable.
Misc~ Make sure to cover your face with facemask or paint as well as your hands with gloves. A good blind is always great but any movement with your pale face or hands can spook them easily.
Fridays birds. A lonely goose was easily persuaded to come visit as well.
A pair of Troy Taylor custom Taylor Talker calls made short work of the birds!!! Locally made and by far my favorite!!!
Sunday's pile before other group took theirs and left...
And the 3 man limit, done by 9:30 and home in time to watch some football!
Also a pic from a few weeks ago on one of those nice days...
