Solo duck hunt

Kurtr

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Went out this morning just me and banks to a little pond. Ice was thicker than I expected and after some breaking we got set up. It wasn’t a barn burner a few ducks trickling in and some sub par shooting . Banks giving me a couple of those wtf looks how’d you miss that. After a few more decided to play we got our birds. Just as we started picking up I hear a single speck so I honk at it. It turns and comes right over I shoot it sails across and lands on the other shore line. With the ice I wasn’t sending him so we loaded up and drove around the slough. Got out and sent him where I thought it was well he went right past that and kept rolling. I was just about to stop him and bam he gets it about 200 yards out. A full bared speck has been a unicorn for me and this guy was it. This spot was the last spot I hunted waterfowl with my old yellow dog cedar so I think he was helping from up above tail wagging and smiling.

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NDbowman

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I haven't waterfowl hunted in over 10 years. Back in the day buddies and I hunted 3 to 4 times a week. A speckle belly was the trophy we all wanted but never seen one in the fall in all those years of hunting. Now it seems I see specks all over. A few years ago I was hauling hay off an oat field that the geese were sitting in heavy, one group of specks all by itself. I watched them for two days as I was hauling hay and kept thinking I should setup decoys one morning and try and get one. I was a fool and kept working and never did go after them.
 

Duckslayer100

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Nice job, Kurt! I love waterfowl hunting. It's great with friends because you have someone to commiserate with when it's slow, and celebrate with when things go right.

But there's just something about going alone, just you and a good hound. You have nobody to blame but yourself for the misses or mistakes, and get the solitary enjoyment of an experience if everything comes together.

There are rare few feelings as good as that of driving home in the morning with a strap full of ducks in the back of the truck, coffee still warm in your Thermos, and a wet, content dog snoozing in the back seat.
 
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johnr

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I would like a full colored up wood duck on my wall, I have been with guys that have harvested a beauty, but never personally shot one.
Seems in my eyes to be the fanciest of ducks
 

Dirty

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I’m jealous of the waterfowling you are doing, Kurt.
It has always been my favorite, just less feasible than it used to be.
 

snow1

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Sweet Kurt....thanx for sharing,looks like a mixed bag still eh? widgeon,couple teal?,nice,no big northrn mallards yet eh?,hunted near bismarck on oct 10th,buddy called said the migration was on,connected on a few big orange footed greenheads,kids setup on a slough got in to divers that day as well.,goodtimes,figured you would have some northern mallards in your area by now.

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I would like a full colored up wood duck on my wall, I have been with guys that have harvested a beauty, but never personally shot one.
Seems in my eyes to be the fanciest of ducks

Agreed juanr,fully plumbed woodies....the best,however on my bucket list is a harleguin drake,hunted coastal ducks whilst living in Alaska,shot two harlies,but was to broke to have'em mounted.

One of my best wood duck shoots was a late fall picked cornfield,from a distance we watched 100's of what we thought were mallards,turned out all wood ducks, tornadoing the field,next morning on the "X"...woodies.jpg
 

Dirty

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Snow, that is a sweet pic. I hope a few of those are hanging from a wall somewhere.

Now you got me digging through the archives. Here are two of my most memorable hunts, mostly for the mixed bag results and Three guys shooting lights out on a day the birds couldn’t resist the spread.

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Kurtr

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Sweet Kurt....thanx for sharing,looks like a mixed bag still eh? widgeon,couple teal?,nice,no big northrn mallards yet eh?,hunted near bismarck on oct 10th,buddy called said the migration was on,connected on a few big orange footed greenheads,kids setup on a slough got in to divers that day as well.,goodtimes,figured you would have some northern mallards in your area by now.

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Agreed juanr,fully plumbed woodies....the best,however on my bucket list is a harleguin drake,hunted coastal ducks whilst living in Alaska,shot two harlies,but was to broke to have'em mounted.

One of my best wood duck shoots was a late fall picked cornfield,from a distance we watched 100's of what we thought were mallards,turned out all wood ducks, tornadoing the field,next morning on the "X"...speck.jpg

I should of had a few green heads I missed and got the lock but not a lot around yet had a few flocks work while goose hunting this morning but got greedy and tried to work them all the way in. Got a few big honkers . No wind made it tough. Yesterday was 2 green wing 3 gaddys and on hen mallard. I was hoping a little cold snap would get them here but the specks and snows are thick right now.
 

snow1

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Nice Dirty,thanx for sharing,I remember you posted that dock pic,devils lake? sure looked like a fun morning,dang nice pinner on top!
 

Dirty

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Nope…Sakakawea.
7 species plus about every color phase of a snow goose you can find.
 
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snow1

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Dirty,sak eh? must be a older pic,no "zebs" on the dock wheels,been many years since I've had a water/decoy hunt,old age has me in the field or setup on a pass shoot somewhere,all fun and great memories.
 


snow1

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No wall mount but had a 3-d pexy glass end table made,both drake/hen woodie standing on a piece of drift wood,it was beautiful...then one day my buddy let his lumox 120 lab in the house...that ended that end table,damn lab even chewed the tailoff my PB pike I had mounted to low to the floor....some beech...
 

Dirty

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Oh my… that would ruin a guys day.

My niece has a similar lab, and it ripped to SHREDS a beautiful velvet antlered whitetail mount the day her boyfriend brought it home. They left the lab and the deer mount on the floor together for 10 minutes and that was all she wrote.
 

snow1

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LOL,our pup's love em tho,pretty sure the lab was going in for the retrieve on the woodies,then scared himself when the table crashed.
 

Dirty

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LOL,our pup's love em tho,pretty sure the lab was going in for the retrieve on the woodies,then scared himself when the table crashed.


I guess you gotta hang them from a wall next time!
 

snow1

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I guess you gotta hang them from a wall next time!

Yeah my house is loaded,fish birds even a jack-o-lope with a nice basket,zero wall space these days.,including my 3 season porch, my ole lady wanted the wood duck end table,bless her soul,if she was above ground today,that lab would've had a fry pan upside his block head.
 


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