Reelfoot Lake - and no ducks!

[Keavin Nelson]

I had the opportunity to hunt on Reelfoot lake in Western Tenn. earlier in the month. According to the locals, worst start of the season they had seen in decades! I fired twice, in six hunts! But it was an experience I will not forget, as I work to loose the five pounds I put on eating duck blind breakfasts! Unfortunately no pictures of ducks and Parkers but a few of the experience!

I understand from my friend in Union City, the ducks finally arrived after this latest storm rolled across the country.

[Harry Collins]

I found that you have to shoot behind the ducks on Realfoot Lake. When the boat is doing 60 mph and the birds are doing 40 mph you have to shoot behind them.

[Keavin Nelson]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

I found that you have to shoot behind the ducks on Realfoot Lake. When the boat is doing 60 mph and the birds are doing 40 mph you have to shoot behind them.

Harry, absolutely so true! What I couldn't film was the boat ride back out of the Cyprus in the daylight (we went in the dark), Yikes, I was holding on with both hands, as the scraped through the timber at full tilt. I understand if they go slow they bottom out!

[davidboyles]

Well I actually hunted in Nash Buckinghams Beaver Dam Lake blind for two days 2 weeks ago and very few ducks. Stove worked and bullshit was good but to drive 11 hours was a sad disappointment. Even had a Super HE and EH 10 grade for the welcoming committee. Guides said duck count down 80% weekend before they showed me a pic of 43 ducks mostly Greenheads in the same blind I was in. No story to write about. Should have stayed in S Tx shot Whitewings which were everywhere!!!

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by davidboyles

Well I actually hunted in Nash Buckinghams Beaver Dam Lake blind for two days 2 weeks ago and very few ducks. Stove worked and bullshit was good but to drive 11 hours was a sad disappointment. Even had a Super HE and EH 10 grade for the welcoming committee. Guides said duck count down 80% weekend before they showed me a pic of 43 ducks mostly Greenheads in the same blind I was in. No story to write about. Should have stayed in S Tx shot Whitewings which were everywhere!!!

I wasn’t to far from there about six years ago at a friends shall we say duck club . Around Lake Village AR , we were there for piggies and it was the final weekend of duck duck season . The guy that owned the place and his buddies hammered the heck out of the Ducks the last three days . All shooting semis and pumps tsk tsk tsk . I had a W&C Scott hammerless 10 down but I had handloaded buck no bird loads .

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by davidboyles

Well I actually hunted in Nash Buckinghams Beaver Dam Lake blind for two days 2 weeks ago and very few ducks. Stove worked and bullshit was good but to drive 11 hours was a sad disappointment. Even had a Super HE and EH 10 grade for the welcoming committee. Guides said duck count down 80% weekend before they showed me a pic of 43 ducks mostly Greenheads in the same blind I was in. No story to write about. Should have stayed in S Tx shot Whitewings which were everywhere!!!

Jan. 10, 2017 - ducks were there in profusion; lots of different species. Bitter cold but no wind; had to break ice out to the Cadillac Blind. Much to my delight my host gifted me a 25-round box of 2 1/2" Kent Tungsten Matrix #4s which he had brought back from England. My newly-restocked X/DE Fox really liked them! The ducks, not so much.

[Dean Romig]

But David - you walked on Holy Ground... wasn't that enough?





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[Mills]

I had a much anticipated draw hunt up on the Pee Dee river this year and did not fire the gun. Very anticlimactic but a great experience otherwise

[mobirdhunter]

I used to hunt Reelfoot for woodcock back when Tennessee had a February season. I remember finding elevated plank walkways in the cypress that lead to some pretty enticing duck blinds. Never hunted ducks, but the area is intriguing. The lake, as I understand it, was once the Mississippi River which re-routed itself after the big earthquake on the New Madrid fault back in the 1800s.

We used to find woodcock in the bamboo thickets in the low areas. A neat place. Sorry your duck shooting was not good, but it was still a great and memorable experience, I'll bet.

I enjoyed your pictures!