Well it's over.....

[MarketHunter]

Today was the last day of the duck season over in Ontario. The lakes are all frozen solid and the river has more ice in it that I've ever seen. Still lots of canvasbacks, whistlers, and redheads around though.

But with all the ice it's tough to get on the water to hunt. Yesterday we made a quick try in the afternoon managing to kill two whistlers, four canvasback, a bufflehead, and one of the other guys also took a much prized drake redhead that was banded. I've shot and seen shot thousands of diving ducks and it's the first banded one I've seen taken, quite a trophy and I sure wish it had fallen to my gun. Jim had hunted in the morning with some other guys taking four redheads and three oldsquaw. They kept getting wiped out by ice flows so only hunted for a couple hours and gave it up.

This morning we were headed back out but with the below zero temps during the night we didn't have much hope. The spot we wanted was glazed up solid and the couple others that were open had half the duck hunters in Ontario standing guard so we just went back to the camp, cooked breakfast, and packed up our gear.

Off to Philly this weekend for pigeons and geese with Davis and Kaas. Unless we get into some late season geese over in Ontario that's going to wind up my season. I've gotta rob a bank or something so I can go back to Argentina this summer! Roll on September, my life gets pretty boring from here to then.


Destry

[Andrew Thompson]

Pics, man

[Gerald McPherson]

Sure leaves a fellow felling strange does't it Destry. Still wanting to kill something!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gerald

[Don Kaas]

Weather, the inconstant mistress of waterfowling. I expect big things in Maryland this week. My boys have been killing lots of ducks along the Chester River and the geese have been regular visitors to the fields. On my creek here, the frigid weather has moved the mallards to the deeper pools that remain open. Down along my drive where it meets the town road, a two pairs of mallards began to gather just after Christmas in a spot safe from hunters. I started, as I often have, to stop and toss out some corn into the icy riffles above the pool. 4 birds grew into a dozen in a few days. This morning I took the dogs for a early walk. It was 19 degrees. As we neared the drive's gravelled end, first 5, then 10 and finally a whole mass of ducks flushed from the hickory guarded pool. As they gathered and circled above the trees, I lost count at 32...a few blackies but almost all mallards in sparkling winter hue. Even the hens looked grand in the bright sunshine. The cocker and setter gazed skyward, the little scottie tugged as the last of the tamer stragglers sprang up to join the others. We turned around and made it the half mile home. I put the dogs in the house and took 10 pounds of whole corn down to the pool. They'll be back...

[MarketHunter]

To me the last day of duck season is the saddest day of the year. You always start worrying over those days that you could have gone hunting but laid in bed, the days you didn't shoot well and could have had a limit if only you'd have been handling your gun a little better, the long cold days left in the winter with nothing to do, the even longer hot summer with only fishing (a poor subsititute) to occupy your time, and on and on and on.

But there weren't many days I laid in bed, and I shot pretty well most of the year, so the remorse isn't too strong on those accounts. I counted up birds killed for the year, it came to 95 ducks and 8 geese, certainly a season to be proud of.

Hopefully another goose or two on Friday and Kaas has given me hope for a few more ducks as well. But to me it's still over, when I folded up the wool blankets off my bed in Ontario I knew the fun had really ended. But there's always next year, Good Lord willing.....


Destry


P.S. I've got to get all my pictures developed, I'll try to do that this week.

[Gerald McPherson]

I remember about 20 years ago the last day of quail season having only a couple of hours to hunt pulling into to a small area getting out and turning ol Spanky loose and while getting my gun out and loading Spanky disappeared. I walked about 10 yards and lo and behold there he was like a tomb stone. I walked in and flushed the covey and only killed one. I hunted until almost dark finding no more birds that I remember. But I do remember returning to my truck loading up Spanky. I stood there in the cold feeling good and thanked the OLD MASTER to have been blessed to be able to enjoy that year as I had. So DH you are so correct. IF THE GOOD LORD WILLING. All my old hunting friends are gone but boy did we have some fun!!!!!!!!!!! Gerald.

[Patrick Devlin]

It sounds as though you have an ample store of great memories to hold you over until September however if the withdrawal becomes unbearable you could have great gunning off the coast of Maine until January 31st.

Patrick

[MarketHunter]

I've been wanting to get out there to try for eider ducks since I was a kid. Just too many trips to make and not enough time or money unfortunately.

Destry

[Patrick Devlin]

So many ducks so little time. Perhaps another time, although I freely admit my prejudice the Maine coast is beyond compare albeit harsh in January to say the least.

[Dollar Grade]

I had to resort to this kind of amusement last weekend....Will be chasing rabbits and crows really soon.