Lack of love for waterfowlers

[Banded_spooney]

I'm in the Lodi area. I have a couple private areas in the Delta region and still hunt refuges and public waterways.

Decoys vary depending on where I am and what I'm targeting but I primarily use Avians or GHG. I've got a ton of PlatiDuck and G&H Pins that I'll never part with.

As far as calls go I primarily use a Lares T1 & Zink XR 2 for mallards. I've got a Zink Super Thang and Foiles HPH for honks. I've messed with a ton of Spec calls and have come to the realization that I simply just suck at them but I've got a DR Ken White and a Grounds Super Spec. Both do me well enough to kill geese.

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Are you involved in CWA at all? I’ll be at state convention starting tonight

 

[Wags]

Looks like you have the kids set up with Kupt up suck straps too. Things are great

Are you involved in CWA at all? I’ll be at state convention starting tonight

Yeah those are my "go to" straps. They're well made and make great gifts as well.

I'm a member, as well as my sons, and I donate every year but that's about it. I don't have much free time between work, side business and coaching.

This year is going to be a challenge based on our current water situation and the lack of rice up north. Especially if the refuges don't get water. Without that the birds simply wont have what they need for their migration. It'll be interesting to see what the DFG & Feds decide.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Yeah those are my "go to" straps. They're well made and make great gifts as well.

I'm a member, as well as my sons, and I donate every year but that's about it. I don't have much free time between work, side business and coaching.

This year is going to be a challenge based on our current water situation and the lack of rice up north. Especially if the refuges don't get water. Without that the birds simply wont have what they need for their migration. It'll be interesting to see what the DFG & Feds decide.

Assuming no surface water, If the state curtails pumps for duck water the feds will come in. They have to, otherwise half the flyway will die of botulism

 

[Wags]

Assuming no surface water, If the state curtails pumps for duck water the feds will come in. They have to, otherwise half the flyway will die of botulism

Agreed, the water is going to have to come from somewhere or there will be massive die offs.

Sucks to see all the "rice country" fallowed and disked like it is. I'm not a rice guy but I understand it's value to the migration and the opportunity for guys to lease fields. Let alone the fiscal impact it's had on the farming community. Maybe we'll get another big storm early like we did last year... who knows.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Agreed, the water is going to have to come from somewhere or there will be massive die offs.

Sucks to see all the "rice country" fallowed and disked like it is. I'm not a rice guy but I understand it's value to the migration and the opportunity for guys to lease fields. Let alone the fiscal impact it's had on the farming community. Maybe we'll get another big storm early like we did last year... who knows.

I’ve got three rice pits. All got planted. My main one is up in the air we might still get surface water.

One I have one flood up from an electric pump and then there is a diesel pump I can pay for fuel to keep water if we can afford that (probably can’t)

The third usually doesn’t get flooded anyway and it’s just for snows

 

[wind gypsy]

Got a 4 year degree over 6 years of waterfowl hunting in ND (and SK, SD, MN, MT, NE, MO). Maintained ND residency for a few years after college while I was on the road. Eventually lost the desire to chase birds over big game.

I did spend a couple years living in the coachella valley and felt guilty not getting my Lab out after he spent his first 7 years of life hunting like crazy in the plains so we did the Wister refuge hunts and a couple others in Socal. You guys can keep that gong show! woof.

 

[rlproctor03]

Public land hunter out here in CA. We hunt public land tidal marshes mostly. I also walk on to Delevan refuge quite a bit in the evenings. It’s always a mixed bag in CA which makes it super fun. Lots of teal, wigeon, spoonies and divers with the occasional mallard.

We use mostly GHG deeks and use as many as we can carry most times.

 

[Wingshooter]

Our mainstay in Ohio is greenheads, mainly we hunt flooded fields and local swamps occasionally a corn stubble hunt. When we fill limits it's usually with wood ducks in the early split late season we get shovelers widgeon or green wing teal. I usually shoot Kent Fast steel 3.5" but bought a case of 3" federal speed shok for this coming fall. I hunt with A Benelli SBE2.

 

[JMasson]

I’m going into my 31st season this year. I shot my first duck when I was 6, my folks never had a lot of money so we ate it and there’s a picture of it somewhere in an old album. I was a little bit spoiled growing up because my father had a real love of wing shooting and made that a priority so every year we would travel somewhere to hunt. Mostly back to Canada because we have a lot of family connections on my mother’s side but I also got to experience hunting during they heyday of the public green timber in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. I’m much more of a goose hunter than a duck hunter though. I’ve been very lucky and have a knack for making friends easily (inherited from my father) and because of that I’ve got to hunt some amazing places. My son likes to go with me but I don’t think he enjoys shooting too much yet. My daughter will also go with me when she’s old enough to handle the cold and I have a feeling she’ll be the real killer out of the two.

I have four calls and normally only carry two depending on what type of geese are prevalent in the area. If I’m hunting geese in Arkansas I carry a Riceland call I’ve had for about 12 years and an RMC mallard call. We rarely shoot ducks while goose hunting but I like to have it anyway. If I’m hunting in Canada I carry I carry the Riceland, the RMC, and a Heron Canada call. I will sometimes add a whistle if I see a bunch of pintails or teal around.

I won’t be hunting but once or twice this season and then I won’t hunt again for the next 3 years. Uncle Sam is moving me to Italy in January and most European countries don’t allow one to easily bring in firearms. I hear there’s some real good goose hunting in Hungary and may see if I can make friends with some Hungarian farmers who have guns lol.

 

[NebraskaStickHunter]

I try to chase a few ducks and geese around here. Mostly greenheads around here and Canadas but it seems like feast or famine according to the weather and it has not been kind the last few years for waterfowl in central Nebraska. I did have a great New Year’s Eve hunt last year with golden eyes and Canada’s which was a blast. It is tough to get out much with trying to deer hunt and pheasant hunt and not abandon the family all fall. I am also bad at taking many pictures.

 

[digger]

California duck hunter here from Central Valley. I belong to a big club near Gustine. Try to hunt every shoot day once the birds show up in middle of November.
My adult son would rather duck hunt than breathe

 

[Havoc]

Worked at Kittles Outdoors until Dec of ’21, meet a lot of the big farmers and ranchers working there, had access to 600 acres of dry rice and was invited to hunt on some of the ranches For other game animals. But I couldn’t deal with Ca BS any longer and pulled the plug. Amazing state with tons of hunting and fishing opportunities, but man it is a messed up place at the same time.

 

[willidru]

beretta A400, heavy metal 3” #3s, Avian X and a trusty black lab.

Have a club in Colusa more of a good time than a good shooter. Been there for the last 20 years. Used to hunt Delevan a lot, loved the competition. Now that I’ve got kids I must be getting old because only go to refuge if I’ve got a reservation. Water situation has been tough last few years. I’ve been fortunate enough to to get out with buddies on some really good hunts.

Some sample duck porn from over the years, definitely not the norm

 

[Banded_spooney]

Just got back to the hotel room up in Tahoe from the California Waterfowl state convention.

Great night catching up with the other chapter chairs (I’m the Chico chair)

For those of you in pacific flyway we still have a lot of work to do in the Klamath basin. If your not involved already you should look into how you can help.

 

[Wags]

Just got back to the hotel room up in Tahoe from the California Waterfowl state convention.

Great night catching up with the other chapter chairs (I’m the Chico chair)

For those of you in pacific flyway we still have a lot of work to do in the Klamath basin. If your not involved already you should look into how you can help.

It's a disgrace what has happened up there. How it's been allowed to get this bad is a joke. Nothing but money is going to change it and most of us are done donating to see no improvement up there or places like Sutter.

 

[Banded_spooney]

It's a disgrace what has happened up there. How it's been allowed to get this bad is a joke. Nothing but money is going to change it and most of us are done donating to see no improvement up there or places like Sutter.

You’re right, only money can fix it now.

Personal opinion is that money needs to come from the feds. And it requires a Match, DU, CWA, Delta even the Audubon Society will need to all kick in.

As far as advocacy for fed support. Do it how you can or want. You don’t have to donate money, even calling your congressmen if you live in the Pacific flyway is a huge help

 

[Jim1187]

Waterfowler from North of the Medicine Line and almost all the way east. I don't want to even consider how much time, effort and money I have invested into the pursuit of waterfowl. Hunting mostly public water and flooded river bottoms with the occasional field. Decoys I hunt over everything from hand carved and painted to fully flocked as well as spray painted bottles brand does nothing for me. I enjoy calling and have things narrowed down two 2 customs from a local guy, an old Olt and Cutdown commander that have a great feeding chuckle and small water sound for ducks and a constantly changing lineup of goose calls trying to find what I can make work best. As far as duck guns go I bounce around from 12 to 20 and all sorts of makes but almost always find my way back to an 870 and a Browning Auto 5. I wish bismuth loads were more readily available local to me I would love to get a couple old guns back into the game.

 

[Wicked_Redemption_Calls]

Absolutely love waterfowl hunting. I am from Pennsylvania, we kill mostly mallards with some wood ducks and possible teal in early season and black ducks later on in the year. We have killed widgeon, pintail and gadwall as well though. Those three are not common at all though.

Geese is my pups favorite thing and I have to agree with him as well. Ducks are straight forward and pretty easy to kill. The geese we shoot are mostly resident birds. They are stubborn and take a pile of scouting. Lots of access is key. I have a 7x12 trailer rigged with light bars on each side running avian x full bodies as well as ghg FFD lessers.

As far as calls go, I make my own duck and turkey calls. I have calls in just over 42 states in the US. Pretty rewarding killing birds with your own calls.

Seasons about to start, good luck to all you fellow waterfowlers!








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[maleman000]

I have loved waterfowl hunting for years, but last couple seasons around MI have been a bit rough. Migration has not matched up with the seasons and weather.

 

[Shallowpockets]

Hunting ducks regularly for the last two years in the CA refuge system.