Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Spring Creek Waterfowl Imoundment 11-14-2010 14:07
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
My son,my hunting partner and myself went for a draw hunt at the Spring Creek impoundments of the Goose Creek Game Lands. My hunting partner really likes to put in for these draw hunts, I have never really done it much, opting instead to hunt as far off the beaten path as possible. This time my partner was right.As he usually is.
We arrived at the parking lot to the ramp around 3:30 am and got ready to wait until 4 am(you are not allowed to enter the impoundment until then) and we were off like a shot. We were the first to leave the area and set out paddling for our spot. We arrived quickly and were disturbed to find someone already in the impoundment. This was not as it should be, all 4 of the parties that drew hunts were in the parking lot and we were the first here. These hunters had come in from the creek side(over the levee) and they were in before the legal time. Since all four of the groups that had permits were at the parking lot, this meant this was a unpermitted hunter in the area before the prescribed time. We still got to our spot before them and began to set up. Much to our dismay, the other group set up about a hundred yards away. Welcome to the world of impoundment hunting. This is why I don’t do it much.
We got set up in good time and set out decoys and waited on legal time. As sunrise approached, ducks began to parachute into the area we had chosen by the dozens. Huge flocks of pintails came in, one after the other. At precisely legal time, someone in the imoundment fired and it was on. We limited out on pintails in 20 minutes. 3 hunters, 6 pintails. We sat there for hours, as flock after flock of pintails came in. Nothing but pintails. By the hundreds,they came in steady all morning. At about 10am, a few flocks of teal came through and my partner managed 2 teal.
It was a good day. This was my son’s first duck taken on the wing. And it was a pintail drake. Too bad it was not in full plumage this early in the season. But it was still a pintail, and the biggest pintail we took. It was huge. I cannot tell you how proud I am. Even though he took a second pintail later, it was the first that really counts as memorable. I can still remember him shouting out,”I got one!I got one!” after he hit it, a solid hit at about 30 yards. The duck went down clean, didn’t even twitch after it hit the water. This is perhaps the most awesome shot I have ever witnessed(even though I admit bias in this case).
Posted By:
golferrjl
Web Member
Camp Lejeune, NC 11-11-2010 12:10
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Observed several flights of both puddle and diver duck on 6 Nov 2010 while deer hunting near the inland waterway.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Nuese River 11-06-2010 15:09
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
I went out for a quick scouting trip with my son Logan, his BLM puppy Shadow(who will be off to the trainer in about 3 weeks)and my CLF Dixie. We put in at a unimproved boat ramp on the Neuse River. In spite of it’s somewhat isolated location, this ramp is utilized by a lot of fishermen in the summer and a few deer hunters(who like to drift the river)in the winter. This morning was no exception, we actually had a deer hunter pull up to launch just as we were leaving the ramp.
The river is down, but navigable. Barely. We hit the water heading upstream from the ramp and then turned off the river into the creek we wanted to scout. With the water down, the creek has become a virtual minefield of stumps,fallen trees and submerged debris. In fact, I hit a submerged stump I had never encountered before and sheared a fin off my prop, as well as putting a inch long crack in my transom. I will take the necessary steps to repair both problems this week.
In spite of this, it was a productive morning. We saw a lot of wood ducks, several flocks of teal. and interestingly, a huge number of turkeys(we are storing that little bit of info for the turkey season). The cold weather we are having(with nights in the high 30’s, low 40’s)are moving in ducks. Migrating ducks that are easier to hunt than locals that know every nook and cranny of the local water.
My hunting partner, my son and myself have a draw hunt for the Spring Creek Waterfowl Impoundment for the Nov opener on the 13th. It is planned for us to head to the impoundment on Thursday to check it out to determine if we are going there or if we are going to one of several excellent locations that I have located in the last few weeks.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Roanoke River 11-03-2010 16:41
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 35-40 Degrees
Went out to do a little scouting on the Roanoke River and it was a nice day. My boat is finally starting to run right, for some reason, it has performed flawlessly for the entire summer of fishing, only to start to screw up as the season approached. But it seems to be right now, all lights are 100% and the motor cranked up easily and ran perfectly. I am happy.
I went to scout out a small creek off the Roanoke that I found some years ago but have not hunted. That will change this year as I found ducks in the creek. I saw two flocks of teal flying(four in one flock, five in the other) and jumped up several flocks of ducks in the creek. One was a group of woodies, approx. 10 birds, another was a group of at least twenty teal. That does not include singles and doubles of woodies jumped up as I ran up the creek.
A good day on the water. I pulled out about 8:00am and went to the ramp. I loaded up and hit the road, just as it began to rain. Perfect timing as I rode home in the pouring rain. Could not have been a better day scouting
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Pamlico River 10-30-2010 11:23
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
My son and I went out for a little scouting trip on the Pamlico River. Of course, Dixie the wonderdog and Shadow the spastic pup came along for the trip. We got out to the unimproved ramp in good time and set out to see if there were any ducks around. After a short run up the creek from the ramp, we set up where the creek widened up into a marsh grass flat. A flock of 8 or so came over about 20 yards to the north of our position. After about 10 minutes, 2 woodies came in straight on us, setting wings and coming right on in. Man, that hardly ever happens after the season opens.
We spotted some more ducks off a hundred or so yards to the east, flying south to north. This was all I needed to know, we picked up and eased out in order to limit our impact.
Things are looking up for the Nov. opener.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Cape Fear River 10-27-2010 11:31
Cloudy, High Winds – Over 70 Degrees
Went out to do some scouting outside my normal stomping grounds and went to scout a location on the Cape Fear River. I was looking in that area on Google Earth for some interesting terrian when I found a previously undiscovered boat ramp as well as what looked like a awesome cypress swamp off the river itself.I do this a lot, when I find the property, I then locate the landowner and try get permisson to hunt there. I have some spots that I am the only person allowed to hunt there that I found this way.
I got out there early and set out upstream from the ramp. I jumped up a few woodies and located a nice little backwater-type location (that was dry now due to low water). Will be interesting to check out when the water is higher. Went downstream from the ramp and found the water more navigable and jumped up several large groups of woodies in a small area about a mile from the ramp.
I picked up the boat and went to find the cypress swamp, armed with a satellite photo from Google Earth and a road map. I found the location, but the locked gate on the road and the 15 or so posted signs stuck to the gate and the posts convinced me that it was not worth the phone call to try to get permission. This landowner was serious about tresspassers. He had signs warning what would happen if he caught you on his property. He had signs warning what law enforcement would do. He had signs warning that his land was registered with the state as a turkey sanctuary. Not only was his gate locked, but the hinges were locked to the gate and the gate was locked to the fenceposts on the hinge side. And he had closed circuit security(I think being beamed to a nearby outbuilding). Anyone putting that much effort into keeping people out isn’t going to grant permission to anyone to go in there.
Oh well, it was worth a try.
But all in all, I now have a new location in the mix for this upcoming season on the river itself.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Hyde Co. 10-24-2010 07:09
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
I went out with my son Logan,his new BLM puppy Shadow and my 10 year old CLF Dixie to scout the northern shore of the Pamlico Sound for some sign of ducks. We got to a small, almost completely unused boat ramp I found some years ago but I have only hunted it once.
You will remember this as the place where I had a flock of 100 or more Canada geese coming into my decoys, feet set, only to have a bass fisherman blow into my decoy spread at Mach II in his high speed bass boat to ask directions. The geese were so close, and so noisey, I wasn’t able to hear his 150hp motor approaching. I was angry and told him so. Since that day(several years ago)I have not been back.
We got up at 4 am and set out. We discovered that Shadow the spastic pup had destroyed the floor liner of his kennel in the back of the truck. Fine. Let the little monster have a cold butt. See if I care. Actually I do care, but I am not buying another $32 dollar floor pad until he is through destroying everything he can get his little teeth on.Razor sharp little teeth. We made good time and arrived at the small ramp in the pre-dawn darkness.
After getting the blind ready, we set out. We arrived at the spot in good time and set up the blind.It is a spot were the small tree-choked creek opens up into a large shallow marsh grass flat. At sunrise we had a flock of 3 woodies come through. They went right by us, never saw us. This is good info and a good spot for the season when it reopens. We waited about 20 minutes and a flock of 5 went through, same flight path up the creek we had just exited. In about another 20 minutes, a flock of 8 went right over us. We saw a huge flock of some kind of duck(but was unable to discern the species)about 300 yards away, flying towards the sound.
We pulled up and out in order to put as little disruption on the spot as possible. We are coming back here in Nov.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Neuse River 10-09-2010 10:45
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Went out for a good Sat. hunt and we decided to hunt local. Most of our coastal spots get covered up by fishermen in the early season, it is not worth the trip to go two hours to shoot one wood duck.
We set up in a small section of flooded timber upstream from Kinston. We saw a few ducks, but not enough to get excited about and we did not fire a shot.
We are seeing only local wood ducks, and they have learned how to avoid being shot at.
We have a permit hunt for Spring Creek Impoundment for Nov 13th, maybe that will be the trick as the migrators might be here by then..
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Neuse River 10-09-2010 10:41
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
Went out on the Neuse near Kinston. Got out and set up in good time, at least 40 minutes before legal shooting time.
At legal time, a pair of woodies blew through and I did not see them in time to fire. I then had a group of 3 come through and I knocked down a nice drake. I saw ducks up high, but nothing to shoot at.
Called it a day at about 9:30 am.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Washington County 10-09-2010 10:37
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
This is my report for the season opener on Oct 6th. My hunting buddy and myself went to hunt a small creek and we set out a pretty good spread for such a small area. After getting the decoys out, we set up and waited for sunrise(about 1 hr).
Much to our surprise, a hunter showed up 5 minutes before shooting time and motored by us in a sneakbox-type boat. He turned off the main creek into a side creek and went about 100 yards from us. He motored around for the next 30 minutes or so and finally, his boat went silent. We started seeing some ducks and then the other hunter opened up and evidently got one, becuase he recranked his motor and ran around for about another 30 minutes. Then he shut off for about 10 minutes and recranked and rode around for about 30 more minutes and motored past us and left.
After the creek finally went silent,(about 9:30 am)we began to see some ducks. Several flocks went by just out of range and then one buzzed the decoys and my partner splashed a wood duck hen. We sat there about another 40 minutes and I managed to knock down a woodie drake on my 3rd shot. About 11 am we called it a day.
[Edited By Scott-Tolar on 2010-10-09 10:38]
