Author: Webmaster

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Mac 01-22-2006 09:09
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
Well thats it boys, the ducks are safe! I managed 2 mallards on the last afternoon, nothing in the morning.

Mike

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

boston harbor 01-10-2006 14:08
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Had put away the sea duck outfit, but the nice weather got us out. Hunted Boston Harbor. We probably only saw 20 eider, where we used to see hundred. We had about 7 singles / doubles decoy nicely and baqged 4. A beautiful day. Hoping to get out at least once more if the weather cooperates.

Have hunted puddlers in RI a few time. Not as many ducks a prviously. Believe early cold weather sent them further south.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE MA 01-07-2006 14:42
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted a field early on, not one bird came anywhere near our spread, barely anything at all moving! The geese and ducks seemed happy sitting behind the audobaun society. Theres still one snow hanging out with the canadas on the Mac.

Mike

Posted By:
bflather
Guest

North Shore 01-05-2006 16:19
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Got out for another quick hunt this afternoon. There were a ton of birds fying high. Mostly black ducks. Any way I was able to fool one of them (it almost landed in my canoe.) only took that single shot in the hour or so I was out. Black duck on te grill with some chipolte sauce.. MM MMMH good.
Have a good one guys.

Buck

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn Valley 01-04-2006 16:15
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Well was out most of the day Tues, 1/3 in the snow and slush. Called it a day at 3;00pm without seeing one duck or goose. The birds are just flat out gone in my spots. What do I see on the drive home? A small stream that overflowed its banks and created a small pond in someones back yard, probably 100 foot Diameter. And in the center of it swam 8 mallards. Calling it a season, they are just too smart for me this half.

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

North shore 01-03-2006 20:40
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Thought I would chime in here with a field report since its been quiet the last couple of days. I have only been out twice since my last field report.

12/27/05

Did a walk in salt marsh hunt at low tide into the incoming. Saw some ducks but most wanted to be somewhere else. Had a few chances at getting my black but muffed them.

12/29/05

Finally had a chance to use my eider decoys I worked on this summer. Was using a new sea duck rig so wanted to try it for the first time during the day when I could see how it all went. Tides were not good so we had to do an afternoon hunt. Very slow, because glassy conditions and wrong time of day. Had one chance at a hen eider and blew it then a drake oldsquaw snuck through before I saw it. Even though it was slow and we got skunked I was happy to see my decoys float and see a bird decoy to them.

It was just nice to be in a boat again after a month. You know the old saying: The best time to go hunting is whenever you can.

Well, things are not looking for me right now so this might be my last report of the season unless I get some time during late goose.

Have fun and be safe

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

sudbury 12-27-2005 11:29
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 35-40 Degrees
best day this year. the sight of about 30 common mergansers coming strait at my spread was the coolest thing i have ever seen while duck hunting. plenty of mallards all morning a few pintails and a bunch of coot. cd

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE MA Field 12-23-2005 19:59
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
19 mallards and 4 geese between 5 people, amazing outing. So awsome to have hundreds of ducks working the deeks!

Mike

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn Valley 12-22-2005 20:01
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 10-20 Degrees – Ice
In to what it seems now a all too repetious cycle,where the birds are you can’t hunt. Out several morning this week and hunt is over by 7;00am. See a few birds right at legal and few minutes after and that’s it. Sit for another 3 hours and nothing! Tried several other rivers in area (scouting) and not seeing any birds there. Over all not seeing large number of birds anywhere, its a single, a pair, a small flock (3-10) and that’s it. Hopefully the weather change expected over the Xmas holidays will move the birds around some. On the plus seeing alot of nice winter mornings on the river- frost on the trees, a fog coming off the water, muskrats, otters and mink moving around. Good holidays to all.

Posted By:
Tim C.
WFC Sponsor

South Shore 12-22-2005 19:57
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
Went out this am and have very few birds flying. The ice is becomming a major problem if we do not get a good warm up it could be over soon. We did see good numbers of geese, but they were high and had their minds set on a destination. Good luck to all and have a Merry Christmas. Tim

Posted By:
bflather
Guest

Ipswich 12-22-2005 17:30
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Got out for a quick hunt this afternoon(about an hour & half). Managed two greenheads and two Hens (for me that’s a banner day). I did some camo work to the canoe wjith some berlap and such. I think it really helped. The birds decoyed 100% better then they did just a few days earlier. Good luck all. Merry Christmas!
Buck

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Sailsbury 12-20-2005 18:28
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Managed one black duck, only saw a few mallards and other black ducks landing on the ice, all of the smaller creeks appeared to be locked up, looks like this next warm front could make or break the rest of our season..

Mike

Posted By:
ducksnpucks
Guest

Sailsbury,Plumb Island,Amesbury 12-20-2005 08:59
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
Hunted from shore.Tough to find open water wher dog could make retrive.Most creeks iced over.Saw mallards,blacks,goldeneye,old squaw,hoodies and geese.Ice was not so bad on the out going or early incomming,but it was tough other then that.

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn Valley 12-18-2005 15:28
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
After scouting all week long in anticipation of 2nd half opener 12/16 had area picked out. All week long cold weather slowly froze up much of the river, and I found two spots with consist birds. Opening day brings above freezing temps and rain/ freezing rain. Lots of hooded merganers flying early, must of seen 75-100. Puddle ducks sporatic, but managed to get 2 drake and a hen mallard by 7:15am. Good thing, didn’t see another puddle duck till 3:30pm, a hen mallard. I was the only person out in area.
Next day I return to same area figuring ssaturday hunters will move birds around. 8:30am and yet to see anything, heard seven shots just a little upriver. Left at 9:00am still having seen nothing, pass by hunter upriver. No face mask, huge glasses, dark green camo with snow on the ground– and he tells me he has never had a better day this late in season, has 4 birds all drake mallards, says you wouldn’t believe how they just zero’d in on his decoys. Go figure.

Posted By:
anvilman
Guest

12-18-2005 11:56
– – –
Hey I just wanted to put my 2 cents in on this new sudbury assabet and concord river hunting.I scouted it a few times this past summer and wasted my time they only allow 35 hunters and want to have a lottery and charge $20 Dollers to register just another way for our govt and agencey,s to get more money out of our pockets All of us who buy Hunting Licences Pay that extra $5 Bucks to buy and purchase these lands and open them up to everybody not just a chosen few in a lottery .Anything to make it more difficult to hunt and fish in this state and i dont see where they only allow 35 people who want to canoe or fish these riversDo they have a lottery to fish and have to pay a $20 fee

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

open day central/ wayland sudbury 12-16-2005 15:44
Cloudy, Snow & Rain Mix – 35-40 Degrees
boy was it a weird day out there. good thing i brought the 8 pound sledge to get on the sudbury. nice amount of geese flying but only saw a few ducks. real nasty. cd

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Nantucket 12-16-2005 12:38
– – –
This is not duck hunting related but still pretty big hunting news nonetheless.
___________________________________________

State board cancels February deer hunt
By Jason Graziadei

I&M Staff Writer

The controversial February deer hunt is no more. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife board voted 6-1 Tuesday to cancel the one-week special season which had provoked frustration and anger among island residents ever since it ended earlier this year.

The board’s decision came three weeks after it held a public hearing on Nantucket to discuss the February hunt. At that time, residents gave the board an earful about the negative impacts of the special season and demanded that it be canceled.

Members of the ad-hoc group which led the opposition to the hunt, known as the February Group, celebrated the board’s decision this week and said they were grateful that public officials at both the local and state level had respected their wishes.

“I am thrilled,” said Joanne Marcoux. “This was as big as election day. I’m really encouraged by this, and one of the best things is we had a town government that made a decision a year ago and turned around and realized they had made a mistake.”

Other members of the February Group, including Richard Cooper, Carol Black and Beverly McLaughlin, said they were elated that nearly a year of making phone calls, writing letters and research had paid off.

“I’m ecstatic. I couldn’t be happier,” McLaughlin said. “We worked very hard for this. The elected officials listened to us. They weren’t always happy, but they did listen. This is democracy working.”

The February hunt, in which 246 deer were killed over six days, was conceived as a way to reduce the incidence of tick-borne diseases on Nantucket, which health officials believe to be the highest in the country. It was approved by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) board in late 2004 at the request of the Board of Selectmen and the Tick Awareness Group, led by Dr. Tim Lepore, a surgeon at Nantucket Cottage Hospital and recognized authority on tick-borne diseases.

But the inaugural February hunt ended in controversy earlier this year, and opponents bombarded the selectmen with complaints, prompting the board to reverse course and declare the special season a mistake. Numerous residents grumbled about hunters on private property, on public roads, and other inappropriate behavior. During the public hearing three weeks ago, many questioned the science behind the hunt, and said there was little or no evidence showing that a reduction in the deer herd would result in fewer cases of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, babesiosis or ehrlichiosis.

“We’re all extremely happy, everyone in the group, and relieved,” said Cooper. “We put in a lot of time and effort and it’s been an interesting experience.”

The lone member of the DFW board who voted to continue the hunt, Dr. Joseph Larson, an endangered species habitat specialist, said the written and oral testimony the board received was not based on science or facts, and he was concerned about the public health threat from tick-borne diseases.

“None of the testimony at the hearing or in the material sent to the board had any credible reference to public health or science,” Larson said. “There were people who said they’d had a tick-borne disease or were at risk, but still didn’t want the hunt to proceed.

They were asking that the permanent and summer residents and visitors of Nantucket to accept the same level of risk. That was my concern.”

Larson also said the Board of Selectmen was put in a difficult position because it doubles as the Board of Health.

“I have a lot of sympathy for the selectmen,” Larson said. “They can’t realistically make a decision based on public health and do the right thing and still wear the hat as selectmen. It’s almost impossible to ask people to put on one hat and forget they wear the other hat.”

George Darey, the chairman of the DFW board, said the public hearing left him and other board members perplexed because it appeared as if Nantucket’s elected officials and residents were accepting the public health threat posed by tick-borne diseases.

“The selectmen, it’s their island and they don’t consider it a public health problem, evidently,” Darey said. “They screamed they don’t want the hunt anymore, so we went out there again and got lambasted pretty well. But that’s the name of the game.

“I was flabbergasted when I sat there and watched the Board of Selectmen get up there. I don’t know if they were talking as the Board of Health or the Board of Selectmen. But this is what the people of Nantucket want and that’s fine. I just feel sorry for the people who come to Nantucket and don’t know it has the highest rate of Lyme disease in the country. You won’t see me go there for vacation. I’ve never seen a public hearing like that in my life. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

Darey said he was frustrated that the board had changed its position on the hunt, but added that they would respond in the future if the island’s elected officials requested additional hunting regulations.

“Am I frustrated? Yes. Do I mind traveling there? No. But there’s a lot of other places in the state that want to see the Fisheries and Wildlife board,” Darey said. “If they come to us to ask for help again, of course, we’ll be right there. We don’t back away from things.”

Some of the few Nantucketers who supported the hunt, including Lepore and health director Richard Ray, said they had expected the DFW board to cancel the hunt, but maintained that the island must still address its tick problem.

Lepore said the cancellation of the special season would allow the deer population to rebound and the high incidence of tick-borne diseases would remain, or possibly increase. He said the island has an average of 175 cases of documented tick-borne diseases annually between May and September, but that number does not take into account the summer residents who leave Nantucket and are diagnosed elsewhere.

The island also has one of the densest deer populations in the state. Prior to the inaugural hunt, the DFW had estimated that there were between 1,600 and 2,400 deer on Nantucket, equivalent to 40 to 60 deer per square mile.

“If that’s what the Board of Selectmen wants to do, let them live with it,” Lepore said.

“They don’t feel that having the highest rate of Lyme disease in the country is a significant health issue. It’s frustrating, and it’s going to be another spring and summer coming up and people are going to be screaming about why we have so many ticks and Lyme disease, and they can go to the Selectmen.”

Ray said the Health Department is planning to step up its public relations campaign regarding tick-borne diseases. Although he had supported the February hunt, Ray said he respected the decision of the Board of Health.

“I think we have to step up our public relations efforts with regard to this, and we’ll be discussing the things people can do to protect their property and themselves,” Ray said.

“My board is the Board of Health and they didn’t vote in favor of the hunt and I have to support that. If I had a lament, it’s that the real reason we were doing this was lost.

There was very little discussion about the true public health threat.”

Even with the special season canceled, members of the February Group said their work was not over, and that they looked forward to finding an alternative approach to combating tick-borne diseases.

“We’re going to first catch our breath, and then move onto the next phase,” Cooper said.

“We didn’t have the intention of walking away from this issue. We’re exploring other alternatives for the overall picture. First, we would like to go after an accurate deer count.

The first step is to see where we are now.”

Posted By:
Tim C.
WFC Sponsor

South Shore 12-16-2005 10:39
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Went to a little out of the way spot this am and after breaking a fair amount of ice we had a great morning flight. The two of us got our limit of green heads,black ducks and one goose by 8am. One of the best mornings of hunting in a long time. Shoot straight and have fun. Tim

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE MA 12-13-2005 16:43
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Finally saw 2 groups of GE’s this afternoon, buddy got one mergie and made a NICE 50yrd shot that stoned a BIG black before it hit the ground, and with steel #4’s none the less! Good to see the creeks free of ice and the marsh mostly free of ice and snow. Still some blacks around, anyone think we still have one or two more pushes left? Saw 2 flocks of geese heading south as well.

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Refuge 12-11-2005 10:12
Arctic Blast – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Went for a little jump shoot Friday during the blizzard, managed to jumpe a drake mallard and a double banded black duck, complete with a 100 dollar reward band to boot! Still not seeing many divers on the Mac, maybe there still on there way? Sailsbury seems void of all edible life, still many mergies to be shot though. Lots of geese around, finishing them into 12″ of snow was tough yesterday, but we got one flock to land 20yrds behind us, directly between our spread and the houses 700-800ft away, no love. Later we decoyed some birds in the right direction and had some good shooting. Hopefully this new front won’t freeze us up, with the amount of ice I saw yesterday, It looks like we need some warm weather FAST, or we may be icedout within a couple weeks easy, and we have a late season this year..

Mike

[Edited By Mike F. on 2005-12-11 10:12]

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Sunday hunting legislation 12-05-2005 09:17
– – –
I know this is not a field report but so few people view the discussion forum that I thought it would be ok to post this here.

A proposal before the Massachusetts legislature would allow Sunday hunting statewide.

House Bill 4517, sponsored by Rep. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, would repeal the state’s Sunday hunting prohibition. The bill was introduced on Nov. 17 and awaits action in the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Currently, 39 states permit Sunday hunting while 11 states prohibit or heavily restrict it. Sunday hunting provides an additional day in the field, which can be a great opportunity for sportsmen and sportswomen who work during the week.

Several states, including Maryland and Ohio, have recently eased restrictions on Sunday hunting. Ohio has found that it is the day with the fewest hunting complaints.
____________________________________________

Now that the legislation has been assigned to commitee, it cannot hurt to speak up again. Seeing that the bill was assigned to the Public safety commitee, I really do not think it stands a snow balls chance in hell. Not that it would anyway, but especially with this commitee. Generally, bills with sportsmen’s interest are assigned to the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Commitee. I think this bill is going to die in committee. Still, I applaud Rep. Gobi’s effort and it cannot hurt to let your State Rep. know that there are constituents out there that want this bill to pass.

[Edited By Mike M. on 2005-12-05 13:33]

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

North Shore 12-04-2005 12:45
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
I hunted last Tuesday (11/29) with my Dad. We saw a lot of puddlers and enough divers to keep things interesting. Had some good shooting and a mixed bag with a mallard, by far the most beautiful green wing teal drake I have ever killed, goldeneye, and a couple of bufflehads.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE MA 12-04-2005 08:50
– – –
Lots of geese around, also good numbers black ducks. While there are deffenetly still some mallards around, it seems like a bunch of them left with the last push of GW’s last week. Haven’t seen any gaddies or widgion around, but I never do anyways. One thing we are missing is divers, I haven’t seen a GE or any decent numbers of buffies anywhere besides one flock in the channel of the Mac a week ago. This doesn’t surprise me too much since I shot two teal the day after Thanksgiving. I wonder if we will get one massive push of them over the next week with the predidted sup freezing temps.

Mike

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

merrimack 12-01-2005 10:24
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
went for a ride early this morning and found the ducks hugging close to the bank of the back river and to the marshes due to the low tide. also saw a raft of divers out by the toothpick a little out of the norm, must be a front pushing them in close to shore…. also saw my first brant this morning down by umass boston.. good sign of things to come i hope… cd

Posted By:
bflather
Guest

North & South Shore 11-28-2005 10:32
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
I was able to get out for a very quick hunt on T-day on the north shore. The weather was perfect. And the birds decoyed well. Had my black in hand by 6:45. And then completely fanned on a group of about 10-12 greenheads. Ugghh.. Then on Saturday I went down to the south shore near Westport Ma. and hunted with my dad. Again a quick hunt but we both got our blacks and the birds again decoyed very well. In all it’s been a great start to what I hope is a great year.. Good luck to all and be safe..

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn Valley 11-27-2005 16:07
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Finished out 1st half yesterday attempting to decoy mallards on a local small river. Four mallards showed up just after legal and was able to get one shot off and dump a drake. That was it for the next 4 hours. Didn’t see another duck. Several groups of geese flew by going to local corn fields which are of course posted. Too high for any shot. Over all not a bad 1st half even though were real thin the last 2 weeks. Up a tree stand tomorrow for deer.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE Costal 11-24-2005 14:52
Cloudy, Snow & Rain Mix – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
What a way to kick off the second half! Dad and I made it out early this morning and were rewarded with 8 mallards. The geese were another story, we got busted from every imaginable angle, and the ones that didn’t see us just didn’t want anything to do with us. Any day you get to shoot 2 limits of mallards with your Dad is a good time.

Mike

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

south shore 11-24-2005 08:25
Cloudy, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Plan A this morning was to canoe the marsh and set up some dekes for coastal. After noting how high the winds were we made the smart decision not to launch.

Initiate plan B. Went to a different marsh for a jump shoot. We were’nt five minutes into our walk when the birds went up right where we expected them to.

A thanksgiving black duck for each of us.
Hope others were able to get out today.

Bill

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn Valley 11-21-2005 15:36
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
Still a void of ducks, did extended scouting of major rivers in area and did not see one duck on the rivers. Alot of ponds and backwashes have some degree of skim ice. Geese on the other hand are extremely heavy. Hunted corn fields today and last Friday. Friday birds were spooky and although would check the decoys out, would not commit. Calling would bring the birds back but range was 65-70 yds and beyond what we would attempt with steel bb. Back this morning with 11/2oz hevi-shot #2 hand loads, and sitting on fence row between fields. Even though we saw about 250 geese in groups of 5-25, they still did not want to commit to a now empty field. Slowly about 30 birds total finally did put down. We were able to pass shoot our birds on a couple of flocks. Range was probably 60-70 yards. All clean one shot kills with multiple hits in breast area. Good thing we had the hevi-shot and patternmaster tubes.
Hopefully the expected incoming rough weather will push some ducks down.

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

south shore 11-21-2005 11:43
– – –
Hunted Sat and Mon. finally saw some eider. Shot very poorly, but still got a few. Nice to see the population has not completely crashed or moved to a totally different spot.

Posted By:
ducksnpucks
Guest

Northeast MA 11-19-2005 21:11
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
Iced over.Opened a hold.Birds went to open water.Sun hit decoys in hole we opened in ice.3 mallards from 3 flocks.Good shooting.Dog did very well getting downed birds that went thruogh ice.Anyone down on the south shore seeing much action? Have a cousin that lives down that way looking for a point in the right direction.

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn Valley 11-15-2005 15:59
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 45-50 Degrees
Not seeing many ducks of late. Last 7-10 days the ducks have been thin, however the geese have been extremely heavy. Heavy movement of geese the first couple of hours each morning. Get a burst of ducks (mallards and gwt) each morning starting several minutes before legal lasting about 15 minutes, then they don’t seem to be moving for several hours, seeing singles and pairs flying thru around 10am. Overall still a better season than last year, as at least seeing birds. Few blacks seen here and there.

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

south shore 11-14-2005 09:23
– – –
Out for sea ducks sat and monday. My spots just aren’t working any more. Where we used to see 100’s of eider and lots of scoter and actually shoot a few, we aren’t seeing much and aren’t shooting anything. Will have to start scouting for better spots. Maybe the Cape. Unfortunately, we have motor issues so range from launch sites is restricted.

Posted By:
ducksnpucks
Guest

the most northeast part of MA you could get 11-12-2005 20:09
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
Friday,many geese and many,many,many ducks.Just a good day all around.Saterday better shooting led to more bagged ducks,but not as many ducks around.Friday, saw mallards,Blacks,canadas,and blue bills.Saterday, saw blacks and mallards.

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

Sea ducks… 11-09-2005 13:56
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
Well, after a few uneventful hunts in the tree stands I needed some action. Luckily my good friend Capt. Dave Bitters of Baymen Outfitters invited me for a sea duck hunt today. We set out a few lines of eider blocks and one line of scoter blocks.

The action started right away with 2 eider drakes quickly in the bag. The eiders were eager to decoy today. We both had our four bird limit of eider drakes by 8:30. I also took a nice surf scoter drake. We were holding out for an oldsquaw but there were few around. We enjoyed watching the eiders come to the decoys well after we had our limits. Talk about restraint, but it was fun to watch.

If you have’nt been out on the big water for these birds you’re missing a great experience. I’ve been sea ducking for years and still get a real thrill from it.

Bill

Posted By:
Isaac514
Guest

western mass 11-09-2005 11:20
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Waterfowl wednesday is back, we shot our four birds and got out of the field. A serious amount of birds have showed up in the last two days, driving to work at 8:30 I went by a field that cant be hunted because of location to homes and it was totally covered with geese. The geese were starting to walk into the yards, there were also several birds with bright, new yellow collars mixed in. Good luck !!

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

sudbury river / great meadows 11-06-2005 07:35
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
first time out this year. hunted the afternoon session.. river was so high that there was anyplace else than were i was set up for the local ducks to land for the night. due to the weather and water levels it seems the migrating ducks have not arrived yet… the only shots taken were two at a flock of greenwings doing about ninety through my spread… first two shots of the year and a miss…. my second chance were at some blacks. one shot one miss..i guess that when the inland small ponds freeze over this river is going to be the balls to hunt… the vastness of the area i hunted was a blessing compared to the small ponds normally hunted with so many people shooting it up … remember this is a permit only hunt area… if you hunt without a permit the feds will throw the book at you…. be careful. best to all cd

Posted By:
Isaac514
Guest

NY & Western MA 11-05-2005 17:57
Cloudy, Heavy Fog – 40-45 Degrees
ok, hunted NY on 10-30 shot my 3 bird limit out of 2 flocks, no major task if you have ever been to NY along the hudson. Hunted deer mid-week instead of waterfowl, with some success in NY at our camp. Hunted this morning with my friend and his two sons ages 12 and 15, I think I was more excited then them but not by much. Well Holy fog Santa thank you very little, birds were in this field previous 3 days but would not drop into the ground fog. We could look up thru the fog to see them but they could not see us I assume, hope everybody else did alot better than us. I will take another shot of new migrants also if anybody could help!! Good luck guys.

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

south shore 11-01-2005 10:38
– – –
Hunted sea ducks mon and tues. Eider are in. Saw lots in the distace but they weren’t headed our way. For some reason birds were flaring my set up on mon. Added some camo and seemed to do better tues. (No ducks due to really bad shooting but they came in better.)Hoping to get out more this week before the next hurricane heads north.

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

10-31-2005 15:04
– – –
isaac great reports from the western part of the state…. looks like you are the only one getting any shooting… keep it up

Posted By:
Isaac514
Guest

western ma 10-30-2005 12:00
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 35-40 Degrees
We shot our limit of 4 geese, despite having a group of guys set up at sunrise about 150 yards away. Absolutely speechless with the degree of skybusting that we saw, easily 75+ yard shooting. We saw one bird that was hit sail into a neighborhood and 10 minutes later the family is in the side yard looking at the bird. No bands or collars, just cant understand the way some people have such disregard for others!

Posted By:
Isaac514
Guest

Franklin county 10-26-2005 11:29
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 35-40 Degrees
Hunted a flooded corn field with a friend and his dad. We shot 6 out of the first flock, could of used a fly swatter if we wanted to. Will take the easy ones when we get a chance. No bands or collars, please be carefull on the high water areas.

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

boston harbor 10-25-2005 09:12
– – –
Hunted Boston Harbor on last friday. The spot usually has sea ducks, especially eider by the hundreds. Saw one small flock in the distance. That was it. I’m hoping they are all still up north. My friend who rides the ferry to work has seen nothing eihter. Got my fingers crossed for Nov. Hopefully Hurricane season is over by then.

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Conn River Valley 10-23-2005 20:09
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 45-50 Degrees
What a tremendous difference from last year. Alot of birds around, spread out however because of all the rain and the resulting high water. Staying away from the large rivers and lakes, I am finding most of the birds useing flooded fields and swamps adjacent to the large rivers and lakes. Doing alot of wading in beaver ponds for woodies and teal and seeing good numbers. Have seen more birds already this year than whole first half season of last.

Posted By:
Isaac514
Guest

CT river valley 10-23-2005 10:24
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 35-40 Degrees
Hunted with a friend in cut corn shot our 4 canadas and a mallard by 7:30. One mature snow goose mixed in but didnt want to commit to the decoys, totally avoided the spread. Not alot of birds for this time of year but all decoyed close enough to look for collars and bands. Good luck and keep it safe.

Posted By:
Richard-Foxx
Guest

Bad News for the Atlantic Flyway 10-20-2005 09:10
– – –
As most of you know, I was Sea Duck Hunting with a few members of this site the last 2 days.

As hunting goes, during lulls in the action conversation starts. We talked about a variety of topics one of which was the direction and the recommendations of the Atlantic Flyway Council.

Some of the recommendations that they wanted to implement this year was “Hunter’s Choice”. I can guarantee you that this will be a hot topic again next year.

Hunter’s Choice would be this. We will have a 4 bird limit. This could be all “4 limit birds” like Mallards.However, there would be no restrictions on hen Mallards so theoretically you could shoot 4 Hen Mallards. Teal, Gadwall’s, Wigeon and Shoveler’s would also fit into this category.

A bird with a 2 bird limit like Bluebills, Wood Ducks and Red Heads would effect you like this. You shoot 2 Bluebills. No more 2 bird limit specie’s. No Red Heads. No Wood Ducks. Now you can only shoot 2 Mallards, both of which could be Hens. You could also finish off this limit with the other 4 bird specie’s, Wigeon, Gadwall’s etc. Or, Merganser’s.

Your 1 bird limit specie’s, Canvasback’s, Black Duck’s and Pintails. Shoot a Can, no Pintail. Shoot a Pintail, no Can. Shoot a Black, no Pinatail or Can. You now have three birds left to fill you bag.

One of the disturbing things to happen this year is that Merganser’s now count against your daily bag limit.

The Flyway Council Rep from Ontario wants to increase and ease restrictions on Snow Geese as they are destroying their breeding habitat, farmers crops and marsh’s. For some reason, there is tremendous opposition to this from this Council. Why?

We have only a few strong voices for the hunters, one of whom is Paul Castelli the Head Biologist from New Jersey who is their Flyway Council Representative.

There are a few other hunters on the Flyway Council but none who speaks with the knowledge of the resource and conviction to work with hunters like Paul.

We need to fight this trend to restrict our hunting rights. If this is implemented next year it will decidely impact your hunt and make up of your bag.

This type of Daily Bag Limit will severly restrict yours and my hunting rights and opportunities.

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

south shore 10-18-2005 12:27
– – –
Out this am for sea ducks. Basically, I saw very little, which is a bit unusual. Got off about 5 shots at some half decoying eiders. That was it. I’m hoping the birds are just not here yet. I am a bit concerned about the large drop off in birds, especially eider, in my area over the last 10 -12 years.

Posted By:
James Brady
Guest

North Shore private access to inland river 10-17-2005 21:24
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 50-60 Degrees
Got out ontime openning day but could not find the blind in the dark due to the fact that the water level rose between Monday when we set our blind up and Thursday morning. Had to set up in a make shift spot but no matter the irds were flying really well. Mostly woodies with some mallards and a few GWT. Did really well. Three of us had our woodie limits in the first 20 minutes. The second day weather conditions were much the same but had another hunter up the river that was not there openning day. Therfore, we got about 1/3 of the opportunities we had for the openner. Two of us ended up with three birds. Hunted a fresh water lake in Maine on Saturday and shot a few mallards and a wood duck.

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

south shore/central and coastal 10-15-2005 21:12
Cloudy, High Winds – 50-60 Degrees
Well action has picked up since Wednesday. In the blind at first light this morning. Lots of quick flights early on and steady action into the late morning. Our shooting performance could have been a lot better. All the birds today inland were woodies and boy did we miss. It was’nt until my buddies left that I settled down and took two woodies with one shot (my first) over the decoys.

Off to back river marsh in Duxbury for a 2 hour coastal hunt and it payed off. Low tide but enough water for my 3 bean cork decoys to ride the creek waters. As soon as I set up ducks were moving. A few teal and black ducks. At 5:45pm I called in a black duck and it decoyed perfectly ten yards behind my last block. Hunt over. I should’ve had a bag of six today but we all can’t always be on in our shooting right?

Bill

Posted By:
pworkman
Guest

south shore 10-12-2005 14:19
– – –
hunted sea ducks last friday. 4 scoter. did not see a single eider which is very unusual. Hoping to get out if the weather ever clears.
checked out a close in central zone spot and did not kick up one duck.
Hopefully weather and duck numbers will improve

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

south shore 10-12-2005 12:55
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 50-60 Degrees
Openeing day tradition continued today with Capt David Bitters of Baymen Outfitters in my blind. It was great to be out again but I don’t have much to report. No shots fired today. There were a few birds around. Mallards, teal, woodies and geese but no opportunities for shooting. The usual early flurry of flights was not there this morning. I think once this weather pattern changes things will improve. Out again this weekend…stay tuned

Bill

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

10-12-2005 12:27
– – –
is there anyone home……

Posted By:
Kirk-Gately
Field Editor

10-01-2005 16:54
– – –
I’ll do my usual Christmas week report but that’s about it.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

09-29-2005 16:57
– – –
Just wondering, do we have a VFE for MASS this season? Where’d Tim run off to?

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Northeastern part of the State 09-10-2005 14:04
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 60-65 Degrees
Hunted with my dad thismorningm we were rewarded with an impressive amount of birds in the air, enough of them found there way right smack into the decoys, pics to follow. Awsome way to start the season.

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE Corn 09-08-2005 14:38
– – –
Not too many birds moving this afternoon, hopefully it will improve

Posted By:
XX Buckshot
Guest

Mass. Waterfowl Hearings 08-10-2005 05:52
– – –
MASS WATERFOWL HEARINGS… The annual hearing to set dates for waterfowl hunting in Massachusetts will be held on August 25th at 7 PM at the U Mass Cranberry Experimental Station on Bog Rd just off Rt. 25(US 495) in E. Wareham, Ma. The framework is set by the Feds but we have input as to dates, etc with-in that framework so if you want a voice in your hunting season..BE THERE…..Dave Mac Eachern

Posted By:
bflather
Guest

Just waiting but it will be Ipswich 05-19-2005 11:45
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 50-60 Degrees
Just thought I would pass along a fact that my friend Kenley reminded me about……
“Only about 4 months until early goose season boys….” Till then it’s striper time!!
Have a great summer!

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

MassWildlife News 02-20-2005 06:42
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ENTER THE JUNIOR DUCK STAMP CONTEST BEFORE MARCH 15:

“There’s still time to enter the Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp contest,” advises MassWildlife Education Coordinator Pam Landry. “Any student, from kindergarden through grade 12, regardless of whether they attend public school, private school or are home-schooled, can submit original artwork for this fun and educational competition.”

The Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) Program was launched in 1991 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to increase young people’s awareness of the importance of preserving wetland habitats and the delights of wildlife watching. Entries are reviewed in four categories representing grades K – 3, grades 4 – 6, grades 7 – 9 and grades 10 – 12. All entrants are recognized for their efforts with the top 25 receiving prizes in each age category. The overall state winner represents Massachusetts at the National Competition in Ocean City, Maryland.

“JDS is really a lesson in conservation through the arts, so everyone who participates is a winner,” continues Landry. “Not only is it fun to create a drawing or painting, it’s interesting to learn about the species being drawn so it can be depicted in a natural habitat. I’d love to hear from art teachers, science teachers, and parents who home-school to provide them with all the details. The packets contain materials to stimulate interest in wildlife and habitat protection and describe the incredibly successful story of federal Duck Stamps. Even if someone decides not to enter the art competition, the related information can be valuable in the classroom.”

The entry deadline is March 15, 2005. For more information contact Pam Landry, 508/792-7270 x110, pam.landry@state.ma.us or www.MassWildlife.org.
____________________________________________

CONSERVATION CAMP FOR TEENS:

Enroll a teen in the 2 week Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp. Open to girls and boys from 13-17 years of age, the camp offers a host of outdoor skills sessions relating to fishing, hunting, camping and other recreation, field trips with biologists, a Hunter Safety and Boating Safety course, as well as special guest speakers on natural resources topics Camp will be held in Chesterfield from August 7-19. Deadline to save a slot is May 1. The Mass. Jr. Conservation Camp is a partnership between MassWildlife, Mass Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, the Mass. Environmental Police and the Gun Owner’s Action League. Many sportsmens clubs and conservation groups sponsor area teens. Applications are available at the Camp website at www.juniorconservationcamp.org or by calling MassWildlife at 508/792-7270 or the Gun Owner’s Action League 508/393-5333.

Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest

Mass,RI 02-19-2005 12:54
– – –
Just want to take time and thanks those who hunted with me this past few season it’s been great includeing this year duck were spotty but the GEESE well we put the hurt on land and water , over all it was another great season

Thanks Tim

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

02-16-2005 16:14
– – –
Gotta love it, day after the season closes everytime you look up you see geese, there all over the freshly melted field…

day late and a dollar short

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Merrimac 02-12-2005 17:33
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted with my dad on the Merrimac today, dropped the boat into the water street ramp, lots of geese..sitting 10ft off the road!! Probably saw upards of 300 geese over the course of the afternoon, all kinds of ducks EVERYWHERE you looked. No shots fired..Oh well that was the last hurrah for the year. This year has been awsome, especially for puddle ducks. Only 7 monthes until the sept season..

Bring on the stripers

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

End Of Season 02-09-2005 13:10
– – –
Well, the 2004/2005 Waterfowl season was a great one for Thunder and I. Unfortunately, with the late goose season almost over( 15th ), and a major Northeaster bearing down on us that is sure to close the ramps and water back up as it dumps over a foot of snow on us, I have decided to call it a year. Even walk in hunting will be very, very, difficult now with the return of winter( ie; no way to safely bring dog ).

The guns, clothes, dekes, etc… are cleaned and stowed and this morning the boat was put away in storage. The geese are safe from me for the last few days. They may have been anyway but it is now official.

Amid a lot of hollering from folks in other areas of the country that this was a horrbile year I personally didn’t see that. Oh sure there were some dead periods( see some of my earlier posts and I say as much )but overall this was a great duck & goose season.

I far and away shot the most ducks in a year I ever have. I also shot just a load of Mallards this year out along the coast of NH and MA where over my hunting lifetime they were a rarity. If you shot 3-5 in a year it was a lot yet I had many days this year with 2,3, or 4 Mallards taken. Shot almost as many Mallards as Blacks which was very surprising. I had more multiple bird days this year then ever.

I also can say I saw a lot of ducks as well on the tidal marshes and rivers of MA and the tidal bays and rivers of NH. I won’t say I saw the most I ever have but certainly this year was a top 5. Goose numbers were also high as well and I did my fair share of damage to their population. 🙂

Had some good hunts with friends and family as well as many enjoyable solo outings with just the dog. Hope you all had great years as well.

See you in October.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2005-02-09 13:19]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE MA 02-06-2005 10:42
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Didn’t get out until 8am, spent an hour digging a patch to get my truck through, in the process a flock of 50+ and a small fock of 10-15 birds came over honking like someone just slapped there mother. Finally get my truck though, oil pan intact. Set up, had one line come by, but not a peep, they were heading for Joppa and thats that. 6 hours later:) A double makes the same run, completely ignoring the spread, snobby geese. Hunted until end of shooting time, get home around 545pm, have have a couple HUNDRED birds fly over the house as I was unpacking!!

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Scouting 02-04-2005 15:42
– – –
Scouted the past 2 days after school, some geese in the air but I haven’t been able to find any in the fields, but there certainly starting to look now.. I’ll be out in the am, going to give what Scott did a shot, set up in a field between the river and where I have been seeing geese in the air.

You can’t shoot a goose watching TV..

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Late Season Goose Hunt 02-02-2005 04:52
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Was back after the geese again yesterday( Tuesday Feb 1 ). Saw just a massive raft of them when I arrived. Spent most of the day in a trade zone hoping for a pass shot or two as I left the decoys home. Was too much of a bluebird day for a lot of trading but I did manage 1 goose and flubbed a chance at a pair right over my head and very low( they came right out of the sun and I didn’t know they were there until past me ).

There seems to be at least a couple fields in the area the birds are using as you can see them head in different directions and then go down. Heard shooting from each area as well so I know I am not alone out there.

Lots of geese around just hard getting to them still.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Late Season Goose Hunt 01-30-2005 06:30
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Got out for the first hunt of the late goose. Jumped quite a few geese out of the area I hunted and had hopes for a good hunt. Unfortunately the geese all went a few hundreds yards away and set back in. They proceeded to suck every goose in the area in for the rest of the day. Never fired the gun at a bird or had one come close enough to shoot at despite seeing a lot of geese over the course of the day.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-28-2005 12:34
– – –
Finally found the geese today( scouting )and of course they were all just loafing around in a spot not able to be hunted. Ice is obviously still all over and boating is impossible. Tides are getting higher and are finally starting to open up the edges to expose grass and such on the marsh. The geese should start coming in to feed in a bit. If they do I will try a pack in hunt. TONS of puddle ducks around.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-27-2005 14:54
– – –
Dropped by the ramp today and found a bit more open water than the last time despite the cold temps. With strong winds and tides running higher than normal( high 9’ers to 10’ers )it is causing the ice to break up and blow away. Saw just hundreds and hundreds of Blacks and Mallards today and a HUGE raft of Eiders but no geese. I do think as long as we see a warm spell as we usually do that we will be able to use boats during the late goose

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-25-2005 12:56
– – –
Was very surpised when I dropped down to the boat ramp this morning to see things as good as they are. While things are locked up for sure it is no wheres near as bad as I had envisioned given all the cold we have had. The Merrimack itself was basically open with ice limited to the Plum Island/Newburyport & Salisbury shores. The Salisbury ramp was packed in BUT all the ice was loose and moving freely.

The long range forecast is for these cold temps to moderate come the first of February. Temps in the mid 40’s are coming along with boom tides( 11-12′ ) and some rain. It is highly possible that we could see things open up enough to allow some boat hunting before the late goose season ends. I am very optimistic now barring a change in the long range forecast.

There were hundreds of ducks today feeding along the edges where there was open water( figures – they were no where to be found the last 7-10 days ). Blacks, Mallards, and Gadwalls galore. Was great to see. There were also a lot of Goldeneyes buzzing around here and there. While sitting watching some movement caught my eye out on the river and with the binoc’s I saw a very good sized flock of Canadas head to the edge of the marsh where the snow and ice had been removed by the tide. A closer look through the glasses showed a HUGE raft of geese already there.

Sure got me fired up. Just hope things open back up to allow some hunting before things shut down. Right now walking out on to the marsh is a dangerous risk I am not prepared to take. Too much ice and snow covering the ditches and holes.

Hope some of you are able to get out. Just be careful and safe.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2005-01-25 12:59]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Sailsbury/Area C 01-24-2005 16:01
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Scouted Sailsbury around 10 thismorning, saw 100+ mainly blacks hunkered down across from the ramp, they no when there safe..
Went to area c and dragged the layouts & deeks a 1/2 mile to the hills, didn’t see a single goose in 3 hours.

Mike

Posted By:
glitterperegrine
Supporting Member

01-23-2005 00:10
– – –
Help a little girl out everyone

Mackenzie Maier needs a postcard from you! Mac is a 4 year old with very serious cancer. Her goal is to collect a postcard from every state in the US. Please help her reach her goal by mailing her one today!

Her address is:

Mackenzie Maier
23037 Magnolia Glen Drive
Valencia, CA 91354

They have a website with a guestbook and pictures of her with Santa at:

www2.caringbridge.org/ca/mackenziemaier

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Sailsbury 01-22-2005 17:47
– – –
Went down with my dad around 8am to see what if anything was still unfrozen. Only open water was from the toothpick strait across to PI, good amount of divers and a few eider & old squaw hanging around in the open water, we were going to head back and grab a few fishing rods before we hunted, but decided to give em’ a break.. Did see a nice drake hoodie sitting about 5 feet off the toothpick. Checked out a few goose fields without a trace of activity, looks like this storm might put an end to the late season before it even starts..

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

*** NANTUCKET SPECIAL DEER SEASON PERMITS AVAILABLE *** 01-21-2005 05:49
– – –
While obviously not waterfowl related I am sure many of you hunt deer as well( I do ). Thought this might interest some of you.

MassWildlife release 1/18/2005:

On December 20, 2004, in response to a request from the town of Nantucket, the Fisheries and Wildlife Board voted to allow a one week deer hunting season on Nantucket in February of 2005. This special hunt is part of a long-term management strategy to both reduce high deer density (40-60 deer/square mile) and reduce deer ticks, thereby reducing the incidence of tick-borne diseases. This special deer hunting season will open Monday, February 7 and continue through Saturday, February 12, 2005. Hunters must possess a valid 2005 hunting or sporting license and purchase a Nantucket Special Deer Season permit and tags in order to participate in the Nantucket deer season. The permits required for this hunt will available for purchase on Thursday, January 20, at selected MassWildlife offices and on Nantucket.

Nantucket Special Deer Season Permits may be purchased (cash or check only) at all MassWildlife District Offices (Pittsfield, Belchertown, W. Boylston, Acton, Bourne) as well as the MassWildlife Field Headquarters in Westborough. Nantucket will be selling permits beginning January 24, Monday – Friday from 8AM – 10AM at the Town Clerk’s Office. On the Sunday before the hunt as well as during the week of the season, permits will be available for sale at the deer check station located at the Nantucket Waste Water Treatment Facility on South Shore Road. Permits will not be available to purchase on line. A friend or relative may purchase the permits in the hunter’s place as long as they have that hunter’s 2005 hunting/sporting license and the permit fee. MassWildlife will not accept or process applications for the Nantucket Special Deer Season through the mail. Only one antlered deer tag will be issued to each hunter during the one week season.

The permit will include 5 antlerless deer tags and one antlered deer tag for $25. The permit and tags will be valid only for this February season. The taking of an antlered deer during this February season will not affect the 2005 fall bag limit of two antlered deer. Once a hunter has filled the 5 original antlerless deer tags, he or she may purchase additional tags from the MassWildlife staff at the Nantucket deer check station.

Hunters are reminded they are subject to all hunting laws found in the 2005 MassWildlife Fishing and Hunting Abstracts. Deer hunters may use shotguns, bow and arrows or muzzleloaders. Hunters must wear 500 square inches of hunter orange on chest, back and head. Rabbit hunting with dogs and rifles is prohibited during the one week deer season. Hunting has been and continues to be vital to this conservation and public health effort. Most islanders realize the need for reducing deer density through hunting and welcome responsible hunters. By participating safely, legally and ethically in this special winter season hunt, sportsmen and women will serve an important role in wildlife management on Nantucket.

Further details on the Nantucket Hunt are available at www.masswildlife.org or by calling the Field Headquarters at 508/792-7270.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

*** ICE OUT *** 01-18-2005 13:47
– – –
For the third time since the middle of December we have ice out conditions along the coast( Salisbury/Newburyport/Plum Island ). Even the Merrimack itself is about 1/2 iced over. We did really well this year making it to the last week of the season with mostly open water but it appears old man winter is not going to give us the last week+. There will be no sudden thaw with long range forecasts showing sub freezing weather for some 8-10 days in a row.

While it would be “possible” to launch a boat in Salisbury it is not advisable. The ramp itself is covered with pack ice and with so much in the river and marsh creeks who knows what you might find on your return trip to the ramp? If you somehow managed to launch over all the ramp ice I am not so sure you would be able to get back out later.

Bird numbers appear to be way down as well. Very few puddle ducks around. Still plenty of Eiders and Oldsquaw, and a lot of geese, but not many puddlers in the area. With temps in the single digits( well below zero with wind chill )I have no plans to venture forth and freeze for nothing.

Looks like I am done now until late goose. Hopefully we will get a thaw as we usually do before late goose ends so boats can be used again. If not it is all pack in hunting to the marsh and that is hard work.

Hope you all had as good a year as I did and everyone made it through safe and sound. Good luck during the late goose season. If I am able to get out for it I will post.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2005-01-18 13:49]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Mac 01-18-2005 10:16
– – –
ICE EVERYWHERE

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Merrimac 01-17-2005 17:55
– – –
More ducks then Saturday, but they all moved for the most part at first light and within the last 30 minutes of shooting light. Shot one goose, and passed on lots of old squaw and mergies, I’m going to need another bottle of A-1…

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-17-2005 17:29
– – –
Hit the marsh today and was very surprised to see 95%+ open water. I really thought last nights cold would have begun the ice up process but I guess the high winds helped to keep things open. With temps falling to the single digits and wind chills well below zero due for a while it won’t last.

Not many birds seen. I found a few birds tucked up out of the wind at low tide and attempted a sneak. The marsh was all iced up however and it made walking difficult and slippery. Not to mention noisey. They jumped at maximum range and were soon gone with the wind.

That was it for the day.

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Eastern MA National Wildlife Refuge System to open land to waterfowlers! 01-17-2005 14:22
– – –
This is some of the best news to hit this area in a long, long, time for waterfowlers. I was informed today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has finalized its 15 year management plans. As part of the plan, waterfowl hunting has been adopted and will begin starting in October 2005. Certain areas will also be open to archery deer hunting.

Many of you may remember back in the summer of 2003 when this was proposed. Thank you to all who wrote letters. It made a difference!

Please refer to the state discussion forum for the official particulars regarding this matter.

Posted By:
krobison
Guest

Plum Island 12/15/05 01-17-2005 10:27
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted PI with Buck Flather on saturday, we headed out around noon for a quick hunt on the in coming tide. Saw plenty of blacks, goldeneyes, mergies and a few green heads. Plenty of geese around but not flying our way. We each took a nice black over the decoys. It sure is nice to have open water this late in the season. Hope everyone is still getting out after the birds and enjoying the weather. KRobison.