Author: Webmaster

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-17-2005 04:44
– – –
Sorry this report is late but it is for Saturday 1/15.

Hit the marsh for what very well could be the last boat hunt of the season. Everytime you watch the weather forecast is calls for colder and colder temps this week. It won’t take much to freeze the marsh and river up with the cold that is coming. Hopefully it will open up again during the late goose season at some point as it usually does. It is not looking good though for the rest of the regular duck season.

I was really surprised Saturday to see so many folks out. I think it is fair to say it is the most I have seen during the entire second half in one day. At least a dozen boats were on the marsh. Actually made it hard to go where you needed to in the boat as people were setting up right in the travel channels. Being low tide it made it very difficult to get around.

Anyway, if this was the last day out boat hunting I managed to end it strong with a nice drake Black and a single goose I managed to call in and land on the flooded marsh next to my boat( well almost land – I shot as he stretched his feet out ). Called another flock of geese over but missed that opportunity.

Very few puddle ducks moved into the marsh. I saw approx 40 during the 5 hours I was there. Saw a couple flocks of geese moving as well. Was a very calm day( both wind and water )however and that certainly keeps bird movement down. I do not think however we have a lot of ducks in the area. I think all these storms have moved them out.

LOTS of Sea Ducks around if you can get your boat in and out. There is a large group of Eiders using the river daily and there are still some Oldsquaw around and that same small flock of WW Scoter.

Going to be very cold this week so who knows what it will bring? One thing we know is it will bring a lot of ice. Be careful if you head out and good luck.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Merrimac 01-15-2005 17:29
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted all day today, shot some Old Squaw with my dad, we could have banged out full limits but we were trying for all drakes, saw lots of eider & even a few scoter like Scott said, saw maybe 20 puddlers ALL DAY. Decent diver #’s kicking around, but they were always skirting the spread at 35-40 yards.. Pretty decent goose numbers as well, however I haven’t seen any using the fields in quite a few days now..

Mike

[Edited By Mike F. on 2005-01-15 17:30]

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-15-2005 03:46
– – –
Hunted Thursday( 1/13 )during intense fog and saw very few ducks. Figured it was simply they flew out of site. LOTS of geese however could at least be heard flying into the marsh and I managed a lucky shot at a flock flying back into the fog and dropped a nice bird.

Hunted Friday ( 1 /14 )through the flood tide and saw maybe 20 ducks and one flock of geese. Was raining very hard though and in my experience that tends to ground waterfowl not move them like other forms of bad weather.

Going to try again today( Saturday 1/15 )and HOPE that there are still some ducks around. There were good numbers of them last Tuesday( 1/11 )before the storm on Wednesday( 1 /12 ). Just hoping it didn’t push all the ducks out as has happened twice already this season with December storms. AT least the geese are around in good numbers so that helps.

There are a couple hundred+ Eiders and a couple hundred+ Oldsquaws using the river daily. If anyone wants to get after some Sea Ducks now is the time. Even a few WW Scoter around still. A real cold snap is coming next week and I expect the marsh and ramp to ice up as a result. Not sure how much longer there will be boat access?

Remember to be safe out there and to wear your life jacket while running the boat. The water is COLD!

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

MassWildlife News 01-14-2005 04:20
– – –
HUNTER EDUCATION COURSES POSTED
Beginners and veteran hunters are reminded that it is never too early to sign up for a Basic Hunter Education course. Basic courses are now being offered in several locations around the state and more will be offered this spring. “Taking a course this winter or early spring will assure you of spring turkey hunting opportunities and a full fall season of hunting experience,” observes MassWildlife Hunter Education Program Coordinator Susan Langlois. “Too many young people and adults fail to consider their options early in the year. We urge them to plan ahead for taking this valuable and necessary instruction, and to look for a course in the spring. Unfortunately, many people wait until the fall when most courses have already begun or have ended.”

The Basic Hunter Education course is approximately 15 hours in length and is scheduled over 5-6 evenings or occasionally on weekends. Students must attend all class dates. Trained volunteer instructors provide information on the safe handling and storage of hunting arms and ammunition, hunting laws and ethics, wildlife identification, wildlife management, care and handling of game and basic survival skills. Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a Certificate of Completion which is acceptable for purchasing a Massachusetts hunting or sporting license and applying for a Firearms Identification Card issued by their local police departments.

Information on course locations and schedules is posted at www.mass.gov/masswildlife under “Education”. Course information may also be obtained by calling the Massachusetts Hunter Education Program at 508/792-7434 or 617/727-3623.

SPORTSMEN’S SHOWS SCHEDULED

Come in out of the cold and start planning your 2005 fishing and hunting experiences at sportsmen’s shows in February. The Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition at the DCU Centre (formerly Centrum Centre) in Worcester will be held February 10-13. The Southeastern Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Show at the Standish Sportsmens Association on Burr Lane in East Bridgewater is scheduled for February 12 and 13. The Springfield Sportsmen’s Show at the Big E will run from February 24-27. MassWildlife will feature hunting and fishing opportunities, information on outdoor skills training sessions, and hunting and fishing license sales. Visit the MassWildlife booth to get answers to your fish and wildlife questions. For details about the Worcester show, visit www.sportshows.com or call 1/800-227-2067. For the Southeastern Sportsmen’s Show information, contact Hugh Hurley at hrhurley@comcast.net or call 508/588-9327. The Springfield Sportsmen’s Show at the Big E will run from February 24-27. For information on the Springfield show, visit www.osegsportsmens.com or call 413/467-2171.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-12-2005 04:21
– – –
The big flood tides and warm weather have done their jobs well. The marshes & boat launches are completly open and basically free of ice( a few iceberg like pieces floating around here and there but of no concern ). Today’s weather( Wednesday 1/12 )is calling for some snow and sleet but then a change to rain and a 40 degree high so it should not do any major damage. Thursday and Friday are due to hit the 50’s before a cold front moves in Saturday.

Unfortunately, the last week of the season will see steadily falling temps so it is possible that we will get iced out before it is over. Looks like the start of the late goose season may mean walk in hunts as well. Can’t complain however as we have had open water pretty late.

Lots of geese around, plenty of Sea Ducks, and looks like a new wave of puddlers and divers has hit. Birds are around for those who are still after them.

Posted By:
krobison
Guest

Plum Island 1/8/2005 01-09-2005 16:52
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted PI with Buck Flather and Joe Giere (Joe is a New Jersey WF.Com member) We were anticipating a great hunt with the snow forecast and we were not dissapointed. We all got our BLacks and we managed to drop 2 geese out of a flock of 10. Saw a bunch of Goldeneye and a few mallards, the BLacks were flying all morning. The highlight of the day was when we dropped our first ever banded bird, a nice BLack with a very worn band, I’ll post on the dicussion forum once we get the data back as to the age of the bird. Hope everyone is having a great season. Ken Robison

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

01-09-2005 10:57
– – –
Just posed some pics in bag limits & species shots

Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest

Mass 01-08-2005 16:19
– – –
Went out goose hunting got two limits of geese before 8am ,saw alot, landed a few for good measures and went home . Great central season , know it’s goose TIME!!!!!!!!!

Tim

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Central Mass 01-08-2005 15:59
– – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Well it’s the end of another waterfowl season for this hunter. The ducks finally appeared in some numbers New Years Day. For Sat, Mon.,Tues. and Weds. (1/1-1/5) had more opportunities and bagged more ducks than rest of season. Six ducks all four days, the numbers the same, 4 drake mallards, one black, one merganer. This makes it easier to forget those days in November, sometimes day after day, without taking the safety off once. The storm Thursday, 1/06, drove the birds out just as quickly as they arrived. Just wait till next season.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Merrimac 01-08-2005 15:34
Arctic Blast – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Didn’t shoot at a bird until 11am, after hunting from shooting time. Never shot so many Old Squaw, oh excuse me long tailed ducks in my life. Dad and I shot limits of old Squaw and a pair of blacks. Few mallards seen but high, the ducks were in large flocks set on Joppa. The snow made for an awsome hunt.

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

mac 01-06-2005 14:24
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted this am at Sailsbury, from shooting time until 8-9, shot my black and passed on a few hen golden eyes. If I had a dog instead of my trusting fishing rod to retreive birds, I could have shot a couple mallards as well, but i kept my range pretty limmited. Went scouting, no to many geese in the fields, surprise, went back to sailsbury in the afternoon, Scott I saw you as I was leaving. not to many birds flying, but it was snowing pretty well.

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-06-2005 14:20
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Well, I braved the elements to drive down to the marsh for a look and possible jump shoot. Got rearended on the way for my trouble 🙁 No damage to my truck at least( that I know of – having checked in the AM ).

Saw a couple birds where I could sneak on them but they swam off before I could get there. No shots taken. The good news is, however, the storm does not seem to be causing ice problems. Usually you get some serious “snow ice/slush” from these things but it wasn’t the case at least as of 1PM. Lots of open water.

The long range forecast shows a steady warming trend all the way to a high of 56 next week and 2 days of rain. Night time low’s were also showing well above freezing too. Looks like we might just be able to use boats to end the duck season and start the late goose! Yee-ha!

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

central mass 01-06-2005 06:49
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 35-40 Degrees
WOW!!! was the best day i have ever had in my 15 years of duck hunting. flocks of mallards about 10 to a flock buzzing by all morning. the geese were a bit slow only saw about 30 all morning. ha ha the only problem i had was picking out the drakes through the fog and snow. after my first mallard hen i was very selective on taking shots must have passed on 6 flocks due to not being able to pick out the drakes and the mallards flying in a tight pattern. total for the day 2 geese 4 mallards 1 hen was a great day watching ducks work toward the decoys and my calling getting much better. just a quick note central duck season closes saturday…. cd

[Edited By CDUNCAN on 2005-01-06 06:51]

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

*** REMINDER *** 01-05-2005 04:59
– – –
Just a reminder to folks that the Field Report pages are ONLY for Field Reports and relevant hunting information. Questions and general conversation should be handled on the state discussion forum( accessable via the link on the Field Reports page ), on the general message forum pages, or via Private Messaging.

Again, the Field Report pages are to be reserved strictly for Field Reports and/or posts that have information relevant to everyone such as some of the posts I make sharing info from MassWildlife. Please( and thank you ).

I hope you all understand I am not trying to be a jerk or upset anyone but this is one of my responsibilities as a Mass VFE( ie; keep the Field Reports pages on track ). Thank you for your cooperation.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-05-2005 04:53
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 35-40 Degrees
Had a decent hunt today. Not a lot of birds moved but the ones that did were much more willing to come to the decoys and calls. Have a snow storm due Thursday that could ice us back up but the long range weather forecast is for 40 degree temps mostly and a few days of rain. Hopefully it will keep the marsh and boat launch open for the rest of the season( ie; regular waterfowl and late goose ).

Posted By:
bflather
Guest

Ipswich 01-04-2005 14:31
– – –
Walter-
We do ours the same way that we do our duck. We marinate them over night in what ever is in the fridge. Usually soy sauce based. Then we cook’em right on the grill. RARE! For duck breast no more then 3-5 min a side. You can also wrap them in
Bacon to be sure they don’t dry out too
much. And it take some of the “gammy”
taste out, because everything’s better
when wrapped in bacon! Good luck!! and Nice job on the honkers…

Posted By:
Walter
Guest

Plum Island Area 01-04-2005 13:35
– – –
I have a question. I shot 3 geese in the past 2 weeks. I ate one half a breast that was tough but tasted ok. Last nite I ate another half a breast that tasted kind of bad and was still tough.
Does anyone know how to prepare a piece of goose breast? I dont shoot a lot of geese, I’m better at preparing ducks. Thanks a lot. – Walter

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 01-04-2005 02:09
– – –
Water has really opened back up although another cold snap certainly will freeze it back over with little difficulty. Plenty of birds around but they are really wary.

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

corn field at the flats on friday 01-03-2005 09:50
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
went out goose hunting and was starting to pick up around 9:30 with not a bird being seen, when out of the corner of my eye i see about 200 honkers coming my way about a half mile out. jump into the corn stalks call like a crazy man. coming in nice to my decoys now 20 yards away and boy are they loud. wait till 10 feet out pick out my two geese take the two shots. that was it, my two goose limit in about two minutes of shooting and 2 hours of wating. had to pick up with more and more geese flying by.. wished it was late season could have easly taken five.. looking forward to the late season goose hunt… cd

[Edited By CDUNCAN on 2005-01-03 09:51]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Sailsbury 01-02-2005 15:32
– – –
Shot sailsbury on saturday, morning was tough, nothing went our way. Afternoon was a little better, besides having a GIMME shot at a decoying black 15 yards away, my layout top got stuck lol, and then my gun got caught on my jacket, needless to say that duck survived to fly another day. Later we decoyed a double, a hen and black, dad took them both with one shot. We also had a hunter cut his engine and load his gun after he saw our Bigfeet along the bank, he was a tad startled when we sat up.

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Quick reminder 01-02-2005 10:58
– – –
Dont forget to get your 2005 HIP number. I almost forgot yesterday morning and was frantically dialing the hip phone number while driving to the marsh on the highway yesterday morning at oh dark thirty.

[Edited By Mike M. on 2005-01-02 10:58]

Posted By:
Kirk-Gately
Field Editor

Salt Pond Bay Tues, Wed, Thurs 01-02-2005 07:54
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
Managed to get out on the afternoon hunts three days in a row. Put out about a dozen mallard dekes along with some blacks and just for kicks put out a long gang string of small bluebills. I had drake mallards pitch right in every day into the dekes a couple of times while I was putting them out. For some reason the buffles and the mergansers were attracted to the bluebill dekes. Usually they would land outside of the dekes and then swim around with them for a while. A couple of times the buffles would sneak in and when I saw them and moved around they would take off. Pretty cool. Overall I had some good shooting. On Tuesday and Thursday they were a bunch of dudes hunting the west side near the ocean. It looked to me like they were being guided. I later learned from a guy in the Hole in One that they probably were and they were pounding the Eiders. He said that they were pounding, pounding, pounding the eiders up in Wellfleet. He was from western Mass and said he comes over every year. He also said he had never seen so many duck hunters as he had this year. I would concur having heard shooting everytime I was outside. I also had some Eiders fly over me a couple of times on Thursday when the wind was howling.

I also went over to First Encounter Beach to see if I could bust some ducks over there. There were groups of geese, blacks and some eiders flying. There was also ice out as far as I could see. I put on my waders anyway and tried a sneak. As soon as I got into the inlet the tide started in and was sucking huge chunks of snow and ice in. All the birds also took off of course. I did meet a guy there who said he used to hunt up near “Pea” town before the queeahhhhhs took it ovahhhh and put in restrictions on hunting. After I rode up to Provincetown on Friday I figured he meant Provincetown and the buggers who were everywhere walking little dogs. I found it rather unsavory and left right away.

Anyway, I saw thousands of Blacks in Town Cove and just about everywhere I went. Also could see large clouds of ducks flying up and down the coast every day I was out. From the shooting I heard a fine time was had by all.

See you next year.

[Edited By Kirk-Gately on 2005-01-02 08:33]

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

Plymouth area, 12/31/04 and 1/1/05 01-01-2005 15:36
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
Friday because of the low tide in the morning we decided to walk some creeks in the marshes. I happen to enjoy jump shooting and sneaking as much as other methods, none the less at the very end of our walk we put up a trio of black ducks. We both connected, end of hunt. Not much moving otherwise.

Off for a sea duck hunt this morning with my friend Capt Dave Bitters and other friend.
To say this hunt was one of the best would be an understatement. Not a whole lot of birds moving but the eiders decoyed pretty well today. Once again mature eider drakes only today and the three of us put twelve in the boat. No lost birds today as well.

Have a great 2005
Bill

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

IT\’S BAAACK! 12-29-2004 06:10
– – –
Unfortunately, Monday night’s extreme drop in temperature has once again locked things up in ice. This time it is going to take some serious warm weather and such to open things back up. The Merrimack River itself froze over solid and that takes some serious cold to do. Very possible that it has effectively wiped out the remainder of the season. At least for boat hunters.

There are ever changing pockets of water that offer periods of huntability but the ice flows constantly change them and make it very dangerous for dogs to work in. I hunted completely open water yesterday afternoon with Mike M that closed off solid within minutes after the tide had changed and the big ice flows began to move down river. One minute we were looking at dekes in open water( with some ice out in the main current flow )and the next all the ice swirled right in and began to drag the dekes. BAM! Just like that.

What really is a shame in all this is the big push of birds appears to have finally arrived as well. Oh well such is life. Temps are predicted to be warm now for quite a few days, and even some rain showers, so maybe? The water is so cold now that it takes very little to freeze back solid even when it opens back up as it had done briefly over the weekend.

If you head out be careful. Especially with your dogs.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-29 06:13]

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-30 06:18]

Posted By:
krobison
Guest

Westport 12/23 12-27-2004 07:58
– – 50-60 Degrees
Hunted the warm spell last Thurs with a buddy. The wind was howling and the temp was the warmest I’ve ever seen in late December. We did manage a few mallards and a Black over the decoys. Many geese around but no good opportunities for that roast christmas goose. Everyone be safe out there as we approach January. Ken Robison

Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest

12-26-2004 17:27
– – –
I posted couple of pics of some recent hunts Anvilman and myself ducks are in good numbers but you have to find them i see this year , ever year is different and this a good one ,i hope you like !!

Tim

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Jump Shooting 12-25-2004 14:25
– – –
Dad and I got out at 10am for a little over an hour, and we took a pair of nice Christmas Day black ducks.

Merry Christmas,

Mike

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Sailsbury 12-24-2004 14:08
– – –
Hunted Sailsbuyr in the am and got my black, jumped mallards but couldnt shoot due to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to cross the creeks to retreive them, later hit my *secret* spot and took a mallard and 2 buffies, I could’ve shot another pair of buffies but I figured I’d let them fly since its Christmas..

Merry Christmas

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

UNBELIEVABLE?? 12-24-2004 02:06
– – –
In all my years I have hunted I have NEVER seen so much ice dissapear so fast! While I was pretty sure the marsh and such would be huntable again before the end of the season, and said as much in my ICE OUT post, I was stunned to arrive at the marsh yesterday afternoon and find it about 85%+ ice free. Only the upper most reaches of the marsh were still holding ice while the rest was totally open. God bless 50 degree temps and a 25MPH wind! 🙂

I was not exaggerating in the least when I made the ICE OUT post and frankly just can’t get over how the ice went away so fast. Again, I have never seen so much ice go away so fast. Might just have saved our season as long as we do not get another prolonged cold snap. Saturday and Sunday are due to be cold and then all next week they are predicting 40-50 degree temps. Yeha!

The down side is there does not seem to be a lot of birds( ie; puddlers )around. The tide was low and heading lower during my afternoon hunt so that isn’t the best time to see them anyway. Going to try and launch the boat in the AM and hunt the coming tide to see what happens?

We did see a few birds and even had a couple chances at Blacks and Mallards however. Not a lot of birds seen though. Hopefully we will get another push of them before it all ends.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-24 02:08]

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

*** ICE OUT *** 12-22-2004 18:17
– – –
Hit the marshes along the Merrimack this AM and found almost total ice out. At least 95% of the water was locked up. Boat launches were totally locked up 1st thing but did open up once the tide turned and started to head out. Not a good sign with a month to go in the season however.

*** NOTE – It should be noted here that on an incoming tide the boat launches are not going to be accessable. Do not get caught thinking they will be open on your return if you launch on a falling tide. As the tide comes back it carries all the pack ice in and locks the ramps up. I know I never would have been able to break through to the ramp this AM. Be careful if you find an open launch that you will be able to pull out when you come back! ***

This breif warm spell and forecast rain is going to be a god send if it can do some serious damage to all the pack ice in the river and marsh. If it doesn’t then we are done for a while. There are no big boom tides( 11 foot + )due for a couple weeks to help clear the marshes and ramps so unless we get, and keep, some warm weather it doesn’t look good.

Even the Merrimack itself is just full of pack ice. Not panicking yet as I have seen this many times before( ie; an early ice up that eventually clears out before season ends )but I am concerned as the tide height is not favorable. We need a prolonged warm front AND some serious 25MPH+ winds to clear the ice out seeing as we do not have any boom tides to float it all onto the marsh to get stuck there. Until we get one or the other hunting is going to be almost impossible.

River this AM was loaded with Eiders and Goldeneyes but no way to get at them but for beach walk in hunts.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Area C 12-21-2004 16:03
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Man, only the Parker and the mouthes of a few estuaries remain free of ice, only saw a handful of ducks, where did they all go? There were lots of divers around Sat, only saw 3 buffies this pm..

Lucky for us some warm weather is comming and hopefully will thaw us out a little bit, another week of this cold and I think our season would be over..

Mike

Posted By:
J.M
WFC Sponsor

merrimack river 12-19-2004 09:06
Cloudy, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
Hey scott,
thanks for confusing those geese on fri. I called them back towards us with no decoys either, unfortunately I missed three shots but sean managed to pull one down.Add that too three blacks a nice drake mallard that the third guy managed to pull down walking to his boat to leave early. And a goose that like you was a riot to watch montana try and drag around. BE SAFE jon

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-19-2004 03:27
– – –
Friday 12/17 – Hunted the marsh in the heavy winds. Weather guy said NW @ 19 and it was more like W @ 35!!!!! Had a heck of a time even getting the boat launched as I did not come with hip boots due to the weather that was forecast. Thanks to John and Sean for the assistance or I wouldn’t have been able to go.

Took a long time to find a sheltered spot even with the tide way down. Every area I went to was all choppy and white caps even in the lee? Finally went deep into the marsh into some smaller creeks and found a good spot.

Only put out 9 decoys as I had some friends coming from PA due during the day and I knew picking up dekes in the small creek with strong winds was going to be a pain( it sure was! ). Anyway the birds really came in.

!st bird of the day was a really nice drake Black that decoyed in beautifully. I dropped it on the far bank however( thanks wind )so I had to up anchor and run the dog over as the tide was so low there was no way up either bank. I was really surprised, and very happy, when Thunder pops back over the top of the marsh and looks down at me with the bird. Yup, a BAND! Guess it was my reward for not shooting the banded bird the day before after I already had my Black.

The Blacks and Mallards( TONS! )began to work in then and in short order I had 2 nice drake Mallards in the boat and unfortunately two cripples( second bird of the flocks I shot at both times )that sailed way out into the marsh on the wind. One of them was still well enough that when Thunder got to it the fool thing actually got up and flew off. Never could find that bird but I did get the other one eventually.

Friends from PA arrived around 2PM so we hunted until shooting time and had a blast. They each took their Black plus a Mallard and then somehow, with no goose dekes out and just the few duck dekes, I called a flock of 25 geese right in only head high. We each took a single. Then I was able to call the confused birds back over us and we knocked down a couple more. These were MONSTER birds as well! The biggest weighed out at 17lbs 8oz, there was a 16lbs 9 oz, and then the other birds ranged from 12lbs -15lbs. Thunder couldn’t even get his mouth on the biggest goose and had a heck of a time getting it to me. He had to drag it over the marsh constantly having to try again and gain to hold on. It was a riot to watch.

The Mallards continued to come until we left but as it got late in the day it became very difficult to pick them out and be sure enough it wasn’t a Black until it was too late to shoot again. Ended the day with 3 Blacks and 5 Mallard drakes plus 5 geese. Very rare to shoot so many birds on the salt marsh.

*** Note – usually I try not to make such a lengthy personal journal type entry of a hunt but this one was so special I figured it was okay ***

Saturday 12/18 – Hunted Sea Ducks with my PA friends today. Ended the day with a 3 man limit of Eiders and a beautiful, but tiny, Surf Scoter. I muffed my long awaited chance at a prime drake Oldsquaw for the wall when a gorgeous lone drake came right in over the dekes. No idea what happened unless it was the pressure getting to me? 🙂 Was 4 for 4( ie; 4 shells 4 birds )on decoying Eiders but the ‘Squaw elluded me yet again. A lot of Eiders around, still some Scoters, and quite a few Oldsquaw.

Just a note to reinforce what Mike M reported. We found a lot of ice on the river and in the marsh today. Had to break ice at the ramp to get out and it was all over the big river. Water temp was just 39 degrees so it isn’t going to take much to lock the ramps up if we get a prolonged cold snap.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-20 02:11]

Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest

12-18-2004 21:59
– – –
Myself and anvilman hunted a new honey hole , scouting we saw couple hundred mallards , today we hunted it we’ll lets say it was awesome had to brake ice in the field but those mallard came right it 15yd shot pillow cased everybird we shot 7 drake mallards and one hen because i pulled up on a drake and dumped the pair , great day , i will post a pic later in the weak!!

Tim

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

Duxbury 12-18-2004 17:55
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Well, all started fine. I set up a goose spread in a spot where geese have been roosting out on the beach. At first light I took my black duck. Shortly after I missed a gimme on a flock of eiders. A few flocks of geese started moving and all looked good. As I settled in for some goose action, two guys that were after shellfish began took walk in my direction. I made my presence known by standing tall in the marsh. Did they stop? No. These two dumb arses had hundreds of acres to dig clams but continued toward my spread. I packed up in frustration and gave a polite good morning to said dumb arses but cursed them all the way home. It’s a free country but these guys had no respect for the fellow sportsman.

Bill

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Merrimack River 12-18-2004 17:18
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted the afternoon incoming tide today. Not a that many birds moving, but it was a blue bird day so that is to be expected. I did see more mallards than black ducks today which is unusual. Also saw a few buffleheads and one goldeneye. I ended the day with one mallard and missed a few others.

There was some floating ice in the river today as a result of the cold nights we have had lately.

Until next time,

Have fun and be safe.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Costal Corn 12-18-2004 13:16
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
Nothing the first hour of shooting light, but soon after we had a small flock sneak in while my dad was “relieving himself” I just took one bird as the day was young. Later we had a single circle followed by a flock of 5… single made several passes at 10 yards but I was working on the group, you guessed it, they all left. About 9am we had a nice flock of 25-30 IN our FACE!! Dad doubled up and I dropped my second goose at 10 paces. Later hit area C, passed up a few buffie shots I wasn’t sure i could retreive and that was it. Lots of geese moving in the am but the marsh was silent.

Mike

Mike

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

central mass. 12-18-2004 10:56
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 10-20 Degrees – Ice
sorry to bum eveyone out,, but here it goes

wayland pond my honey hole: frozen solid

delaney: frozen solid

bolton flats: frozen solid

hit all three this morning,, very dissapointed to say the least. i did see a couple of goose hunters at bolton but with the clear day and no water or food near by there wasn’t a goose in sight. looks as thought i will be strictly hunting the salt marshes from now on unless we get a major heat wave.. good hunting all chris

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-17-2004 03:37
– – –
Hunted Wednesday and Thursday on the marsh. Man has it been COLD! The ice has started to build on the saltwater. We are due for another warm spell here so that will delay any freeze up. Good thing really as it really started to ice up those 2 days with temps in the low teens.

Wednesday as the tide neared full the birds really started to come in. Mallards and Blacks mixed. I had a HUGE flock of Mallards( for this area = 30 birds +/- )cupped and dropping in over the dekes but when I stood to shoot – CLUNK! My new semi-auto broke down. Had a part of the action actually snap. Needless to say I was out of action for the day. Had birds literally landing as I was pulling dekes in.

Came back Thursday with my back up gun and again as the tide got up the birds came pretty good. Not hoardes of them but certainly enough for some excitment. Took a Black and yet again 2 Mallards( seems to be my MA daily bag this year = a Black and 2 Mallards ). Later had 2 Mallards sneak through the spread while I was day dreaming I guess? Managed to call them back over me but when I stood to shoot they flared right into the sun and I couldn’t see them. Quite a few Blacks worked the marsh through out the day.

It was bad on Wednesday when my gun broke down but it was REALLY bad Thursday. The last bird of the day that decoyed in before I left was a Black duck. One of those high up birds that decides from way up there that your spread is the place to be. I am sure you all know what I mean. They cup up so hard their wing tips almost touch their feet and they drop like a rock to your dekes. I watched this bird come in and then stretch it’s feet out to land and there it was – A BAND!!!!!!! Already had my Black so all I could do was watch. Very insulting though for this bird to tease me with such an easy shot and then to flaunt that band like that 🙂

A few Eiders are starting to use the river now. Few Goldeneyes around now as well. Lots of geese. Seems to be more puddlers around the last few days but with inland freezing up solid I am not so sure it is new birds. Think it is birds that have been here just moving to the open water. Shouldn’t be long now though as cold weather seems to be here for good.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-17 03:43]

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-17 03:44]

Posted By:
anvilman
Guest

south shore 12-16-2004 19:16
– – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
i took a couple of older guys out on wed and just managed to get a couple of blacks, only saw two big groupes of them and about 10 buffies. no green heads !!!!!!!!!!

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Catch-up Reports 12-15-2004 17:31
– – –
Well for about a week there I was without a membership to this site, but now I’m up and running again.

2 saturdays ago- Dad and I shot 3 geese and a few mallards, and a pair of blacks in the corn.

Last Saturday- Again dad and I shot 4 geese, all under 15yrds, it was amazing. Over the course of that corn field shoot we also took 5 mallards and one black between us.

Mike

Posted By:
bflather
Guest

Ipswich Ma 12-15-2004 09:57
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
So what happened. Where were the ducks?? I got out this morning on a pond in Ipswich ma., It’s pretty big so it had not iced up yet.(Just the edges). I set up in what I thought was the perfect spot (Wind to back and all) and I had seen loads of ducks in this same spot just on Saturday.. But alas I only saw ONLY TWO ducks total!! 🙁 . I’m hoping I was just a day early and the cold snap moved the ducks that were here out, and that the “BIG push” of new birds is en-route as I type.

Any thoughts?? How did folks do on the Marsh on the North Shore??

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-13-2004 15:31
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 35-40 Degrees
Hit the marsh this morning expecting a wintery mix and a stiff breeze as the old weather man forcast the previous evening. Just as all the other times this year when the man has said “SNOW” he lied! 🙂 Ended up hunting a mostly sunny day with barely a puff of wind from the S/SW.

Still managed my Black despite the bluebird weather but saw all of 20-25 birds all morning. We definitly need a new push of birds into the area!

Lots of geese around and decent duck numbers. Unfortunately, these ducks seem to be the same ones that were here to open the second half and they have seen enough decoy spreads and heard enough calls to become very wary. Makes for a tough hunt.

Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest

Mass 12-11-2004 16:41
– – –
Had a great day on the marsh 4 drake mallards one black and a drake pintail!!!
Had a awesome day , partner got mallards as well season looking better!

take look a pic !!!

Thanks Tim

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-10-2004 13:08
– – –
Hunted Thursday all morning and managed a goose but had no chances really other than that. It was very calm and the birds just sat and rafted in the river. When I went through with the boat they all jumped up, turned, and went right back where they had been.

Hunted this morning in the mild Nor’easter and took my Black. Had a few birds work but it was so dark it was impossible to tell what they were. One of my partners dropped a drake Mallard but you could NOT tell until the dog was coming up the bank with it! So, rather than get soaked I called it a day at that point.

TONS of Oldsquaw in the river this year. Man they are just everywhere. Still some Scoter around and Eiders are starting to use the river now as well. Had another King Eider sighting this AM. A lone drake, I suspect the same one my friend saw earlier this month, was mixed in with a small raft of Common Eiders near the beach. I seriously contemplated an attempted sneak but with a raging tide and howling NE wind I knew it would be a really hard retrieve for the dog and I am not losing him for a wall hanger even if it is as rare as a King Eider.

Posted By:
CDUNCAN
Guest

plumb island area c 12-09-2004 17:39
Cloudy, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
looks as though scott is the only one hunting lately… my last two outings have been hit or miss early… i went on last saturday carried the canoe about half a mile and then paddled to the mouth of the small inlet set up 6 decoys and got my one black for the day, the oldsquaws were buzzing around about a foot off the water but way out of range. had to pack up and leave early due to the tide getting low and didn’t want to get stuck.. then i went on tuesday with the dog to do a little jump shooting i thought that due to the high winds the ducks would be seeking shelter in the small inlets.. boy was i wrong all the ducks seemed to be heading way inland not staying on the marsh… seems that the only ducks to be had are early and quick. around 8:30am all the ducks have gotten were they wanted to go… i can’t wait until it snows and gets real cold,, we need a really good front to come through.. scott glad to see you are having a better time out there… but just getting out has always been the best part and taking ducks is the bonus… cduncan

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-08-2004 12:35
Cloudy, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Another nasty morning. Got out for a couple hours. Shot a Black and saw a bunch of geese. Seems to be more birds around. Looks like the recent front has moved birds to the coast.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-07-2004 14:28
Cloudy, Snow & Rain Mix – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
With a good Northeaster this morning( 4″ of snow and 28 degrees at my house )I decided to give it another go. Was very surprised to arrive at the marsh and find it bare with a light rain/sleet mix and 34 degree temps. The NE wind was howling though.

Got set up and shortly after the dekes were out a few birds decoyed and my partner and I took our Blacks. Some birds moved but not a lot. With a good storm brewing and no other hunters out the birds found calm spots and stayed there.

I did however see many flocks of ducks arrive from the North on the strong wind and it was clearly some migrating birds. High big flocks in V’s. I also saw the first Eider flocks of the season in the river.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-07 14:28]

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Newburyport( Merrimack River ) 12-06-2004 13:50
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
BRRR! Hit the marshes again this morning for a short 2 hour hunt as the tides were awful. Despite the extreme cold of last night( 18 degrees at my home at 4 AM )I was surprised to have to break ice at the boat launch this morning. Nothing serious mind you, just skim sheets, but it is the first salt ice of the season and it made it finally feel like duck season.

I saw a LOT of birds in my short outing today. Many hundreds of geese and a lot more ducks than I had seen since the season first reopened. Either we have got a push of new birds or the cold locked up some freshwater areas and moved some birds out to the coast. Maybe both? Whatever it was it sure was nice to see some good sized groups of birds.

Ended the day with a Black and a couple Buffies but easily should have shot my 4 bird Mallard limit had nature and the tide not conspired against me. The wind and tide eddy swept my decoys further right than I planned when setting them and they wound up behind a tall stand of grass obscuring my view of them. When the Mallards showed later in the hunt they would come to land but when they were in range they were behind the grass and I couldn’t see to shoot.

With just an hour or so to hunt I didn’t want to waste any of it rearranging decoys so I lived with it. Might not have been the best choice but… Oh well, it made for a memorable, albeit frustrating, hunt.

Had a really unique experience happen on the way back to the launch. Ran “OVER” a feeding flock of Oldsquaw. Not sure who was surprised more, them or me, when they surfaced with me running right through the middle of them? No idea where they came from as they just popped up out of nowhere? Was a HUGE raft easily in the 1500 bird range. I personally have never seen so many ‘Squaws in the area before.

Anyway, lots of Blacks and Mallards this morning and a load of geese. Saw quite a few Buffies plus the first Goldeneye’s of the season.

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Sailsbury Marsh / Private Cornfield 12-05-2004 08:31
– – –
The past week has been really tough. Like Scott said, you can get your black duck, but you may only get one shot all day so….dont miss!! I have been seeing small flocks of green heads, acually saw a flock of about 15 saturday. Starting to see more buffies and even some golden eyes. Still some geese around.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 12-03-2004 02:54
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
Returned to the marsh again on Thursday. Arrived early and got set up. The few birds that came did so early as I expected with the strong winds. Less than 30 minutes after being set I had my Black and a pair of drake Mallards. Then it shutdown. Still very few birds around. Don’t believe I saw over 75 birds total and probably not over 50.

With the inland swamps and ponds all still open the birds are very scattered. We need some cold weather to freeze inland up and then another push of birds into the area to liven things up. You can still take your bird on the coast up this way but you really need to know what you are doing and know where the birds like to go under the weather you are dealing with.

These last few days have really put my knowledge of the marshes to the test. If you aren’t where the birds want to be no amount of calling nor a good decoy set will swing them.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-12-03 02:57]

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 11-30-2004 14:27
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Another very S-L-O-W day on the marsh today. Only a few birds worked the marsh again as the tide came in. Most were very wary and decoy and call shy already. Looks like the big concentration of birds that was here last week has moved on now that hunting pressure has resumed. Now we must wait for the next wave to arrive.

Brought 4 birds to bag today between myself and the gentleman hunting with me. 2 Blacks, a Buffie, and a crippled Greenwing Teal we found and dispatched while moving our set to a new location. Saw maybe 50-75 birds total during the 4 hour hunt.

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 11-29-2004 18:18
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
Returned to the marsh today for another go round. Was nothing like Friday and Saturday. The birds have really become wary now that the season is back in full swing.

The day started with much promise as I jumped a lot of birds while heading in to set up. Shortly after setting I decoyed 2 flocks of Blacks and killed my daily 1 bird limit. I then stuck around until after 2PM looking for the Mallards that never came. Hardly any Blacks came as well and those that did for the most part were very decoy and call shy already. Was really slow today. That happens though.

Saw a few Oldsquaw in the river.

Posted By:
krobison
Guest

Westport 11-29-2004 09:28
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted Westport with Buck Flather on friday and saturday. Friday was blustery with the winds down there. We managed our first pintail, what a beautifull bird and very tasty as I discovered last night. Also got a few bufflehead, they wouldn’t stay out of the decoys. Saturday we each got a black right over the decoys and again the buffleheads would not stay out of the decoys.
Looks like warm weather is here this week, we need a good solid freeze to get more birds to the salt marsh. Be safe out there.
Ken Robison.

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Correction on brant limits 11-28-2004 19:18
– – –
I was just reading up on the Masswildlife webpage and came across this months press releases. Apparently there was a mistake on the early versions of the 2004-2005 waterfowl abstract.

Released November 19, 2004

“Brant Limits – With the Brant goose season to start on November 26, waterfowlers need to be aware that the correct limits are 2 in the bag and 4 in possession. This information is on the Migratory Bird Regulations posted in the Hunting area of the MassWildlife website: www.MassWildlife.org. Brant season runs from November 26 to January 22 in the Coastal waterfowl zone only. For more information, contact H Heusmann, 508/792-7270 x122”

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Many Places 11-28-2004 12:26
– – –
Hunted the marsh on the opener, we shot our blacks and that was about it. Later on Thursday we hit up a corn field in the area and shot some mallards and geese.

Friday we shot the corn field in the morning, again more geese, but no mallards. Later in the day I went jump shooting, very surprised to find a few small flocks of teal and, like Scott said, lots of mallards. While I only ended that hunt with a black and a mallard, had I brought the deeks I probably could have limited out on the green heads.

Saturday, shot another corn field, only had one group of 3 geese and a pair of mallards come in, but they all stayed. Later dad and I moved to do some more jump shooting, again shot a mallard and a black, lots of ducks moving around for a blue bird day. Felt kinda woozy so I took a nap after I had my 2 birds waiting for my dad to get his.. You have no Idea how startaling it is to awaken to a 12ga going off. Finally went home around 1pm, and currently have a 102 fever. Guess my body wasn’t ready for 3 long days of wet waders and cold feet after a long month of upland hunting.

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 11-28-2004 03:31
– – –
Well, I hope folks have been getting out now that the season is in full swing again. I was unable to make the Coastal opener for the first time this year. Ended up having to drive to my Grandmother’s house to bring her and my Aunt and Uncle over for Thanksgiving as their car broke down. Hunting is my life but some things are more important.

So, Friday was my opener. I hunted with Mike M and man did we get into the birds! Was a remarkable day with Blacks and Mallards all over the place. The West wind was howling and really kept the birds up and moving.

Saturday found me back out on the marsh with Mike and his Dad. Very different day. No wind to speak of at all and the birds didn’t move as much. We definitely saw plenty however and had some good shooting.

There seems to be an unusually high number of Mallards around this year. I am really surprised at the number of them this early on the marsh. Usually you don’t see half this many until inland is well frozen up and they move to the coast. Not this year. Plenty of Mallards around to make you want to stay after shooting your Black duck.

A few Buffleheads seen and even a few Teal still around. Also saw a couple Gadwall and a Pintail drake mixed in with a flock of Blacks both days. Wanted him bad buthe never came my way. A few Scoters and Oldsquaw in the river as well. Saw one flock of Geese yesterday and heard some others that were on the water but not a lot.

The ONE thing lacking was hunters. Hardly anyone out hunting. I thought for sure the marsh would be loaded the 1st Saturday but only a small handful of hunters were out.

[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-11-28 03:32]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

11-24-2004 18:28
– – –
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving and good luck on the Costal Opener in the morning.

Mike

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Delaney WMA 11-23-2004 11:21
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
I hunted with my Dad this morning. Very, very, few ducks around here. Real bluebird conditions made for slow hunting. In fact, I think today I saw the least amount of ducks I have seen here all season. The morning flight consisted of 9 ducks. 7 mallards and 2 wood ducks. There were some geese around though, and my Dad shot a 13lb goose as it flew over our location. Just in time for the holidays.

That was it for the morning. This will probably be my last hunt here for the season as the coastal season opens in a few days.

Until next time,

Have fun and be safe.

[Edited By Mike M. on 2004-11-23 11:22]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

NE MA Costal 11-22-2004 18:50
– – –
Lots of geese and black ducks around, haven’t seen a whole lot of mallards, any divers? Only a few days left…The anticipation is really getting to me!!

Mike

Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest

Merrimack River 11-21-2004 15:31
– – –
Made my pre-opener scouting trip of the Salisbury, Newburyport, Plum Island area this morning/early afternoon. Found birds just about EVERYWHERE! With the tide way down it limited what I could see from the roads but I did find plenty of birds. Looks good for the opener. Birds seen all Blacks and Mallards. No geese.

Also checked out the river mouth and ocean and found a few flocks of WW Scoter but not a lot of SD’s. Water was really calm however so I didn’t expect it.

Posted By:
Tim-Dulkie
Guest

mass 11-21-2004 12:45
– – –
I posted some pic ohf some recent goose hunts!!

Good luck to all!!

Tim

Posted By:
Dean Smith
Supporting Member

Central Mass, Conn. Valley 11-16-2004 19:45
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
Spent the entire day out in pursuit of waterfowl. Last Friday’s snow brought in no new birds to my areas. Spent the first 4 1/2 hours of the day over decoys. Saw one black, a group of 4 woodies, and a family group of 5 geese, all within the first 1/2 hour. Later floated several large brooks with no luck. Ended the day, last 2 hours of light, over decoys again. Saw 2 small groups of mallard move through the swamp I was in but no luck. Alot of goose movement the last 1/2 hour of light. Saw several groups, and one good sized flock.
Most backwashes on river, as well as small ponds have skim ice on them, and this should of concentrated birds in areas I was in. Just not many birds in the area now. Local birds have pretty much vacated, and only a few migrants have arrived yet.

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Delaney WMA 11-16-2004 05:49
– – Froze Out
I was not able to hunt this morning due to ice out. With just oar power and a light row boat, I did not even attempt to launch. The ice was more than just skim at the ramp. I had to really pound down hard with the oar to break the ice at the ramp. The whole pond was iced over. Already back home before 7 a.m.

[Edited By Mike M. on 2004-11-16 05:50]

Posted By:
kial
Guest

southshore-inland 11-14-2004 22:38
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Posting for Saturday 11/12/04

Great day inland. Lots of birds decoying. We baged Blacks, Buffels, and Ring Necks hunting from shooting- 10:30am. No honkers though…

Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest

Delaney WMA 11-13-2004 17:07
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
It was a very interesting morning weatherwise. Started out dark and snowy and later on cleared with blue skies and a brisk breeze. The day started out with snow coming down heavily as I left the house at 4:30 am this morning. It took a long time to get there as the roads were very slippery and I was towing my little boat.

When I arrived this morning, I realized there was no way that my 2 wheel drive truck was going to be able to launch my boat due to the snow covered ramp. I took the boat off the trailer and dragged the boat down to the water in old school fashion. I got my exercise for the day.

Once I finally got out there, there were actually a few birds moving around which is an uncommon occurrence at this location. As you have seen by my posts here, this is a tough place to hunt and not many birds are harvested here. I figured if there were ever going to be ducks at this spot, this morning would be the day and that was the case today.

There was one other party out this morning that came out in a canoe shortly after I was setup. They called at every single duck and goose that flew within a mile radius of the pond and did some sky busting as well shooting at birds flying near the tree line. You’ve also got to love it when birds are working your spread and the joker across the way starts wailing on what I think was supposed to be a hail call, ultimately causing the birds to scoot on out of the area. Makes you wonder why the birds are so spooky here? Oh well, such is the case on public grounds inland.

Now if only I could straighten out my barrel so I could improve my shooting hehe.

Till next time,

Have fun and be safe.

[Edited By Mike M. on 2004-11-13 17:10]

Posted By:
Mike F.
Guest

Cape Cod Bay 11-13-2004 16:35
Cloudy, High Winds – –
Shot sea ducks with a friend and father thursday and friday, not nearly as many scoter close to shore as last week, in total we shot 14 drake eider, 3 hens, and a handful of white wings. We had to stop hunting a few times because we retrieve with a kayak and the waves were building, we had to leave one string of deeks (9) because the thigh high water had built into 8ft with 4ft swells, we came back a few hours later and it had been stolen.. go figure.

I only fell in once this weekend which makes it pretty good. Can’t wait for the second half.

Mike

Posted By:
Baymen Moe
Web Member

Plymouth 11-11-2004 15:22
Cloudy, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
On Wednesday I was out in the deer stand from first light until noon. It was a perfect day for deer hunting, but the deer did’nt think so. I saw absolutely zip. This is unusual for me, I see deer all the time.

So, what was the cure for a bummer deer hunt?
Thankfully Capt Dave Bitters came through with a sea duck invite. I needed action and we got some. This morning we vowed to be sportsmen and take only mature eider drakes. It made for an enjoyable hunt. We could have shot our limit of sea ducks in an hour if we shot at coots, but held for eiders. Lot’s of eiders decoyed well but seem to be becoming a little boat shy already. We probably saw over a thousand birds all told moving in and out of Kingston, Plymouth and Duxbury. The mature eider drakes have come in strong.

The take for the day was just ok. Four mature eider drakes and a drake oldsquaw that I could’nt resist( what a nice looking bird). The sea ducks are abundant and will only grow more abundant.

Bill

Posted By:
kial
Guest

Sunday – South Shore Sea Duck- High Pines Ledge 11-09-2004 22:45
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
This report is for Sunday, November 7

Was not hunting, just glassing from Duxbury beach about 3pm. Saw several small groups of Eider and one huge raft just north west of the red High Pines Ledge can that is closest to shore. This raft was 350 yards off shore. It was 150-175 yards long and 40 yards deep. With a WSW wind the bay was rocking. I was surprised to see so many birds close to shore. Also, saw a lone hen canvas back. I thought that I was seeing things…

I’ll let you all know how tomorrow morning goes. I’m sure it will be cold.

Posted By:
kial
Guest

South Shore – Inland 11-09-2004 22:33
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
This report is for Saturday, November 6.

Sorry so late and Moe I still owe Capt. Dave a report.
Saw lots of birds mostly mallards, a few blacks, and two teal. Our luck was not too good, but the only other guy out, who was in a blind 300 yards from us did well. I watched him bag his limit by 9:30am. Early we had a single come in, a pair, a triple and another single. The first six ducks came in during the first 10 min. of shooting. Unfortionately, I was just paddling back to the blind after picking up my later-to-arrive hunting buddy. Forty minutes later rolled in number 7, who is now in the freezer. The real bummer was that after about an hour the sun had come up and the guy with the dog and the motorized spinning wing decoy lured in 40 birds over two hours. We just could not compete. I set a great stool, had lots of looks, but off to the mojo they went. Mostly the birds refused to respond to the call — hard or soft and I mostly worked it light. The Mallard Hen in the freezer was the only exception.