Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest
Quick reminder 01-02-2005 10:58
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
