Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
Gulf Coast 01-17-2010 18:59
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
Texas report!
Pictures are in short supply all my camera gear is moist from 4.94 inches of rain Wed, Thurs and Fri AM. Daggone wet here for sure. This evening was a spectacular sunset, all red and a few clouds of various shapes. Sat AM and got 2 cranes in a short time. Today I shot the first white goose of the season. Actually two of the white hoards.
My plan before I ever get here is to get some cranes and then some specs and then some cacklers all before I switch to white geese. Conservation season starts next Monday so this is the last week of cranes and cacklers.
Specs closed last Sunday so we are seeing large bunches of them. Typical of what I always say about MI mallards. The day after season closes a press release is put out and they come out of hiding. The proof is the specs here. During season you see small bunches. Before season, large flocks. After season large flocks. I admit the evidence is only empirical but has held up for as long as I paid attention.
I hope you all have the opportunity to hunt as I have the past few years.
jacduck I worked out a new deal in Texas this past winter. I quit hunting snows when I get 5 or have used all 12 of the shells I carried. Worked pretty well since I tended to control my shooting. Mostly came home with ammo left over and often with the self imposed limit.
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
Matagorda Co. TX 01-14-2010 17:37
– – 40-45 Degrees
Crummy cold weather but a decoy carving pal came in from England to hunt the “white hoards” with a couple of us here in TX. He got a crane first day and a cackler 2nd day. 3rd day he and I each got a cackler that were banded. 2 came in none left. Bands were from Nunavut 8/9/09 and were 2 numbers apart. Then later on my TX bud got a banded snow. Imagine 3 bands all from Nunavut in 4 days. What are the odds? The goose hunting was not that great 6 geese and 3 banded. How about that?
jacduck I worked out a new deal in Texas this past winter. I quit hunting snows when I get 5 or have used all 12 of the shells I carried. Worked pretty well since I tended to control my shooting. Mostly came home with ammo left over and often with the self imposed limit.
Posted By:
trisspeaker
Guest
Stuttgart, Ar. 01-03-2010 09:03
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 30-34 Degrees – Ice
We just got back from Arkansas,hunted 4 mornings. Sun.- 27 ducks, Mon.- 34 ducks, Tues.- 37 ducks, and Wed.- 33 ducks. We limited out on mallards every day, also shot widgeon, green wings, gadwalls, woodies, hooded mergs, and some of the most beautiful spoonies we had ever been around. All the birds were fully matured and perfect for mounting, two widgeon and a gaddie will be mounted this winter.
[Edited By trisspeaker on 2010-01-03 09:04]
Posted By:
rick-hungerford
Field Editor
Mexico 12-27-2009 14:27
Cloudy, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
I hunted 100 miles south of Matamoros MX the week before Christmas. Ran into what down there is our equivalent of a severe blizzard. Wind, sleet and 40 degree highs. Once off the highways (paved roads) the dirt roads became increasing impassible.
We experienced some of the best duck hunting I have ever seen. Pintails were the top prize. In addition we hunted gadwall, widgeon, shovelers, redheads, bluebills, ringnecks, BWT and the last day the green wings showed up. Believe it or not, down there they are a relativley late migrants. Bringing birds back is difficult, so our Indian guides will be eating duck for a while this winter.
That was the good news, the bads news was that the afternoon upland was no existant.
On an the unusual happenings headline, my hunting partner and I spent an afternoon in a sorgum field with some gentlemen from Loooeesianuuuh (I think that’s in the US).
We were in white robes and hoods …………..
My partner thought we had joined a secret society ……………… but really we were just snow goose hunting!
Unsuccessfully I might ad.
That’s about it for this year. I will be at the Lodge for New Years and will look out longingly at the now long frozen marshes, wondering why we use our only split for these two days. At last report, the geese from our area have followed the freezing line down and are around mid-Indiana.
Hope you all had a wonderfull Christmas and best wishes for OUR ENTIRE STATE for a Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2010.
Everything else is between seasons!
Posted By:
nurban
Web Member
Lower Lake St. Clair 12-22-2009 16:13
Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
Very large rafts of mixed diver ducks all along the Grosse Point shore line from the G.P. Yacht Club to the Detroit River. There are also small groups of canvasbacks close to shore and some geese,swans and mallards are present on the sand bars. The lower lake is ice free and approx. 10 thousand waterfowl have arrieved lately with the winter weather.The Michigan duck season is closed but the late split should be productive for January 1-2 2010 hunt.
Good luck to all you dedicated ice busting duck hunters, I will be thinking about it over a warm hearth and Merry Christmas & happy New Year to all.
P.S. An early teal season would be great for us old waterfowlers.
[Edited By nurban on 2009-12-22 16:26]
Posted By:
John-Cottenham
Field Editor
Gulf coast texas 12-20-2009 19:13
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
Crane season opened yesterday. So far Cranes 0 jacduck 3. So far this season I have taken pinnies, gads, bwt, gwt, BBTD, specs and snows and cranes. And my season down here started on the 7th of Dec.
Hope sometime in the future you all get the chance to live like I am.
Merrrry CHRIST mas and a great new year to all of my waterfowling compatriots.
John and Carol Cottenham aka jacduck
[Edited By John-Cottenham on 2009-12-20 19:14]
Posted By:
rick-hungerford
Field Editor
Saginaw Bay Fish Point Area 12-06-2009 17:21
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 25-30 Degrees – Ice
Wow what a finish. As you know if you read my earlier posts, we have suffered a plague of over hunted, educated ducks for the past three weeks. Well, this ice and snow finally brought fresh birds and not a moment too soon.
We hunted open water the last three days.
Friday, we had snow and a strong WSW 20-25, and the mallards all of a sudden liked my decoys and call again. We took our time, picked drakes and ended up with 9 birds, all mallards except for one bull golden eye.
Saturday, the wind slacked and boy did it make ice. And it’s amazing how ice attacks duck equipment. We broke ice, we broke an airboat, we broke an outboard, but thankfully we didn’t break anybody. We ended up getting out late but managed 13 birds from two groups. Mallards, redheads, pintails, blackducks, and bluebills. And yes the ice appears to have pushed some late divers down also.
Sunday, with boat issues and ice we had only one group get out. They managed 6 birds, gadwalls, redheads, and mallards. And my son, Brett swears he saw a flock of bluewing teal. The ice finally brought the flights. Too bad it took the last days to have this happen.
But what a wonderful end of season. I hope you were able to get out and see it. I blew taps over the march at sunset as is our tradition to honor the duck brothers that didn’t make it back to the marsh this year.
I am off to Mexico next weekend to visit with our Michigan teal and morning doves. I’ll post an end of season wrap up when I get back.
Time to break out the ice fishing gear.
Everything else is between seasons!
Posted By:
wberg
Guest
Saginaw Bay Unionville 12-05-2009 18:02
– – –
Scouted for ducks Thursday evening drove out the other side of Owendale Gagetown area seen 3 small flocks only heading north also went south towards Dickerson road seen nothing.Hunted on Thomas Point Friday morning did not see much of anything hunted Akerman and French road did not see a bird. During early afternoon took ride to Fish Point lodge to check out refuge not much around. Also walked up observation tower at office seen a few swans small flock of geese and a few ducks buzzing around.Have to believe that the flights we seen heading south three weeks ago for one and a half hours very high never came back. With higher water in game area easier to eat and the combination of corn coming off late and being plowed right away birds ran out of feed. Dad seen birds eating in water right next to road earlier this week have never seen that before hunted all but 2 days and this was the worst season he has ever had.
Posted By:
wberg
Guest
Thomas point 11-30-2009 20:12
– – –
Dad hunted open water on Thomas point this morning seen very few ducks managed a red head and a buffy only ducks that came in. Hunted field east of refuge Bayport and Mcalpine area seen about 150 birds all very high and heading further east.
Posted By:
rick-hungerford
Field Editor
Saginaw Bay Fish Point Area 11-30-2009 16:37
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
Well the November 30th blizzard will go down as never happening, surprise …… surprise!
Woke up at 2 AM to see the most beautiful full moon lighting up the marsh and new we had been screwed. Wind by itself isn’t cutting it this year. We went outside the islands and had some fun with mers and goldie eyes, but there were NO MALLARDS!
We have heard things have tightened up in Canada, so keep your fingers crossed for the last minute finish.
I stopped by the Fish Point Headquarters on the way home this PM and there were only 4 parties in the afternoon draw. So that kinda sums up the hunting around the Refuge. Duck numbers have dropped to around 11,000 and most are leaving the last hour to feed elsewhere. Contrary to my previous post, there is still a lot of feed in the flooded fields, but the ducks are choosing to go outside. My guess is to teach the young ones how to feed during the impending migration. Just seems like they are going farther out each trip. The staff at the Headquarters said that they have reports of birds flying to Harbor Beach and back.
Reports of a large flock of divers off Thomas Rd with mallards mixing in. Makes sense cause there sure aren’t many in the north marshes.
One week from yesterday, is all she wrote. Let’s pray for cold.
Everything else is between seasons!
