Posted By:
Peter-Lester
Field Editor
Strafford County 10-12-2004 09:24
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
The cornfields in Strafford County were being rapidly harvested this past weekend. The Geese are in short supply. I have not noticed any migrating V’s and the harvested fields have been empty of both birds and hunters. Scott drove back from PA last friday and reported that fields along the highway that are normally full of birds where empty this year. Very little shooting was heard along one of the bigger fresh water rivers in the county on Saturday and favorite place of mine were the oaks hang over the river did not have any wood ducks hanging around. I heard very few shots being fired by other hunters. Hunter activity is also being reported as light by others that I have talked with. It seems we need a front or two to bring some birds down from the north.
Some folks that I work with that really know about waterfowl reported that the cold front that came through last week combined with the pressure of the open day pushed our local birds south in a big way. It seems we must now wait on the migrants.
[Edited By Peter-Lester on 2004-10-12 09:32]
Posted By:
Msg&son
Guest
conneticut valley area up north 10-11-2004 19:40
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 60-65 Degrees
well first weekand is in the books took fri off to take my son hunting, and that turned out to be the bes t off the 3 days got one woody, saw a few birds and geese but got to hot and mild during the day.sat set up on asand bar on the vermont side omg all day saw 4 ducks and 9 geese no shots fired, heard a few shots but no luck,lots of hunters wow , and for the early season scouting with lots of water and birds they where sure gone in a hurry wow not good at all.sun set up in a field and saw a few duks but all flying high and heard only a few shots if that. on the bright side with it being this bad shouldnt be so many hunters this weekand out there, only the die hards like me and my buddies, i hope. and another good note a land owner is now putting gates up on his fields now so that might cut out the drive bys and help the peopkle who will walk into the fields. so that might be good.well hope every one else had a good weekand. Mark St. Germaine
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Stratham, NH 10-09-2004 14:48
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 60-65 Degrees
Had a few hours this AM free so I hit one of the tidal rivers coming out of the Bay. Saw quite a few birds. Blacks, Mallards, and Teal. Unfortunately, as someone was already set where I had intended to go it was time for plan B.
Plan B is fine except for the wind conditions we had today. Had the birds flying 90% of the time in my no fire zone. So, I only fired 4 rounds total( 3 chances )at less than perfect shots. Still was a fine morning.
This will more than likely be my last 1st half NH report. If I go again it won’t be until the last day of the first half( 17th ).
Plenty of birds out there guys. Go get them. As always, be safe and shoot straight.
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Brentwood, NH 10-08-2004 05:16
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Well, with the tides not cooperating, and a real desire to hunt as much as I can this year in and around my overloaded work schedule, I decided to hit a swamp I used to hunt a lot before becoming a saltmarsh rat full time. First time I had hit the swamp in about 3-4 years.
Turns out this area has become a Pheasant release site and thus the waterfowling opportunities are not very good anymore. I was stunned to show up and see so many folks in orange at a place I have seen less than a dozen people total in the last dozen years!
I gave it a whirl anyway and did see a nice flock of Woodies and then had a pair of Blacks work and work and work, as they are notorious for, before they just decided something wasn’t quite right and left for a safer haven. That was it for the 3 hours I was there.
Was still nice to get out and go back in time if you will. It was a nice afternoon out and the walk back after shooting time was very pleasant. NO shots fired but still a good outing.
While I am happy for the upland gunners that they finally got a really good spot to chase their Pheasants I am saddened that the last of the “big 3” great inland spots of old for me is now pretty much gone. The other two have been developed into a trucking business and a Wal-Mart. At least this spot will still have hunting.
Be safe and shoot straight.
[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-10-08 05:17]
Posted By:
Jerry-Nicholson
Web Member
Upper Valley – Ct River 10-08-2004 00:35
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 35-40 Degrees
I was so pleased with my pre-season scouting. I had paddled my kayak all over the place, marking birds at various times of day, noting morning and evening flight patterns. This resulted in locating the absolute most fabulous and heady opening day location I have ever found.
Then, the day before the opener, I decided to check on a nagging thought. Sure enough, the tributary setback I wanted to hunt was protected by a moronic urban compact ordinance!
Mink Brook, where it meets the Connecticut River, is a waterfowl haven. There have consistantly been upwards of a hundred ducks and several dozen geese meandering about its confines without a care in the world. Now I know why. Hanover’s stupid ordinances deprive us from waterfowling’s hunting heaven.
On Day 1 my youngest son and I set up a few miles south of Mink Brook. We’ve had a few openers in this spot before and its been hit or miss. We got a few shots but nothing to write home about. The son got some good shooting and thats what opening day is all about to this dad.
Lots of birds were passing through, headed north and south but not much decoying interest. They were all flying fairly high.
On day two the fog was so heavy that I really think it affected the hunt. I had a hard time seeing beyond the end of the canoe.
Its pretty tough at this point determining if there is any migration happening. I saw geese, mallards, woodies, teal, cormorants, blacks and hoodies. I suspect they were pretty much local birds.
Interestingly enough, I saw no other hunters. Usually, this area is crawling with duck hunters, but not this year. I suspect that this coming weekend will compensate for the light opener pressure.
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Great Bay 10-07-2004 08:26
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 60-65 Degrees
What a fantastic coastal season opener it was on the Bay! One of the BEST I have had out in many a year! While it was quite dead/calm from around 11-2:30 that was to be expected this early with the warmer temps.
Hunted the Bay from the 6:16AM start of shooting time right through until the 6:18PM end of shooting time. Saw birds moving most of the day and I really don’t believe we went more than 15 minutes most of the day without action of some type. Lots of guys showed for the morning hunt but left early to beat the tide out. They missed a lot of good shooting later in the day!
While I didn’t see many geese which surpised me, after seeing so many while scounting just days before, I did see a TON of ducks of various species( again a surprise as during scounting = none? ). Blacks, Mallards, Widgeon, Pintail, Greenwing Teal, Wood ducks, and Scaup all made trips by my boat blind during the course of the day. I lost count of the number of Black ducks that decoyed in or passed within easy gun range? I am actually beginning to think rumors of the daily bag going to 2 birds may be more than just wishful thinking. Certainly the species is rebounding in a big way at least based on what I have seen the last few years.
I ended the day one bird short of my 6 bird limit with a Black, drake Mallard, drake Woodie, Greenwing Teal, and a GORGEOUS fully mature drake Widgeon. I actually should have had my 6th bird and a limit as I did drop it. The last flock of the day was a group of Widgeon that came over and we dropped 3( 2 for me ). The second bird I dropped was just clipped and evaded us.
With my Lab working on 2 surgically repaired knees these days I have to be really careful. Had he been healthy I know he would have brought the bird to bag as he got on it a couple times but I could not keep up with the leash on the very uneven and overgrown ground. As a note however I spent some 20+ minutes trying to get the bird. You MUST put the effort in and sadly many folks these days don’t.
My Brother who hunted with me managed a Black, drake Widgeon, and Greenwing Teal. Best part was my Brother shot his Black first thing = first bird, first shot, dead! When we picked it up it had jewelery. I think he cheats :-)Been seeing a lot more banded birds these days on the Bay as more and more banding projects are taking place locally and on the breeding grounds for our birds. Your chances at a band have never been better in this area.
Anyway, the tides are TERRIBLE for the rest of the first half. May just have to sneak an inland hunt in which I haven’t done in years.
At least based on what I saw all the talk that the Fed’s are over estimating the bird population is BS! Plenty of birds out there.
Keep safe and shoot straight.
[Edited By Scott-Haight on 2004-10-07 08:33]
Posted By:
Peter-Lester
Field Editor
I wish I was 10-05-2004 10:11
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
I am alive and well and anxiously awaiting initial reports from those who got out for the inland opener. My preseason scouting, disguised as crow hunting, gave me hope for a good season. I saw good numbers of waterfowl moving about. The first half finds me more often than not field hunting for Canada Geese. Most of the huntable cornfields in Strafford County remain unharvested as we start the season, so I am saving my time off until the places I want to hunt are ready. Good luck to all as we kick off the 2004-2005 season!
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
Opening Day Wishes… 10-05-2004 04:07
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Best wishes for a safe and successful opener for the inland and coastal seasons for all.
As a note – Been scouting Great Bay quite a bit the last few evenings and have seen a LOT of geese but very few ducks. Have seen tons of both ducks and geese on inland ponds and lakes however.
Posted By:
Jerry-Nicholson
Web Member
Hanover Boat Launch 10-04-2004 13:01
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 60-65 Degrees
FYI for any upper valley hunters, the boat launch at the Hanover Water Treatment plant is closed due to construction.
Also, Hanover Town Ordinance 31 prohibits hunting in Mink Brook so we can’t sneak in there, either.
[Edited By Jerry-Nicholson on 2004-10-04 13:01]
Posted By:
Scott-Haight
Guest
WILDLIFE REPORT FROM N.H. FISH AND GAME – GREAT YEAR FOR GEESE 09-30-2004 18:20
– – –
GREAT YEAR FOR GEESE
Keep your eyes on the skies during the next couple of weeks for the high-flying Canada goose migration. In a learned family tradition, all the geese hatched in certain areas travel to the same winter destination. Two different populations of migrating geese pass over the Granite State.
One group, called the Atlantic population, travels down the Connecticut River Valley as they wing their way south from spring breeding grounds in the Hudson and James bays in Canada to their winter home in the Chesapeake Bay. The Atlantic population, with about 175,000 breeding pairs, is doing very well, according to Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Ed Robinson, who predicts a larger fall flight this year than last.
The second population of migrating geese is called the North Atlantic population, with about 197,000 breeding and non-breeding birds. More of a coastal species, these geese breed during the spring in Labrador in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and winter in New Hampshire’s Great Bay, as well as in coastal Massachusetts and Connecticut. This population is also flourishing, and an increased number of birds is expected this year.
New Hampshire has still another group of Canada geese – a resident population of about 30,000 birds. Though the same species, this population does not migrate. Our resident Canada geese are more productive than the migrating populations, so can be harvested at different rates by hunters. The resident Canada goose hunting season, with a higher bag limit than the open season, ended on September 25, before the big surges of migrants started coming through the state.
