Posted By:
Ray-Sands
Field Editor
Griscom Swamp – Great Egg Harbor RIver 11-15-2003 17:30
Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 60-65 Degrees
Greeting from the flat lands down Jersey. The historical second wave of snows usually co-insides with the opening of small game, the birds just slip the noose with the split season. Well they were on the move today and in season. Snows, snows, and more snows with an occasional flock of black geese were on the move to make the jump south across the bay. Quite a few birds spent the night on Griscom swamp and moved up and out with the light. Still wondering what ever happen to the first wave, they were MIA this year? Photo on editor’s page.
What a different year. The early rig I put out is teal, some black jacks, some woodies with the token mallard drakes and a pair of blacks. Of course the early rig changes depending on where I am gunning. Now into November, I change over to the late season rig. It is made up of predominantly blacks with a couple of teal, a token drake sprig and some drake mallards for color. So what do I shoot today over a late season rig, a pair of drake woodies, two GWTeal and two juvenile blackjacks – go figure?
I heard snows moving last night at midnight, so I added a dozen floaters to the rig – but they were enough to entice any of the birds moving today. Probably would have needed a rig of at least twenty dozen to get lucky.
T’is the season … all the fair weather hunters are out looking for the pen raised “game birds” … Always out there…
[Edited By Ray-Sands on 2003-11-15 17:43]
Posted By:
Brian-Lafay
Supporting Member
ocean/atlantic county 11-12-2003 17:40
– – –
between work, hunting and scouting i havent been able to report in awhile, but this is what we did the first half of coastal…
11/4- one black scoter in barnegat bay. i had a pair come in and knocked down the one, but i really wasent expecting scoters to show up in my decoys. only saw a few brant and a black duck or two but wanted nothing to do with me.
11/6- 2 mallard and a teal in reedy creek. once again very slow but i had some chances and was unable to get the shot.
11/8- 6 brant,3 black duck, a teal and a wood duck in brigintine. kinda steady shooting but really didnt have that many brant or ducks in the area, but some birds seamed to stumble acrossed us. had my brother mike in from alaska and of all places he was able to take his first drake wood duck. lots of guys catching some nice bass!
11/11- 18 brant, 4 mallards and a black duck. we took a party out to the islands and had a good morning with the brant. did see a bunch more puddle ducks in the area. lots of buffies around too. saw only one other rig out. i thought for sure there be a bunch of guys out on a holiday, but i forgot pheasants open.
all in all theres been alot more birds that moved into the the area since the summer like season opener. even heard reports of some bills on the big bay. hope we have another cold winter to get them here in numbers again this season!!!
Posted By:
jerseywaterfowler
Guest
Great bay wma 11-10-2003 19:48
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
Got out for the first time this year. Had a Black decoy in on my spread early in the day. I missed clean a 40 foot up and a 40 foot to the left shot. Hit them clean last year mabey a shotgun gets out of wack over the Summer. Had some other blacks come near but nothing decoyed in. Did some jump shooting and had blacks pop up but they would have been impossible to retrieve. Large flocks of Brants in the Bay,but Striper fisherman had the best spots.Striper season will be over in a few weeks no point getting into a competition with someone who was there first. Plus I like to Striper fish as much as the next guy.Did some scouting for a place to take my young sons,need a place they can walk without waders. Took a look in Staford Forge,no ducks,and Manahaken,no ducks. Don’t know if by December there will be ducks but at least those are palces I can take them and kep their feet dry.
Posted By:
clambo
Guest
Tuckerton 11-09-2003 22:04
Cloudy, High Winds – 40-45 Degrees
Hunted Tuckerton last Friday. Good numbers of Brant. Had two decoy and shot one.
Had another flock of 10-12 fly just 20-25 yards behind my blind. Didn’t take the shot in hopes they would decoy, but it was not to be.
Saw a few small flocks of black, but Brant ruled the day, as did the fishermen. One set up 100 yards away, which was not too bad, but I would have appreciated another 50-100 yards. Another fisherman cruised extremely slowly within 30 yards of me. It made me want to stand up and yell “WHAT!” Doesn’t he know what decoys are?
Planned to head back on Monday, but the boat trailer is in bad shape.
Posted By:
Larry-Vankirk
Guest
Manahawkin Bay 11-08-2003 14:14
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 35-40 Degrees
Due to the recent cold snap a decent influx of birds were seen today.I was out gunning this morning in the salt marsh,lots of birds in the air until @9:00.Lots of brant and mallards ,with occasional black duck mixed in. I sighted two large flocks of teal heading south(250),also the bufflehead are starting to show up in little bunches.My morning hunt was good in all ways ,limited on brant,and was close to limiting out on ducks .I got some great pictures of brant decoying, will post later on.
Goose season is now one week away,fields are getting packed and a few snows are showing up every once in awhile.
Good luck and safe hunting
[Edited By Larry-Vankirk on 2003-11-08 14:15]
Posted By:
jerseywaterfowler
Guest
Sandy hook 11-08-2003 13:58
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 35-40 Degrees
Striper fishing on the Hook this morning.Good news- good groups of Black ducks,Brants and Buffle heads around. Bad news- No Bluebills. Used to see alot of Bluebills but none around. Not good news for them. More bad news- No Stripers eather.
Posted By:
jerseywaterfowler
Guest
NAVISINK RIVER 11-05-2003 18:06
Cloudy, Heavy Fog – 45-50 Degrees
Went by the Navisink for a look see today. Nothing on the water but a few Canadians.Hope the cold front this weekend pushes some birds. Hoping to get out in Barnegat bay Monday.Let you know how it goes.
Posted By:
muckdoc
Guest
Del Bay, Cumberland County 11-03-2003 21:57
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 60-65 Degrees
Hunted bayfront marsh. Dead. No teal. Saw 4-5 big ducks. Forgot the mosquito repellent, won’t do that again.
Posted By:
Diver-Down
Guest
Corson\’s Inlet 11-03-2003 17:38
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 50-60 Degrees
Hunted Scoters out of Corson’s Inlet on Friday. Had a pretty decent morning flight of birds heading South. Most were offshore a ways so I got on a lump about 2 mi out that comes up to 35′. Despite some large flocks passing by, the scoters were not acting like scoters and were not committing to the spread. So we had to pick away at them and by 10am they were done coming through and we only had 5 birds. The highlight was the drake White Wing that my buddy got for the wall, that along with the Black and Surf he he got last weekend will keep his taxidermist busy. No Longtails seen, still a bit early for them.
Diver-Down
Posted By:
clambo
Guest
Barnegat Bay 11-02-2003 22:07
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – Over 70 Degrees
Coastal Zone opener was a huge bust. Great day for jet ski’s, water skiing, sun bathing, you get the idea.
Saw 6 coots, one black duck (flying very very high), a few dozen Canadians (a dozen of which flew 15 yards directly overhead), and hundreds of Greater Commorants headed south. Big migration day for them.
Saw a crippled Canadian Goose on Stooling point. Someone needs to read the regs.
Between the beginning of legal shooting time and when I packed it in at 11am I heard a grand total of about 20 shots in the entire bay.
Talked to another hunter at the boat landing and he and his partner bagged a single mallard.
Afterwards I thought about how I’d at least seen a few dozen blacks in Ray’s neck of the woods the previous weekend and how I should have gone there instead.
BTW, is Ray the ONLY person in NJ who can type? People, this has to be THE most lackluster state forum. I’m from PA and I’ve already posted more than two of the VFE’s for NJ have this season.
Ray, love your posts, keep ’em coming
