Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
NC coast 01-07-2012 17:09
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 40-45 Degrees
Went out to hunt divers on at the same location we limited out on Thursday. We arrived at the ramp nearly 2 hours before legal time and were suprised to find one truck and trailer already there. We launched and while we pulled away, two more trucks arrived at the ramp we witnessed numerous boats moving out in open water. I guess the word got out.
We set up near the spot we hunted Thurs. We got out the decoys, set up the blind and waited. We saw some ducks moving in open water, but none that came near us. At about 8:30am, a small group swam up at the edge of range(about 45 yards) and we tried them, knocking down one hen after emptying all 3 guns. We then sat there for 2 more hours without firing a shot.
We had another raft set up in open water, swimming around about 75 yds away. A boat came up the river, we thought the ducks would flush towards us, but instead they flushed out over the boat and into open water. We decided to call it a day at that point.
Beautiful day, but not too productive, duck-wise.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
NC coast 01-05-2012 14:14
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Went down to the coast and finally broke the dry spell, my hunting buddy and I limited out on blue bills. Granted, that is only two ducks each, but it was a great day. We arrived and launched from the boat ramp and headed back to a spot that I used to hunt but have not been back to in at least 4 years. We used to shoot a lot of bills there, but in the last few years they just hadn’t showed up.
At legal time we saw a few flocks flying around and rafting up in open water. The longer we sat there, the more ducks rafted up until they were in the hundreds. By 8:30, we had in excess of a thousand birds in the open water out in front of us. Ducks would swim up, just out of range and then swim away.
My buddy urged patience, and he was right. around 9:00 am one flock made the fatal mistake of swimming too close and we stood up, smacking down a limit in one volley.
We sat there a little longer, but since we were seeing nothing but bills, we decided to head home and save this spot for Sat.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Nuese River 12-28-2011 12:53
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees
I have not posted up for close to two weeks, but it is not because I have not been hunting. It is because I have not pulled a trigger since the season opener. I have been hunting 3 times and have not fired at a duck. I can’t find them. In fact, no one I know is finding them.
The word from a friend of mine is that there are no ducks in his favorite beaverswamp. Everyone I am talking to out on the sounds are telling me there are not many divers. This morning is the first time I have even heard a shot in the distance in the last 3 hunts. And then there were less than 10 shots total. This was between a group of 4 duck boats and all but three of the shots were at one flock.
This morning I was on the Nuese near the Pamlico sound. I saw a few ducks, all buffles while riding a scouting trip before loading the boat. And even covering nearly 5 miles, I jumped up only 3 of them.
We need some cold weather. It is nearly the first of the year and it is still t-shirt weather. Not one good freeze all year. In fact the misquitos are still out. Get us some cold weather up north, a little freeze-up and we might be us some new ducks in the area.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
12-17-2011 15:15
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Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Roanoke River 12-17-2011 15:15
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 40-45 Degrees
Went out with my son for a duck hunt this morning and it was an adventure. We went to hunt on the Roanoke, it is one of our favorite spots. It can be a bit of a crap shoot, sometimes you shoot ducks, sometimes not, but it can have quite a variety of different species. Rained on us all the way down there and drizzled on and off all morning. The cold wet air cut through to the bone. On the ride down, we saw a large number of duck boats headed in various directions and we were a little suprised to find no one at the ramp when we arrived at about 5:30am.
We launched and set up at our usual location, putting out a dozen mallard,a dozen teal and a half dozen woodies. I accidently put a single ringneck in the woodie spread in the dark.We set up the Mojo and loaded up to wait for the last 20 minutes til legal shooting time.
At first light, a group of woodies came in, and I smacked down drake, took all 3 shots to put him down. We had a single ringneck blow out of the creek, right over the decoys, but did not see it in time to shoot. Then two mallards buzzed us from behind, again catching us off guard. I called frantically, but to no avail.
About 8:30 am, a single widgeon came in over the decoys and I smacked him at about 40 yards. Didn’t even twitch. Sat there for about another hour when a flock of five ringnecks came in and buzzed the woodies with the single ringneck decoy in the spread. I smacked a hen. Should have put out my ringneck decoys. Had them in the boat, just hadn’t seen a singe ringer all season and decided to take the easy way out.
Called it a day at 9:30 and hit the two steak biscuits for 2.99 at Bojangles and my son opted for a picnic sized dirty rice. Three ducks. Not too bad.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Roanoke River 12-03-2011 18:53
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Went out to hunt the Roanoke at the same location as last Thursday, the plan was to slightly relocate my position in order to capitalize on the wood ducks seen in the early morning and be in a better spot to attract the migrating puddle ducks seen later in the morning.
The woodies showed up on time, but they went to the spot I was set up in last time. Ironic. The puddle ducks did not show up later and the one flock that came by coencided with the appearance of the Game Warden. Wasn’t his fault, he checked us quickly and courteously and was on his way after only a few moments.
Skunked again. As we go into the last break of the season, I find myself thinking about the season up to this point. The season started out very productively, but really slowed down later. I hope that when the season reopens the divers might have arrived.
Time to get a positive attitude.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Roanoke River 12-02-2011 10:18
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Went out for a hunt and had mixed results. Saw a lot of ducks, only got a single teal.
Went out on the Roanoke River to a spot I never hunted before. I need to adjust my location for my next hunt. I got there and set up with about 20 minutes to spare. At legal time I was buzzed by three seperate groups of wood ducks. All were within range and would have been easy shots if I had seen them in time, but they came out of the shadows and were gone before I could recover.
At about 7:30 am, a single teal came into to the decoys, feet down and wings cupped. I stood up for the shot and the drake did a complete turn-around and applied the afterburners. Black Cloud put him down at about 35 to 40 yards, didn’t even twitch.
I sat there until 9:30 am. I saw large flocks of migrating big ducks as well as good sized flocks of woodies. All were low enough to call, but I couldn’t get any to commit to my spread.
Going back on Sat. to adjust my spot.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Roanoke River 11-25-2011 15:11
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 35-40 Degrees
We went out for a hunt at one of my favorite spots, but we had mixed hopes. The spot I wanted to hunt has been blown out by roost shooters, another good spot is covered up by trout fishermen as the trout are evidently running right now. This spot can do well for us, but the results in the late Nov. season are spotty at best.
We got out and set up with about 20 minutes to spare. Just as we threw out our last decoy, a boat passed us up the creek and passed on out of sight. We got the Mojo duck out and set up the Avery Blind. Right at legal time a woodie blew through, I blazed away three shots at it, my buddy got off one shot. It went down in a fluttering descent and we sent the dog off in pursuit. Just as she arrived at the duck, it took off and flew about 10 feet. It repeated this action until it made it to the shore and took off into the underbrush. The buckbrush was so thick the dog could not penetrate it and I had to recall the dog.
We set back up and a woodie blew into the dekes, feet down and wings cupped. I smacked it and it went down clean, one shot.
We had two ringnecks blow by us,one right after the other, and we did not get off a shot at either one. Then a single mallard hen flew over and we opened up on it. It went down in the buckbrush across the creek and again the dog was unable to penetrate the heavy undergrowth of tangled briars,thorns,sawgrass and scrub brush. We spent about 40 minutes trying to recover the duck, but all attempts were futile.
We called it a day at about 10 am.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Nuese River 11-19-2011 17:30
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
My buddy, my son and I went out for a hunt in one of our favorite spots. We got to the unimproved ramp at about 5:15am and set out to our spot. As we set out, another truck with a boat in tow pulled up. We got our decoys out and the other boat passed us about 10 minutes to shooting time. I guess they had trouble navigating the creek in the heavy fog. They went on out of the creek and around the corner, riding off into the distance.
We set up our blind and loaded up. A single teal blew over the boat at legal time, but came out of the shadows and we did not see it in time.Then a woodie passed over high. Then a flock of teal came into the decoys, feet down and cupped. We splashed three. Dixie was able to recover two of them, but one was a cripple and it escaped. Then a woodie came in low over the decoys and we double-slammed it. Stopped in mid-air as if it flew into a wall.
We sat there for close to two hours. We saw some ducks up high, but none that posed a opportunity. Then a flock of mallards came over and I called them in. They came in over the decoys, but we had a miscommunication in the boat and opened the blind prematurely, flaring the ducks. I managed to knock down a drake in spite of this.
We then sat there for a hour without seeing a duck and called it a day.
Ducks in the boat, wet dog, happy hunters. Good day.
Posted By:
Scott-Tolar
Field Editor
Nuese River 11-18-2011 05:35
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – 60-65 Degrees
I went out for a hunt with a good friend of mine to the same spot we went Sat. I really wanted to put him on some mallards and I knew that there would be some in the area. If the guys that shot the roost Sat. did not return to do it again on Monday.
It was a wierd day. It was 70 degrees when we launched. It began to rain and the misquitos were out in force. We got to our spot and set up. We had a woodie get past us at legal time and then a mallard buzzed the boat. There were hundreds of misquitos buzzing around the boat blind. The wind then did a 180 degree turn and the wind began to cool. The misquitos disappeared and it rained on and off. We saw a few ducks, but all were high and none would decoy.By 9:00am the temps had dropped to 55 degrees and we called it a day.
First time to get skunked this year. I knew it was coming.
