Posted By:
LesB
WFC Sponsor
Warning!!! 11-21-2003 08:21
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Not a report – a heads up…
Got this this morning, is it time to move???
They won’t rest until we’re throwing rocks. Me, I have TWO ex wives, so I guess it’s time to go…
Folks,
Big news of the bad kind. THe state is doing a crackdown on persons who cannot own firearms under federal law, but can under state law. Feds gave $115 million in grants to prosecute people who are felons or have a restraining order on them. Supposedly it is to prevent violence and grants were given to two organizations I have never heard of before – Vermont Center for Justice Research and Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence. WCAX had a state cop on showing a variety of firearms on a table and telling us how they are going to get illegal gun owners out of business. Note felons include people who bounced a $20 check in 1965, people who had a warrant on them for failing to pay a fine and people who had a restraining order put on them by a vengeful spouse in a divorce proceeding. The latter case is the so called Lautenberg Amendment, which is of dubious constitutional authority. Many people have felony records and do not even know it. Many others have had restraining orders that may not have ever been recinded. This could take many sportsfolk out of shooting sports and hunting, leaving many homes, particularly rural ones, unprotected.
Gun Owners of Vermont is setting up a meeting with the governor to deal with this issue. We need sportsfolk to join in because many people will be swept up in this raid on gun ownership. Ilse Peppin Vergi is the Gun Owners lobby person and we really would like to have HAT’s Steve McLeod coordinate with her for possible legislative action.
This is a critical issue and should not be taken lightly. Gun Owners of Vermont has a huge list of people who could be victimized by this ganster style federal action. Our state should not be complicit and our governor made committments to protect gun owners from this kind of frivilous attack when he was running for office. Eddie, founder of Gun OWners of Vermont will be very much involved and I will be coordinating with him. If you have questions, please feel free to coordinate with me.
Karen Kerin, Treasurer, Gun Owners of Vermont
Posted By:
Jerry-Nicholson
Web Member
11-20-2003 21:42
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Rick,
I answered your PM re: goose sausage…
Posted By:
Interior 11-20-2003 11:27
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – 45-50 Degrees
SBE76-Haven’t heard much. Had a buddy that hunted Sandbar end of last week and almost got blown off the Lake. He said there was not much flying. I think that he is in MNWR today and will post if I hear anything.
We went back to the same sweet spot we hunted Tuesday morning but did not set up on the water becasue the river was raging from all the rain. Set a field spread of Canadas and Mallards on the edge of a cut corn field right next to the water. Still lots of ducks in this spot but not as many as Tuesday. Less geese, too. No shots on geese this morning whereas the two we dropped Tuesday were close enough to shoot in the lips with #6 heavi. Same group of snows came in- figured out where they’re roosting nearby. There were alot of shots we should have taken but didn’t. Still, overall, a good morning with 5 fat mallards on the strap by 9:00 and then off to work. Going north tomorrow afternoon to hunt either the Lake or the snow goose lease in New York.
Posted By:
SBE76
WFC Sponsor
Burlington/Sandbar question 11-19-2003 09:22
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Looking to see what the diver situation looks like up around the Sandbar area or greater Burlington? A friend had a good puddler shoot by Shad Island in MNWR on Monday, he’s headed back there on Friday.
Posted By:
NY Snow Geese 11-18-2003 18:25
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Got a message from a gent up in Rouses Point, New York just across the pond from Vermont who read my e-mail about no geese near the Lake. Message says…” I hunt every weekend..Saturday we shot 17 geese in 4hours(just 2 of us) and we saw between 50,000-75,000 total…all snow geese.” We’ve been back in touch with the the goose man, he sounds like he’s got it happenin’ and are hoping to check out one of his leases this weekend.
[Edited By Rick-Higgerson on 2003-11-19 21:32]
Posted By:
Michael-Bride
Field Editor
11-18-2003 16:12
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That is awesome news Rick. I saw quite a few Canadas today as well. They were in meadows that they had abandoned a couple of weeks ago. I figured they had moved on but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I now have even more interest in getting out there this weekend. The rumor is that I may have to work but I already feel dizziness and tightness in my chest, my god I have duck fever. The only cure I know is some R&R lakeside ASAP. Also Rick I sent you a PM yesterday.
Good luck and keep swinging!!
Mike B…
Posted By:
Interior Zone- Honey Hole X 11-18-2003 12:39
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
HOOOOOOOOEEEEEEYYYYY!!! Wish I hadn’t been stuffed in the trunk and blindfolded when I got taken to this spot this morning. Seriously- wish I could tell all where this spot is but there’s just no way, it’s staying in the vault forever. Also wish that I had brought the video camera instead of the gun so I had something to remid me of why I’m out there whent he hunting gets slow! And video proof of Vermont’s quality spots befitting our own cabkle TV show.
Cyclones of ducks, mostly mallards and a few blacks mixed in. Probably counted 500+ ducks in tolls of 30,40,50+. Large flocks of Canadas, a group of snows that must have had 200+ birds in it. Steady action all morning long. I’ve got to learn to hold my fire when 150 mallards start pouring into a spot that’s only 40 feet wide. Despite my pre-mature discharges, Team Madhouse landed 2 trophy Canadas and a mixed brace of mallards. Could have stayed all day long just to watch the show but work was calling. Out by 10 am with renewed interest in the pursuit.
Posted By:
Michael-Bride
Field Editor
Lake Champlain 11-16-2003 18:44
– – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
We had a fairly slow couple of days over on the lake this weekend. Saturday, after seeing the wind on the lake was making 3-4 foot swells and whitecaps, we decided to go from Larabee’s point up to just south of the bridge at Mc Quin’s.(not sure of spelling)To our suprise that bay was completely quiet and skimming over with ice. With high hopes that our persistance would pay off we got set up right at showtime. We saw four mallards flying low about 100 yards out and that was it. When we picked up at around 9:00 the same four mallards spooked up from the bay behind us. We went back to Larabee’s boat launch and watched a few ducks buzz around and land on dead calm water and that was it.
Sunday we went to our normal spot down near the mouth of East creek. We watched the first hour go by without a bird. Then we wathed some birds fly the New York shore and buzz the creek. So we grabbed a half dozen dekes and moved right to the mouth of the creek and boated two Blacks. That was the extent of our hunt. Not our worst day but not what I expected to see for activity. With all the flooded corn now frozen I figured some of the birds would be back on the lake. I think alot of them are but without any hunters or fishermen moving them around they are most likely happy just sitting in the middle of the lake.
I do want to say that as of 10:00 am the mouth of East Creek was completely frozen. I don’t know how thick the ice is, or if it is even still there, but the ice in the catails we were in was about 1/2 in. thick. So if anybody reading this is going there go easy.
GOOD LUCK!! MIKE B…
Posted By:
Lake Champlain 11-16-2003 10:43
– – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
THIS POST IS FROM A FELLOW UPPER VALEY DU SUPPORTER (JCS,MD) FOR THURSDAY 11/13- today was an adventure. ill post to wfc too but basically, got up at 3 to make the insane drive accross 89 with the wind and snow. accidents everywhere. got to shelburne bay only to find a guy set up on the point i had hoped to gun. set up in a windward cove, shot a couple buffies. not too much in the bay – buffies, mergs, a few local mallards. pulled the spread at 8 and headed up to missisiquoi. scouted the refuge for about 2 hours. only two parties hunting. couldn’t find any birds! refuge manager said lots of birds earlier in week, but he couldn’t find any today either. we both wonder if the mallards headed south on the blow. no new birds down though. ended up setting up on maquam bay (protected from nw wind.) not too many birds close. ended with a teal and couple mallards. quite a few goldies and buffies out on big water; not working shore. also saw a couple nice flocks of bills. again, way out in dem vite caps. nice day. not too many working birds (or as many as i had hoped with this wind) but gorgeous, and no place i would rather have been/nothing else i would have rather been doing…
[Edited By Rick-Higgerson on 2003-11-16 10:45]
Posted By:
Lake Champlain 11-16-2003 10:34
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Made it over to the Lake Saturday morning. Because of the high winds of the last few days, we thought we’d start off in a protected area and hunted Little Otter. Since this was our first trip over, we were amazed at how high the water is this year. Usually my boat is dragging through this swamp. Three other groups in Little Otter, and two groups set out by the mouth of Lewis Creek. I’d say the place has been picked pretty clean; one black and on teal out of the 7 hunters (including us) that pulled out by 7:30-8:00. Very few ducks flying. Took the boat out as far as McDonough Point to scout but the 2-3 foot chop and icy spray cut that idea short- still some pretty strong winds. Re-racked the boat and headed south. Scouted Kingsland, Porter anfd Fields from the truck but saw zero birds. Put in again at Button Bay- the Lake down there at this time was GLASS. Some guys from MA had a 50/50 dry/wet goose spread set up at Button Bay- looked like a good place for a picnic but I didn’t see any geese, alive or dead for miles around. Seems the geese is gone. Set up a large diver spread in a bay to the south and had many birds pass but very few work the spread- a bluebird day, we were probably sparkling in the direct sunshine and the shifting wind pushed the gang-rigs around alot. Lake whipped up to white caps briefly and that got them moving some. Jim tagged out a golden eye. Took the boat for a long scouting mission to the south towards Crown Point once the Lake flattened out again and saw one group of divers 1000+, another group of mallards 200-300 strong all rafting up in the middle of the Lake. Also what looked to me like a pretty healthy group of Brant in the middle of the Lake. Very few birds working the shore. No pressure from either boats or other hunters to get them moving. Picking up the spread had a ringkneck fly 10′ off the bow (close enough to count feathers) and a green head and a suzie 30 feet away, flying paralell to the boat and laughing at us as they escorted us back to the launch. Not a numbers day but great to be back on the Lake and always amazed at how quickly the water changes- we’ll look for some better (worse) weather for this week. I don’t now what other people saw but I can confirm that ducks, in huge numbers, are out there. Seeing a thousand divers come off the water all at once is a pretty awesome sight…
