Posted By:
12-03-2003 21:02
– – –
hey rick were still seeing lots of snows, canadas and divers on the newyork side take care tim
Posted By:
Jerry-Nicholson
Web Member
12-03-2003 18:21
Arctic Blast – 0-10 Degrees – Open Water
Hey Vermonters, a couple nights ago I was watching my “local” (satellite) news, WPTZ, and saw a story about some duck hunters who were “rescued” on Lake C even though they didn’t need it. Some lady saw them hauling their boat through the shallows and thought, due to the horrendous weather, that they were in trouble.
In the report, the local sheriff up there had the absolute gall to blame the HUNTERS for the unnecessary rescue effort.
He said something like, “I know you gotta have fun and all…” or something like that, but he was blaming the hunters and not the caller!
I hope you guys saw this and ripped that sheriff a new one! What a bunch of crap!
Oh yeah, and I hunted yesterday, on the VT/NH border and only saw 3 stinkin fish ducks (now this is a field report… 😉 )
[Edited By Jerry-Nicholson on 2003-12-03 18:22]
Posted By:
12-03-2003 13:40
Arctic Blast – Froze Out
Two degrees above zero on the hill this morning. Haven’t seen more than two ducks in the last four days. Is this the end??? Ice everywhere- even on big stretches of the CT. Anyone seeing anyhting other than cold?
Posted By:
SBE76
WFC Sponsor
Sandbar Area 12-01-2003 16:49
– – 35-40 Degrees
Late report for VT for last weekend. On vacation last week and swore off the computer for a week. Had 2 fairly good days of diver gunning in the Sandbar area last Sat/Sun. Sat. was great but Sunday the wind started to kick up but the big Bankes layout was nice and dry. Good numbers of whistlers around and on Sat. good gunning for both whistlers and bluebills, Sunday was all Whistlers. Sat. best gunning came between 8:45AM-10AM and 11:30-1:00PM. Even took a drake mallard that dropped in to the diver rig, plus a bonus goose that was oblivious to the layout boat among the decoys. Hope to get up there for one more weekend before it closes.
Posted By:
Interior Vermont- Field 12-01-2003 10:02
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted the farm Sunday morning. Looks like our local flock hit the flight path south over the weekend on the 50 mile an hour north wind and snow squalls. Saw very few birds- couple of pairs working the spread and one group of six divers winging down the channel of the River. Fiercely cold wind. A few small groups of geese, 20 or less, lighting into the corn mid-morning. Good to be outside with my future brother-in-law.
Posted By:
Michael-Bride
Field Editor
Lake Champlain 12-01-2003 04:56
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Not much of anything exciting to report from the past few days. We hunted on Thanksgiving morning. Not much flying. Got a pass shot at a couple of Goldeneyes but came up empty. Hunt was cut short by an early dinner.
I had to work on Friday and Saturday so I never made it out.
On Sunday we made another trip to the big lake and still not much activity to report. We did see a handful of puddlers and a few divers but really only about fifty ducks total. I did bag my first Bluebill of the year. I think this week is going to be pretty good over on the lake. By midweek we are going to see temps colder than anything we’ve seen this year and that will no doubt start to freeze up some of the small back water that these birds are hanging in. Hopefully the boat launches will remain open for a while longer. I can’t wait to see what will be coming in on the artic express.
Good luck and keep swinging! Bubba…
Posted By:
LesB
WFC Sponsor
Lower Conn River Nov 26 & 27 11-27-2003 13:26
– – –
Decided to try the river, as I was headed that way anyway. Wednesday was a bluebird day, but still had total of 7 mallards come over close enough… didn’t hit much, but it was fun trying… lots of buffleheads and mergs…
Lots of hunters for the second opener.
Thanksgiving day I went right back. Lousy weather, still as death, bright, not a good duck anywhere. Buffleheads and mergs everywhere. fewer hunters than I expected, but there were a few too many – let me explain.
From being on the river the last two days, I discovered people play by different rules there. Apparently, they don’t need to use a plug, and can’t tell time. There’s a couple of boats with professional goose jumpers operating here. They start patrolling for flocks on the water before shooting hours(I don’t know if they bother to shut the motor off when close). When they are close enough, it begins – I’ve counted both days, and never has there been less than seven shots going off in a barrage bambambambambam. and a few times I counted 12 or more. Now I could be wrong, but I doubt anyone has a boat they can sneak in that shoots four hunters at a time. This morning they must have slept in, they only started twelve minutes before legal time. It’s sad it’s so predictable – you hear a motor in the dark, then a moment of silence, and then the geese panicking followed by a rain of shots going off like a string of firecrackers. Then the motor starts and you can follow the progress as they travel the river by hearing the same sequence of events… End of rant, had to vent…
Posted By:
Interior Vermont 11-26-2003 15:38
Cloudy, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Couldn’t muster the enthusiasm for the River this morning based on our experiences towards the end of the split, even though I knew there would be birds, so went back to the local honey hole packing light with six blocks and the mojo. Seems like, from Tom’s post overthere in NH, the same type of behavior prevails. The local birds in this spot just keep on coming. Shot four mallards by 8:00 am. Should have stayed later but once they make you in the day’s spot, the willingness to offer themselves up slows considerably. Happy Thanksgiving!!!Anyone out there enjoying and turducken this year? I’m looking for a Turgooducken…
Posted By:
New York Ag, Inland from Lake Champlain 11-24-2003 08:42
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 45-50 Degrees
Tim Faubert got in touch with me after reading my post with the comments about the total lack of geese on the Lake last weekend. He wrote to say that he knew where the geese were and that I was wrong about all the geese having left already. Also, generously invited us up to prove it.
Boy was I wrong about the geese being gone. Even had one old hunting buddy tell me that all the snows were gone after October 15th! Tim was right. We crossed the Lake and drove north from Plattsburgh and met up and hunted a 500+/- acre alfalfa field over a spread of 40 dozen rags. Snow Geese everywhere. 10’s of thousands all through the morning, filling the sky. An amazing sight. Also some flocks of Canadas and the odd Blue mixed in. Couple of good groups of puddlers, mallards and blacks came across as well. We also had the opportunity to scout a little later in the day in some spots that Tim had told us about. He was very generous with his information. We saw an impoundment on the Lake that must have had 25 to 30,000 geese (Snows and Canadas) and ducks and spotted some huge rafts 1000-2000+ of divers out in the middle of the lake. The guys from Champlain, NY were just about the nicest, most generous and knowledgable hunters we’ve run into anywhere. The fact that they were happy to have us in the first place, set us up and share their spots and their knowledge with us was just fantastic. Hey Tim & Ron, Thanks a million- we’ll definately be back.
[Edited By Rick-Higgerson on 2003-11-26 15:32]
Posted By:
Michael-Bride
Field Editor
Lake Champlain 11-23-2003 17:39
Sunny & Clear, Morning Fog – 35-40 Degrees
Nov. 22/23
Hunted around the mouth of East Creek this weekend.
Saturday we saw alot of goose movement most of the early morning. Plenty of divers as well as puddlers moving around. Had a couple of Blacks come around but just couldn’t seem to connect. I did manage to bust a nice Goldeneye drake. It’s funny how I always seem to tie myself up like a pretzel trying to swing through those Whistlers.
Sunday same spot slightly different story. We saw a few less ducks early but around 8:00 we saw a steady stream of puddlers. Managed to boat two nice Greenheads and a beautiful Greenwing drake. I believe Rick had a post a few weeks ago about when nature calls the only two gunners in the boat answer one at a time. Well that is good advice if you like shooting at ducks. We had six Mallards ,(two hens four greenheads) and two Blacks. They cupped, dropped, and glided right through our spread only to land sixty yards away. And we were definately not in any position to do anything about it. I tried some feeding chuckles that brought them in, but not enough before one of the Blacks made us. Oh well. Win some,loose some. All in all not a big numbers weekend but certainly more than enough action to keep my drive alive.
I’m really curious to see what will be happening on Thursday. I can hardly wait to get back out there.
Good luck and keep swinging!
Bubba…
[Edited By Michael-Bride on 2003-11-23 17:43]
