Posted By:
CT River North 11-03-2003 15:39
Cloudy, Light Rain & Drizzle – 40-45 Degrees
A rare solo on the River this morning. Never a big fan of hunting alone. Forgot what a pain in the neck it is to get the boat back on the trailer alone especially with a strong current. The River is still pretty high from all the rain last week. A few more birds seen today than last week as well- great waterfowling weather with a low ceiling, rain and a little wind to keep things moving. Small spread, trial run of a new swimming decoy that seemed to work pretty good, two greenheads in the boat and then back home to work. Glad to see BUBBAB putting up some info on the Lake (thanks for that BUBBAB) as the River closes down this Sunday. Supposed to get a cold front Wed. Will be out again Wed & Thurs this week then to the Lake Sat/Sun.
Posted By:
Michael-Bride
Field Editor
Lake Champlain/East Creek 11-03-2003 14:28
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – 40-45 Degrees
Nov.1/2/3
We had an awesome couple day stretch over on Champlain.
We saw a few new ducks on Saturday and managed to get a Mallard and a Goldeneye.
On Sunday we had a great day considering we only got one Woodie drake.We had several chances but our heads just were’nt in the game.It may be because we were so awe struck with the arrival of all the new ducks we saw flying in on the north wind.From a half an hour after day break until we left around noon the sky was filled with most every kind of waterfowl you would want to see.Definetly ozoners.But still very encouraging.
Monday the high skies were quieter but thats ok they were just as impressive.We started out with some decent flocks of Greenwings of witch we got four.And had a huge flock of Bufflehead come in of witch we also got four.Other stray ducks came in but they were more on the ball than we were.I’am just counting the minutes until Friday when I can get out on my next three day chase.
Good luck! Bubba…
Posted By:
Michael-Bride
Field Editor
Lake Champlain/East Creek 10-31-2003 15:17
Cloudy, Occassional Rain Showers – 35-40 Degrees
Went hunting over on Champlain on the 25th/26th and 27th. On saturday we saw a fair amount of ducks.We managed to bag a black,some mallards,pintails and some divers.On sunday we only saw a handful of ducks and never fired a shot.By the lack of noise around us I don’t think anyone had a great day.On monday we put on the raingear and got a little more serious.We changed our location as well as our luck.We moved straight across the bay from where we hunt to where we have been watching ducks raft up and managed to bag a few mallards. The bulk of the birds seemed content landing about 100yds away but every once in a while they would be close enough. When we fired they flew off and kept coming back a few at a time and that was the way it went right up until we left. We’ll be right back in the same spot this saturday morning to try again
Good luck to all!!
Posted By:
Reason Prevails 10-29-2003 17:14
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Thanks for reading Mike…just trying to get out as much as I can but had to call off the hunt on the River for tomorrow with NH VFE Tom Wansleben due to incredibly high water. The River Tuesday was pretty high but looks like it’s up at least six feet today and I don’t think it’s crested yet. Went across the bridge to NH mid-morning and there was a variety of dangerous and unatural looking stuff floating by- tires, huge logs, wooden pallets, railroad ties, empty milk jugs, manufactured housing, dead cows, Volkswagen Bugs…looked like a post-modern American Ganges. Pulled into the driveway at home and my boat started looking awfully small. Talked to two friends I hunt the River with regularly who know it pretty well- one, who had a hunting buddy drown in the River a few years ago, said he wouldn’t go near it for the next week, the other (an ex-Coastie) called me to say “just be careful…” That’s enough for me. Looking at the weekend now…Everyone HUNT SAFELY. Don’t take chances. There’ll still be ducks day after tomorrow.
Tight chokes…
[Edited By Rick-Higgerson on 2003-10-29 17:15]
Posted By:
Mike M.
Guest
Massachusetts 10-28-2003 20:40
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Thanks for the reports this season Rick.
Posted By:
Weather 10-28-2003 19:08
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I guess what I should have said to myself in my previous post is… “It’s the weather, stupid.” Pray for cold, pray for descending Artic fronts with snow. This time last year we already had snow on the ground and rim ice in the setbacks. Wondering what other VT gunners are seeing on the Lake these days as we close the CT on 11/9 and start to focus our efforts on fresh northern birds- Missisquoi, Button, Chimney, East & Dead Creeks, Little Otter, West Addie and the Fort Ti Bridge. Any News?
Tight chokes…
Posted By:
CT River North 10-28-2003 10:24
Mostly Cloudy, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees
Remarkable how few ducks we saw this morning- not only looking at our spread but even just winging at elevation. With all the rain yesterday, I think they were all resting in ponds and flooded corn. The River was boiling- truly treacherous with huge logs and a really swift current- up probably two feet from last week. Sighted- Group of four teal (testimony to the lack of truly cold weather that we’ve yet to have), a dozen mallards early, a few mergs and then a lone mallard who gave us three descending passes, talked to us a little and then split. The morning was saved by a lone, absolutely super magnum sized trophy Canada that loved the calling and cupped up at about two hundred feet to take the elevator ride straight down into the goose spread we always put off to the side. While we could plainly see the three loads of hevi #6 that I discharged bouncing off, a single follow up shot of hevi #2 from the trusty gun of CG Nichols folded him up like a piece of paper. A nice morning but a concerning lack of waterfowl sighted. Very little activity compared to what we normally see. Heading out to the CT again Thursday am. Will try for an Inland zone hunt in the classified drop zone tomorrow.
Posted By:
More Movement- Snow, etc. 10-24-2003 19:49
Cloudy, Snow & Rain Mix – 35-40 Degrees
Snuck an hour to go watch local corn harvesting and snow showers and big bands of ducks change shape in mid air and pile into a tight spot in the Ottauquechee River. A few Geese too. Word from Burlington is that you can stand in the parking lot of any roadside mall, gaze up yonder, and multiply the number of migrating geese you see by 100X. The big dark, everchanging threads of Canandas pouring South. Some diver sightings already reported on the Conn. by NH VFE’s. Two inches of snow yesterday morn here on the hill. Kids wanted to go sleddin’, Dad wanted to pull the boat another 30 miles to the ramp.
[Edited By Rick-Higgerson on 2003-10-26 09:15]
Posted By:
Waterfowl observation 10-23-2003 04:18
Cloudy, Snow Flurries – 35-40 Degrees
10/22
Well it seems like the saying I’ve always heard from my father,”the worst weather for us is the best weather to hunt ducks,”could have proven true on Wendsday.In Middlebury I saw several flocks of geese. Snows,Canadas,both migrant flocks and some that just seemed content to sit and feed in cut corn fields.Saw quite a few large and small flocks of ducks as well, both big and little.I also saw what I believe to be the first flock of Black scoter I can remember seeing just sitting on a small pond in Florence.They hung in there all day all huddled up.Hopefully they’ll still be there on Thursday so I can get another look at them.
It sounds like this weather is going to hang around for a few days so hopefully the reopener of the Champlain zone will be a good one.I know I can hardly wait.
Posted By:
Movement 10-21-2003 17:40
Cloudy, Rain & Thunderstorms – 35-40 Degrees
Today looked like the kind of day that gets ’em moving…some rain, high, cold winds and thunder mixed in. Saw plenty of birds dumping into the Ottauquechee down by the Quechee oxbow. Had a call from a friend who saw some larger flocks winging down the Conn. Major cool down in the Upper Mid-west bodes well for Saturday’s re-opener on the Lake. All I know is I’m taking the boat out from now on- no more blurry vision swamp crawling for me. I got a new pair of glasses so the shooting should improve. But maybe not. Actually, probably not…
[Edited By Rick-Higgerson on 2003-10-23 21:10]
