Posted By:
Shawn-Keeton
Web Member
Ohio River 12-15-2008 12:05
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
We put the skiff in on Saturday morning to no other boats around. I was kinda surprised by that. We put in at 8:00 and headed upstream into some fog. After about a mile we switched to the Indiana bank. After another mile we spotted a single buffle head. After a long sneak we got her. Turning around we headed downstream and saw 3 mallards sitting on the IN bank. We got within 20 and rolled er’ over and got all three. After another mile or so we spotted three blacks on the IN bank and got within 25 yards before taking our limit of 1 a piece. We snuck several other groups of blacks but already had our limits and there were no mallards or other ducks in with them. We took out at 10:00 with our 6. Not a bad morning.
A couple of things that I’ve noticed: first and foremost the goose numbers are terrible. We haven’t even seen one flying the last 2 times we’ve been on the river (and we’ve covered over 10 miles of river). There are some staying on a local pond but oddly enough they are not moving. All day and all night they are staying on the pond, even sitting on the ice when it froze. The other thing I find odd is the lack of wood ducks. Now I know its been cold but every year (even in big freeze ups) we have seen and killed woodies on the river. I haven’t seen the first one since October. We have been seeing some divers here and there but not any large groups. The river came up a couple feet and had lots of drift. The current was strong and I gotta imagine this rain we are having now will add to it. If you hit the river be careful and use some heavy weights so you don’t end up chasing dekes the whole time.
Posted By:
ohioriverhunter
Guest
East Augusta 12-13-2008 17:51
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 25-30 Degrees – Open Water
Hunted the blind this morning. Seen lots of ducks this morning but only the small groups would work. Killed 5 between 2 of us, all mallard drakes. Ran around 18 GHG mallards and the mojo. The small groups we had did work relatively well, and sucked right into the hole after about 5 passes. I’ve noticed myself somewhat over calling lately so I tried a new strategy today; less calling, and call only when they turn away, and I believe for the most part it worked. If anyone plans on hunting towards Augusta tomorrow let me know, I’d like to go, everyone in my crew is busy, and I don’t like to hunt the river by myself. Stay safe !
Posted By:
bridgeman
Web Member
Ohio River Brush Creek Mile 388 12-13-2008 13:56
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
Duck Hunt 12-13-08
I got up ay 4:30 to try decoying at Brush Creek mile 388 Ohio River. I took the 1954 14’ lonestar with Jewels the chessie. Grabbed a sausage egg sandwich at the Mentor Marathon. Stopped there was the biggest duck boat I have ever seen, it had to be 22’ long. I got to the brush creek ramp at 6:45. The low last nite was 19, and river at 34’ at Cincinnati, I really should have taken the skiff. Ran out to island and set up on the down stream end. I jumped up maybe 3 mallards at the mouth of brush creek. As I was setting decoys a duck swings over in the fog and lands just out from my decoys. I ignored it because I still had to tarp the boat. Got all done and looked up and the duck was a drake Canvasback and he is in my decoys swimming around. I was 90 percent sure they were off limits in Kentucky, but I could not shoot him anyway, he was just too stupid. He swam to within 15 yards of my boat. He got mad when the other ducks would not play with him, so he swam off down stream. That’s all I saw for about 15 minutes, when here he comes back and lands in my decoys, and stuck around for 15 minutes, and then swam back DS. About this time 2 mallards swam by, but were 70 yards out. They would not swim in. about 1 hour later I pulled up and took a boat ride US and DS of the island and saw maybe 15 ducks in groups of 3 and 4, not a lot. Pulled out at about 10:30 and paid Roger my $5.00 ramp fee. I wanted to stop for Breakfast at Browns in Aberdeen, but they were closed. I had a good breakfast at the Dairy Yum Yum. I stopped at the Dam on Route 8 to spot ducks, and saw a few above the dam, but did see 8 deer go over the hill and get knee deep in the River just 200 yards above the Dam. They stood there for 10 minutes and then took off. Home by 2:00, did not fire a shoot.
Posted By:
Wareagle23
Guest
Ohio River 12-12-2008 11:51
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After two weeks of hitting it hard,I am starting to have those mechanical difficulties. Mojo battery shot, mojo bag destroyed, mojo charger dead, gun starting to get really slow,truck smells like soured wet dog and the list goes on. On a positive note the salt caused the lights on my decoy trailer to start working.
Anyway, watched ducks last night not work the cornfield but were staging 1/2 mile down the river. Decided to give it a whirl this morning. Tried to setup where I thought was the G spot but to deep. River has has come up two feet on this section of the river. Ended up 200 yards in the wrong place. At daybreak I had two passing barges, and several hundred ducks working. Once the barges passed the ducks settled downstream and I was SOL. I worked several ducks but they all went down below my spot.
Decided to pickup, move downriver and restart. It worked, flushed the ducks out setup 12 decoys and a mojo and started hunting again. Ended with one hooded merganser, three mallards and one black.
Scout move, scout move and do not become complacent has been my moto this week. Hunting has been very, very good this week. I did see some redheads and goldeneyes this morning. May set some long lines tomorrow and see if we can get them to work.
“I take no prisoners”
Posted By:
ohioriverhunter
Guest
12-11-2008 22:12
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It’s $600 in the book I’ll take $500
Posted By:
KYStrokin
Guest
12-10-2008 22:39
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How much you want for the ruger
Posted By:
ohioriverhunter
Guest
12-10-2008 22:07
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Anyone interested ina Ruger M77 Mark 2 in .300 Win. Mag.? Need money for my trip to Reelfoot in January !
Posted By:
Wareagle23
Guest
Ohio River Corn Field 12-10-2008 08:49
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Warm, Wet,Wild and Quick. No it wasn’t sex, it was this mornings hunt. Since you can’t hardly get dividends from bank stock nowdays, I have adjusted to duck scouting and it paid dividends in a big way this morning. I had Board meetings yesterday, but I still scouted before and after work. I found a sizable group of mallards and blacks working a recently harvested cornfield in a lower bottom next to the river. Five minutes from work! I made a few calls to those who say “call me when it gets good”, like usual, they were all busy. I told myself I wasn’t going to make those calls this year, but I knew it would be good and I wanted to share the experience. At least I tried.
Jethro, my lab, felt like he was back on the priaries. For the first ten minutes we just laid in the blind, watched over 150 ducks land, eat and just be ducks all around us. We were ducked in! Once good shooting light came, I made some moves in the layout blind and the ducks flushed off to the river. I wanted to make sure I could just shoot greenheads and a black.
Small groups began drifting back in and I took advantage of three small sets to harvest my four drake mallards and one black. Within ten minutes it was over. Out of the field by 7:50 and in the office by 8:20. I will give it a day rest and back again if they stay around.
Birds in our area have been roosting on the power plant ponds and are starting to dry feed in the cornfields. Very early for this to be happening. Don’t know how long it will last, but this week has been very good.
“I take no prisoners”
Posted By:
ohioriverhunter
Guest
12-09-2008 21:54
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Ain’t in no big hurry Skee, just whenever you find yourself with nothing to do. I know thats probably almost never though, haha.
Posted By:
Shawn-Keeton
Web Member
12-09-2008 07:57
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Ohio, I still have those blinds and stuff. Been busy as heck. We’ll have to set up a time to get together.
Saw two large groups of sandhills flying over the office yesterday.
