Posted By:
Shawn-Keeton
Web Member
01-23-2009 08:01
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Those bouncing waves sure do mess up the skiff’n bridge. Many O times we’ve had the ducks unaware only to have a wave come by and mess us up.
Posted By:
bridgeman
Web Member
Ohio River below Dover Ky 01-22-2009 20:23
Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
Duck Hunt 1-22-09
Jim and I went to Dover on the Ohio River mile 420 this morning to float in the skiff. The Ohio is at pool stage, low last nite was 20 degrees. I met Jim at his Farm outside Mentor. We had a good breakfast at the Augusta General store. Was first at Dover ramp at 9:30, river was calm, very little wind. Put in and headed down the Ky bank. The sky was full of Geese flying US in bunches of 20 which went on for a good .5 hour. We spotted mallards about 1 mile down below ramp. We paddled down right on them, I turned the boat so that Jim was facing the ducks, and said take them. Jim jumped up and got drake with first shot, and missed the second. I did not shot, they were right over Jim. The duck was a cripple, I should have shot it on the water, Jim was empty, he had the 20 gage la-fever . I cranked up the 10 hp but hit shallow water. I pulled motor up and paddled in and got out in the shallow water, and walked over to the bank to find the duck. Ice had formed all along the bank, and he must have ducked under it . I kept breaking the ice, but never did find the duck. Went ahead and had coffee and tea. We started back down. We spotted a whole bunch of Geese about 1 mile below. Since there was so many of them, I held the boat out more than normal. I got right beside the lower end of the geese and turned the boat in towards the bank. As I turned the geese below us saw us and started honking. There was 200 geese and about 20 mallards in the group. We got within 20 yards, and the ones below us got up. Then the ones in front of us got up. Jim fired 2 times at a geese, feathers all over, but no Goose. I fired 2 times at a drake, but did not touch a feather. Jim is shooting heavy shot for the first time, so far he is not impressed. We continued on down, I started running the 10 hp at a idle. We were both glassing the bank looking for ducks. I look up and out swims a hen and a drake from the bank ahead. I cut the 10 hp and tried to paddle up on them. The would swim out, turn and swim in. We chased them DS for a good .5 mile. At last they swam in and I got to within 30 yards, when they jumped up. No shots fired. We continued on down below Indian Creek to the stone bank. We spotted ducks below us, and another bunch below them. We got within 100 yards, when here comes a train, guess what –they jumped up , scared by the train. All the time we are floating down we heard Geese across the river. We spotted them with the Binoculars. We decided to run up and float down the Ohio bank below Straight Creek. At this time the wind had picked up a bit. We ran up the Ky bank and spotted a big raft of ducks and geese in the middle of the river below Straight Creek . I jumped them up hoping they would land below us. We ran up above Straight Creek and started down the Ohio Bank. There all kinds of Comerats at the mouth of Straight. We started down . I spotted 2 mallards below us and paddled down right on them. Again I turned the boat so Jim was right on them. I said take them Jim. He fired 2 times and nothing. I swung on the drake and fired, nothing, lead him another 2 feet and dropped him. He was dead on the water. Had lunch and coffee. Started back down. I spotted blacks below us. I got just about ready to say take them and they got up. Neither took a shot. The problem was the boat was bouncing up and down from the wind blown waves. I was just too windy. We decided to run above Dover on the Ky bank, which is protected from the wind. On trip up Ohio bank we jumped up 4 groups of mallards, and 1 group of Geese. Just below Ripley I crossed over to the Ky bank. I wanted to go up further, but I would have had to pass a barge and get far enough in front to cross in front. Instead I crossed below it and waved to the guy burning garbage at the back of the tow. We started down the Ky bank. Nothing to ramp. Pulled out by 3:00.
Posted By:
Shawn-Keeton
Web Member
01-19-2009 09:26
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Didn’t get out Saturday with the high winds but I talked to several people on the river and they had some decent success. The divers are on the river in pretty decent numbers. Several groups killed goldeneyes, bulebills and buffleheads. There were a few mallards reported but not as many as I would have thought. Yesterday we put the skiff in and ran down stream. We flushed a flock of several hundred ducks off a point and the majority of them were black ducks. The rest were mallards. We saw a ton of geese flying and I got several texts from guys who were decoy hunting and they were doing pretty well. Again it was a lot of diver, including some beautiful redheads. We got two pair on our trip down and then went back up. Even though there were lots of geese around we couldn’t get any to hold tight enough to get any shots. I assume they have been run and gunned, like what bridgeman was saying a few posts back. They are VERY skittish. We did encounter some more mallards and ended up finishing with 11 mallards and 2 mergansers (for 3 hunters) and had a good time. The river has dropped a BUNCH, current was average and drift was almost non existent. The wind was out of the west which made for some difficult skiffing. We did see several groups of people decoying which is odd, usually by this time of year your down to just the hard care few. There are good numbers of birds on the river and in the adjacent fields. We watched several hundred birds hitting a cornfield close to the river. Might be a good time to dust off those full bodies and hit the fields.
Posted By:
bridgeman
Web Member
Ohio River below Dover Ky mile 420 01-18-2009 09:07
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 30-34 Degrees – Open Water
Duck Hunt 1-17-09
Due to the high winds I slept in again this morning hoping they would die down by afternoon so I could take the skiff, but they did not so I took the decoy boat to Dover with Jewels my Chessie. We were at the ramp at 2:00 pm and was 3rd, with a 4th pulling out. I asked the guys pulling out how they did, and they had gotten 4 geese and a few ducks. They had a decoy boat with a portable blind. It was 4 young guys, good to see young dedicated duck hunters, reminds me of me 35 years ago. I had planned to decoy the Ohio bank below Straight Creek, but on the trip up RT. 8 I saw that there were decoy hunters there. I stopped the rig and got out my binoculars to make sure on the middle of RT 8 on the trip to Dover. I decides to go DS of Straight Creek, I ran down the KY bank, and jumped up only maybe 10 ducks. I crossed over below the decoys hunters below straight creek and started down the Ohio bank. About 1 mile below I jumped up a raft of Geese that was unreal. There must have been 200-300 Geese. There were very few ducks mixed in. I ran down a bit more and started putting out decoys. The wind was DS and very strong. I only have 4 Geese Decoys, and I put out about 10 ducks. As I was putting the decoys out a drake mallard tried to land on my head. I got the Boat pulled into the bank and got my tarps up. I sat for about 15 minutes and Geese started flying around me, but they wanted nothing to do with my small spread. As I was sitting, a boat ran up the KY bank and cut its engine, I did not see where it went. About ½ later about 8 Geese landed on the Ky band across and a little US from me. About 1 minute later boom ,boom ,boom its was the boat I had seen, they must have put out decoys. I watched them run out and shoot a cripple. From then until dark geese and ducks flew over but I had nothing land in my decoys. I was funny how clear I could hear the guys duck and goose calls from across the river. Barbarba, a barge went by and I spoke to her on the portable Marine radio that I have in the decoy boat. I pulled out at 5:30 and was home by 7:30.
Posted By:
bridgeman
Web Member
Manchester Island Ohio River 01-16-2009 20:10
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – Below Zero
Duck Hunt 1-16-09
I hunted above Manchester Island today. Got up at 6:30 and it was -2 and strong wind. I should have gone decoying. I went back to sleep hoping the wind would die down. It was calm in Alexandria Ky. Had a great breakfast at the Aberdeen Dairy Yum Yum, they have the best pancakes. I was at my secrete ramp at 11:30, wind was terrible, river at 31 which is just to low to float with high wind. Put in and ran US above both Islands. I was hoping that around the bend it might be calmer. It did not. I jumped up the same bunch of Geese that stays in the front yard in a house on the US end of Manchester. I ran up the Ohio bank motoring slow, using the binoculars. I spotted some ducks ahead, so ran to the middle of the river and ran up. Spotted them as I ran by. Ran about 1 mile above and crossed over. Floated down and got right up on about 5 mallards, jumped up and 3 shots and nothing. Ran back up Ohio bank to above Concord. Crossed over. Floated down on a bunch of geese at the green grass of Concord, the boat is bouncing up and down from the wind produced waves. I got fairly close, but they got up before I was ready. I did not shoot. There was maybe 50 Geese. Continued on down and spotted a goose and 3 ducks. Got right up on them and dropped the Goose, missed the drake. Pulled into the bank for coffee. I spotted decoy hunters below, it was war eagle sitting on the bank with a bunch of decoys. They said they had a few. Started back down and spotted a bunch of mallards, below me. Got right up on them and just dropped a hen. By this time it is 5:00 so I called it a day, jumped a bunch of Geese on Manchester Island. Stopped at Yum Yum for Chili and home by 8:00. Should have gone decoying, too much work.
Posted By:
AGR 655
Web Member
Logan Co. 01-15-2009 17:03
Arctic Blast – 10-20 Degrees – Open Water
See a few birds this morning. It blew my mind but we killed two woodies this morning. They were some of those Northern ones because they were the prettiest birds I have ever seen. We hunted about 2 1/2 hours because honestly it’s all we can stand. If anyone does happen to venture out in the next couple of days please use extreme caution. I’m sure you all have heard about the high school students from Murray. My thoughts and prayer go out to them and there families. Good Luck to all.
Posted By:
Shawn-Keeton
Web Member
01-15-2009 08:04
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It changes it BIGTIME. There’s tons of debris, the current is swift and creates eddy’s that you would not believe. It can be very dangerous but also a productive hunting area if your careful and mindful of whats happening around you.
Posted By:
WAS
Guest
01-14-2009 18:21
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32.5 wow, is that as high as it sounds? Does that change the character of the river significantly when it is 20 feet above winter pool?
Posted By:
pintail pete
Guest
01-14-2009 11:03
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Normal pool for McAlpine above the dam is 12.5, below the dam is 10.1. You can call the Dam at 775-5056. They update every 4 hours. 12.8 on the upper today, 32.5 on the lower.
Posted By:
Shawn-Keeton
Web Member
01-14-2009 07:29
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WAS, I don’t know about McAlpin pool as I usually hunt the Markland pool. The water at Markland as of Saturday was supposed to crest at 32.9 which is a long way above winter pool.
