Hunting Reports Week 1/10 - 1/16

[Rauly]

Lets here some good reports.

[Chromaflage]

Team Cast and Blast (skahorse, boatdog and myself) was planning on participating in the Sturgeon Challenge on the 10th. We all blocked out the day to do something regardless of the status of the challenge. We had come up with alternative plans should the challenge be postponed due to weather. So, we decided to go to my leased property near the lower Columbia.

Late Friday, I received a call from the manager of the propert - she told me all water was frozen, but we could jump shoot the canals - lots of birds there. So, Sat AM I picked up boatdog, who had never been duck hunting before. We met skahorse in Clats and drove to the fields. Got there about 20 minutes before shoot time. Lots of birds were flying already. We decided to walk the canals and check out the pond. I could tell at that point we should have gotten there earlier and set up a spread - ice and snow were melting fast. We hunted the canals for about an hour, jumped lots of birds and dropped one. Decided to get the dekes and set up in a flooded depression.

So we went back to the truck to get the dekes and blind. Had a minor mishap that set us back a few minutes. Got set up in time to see nothing flying for awhile.

But we had a few flights and skahorse dropped a couple more birds. Wasn't able to get boatdog his first bird yet, but he's hooked.

All in all it was a great trip - good to meet and hunt with skahorse and boatdog! I told these guys - if nothing else, I make sure that I provide memorable trips for team mates. :grin: Guys, I hope you're willing to do it again some time...next time, we'll walk in.

ORS

[Threemuch]

Went out with CD again Saturday at his club on deer island. We got out about an hour before shoot time and broke ice until the sun came up. Two 1" layers separated by 2-3" of snow. Not fun, we couldn't slide a piece bigger than 6'x6', and as you tried to slide it under, the top lip of the piece you were sliding would catch on the bottom lip of the piece you were sliding under and everything broke apart and you wound up slinging slush. Add to that about 1 ton of grass caught in the ice and it made for some hard work.

Set up the dekes as the sun came up, and then noticed the open water, about 30-40 yards to our left, with a duck in it! The dog scared it off, and we started hunting.

Tons of birds flying, and the first two wanted in the other hole! CD dropped a sprig out of the pair, and the hunt went on. We saw 1000s of ducks, but all that would come in were four spoonies and a hen mallard. We dropped em all, but that was about it up to about 11am, except for a couple of teal that buzzed us at about 50 mph.

We moved to some deep open water, but there wasn't any ducks working withing shooting range there either. Any retrieve would have been very difficult, since the water was over my waders and the dog couldn't really stand on the ice, and couldn't really break it either.

No shortage of birds out there, and lots of other guys on the island had great scores.

[skahorse]

Had a minor mishap that set us back a few minutes.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Minor setback?
I wish I had a picture of this minor setback! Only set us back about 120 minutes :grin:

Still had a great time though! Thanks for the great hunt ORS!

--Skahorse

[Boatdog]

Wasn't able to get boatdog his first bird yet, but he's hooked.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Hooked............ more like addicted, yup!!! [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] The only thing better than burning that much powder is actually hitting something :grin: [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

It was a great trip with a couple of great guys. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Thanks ORS!

Boatdog

[Swamp Puppy]

as of last sunday Sauvie's west side was still frozen solid. no open water anywhere. let's hope that changes (or has changed) soon.

[Spooney]

No birds. I hunted Sauvie's North Unit on the 12th (PM) and watched a lot of birds coming and going from the larger portion of the lake to my south.
I hunted Sauvie's MH12 on the 13th. No birds. My neighbor in MH11 was breaking ice for the first two hours so he could hunt. They only flared three hopefull possibilities. I managed to drop a hen spooney. My neighbers in MH11 had to re-break ice in their spread so I decided to break 2"ice for an hour to get to the spooney that broke through and was submerged somewhere and is resting peacefully there. I stayed until noon but I grew tired of watching large flocks of pintails hanging with the snow-geese. I am packing it in for the year; walking that distance through the snow and ice reminds me that I did that for too many years with 100+ pounds on my back.

I have a mere 15 birds to last year's 80+. :smile:

The hunters in the "no-plug" duck club to the south west had another great shoot; melting barrels again.
[img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

I will be on the island this summer picking up hulls and trash, moving around the blinds and dreaming of a better 2004-05.

PS the hunters in MH11 did a great job with their late season calling tactics, long-loud calls to pull birds out of their flight path.

[Fishfaced]

Best day of the season! 5 shooters 35 birds. mostly widgon, 4 pennies, mallards, and couple teal. Could have shot lots of teal but passed em up the big ducks were right behind 'em. Saw lots and lots of ducks today. Must be a new flock in town. Ice was going away fast. We even put the schnide on our neighbors for a little while (they usually kick our _ss.)today. Let'em come all the way in! They will if you just wait. SI Private. Done by 2:30.

[Labsforme]

I hunted some goose fields in Yamhill county(zipperlip somewhere )one greater and 3 Tavs by 10:00.I only put out 16 full bodies(Carry-lites with photofeathers and GHG feeders) and some Outlaw sills.I really like the way my new Greehead Gear dekes look,more importantly so do the birds.I am still waiting for my Hardcore lessers.Now a long wait until next hunt in Feb-
sigh(from Rilla)