Hunting Sauvie today (Thursday 12-4)

[billc_sbio]

Well...who all went out today?

A few friends of mine and I did today...went to the West Side WMA...did "medium" o.k. on the draw.

It wouldn't be Polite to say here that it REALLY SUCKED...so I won't. But it did anyway!

The wind howled! It was the type of windy day that duck hunters dream about...the wind was there, no rain...oh, and did I mention NO DUCKS!
Of course some would tell you that an east wind isn't any good for duck hunting. I guess, based on today's activity, that would have to be correct. I just seemed like there weren't any ducks around...

We just misssed a couple of nice spots on Mud Lake and also Seal #1 and ended up at Steelman #9, which while not perfect, certainly gave a good vantage point of what was going on on that part of Sturgeon Lake, Mud Lake Unit nearby and also the clubs over on the Fazio land. Things were might silent...

Occasionally we'd hear a shot or two from the low number blinds of Mud Lake and sometimes waaay off in the distance from the direction of Johnson or the B&O club on the East Side.

Pretty dismal from my vantage point...bagged a single Widgeon and had a couple of Pinnies look us over real close...cudda spanked 'em good if the law allowed...

Anybody else have any reports?

[ANDYCOHO]

Thanks for not making me feel so bad about not hunting today!

Man I would have thought today would have been killer....

Thanks for the report!

[Fish Hawk Adventures]

Well,
I was 3rd from ladt in line and I finally pulled a good chip. I got #4 and was first pick. We took mud one and only ended up with 3 mallards, and only missed 2 other birds that we shot at. The day stunk you finally draw a good # and the ducks are not there. To add insult to injury the guys in Mud #2 were sky busting every time a duck would pass with in a hundred yards, no exageration either. There was a duck out atleast 100 to 120 yards on the water in front of us and they emptied there guns on it. I yelled at them acouple of times and then we just finally left. The guy just said if the ducks are just going to go sit on the refuge I am at least going to take a shot at them, cuz I came out here to have fun.

What happened to being a sportsman. We had room for 2 more Ifishers in the blind wish we could of ran in to you guys.

[Lured In]

Talons...the situation you just described along numerous other things is the primary reason why I have yet to make a trip to Sauvie this year. In the past I have hunted 15-20 times a season out there and done well. But sometimes it feels it is just not worth the effort when you end up with wackos next to you like you had.

My hunting buddies and I resolved to hunt there as little as possible and have pursued greener pastures elsewhere. Believe it or not, there is LOTS of excellent hunting where you cannot hear another gun shot from other hunters. All on public land.

It is sad that such a great resource like Sauvie, has to be reduced to a haven for those who skybust, poach and generally disrespect everything about duck hunting.

[skahorse]

TALONS,
This is the one thing that really bugs me about Sauvies... Why is that everyone out there is so insistant on pass shooting!?! Let the ducks work people! Especially on the slow days. Last weekend we were out on Racetrack and everytime we would get a couple of birds come into the lake and start circling, some chump in another blind would shoot at them. The birds were still 60 yds up! And they were slowing working there way down! Have some patience people! I think everyone out there feels like everyone else is going to pass shoot, so why wait for the decoy shot... All I know is that out of fear the birds that are working my dekes are going to get flared by the next guy over(By 8:00 its happened a couple of times, i'm sure), I start pass shooting myself. Then before you know it, no one on the lake is taking deke shots anymore. It's a Viscious Cycle... :blush: :grin:

If the birds are high-tailing out of your area, take the pass shot. But if they are working dekes (especially someone elses) let them work. Be courteuos.


--Skahorse

[billc_sbio]

Lured In,

Don't give up...never say "Die"!

If you (or a buddy) has a cellphone, KNOW the number of the Sauvie Is WMA Hq. (621-3488) anc CALL them right from your blind! Report what's going on and where!

Not always, but often, they'll get on it...send someone out there and watch... If they see what you describe is going on, they'll run 'em off!

A couple of years ago a friend and I were out hunnting on Malarky Point. Right behind us were some guys who were on Holman Point that were skybusting at birds SO badly it was unbelievable!

Every time any ducks would head our direction from there or be coming into us (general duck activity...flying near them too) they'd shoot! They'd either cut off birds that were heading in our direction or shoot at some others about the same time as we'd have birds coming in! This was so maddening! Repeatedly wounded/crippled ducks would crash down out on Sturgeon Lake, out past where we were and of course those (slob) hunters made NO attempt to retrieve the crippled birds! Of course they couldn't, they didn't have a boat...or dog for that matter.

I was almost as upset with my friend for leaving his cellphone back in the truck as I was at them! I wanted to do something!!!

When I got back home I called up and reported it to the Sauvie Is. Manager, Mark N. He said he'd check and he surely did!

It turned out as I found out later that the shooters who were out there that day were a VERY well known N.W. duck hunter and club ram rod and a G.I. Joe's employee who was a friend of his. BOTH should have known better.

It turns out this "famous" duck hunter had been "run out" of Sauvie Is. WMA previously and made "persona non gratta" for some period of time.

That type of behavior (some by the same person BTW) is why they got rid of the previous Mud Lake Blind #1.

I found this out by admission of the G.I. Joe's employee, and when they found out that I was the one who had called up and complained about their shooting they were really ****ed!

Well I didn't know WHO was over there shooting and it didn't matter! I would have called and reported it if it had been my best friend doing that! The ducks and the other hunters DON'T deserve that kind of disservice!

So...don't "give up" on the place, report the slobs and get 'em removed! That way you do everyone a favor.

[1pump]

Kind of unusual for an east wind to blow at all on the island.

In the second year of the draw system on the west side I drew a high number and got Steelman #6. The wind was blasting out of the SW at about 40mph and it was raining buckets. The water was still low so I didn't have my boat with me, so it was time for a hike.
I strapped on my dekes, gritted my teeth and the dog and I moved out. I hike like a machine, usually going non-stop from point A to point B, and especially in crappy weather.
At one point the trail crosses about 20 yards behind Steelman #10, and when I passed by the guy's dog came charging at me and caused me to stop for a just a second. He ran back to the blind, and I kept going. About 30 yards farther down the trail I heard a huge "KA-RACK" from somewhere above me, and before I could react the top half of a tree came crashing down and landed 2 feet in front of me. I got hit by the branches but the 6" diameter trunk just missed. If that guy's dog wouldn't have run in front of me, I would've gotten nailed, probably right in the head. And I wouldn't have been walking out of there if that happened.
The moral of the story is watch out for those trees in a high wind. A friend if mine got hit by one less than half that size and had to spend the night in the hospital after getting his scalp sewn back togther.
BTW, no ducks either. Didn't even hear a shot fired all morning, but in that wind I couldn't hear much. I hiked out about about 1100, and when I got to my rig the wind and rain quit, just like somebody threw a switch. I headed over to the east side, teamed up with somebody way up on the waiting list, and got Mudhen #9 and limited out in 3 hours. So the day wasn't a total loss. The birds really started to move when the weather broke. The wind quit and the birds thought "CORN!" and headed for the fields.

[billc_sbio]

Talons,

Good work pard!

At least you got some nice Mallards...

From the number of ducks that (weren't) flying and the low number of shots, you finished WAY above the average.

Sorry that with the good draw it couldn't have been an "in your face" day! Maybe next time?

[Lured In]

Ska...trust me, there is no place to "pass shoot" at Sauvie, with perhaps the exception of Holman Point. Pass shooting is for areas where birds will not or cannot land. I realize you are just getting into duck hunting and it can be tempting to follow the crowd. Somedays the ducks are just like that, they don't want to come in. That's what separates the best duck hunters from the rest. They make it happen. Strive to be the best and MAKE the ducks come in. (A good spread, sometimes only one or two dekes. A single drake pintail deke can be deadly on ALL ducks out there. Soft calling and even no calling. Set up a jerk cord on you most obvious deke. These things can really make your set stand out and get the ducks down in a hurry.) Pass shooting from the blinds is bad for everyone and only further educates the birds. I hope you don't think I am railing on you, but if people don't give in, the hunting will get better. PS: check you PM's.

Billc...while I don't doubt Jerry, Mark and Rob could all deal with the situation, the problems are systemic and there just aren't enough of them to police the whole east and west sides. Oddly enough, Malarky is the one unit I have the fewest complaints about and can't think of a day where we had any problems out there.

[Blue Tip Spinner]

Lured In- i disagree with you on the point you made about pass shooting on Sauvies with the exception of holman point. when i was young and couldn't call Jerry Ronne told me where to go to pass shoot ducks. there are places all over the eastside to pass shoot that are not close to blind units or people's spreads. i have learned over the years which locations to shoot on which days. there are days now that is still choose to pass shoot on the eastside because you have so many guys out there skybusting birds over big water, and the birds work the small potholes but don't land. i now call at those birds and get them to look and search for the call, which helps quite a bit to brind them into range. i don't believe in shooting at high birds- i love to watch the birds come in with their feet down and wings cupped and i have ALWAYS preferred it that way, but to be a good hunter, you have to do what is gonna get you game on a given day. i'm not trying to **** you off or anything [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img] , but when one of the most respected people on the island teach you something, there is validity to the actions. just my .02. BTS

[skahorse]

Lured In,
I know you are not railing on me. And I appreciate the advice. I am new to the sport, and it is easy to follow the crowd. I just gets frustrating when no one else on the lake will allow the ducks to land... I'll just learn to deal with it though.

Oh, and thanks for PM!

--Skahorse

[1pump]

Pass shooting from the blinds is bad for everyone and only further educates the birds. I hope you don't think I am railing on you, but if people don't give in, the hunting will get better.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">You're right, but it will never happen. The island is overrun every year with newbies and clueless types and you can't educate them all.
Fortunately a lot of the geeks don't know where to hunt, or don't know how to work the draw or reservation system and they have a bad experience and don't come back. But there's always somebody to replace them.
For years I tried to get ignorant hunters to modify their behavior before I finally gave up. All I do now is shrug and say "That's Sauvies". Most days I'd rather be on the North unit anyway. Not as many birds, but much better for the blood pressure.

[billc_sbio]

Hey I'm and "old fart" and hunted as much of my life using Lead shot as Steel. For those of you who think there's no difference...you're so WRONG!

For (imagine) most of you reading this you've never had the luxury of using it for waterfowl. When I say "luxury", I'm referring to ballistically. I don't want to get into any ecco issues here...we're talking what works well and how far away it can do it.

As far as I'm concerned there's NO PLACE for pass shooting ducks anymore...unless you have some location where they fly by consistantly at 40 yards or less (unless you're using Hevi-Shot, and even then we're talking about 50 yards...like the "old days").

I used to really "get into it" with Ray Johnson back in the days of his tenure as Sauvie Is. WMA Manager. My gripe was that where the Refuge Boundaries were located on Holman Point. I contended that they should MOVE them to allow setting up decoys in water during "normal" water conditions...so Holman could be hunted just like Johnson and Malarky Units.

Ray Johnson contended that it would be "too difficult" because the state legislature would have to approve it...big deal, they approve most other well presented recommendations by the ODF&W! Johnson used to argue that Holman Point was "set up as a Pass Shooting opportunity" to which I said, "B.S.! Times (and shotshells) have changed! People SHOULDN'T be pass shooting ducks!" Well...you see where that all went.

For you newbies, Holman Point can be an AWESOME place to hunt during high water periods...trouble is it takes very high water to be able to get water into the cuts to be able to set out decoys and make things work really well.

So...for some sage advice for those of you who don't know any better, if you can WAIT and let your ducks work in CLOSE you'll bag a limit with less than 1/2 a box of shells...IMGAGINE THAT!

Resist the temptation to shoot just because it looks like those other guys in the next blind down are going to have those birds work into their decoys instead of yours...that way they'll be DONE sooner and pick up and then the ducks will come into YOU!

Limits of Mallards come to those who wait...if you don't believe me see these...

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...9531HJNysUVTqD

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...9581xmzLCKTkgN

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...9340gPOuZVSmsI

ALL of these ducks were shot at 35 yards, most LESS!

Let 'em work and you'll be a lot happier with your results!

[Spooney]

Hey,
I hunted Aaron on the 4th. I noticed four or five hundred ducks (widgeon and pintails) dropping into the refuge. I hunted close to the refuge line on the east side of the pond. I was only able to pick up a widgeon and a green-wing.

I seen all the comments about "sky-busters". I don't like them either. I don't like much about California either but I like the idea of a 25 shell per hunter limit like they have down there. That like nothing else will stop "sky-busters". I have given up on all the blinds on the west side.
I have hunted twice weekly for the last four seasons on Sauvie and the roving units are where I have migrated to (as much as I like MH 12).I only hunt on week days.
I have a reservation for Dead-Willow on the 8th. I will be looking forward to that.
I have had a lot of good luck this year but no reliable stats like last year.
I wish Johnson 7 would open. The birds have been dumping into the south end of footbridge every day Ive been there.
If there is a safe hunter out there that like to walk fast in the dark, I would be glad to take on a strap-hanger on the 8th. I like the half-hour jump on the young guys so I always go the night before.

[1pump]

For you newbies, Holman Point can be an AWESOME place to hunt during high water periods...trouble is it takes very high water to be able to get water into the cuts to be able to set out decoys and make things work really well.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">I'll second that. The first time I hunted it (back in 1902 :tongue: ) it was early January and the water was way up into the timber. There had been a freeze a few days earlier and the ice was just breaking up. This was before neoprene waders and it was freaking cold, standing in butt-deep ice water. We had a few dekes out, and it was intense shooting. Because of the trees we couldn't see the birds working, and they would just suddenly drop in right in our faces. We missed a few that caught us by surprise, but we wised up in a hurry. It was just like skeet shooting, except we didn't know where to look. A duck would flash by, we'd swing on it too late, then another would scream in from the other direction. It was a blast! If you get a chance to hunt it under those conditions, I highly recommend it. Thick fog can be good too, even if the water's low.
The bad thing about Holman is the close proximity of the blinds. I've gotten peppered more than once out there by a low shot. Ouch.

[Killertraylor]

Talons - I think XTC and I are heading out in the morning - are you going to be there? I've got to be home by 1:00 to watch the Beavs (I'm sure Boedy doesn't want to miss the game either :tongue: ) but it's usually about done by then anyway. I think XTC has your cel number so I'll have him give you a ring.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Joe

[Swamp Puppy]

lol..one thing that got over looked in this discussion. the person was hunting in STEELMAN #9!! if there was such thing as a death sentence on the west side..ST#9 is it. now, i am not saying that sauvies is a great place to hunt and that it never has its slow days or times, but hey..ST#9 with an east wind is the last place i'd want to be.

[billc_sbio]

Yep...I (we) sure did!

I never said that I "expected" to do any good out there (but of course I hoped). In fact I'd NEVER hunted that spot before, but just knew from my friends, who'd hunted out on another Steelman blind a couple of weeks before, that "Steelman 9 was killin 'em", the day they were there. I'd say from the piles of spent shells lying around on the ground out there that someone had been shooting at something, a lot of somethings!

Well, chalk that one up to experience. I didn't know what it looked like...was going to look like...but I figured that, from the map, that one could set up to hunt irregardless of where the wind came from. Given the choice to hunt it again under the same conditions, I guess I'd pass.

BTW, I truly believe that if I were only trying to hide myself (instead of 4 people), I could set up and harvest some ducks pretty well...even under those conditions...if there were any ducks around to harvest!

But none the less it did offer a good vantage point to see and hear what was going on in several other locations...which as I reported was not much!

I knew where I wanted to go...just didn't have the chance, or draw number, to go there!

[Swamp Puppy]

i hear ya.. i always have a good "plan" as to where i want to hunt. that plan usually vanishes in a puff of smoke shortly after i draw my chip. ha ha ha. i've hunted ST#9 a few times. i even collected a limit of mallards (and one teal) there on openeing day this year while the rest of the island was slow. i agree, hiding 4 people on that exposed point wouldn't be easy.

well, here's to next time and getting chip #1



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