Friday Afternoon Limit with "Unique" Birds

[MarshBum]

I went out on Friday afternoon with Birdman1972 at one of his honey holes. He had told me the birds were flying at the end of the day like bees. After the short walk out to the pond, we threw out some decoys and waited. It wasn't long, and soon enough, I was educating (missing) my first bird.

At this point I reiterated my long running frustration with my Stoeger M2000, and the ill fit that was producing the horrible shooting. After watching me almost, and I mean almost, educate two more birds, Birdman1972 suggested I take my sling off the gun. I did, which I never do. What can I say, it seemed to work. School was over, and it was time for birds to go home... with me. Here's what came back with me, which was half of our two man limit taken in roughly two hours.



Two of the birds I shot were "unique". Maybe you've seen this before. It looked as though the greenhead had some serious swelling on one of his toes. When I was cleaning him, I investigate further and it appeared that he had broken this toe. It was not from my shooting. Perhaps this was an attempted heal?



The other birds that was "unique" was, well, almost plucked for me. When I picked up after dumping him at considerable distance (so my shot could not have done this), I rolled him over and this is what I found:



He was plucked and when I went to clean him, the skin was split from about mid way down the breast plate to well beyond the breast plate. This bird flew perfectly normal and didn't behave in any odd ways. When I went to clean him his breast meat was completely marbled with blood clots and some white stuff (not the parasite that was previously posted here). Any ideas what happened. Did this bird tangle with a predator?

Anyway, huge thank you to Birdman1972 for a good hunt. I had an excellent time sharing the blind with you. Hope we get some more chances!

MarshBum

[Bait Bucket]

Nothing unusual about that second bird. I’ve had them hit the water belly down so hard that they practically skin themselves. I’ve had geese hit so hard in the field that they would burst wide open. The clots you saw were burses. Good hunt, by the way.

[Crashin' Bait]

That foot looks like pellet damage from an earlier brush with another waterfowler.

The second bird looks like my pup snuck into your blind while you weren't looking. She likes duck, too. :grin:

[Flying Roast Beef]

I hate to admit it but I've had geese leave a blood trail acrossed the snow on their way out to die in no mans land. It sucks big time but it happens sometimes. That bird had been shot.

[waterfowlin101]

Nice report and bag Geoff!!!

Congrats .

Jon

[gottafish]

You know what That just might be a bird we shot. We shot a mallerd drake the first week of season that we thought was dead the dog was licking the feathers off the breast My son threw it up the bank to get it away from the dog and it took off running and then flew. I kid you not.

[Crashin' Bait]

Those mallards are tough. They take a "licking" and keep on ticking.

[waterfowlin101]

Those mallards are tough. They take a "licking" and keep on ticking.

LOL LOL