Good duck hunt this morning

[MCgunner]

Went down to the local WMA for a bit of duck shooting. Met a kid there, kid, he's 28 years old, anyway, he's been hunting a couple of years and hangs out on a duck hunting board. He lives in Houston, Jersey Village, and left there at 1:30AM to get here. Damn, well, I was goofy at that age, too, or should I say "goofier".

He had this rather worthless dog that cost me a couple of birds. He put the dog back in the truck early on. But, I still managed a limit. Took him a while to get his range, but he finally started hitting and knocked down three toward the end. I finished up and just did the calling for him. He had a nice gun, too, Browning autoloader. It's too pretty for the marsh, though, some BEAUTIFUL grained checkered walnut. I just took the old camo Mossberg like always, ain't real fancy, but still gets the job done. Didn't have a camera out there or I'd post a pic. I was done by 7:30 and stayed til about 9 just calling. Lotsa fun.

This kid is one of our many heroes. He was wounded in Iraqi Freedom, Marine. He didn't give any details and I didn't press, but sounds like either a mortar or something got him or an IED. He's had back surgery and it messed up his skull, but it must not have hurt his brain because he's going to school at University of Houston, studying anthropology. His back don't seem to slow him down, though, haulin' all that junk in and wading all over hell's half acre in the marsh. Anyway, it was a real pleasure meeting him and I admire what he's done for our country.

 

[DannySeesUSMC]

Thanks for sharing that...sounds like a great time and helps me look forward to duck hunting one day.

What shotshells were you using?

 

[MCgunner]

I shoot Winchester Xpert 2 3/4" high speed 3 shot, the 1550 fps stuff, normally. But, I got these two boxes of 2s at Wallyworld the other day because they didn't have any 3s. Truth be told, they seem just as deadly. 2 3/4" high speed stuff will reach out there and it's normally under 10 bucks a box. As much as I shoot ducks, that's a good thing.

The 3" experts have a failure to extract in my mossy about 3 or 4 rounds out of a box, irritating. But, 3" aren't necessary and the mossy eats the 2 3/4" just fine. Also, they feed in my Winchester 1400 auto when I want to take it. I don't shoot it much in the marsh on ducks because it's too pretty (even though it's cheap wood) to mess up. The Mossberg can handle it, plastic and camo finish. Which reminds me, I have to go clean it. We were on a fresh water lake this morning, though, not brackish since the river just went down from flooding the place.

Anyway, get the high speed or "fasteel" stuff. All the manufacturers are making it now. Kent fasteel was the first, I think, but it's really caught on and for good reason, it works. Speed kills. The 2 3/4" stuff I'm shooting tosses 1 1/16 ounce of shot at 1550 fps.

 

[chas08]

I had a good hunt Saturday morning also. I didn't limit, in fact I might have just barely seen a limit of birds total. But I got to see a beautiful sunrise, as it burned it's way through the dense morning fog in a brilliant display of pinks, reds, and yellows. It reminded me that a camera ought to be as much or more a part of my hunting gear as, in this case, ammunition. I came away with three Gadwalls and was lucky to get 'em. Opening weekend I never fired a shot. The birds just aren't holding here yet. Hopfully it will get better.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, we have a lot of birds in the marsh down here, now, gads, teal, and of course spoonies mostly. There are a few wigeon down now and I saw huge flights of high pintails, but none were coming down in the marsh. Pintails hang out on the island mostly, but we get 'em in the marsh from time to time usually later in the morning.

Last weekend of teal season, I shot a limit of blue wings. We got a fresh flight just before that weekend with a front a few days before. Before that it was kinda sparse. We didn't have hardly any big ducks except a few spoonies down that weekend, but they're comin' in now. This good norther that blew in this morning will likely bring a bunch of fresh birds. Heck, I've seen fronts bring in huge numbers of fresh birds as late as mid December before. So, I'm betting this front is going to bring you birds as well as bring us some more.

Anyway, as you say, when you get older, it becomes more and more the experience and less and less the limit. This kid I was hunting with was frustrated at his shooting. He couldn't hit squat early on, easy wings cupped over the deeks shots. He said something about another guy on that duck hunting board that is "serious" and doesn't like to chat until he gets his birds. Crap, that's the only reason I like to hunt with others, the chats. This guy he mentioned is 23, I think. I just told him things change, priorities change, as you age. It is true. I'd be out there if there wasn't a danged duck in the state, LOL, so long as season was open. Heck, you can always try to hit the snipe. Good luck on that and they have less meat on 'em than a dove for the cost of steel shot, but hey, if you just gotta shoot, snipe season is open.

 

[schlockinz]

Dang, went out saturday and we only got two puddle ducks, the rest were divers that kept coming in so we pulled out a little early, hopefully this new front helps out

 

[chas08]

Crap, that's the only reason I like to hunt with others, the chats.

Yep, I agree. I was hunting alone Saturday, as I seem to do a lot of that these days. My regular hunting partner is tied up with other commitments till after the split. The commaraderie is much more a part of the experience than the kill. My Dad taught me that. I hunt near Gonzales,Tx. and I've been watching the farm ponds for birds and not seeing many. It sounds like they are pushing on through to the coast and overflying us here. The second half of the season here, has almost always been traditionally better.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, I most often, and did Saturday, go to the delta near Tivoli, an APH WMA. Been hunting it since the 80s when it opened. I don't mess with boats anymore, just as good down there. It's only about 15 minutes south of town. It just opened this past weekend, was still flooded opening day from the Guadalupe river spillage. It's still got too much water in it, but there are a lot of birds down here and more to come. I think I'll hit it Saturday and might go Thursday if I can climb my butt out of bed at 3:30 on a cold morning. LOL Son-in-law might go Saturday, don't know, yet. I can probably get the same hole Thursday, fewer people out there. Not sure Saturday, but most of the spots are good out there. What I like about where we went is the easy walk. LOL I do have a kayak now, for getting across the lake, though, and use in the potholes when the water's up like it is now.

If you get bored, wanna drive an hour and a half, shoot me a PM. That boy I hunted with was from Jersey Village, NE of Houston. Kid left his house at 1:30 to get here on time. DANG, I used to do stupid stuff like that when I was his age, like driving 24 hours to get to Daytona, dropping the bike out of the van, and going out for practice with no sleep. ROFL I'm too old for that anymore, gotta get my sleep, and 3:30 is pushing it. LOL One thing, I've been a lot healthier since I don't work rotating shift anymore. Sleep deprivation gets to ya over time. They claim a shift worker's life expectancy is 7 years less and I believe it. But, when you're 28 and gung ho....LOL.