Where are the birds....

The geese are often a bit late getting down here, but we seem to have very few ducks down here, yet. I've been striking out. Two mornings haven't fired a shot.:banghead: This is ridiculous.

We're getting a trickle of specklebellies. They're usually the first to migrate. I heard my first flight of snows the other night. I'm sure hoping this front that's coming helps out. I've seen some big ducks, not many, but some. We just haven't had a good push of cold air. It was high 60s in the blind this morning and I was sweating. Just ain't right. :banghead:

Just watched the weather and there's supposed to be a good push of cold air next week. Here's hopin'.....

Well, Goose, I'm 63 and have been a duck shooting addict since the age of 14. I've seen some great hunts in Texas, but the birds have to be here. Right now, they just aren't. Interesting perspective on the snow migrations, though. Those big guys put on some miles! If I had untold fortunes of cash working for me, I'd hunt out of state, but I'm on a fixed income at this point. Being able to join a waterfowl club out of Eagle Lake (20 miles from me) was a stretch, but I ain't getting any younger and figure that while I can do it, I need to do it, build a few more memories I can take to the nursing home with me in the future. The bird's will be here, got to be upbeat I guess. LOL

Yeah, I hunt deer about 200 yards behind my house in the woods, easiest hunting around. I get up before daylight, stumble out to my box blind, fire up the thermocell or the heater depending on conditions, lay back in my high back office chair. Hey, I'm old! Bow season I'll be in my tree stand, though, get some elevation. But, I'm a waterfowler through and through, rather be shooting birds, just the way I've always been. But, when I can no longer do it, I've thought about paving the path back to my box blind, rigging it where I can run a motorized wheel chair up in it, and continue deer hunting, though I haven't come up with a good idea on how I'd field dress or skin the thing if I shot one, LOL.

But, ya know, Art is older and HE still seems to hunt, somehow. Where there's a will, there's a way. But, waterfowl hunting is definitely not for the infirm. I need to do it now, while I still can. I got up yesterday morning at 3:30, drank some coffee, loaded up Molly (my lab), and drove to one of our leased spots. Got set up in a blind with my feet in the water after stumbling around in the mud putting out water keel deeks that didn't want to upright themselves after tossing (I hate that). No birds, sat there until 9AM, picked up, came home. I slept on the couch all afternoon, went to bed at 10, and slept until 9AM this morning. DAMN I'm a wimp! I couldn't work rotating shift anymore if they paid me 3 times what I made when I was working. But, as they say, worst morning hunting is better than the best morning working. And, heck, I saved on ammo and didn't have to breast any ducks when I got home.

I'll get my money's worth out of this club when the birds get here. I have my goose rags ready, windsock type, and the goose season is long now days as they're trying to thin 'em out, overpopulated. Not so much wading and stumbling in water with geese, but lots of walking around putting out lots of deeks, then pickin' 'em back up after the hunt. It's a little tougher than deer hunting the way I do it now days, but I guess it's good exercise.. I do need the exercise. Can't hunt 'em with a tennis racket down here, but the 10 gauge seems to work okay.

Oh, one little story. I have been hunting Guadalupe Delta WMA, a state managed marsh bought with funds from the state's APH funds and help from Ducks Unlimited back in the 80s, for since its inception. They really manage that marsh well and it holds the birds. I've shot many limits out there. The APH permit is only 48 bucks a year, can't beat that. But, I moved away from there, so it's a deal to go down there, get set up in an RV spot, and hunt next morning.

Anyway, I was hunting a spot one morning, shot the last bird for my limit, was walking in on the trail. I come upon two old guys. Now, at this point I think I was late 40s. These guys were pushing 80, two old hunting buddies. They were sitting on their marsh chairs chatting and I stopped to chat. They said they hunted a NWR up in Missouri and had always gotten a blind, but that year they missed out. You have to get in a lotto or something and get drawn for a blind every year. One of the guys had a son working down here and so they came down to hunt at GDWMA. Now, the hunting is sorta tough out there, long walks to hunting spots, mud, salt grass to stumble over, all carrying your deeks, your shotgun, your ammo, your marsh chair. These fellows were just taking it easy, catching their breath when they needed to. It was inspiring.

Yep, where there's a will, there's a way. When I joined this waterfowl club, partly was for the goose hunting it offers (most decent goose hunting in this state is on private farms) and partly for the easier duck hunting. It's hunting from blinds and I can ride my little dirt bike right down to most of 'em with the deeks and such. It is easier than hunting GDWMA. Still gotta get up early, though. I think that hurts me more than the physical work of putting out the deeks and pickin' 'em up. I don't have to get up as early to go to the box blind.

Don't have to worry about the duck dynasty wannabes on private leases, +1 for hunting private land.

I've reserved for tomorrow morning. This little cool (not cold, just cool) front blew in. We'll see if it brought any birds with it. If not, we're getting what is probably close to a "blue norther" about Tuesday. THAT should help!....I hope.

At any rate, can't shoot ducks sitting at home. Gotta be in the blind to do that.

Gun deer season has started and I ain't even interested. Feeder's feedin', we have plenty of deer and hogs, just got birds on the mind. Part of that is that I killed a nice buck during bow season and trapped a hog, so freezer space is limited at the moment, anyway. I need a bigger freezer.

Well, saw 2 birds this morning. There were a few flocks of very high flying geese, mostly specklebellies. They get here earlier than the snows. There are a few snows here, but very few.

I'll go one more time ths first split after this good norther blows through. If THAT don't bring 'em down, probably be the second split, but I'll likely try AGAIN toward the end of the first split, I guess. This kinda sux, but what can ya do except roll with it.

Guess I can always go squirrel hunting.

Thanks for all the reports! At least I ain't dreamin' this lack of birds.

While racing in the River Safari a few years ago I looked at the Guadalupe delta. I would be afraid to allow my dog loose unless it was very cold. How do hunters on the delta retrieve their birds?

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I do not take my dog out there during teal season, just retrieve 'em myself. I lose a bird now and then, but I don't lose a dog. One teal hunt a few years back, my SIL was going after a bird I shot, said "something big an green came up and got it." I suggested he might come sit back down. I've had to pepper big gators at times to keep 'em from molesting my decoys. When there's a big one on a hole, they'll close that area. BUT, that's only during early teal season. By the duck season, they're all hibernating in holes. I don't know about THIS year, though. They might still be out down there. Been way too warm late into the season.

I've hunted all over the coast, from the land cut between upper and lower Laguna Madre up to Cole pass off Galveston bay and have not hunted, but messed around at Annuhac and JD Murphree WMA out of Port Author. I kinda like this inland hunting, not used to it, but it's a little easier hunting especially since they have blinds set up. I'm used to hunting in the grass either standing the whole time or on my marsh chair.