Waterfowl

Logan got invited to the swamp again this morning with better results. Said they should have had more ducks and geese, but did they did get two more drake woodies and four more geese after this pic.

 
Logan and I were up early (I was told that I was up too early), but we went to the big pond to try for geese and possibly some ducks. A little tough to set up due to the rules on a corps lake, but we saw at least 30 ducks and over 70 geese in our morning setup. Unfortunately, all were out of shooting range other than some early ducks and geese that buzzed us about 5 minutes prior to legal shooting light. Fun morning none the less with a fair amount of trash talking. We did fish a little while as well and for a change, I out fished him by numbers and weight.

Great time spent with my son on a chilly 29 degree morning in GA.
 
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Went to the public land this morning planning to try for ducks. Second guessed myself and fished instead. Saw 7 ducks and a few geese. I did catch this hybrid.

 
Little while ago, anytime you can shoot a triple on snows here in our county is a rare event.


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Sky rats ! :emoji_slight_smile:
 
Public land goose. Nine came in and I picked one. That's enough for me for the year.



Turned into a few of these along with dove and duck.

 
Today was our last day for first segment and it was a chilly 6 degrees so I passed
 
Logan and one of his buddies went on a last minute two day hunt in Arkansas. Day 1 was slow but said they saw thousands upon thousands of birds.

 
Logan and one of his buddies went on a last minute two day hunt in Arkansas. Day 1 was slow but said they saw thousands upon thousands of birds.


Slow is the new normal for Arkansas. So far, I have not killed a duck where I live. Used to kill 120 a year
 
Slow is the new normal for Arkansas. So far, I have not killed a duck where I live. Used to kill 120 a year
Yep. Ducks Unlimited didn’t do you guys any favors. Most of your ducks never make it past Missouri and those guys don’t get them until their season is over or close to it.
 
Is Arkansas duck hunting like deer hunting in Pike County, Illinois? Overhyped, over-hunted and living on past reputation?


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Is Arkansas duck hunting like deer hunting in Pike County, Illinois? Overhyped, over-hunted and living on past reputation?


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Yes. If you have big money and well managed land, you still have some ducks. If you dont, everything has to be just right.
 
Finally my swamp froze and they were landing in a spring hole that doesn't freeze.Some friends went this am and limited with no decoys or calling.Im going in am and sunday we got 2 days of good hunting this year.We also need rain
 
Yes. If you have big money and well managed land, you still have some ducks. If you dont, everything has to be just right.
Isn’t that the truth. Been going on and off since 08. It’s steadily gotten horrible. Last year hunted the last three days of the season and pulled the trigger three times on a spoonie and we hunted some really good properties. Literally hunted the border of claypools
 
Isn’t that the truth. Been going on and off since 08. It’s steadily gotten horrible. Last year hunted the last three days of the season and pulled the trigger three times on a spoonie and we hunted some really good properties. Literally hunted the border of claypools
Never would I have believed it. For forty years - it was good to great. Over the last five years, it has just gone away. I have finally been killing a few ducks - but it isnt even duck hunting - it is deer hunting. Find a dozen or two and leave them undisturbed. Return the next morning, dont put out a decoy, and hope you are in the right place when they come in. Over in 20 minutes.

Every year, I think it cant get any worse - and it does. We have been extremely dry this year, with many of the sloughs we hunt being dry as a bone. I hope next year, with at least a little rain, will bring back a few ducks.

In my forty some odd years of hunting in this state, I have lived to see the demise of quail, rabbits, turkeys, and now ducks. Deer hunting is good, but as cwd spreads across the state, with the liberal regulations - that too, will pass.

You best like to predator and hog hunt - because those are fast becoming your only choices.
 
Where did the ducks go? Are they dead? Or, did they simply move on to where there's water?
 
Never would I have believed it. For forty years - it was good to great. Over the last five years, it has just gone away. I have finally been killing a few ducks - but it isnt even duck hunting - it is deer hunting. Find a dozen or two and leave them undisturbed. Return the next morning, dont put out a decoy, and hope you are in the right place when they come in. Over in 20 minutes.

Every year, I think it cant get any worse - and it does. We have been extremely dry this year, with many of the sloughs we hunt being dry as a bone. I hope next year, with at least a little rain, will bring back a few ducks.

In my forty some odd years of hunting in this state, I have lived to see the demise of quail, rabbits, turkeys, and now ducks. Deer hunting is good, but as cwd spreads across the state, with the liberal regulations - that too, will pass.

You best like to predator and hog hunt - because those are fast becoming your only choices.
It’s a damn shame. I’ve only been at it for 25 years but I’ve seen ducks and turkey go to pot. Never had quail in earnest where I grew up Georgia but we would run up a covey occasionally. Use to hear them and sometimes see them regularly when we hunted timber company land in South Georgia but those literally disappeared before our eyes. Hogs and armadillos got thick though…
 
Where did the ducks go? Are they dead? Or, did they simply move on to where there's water?
How much time you got…
It’s a myriad of things. From changing agricultural practices to loss of habitat to global warming and factors in between.
 
Tomorrow is our last day and it just now is getting cold enough and we are seeing some birds
 
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